By the Power of Grayskull: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

Lots of [[Phlebotinum]] is voice activated: [[Star Trek|Kirk]] talked to the computer, [[Knight Rider|Michael talked to KITT]], [[Automan]] talked to Cursor. But there is no place where a voice activation is more universally required than when triggering a [[Transformation Sequence]].

And ''woe betide'' anyone who mispronounces the transformation phrase, as horrible, horrifying things may result.

 

 

For some heroes, the phrase can be omitted when time does not allow, especially if the full [[Transformation Sequence]] is omitted. Superheroes who do not go through an explicit [[Transformation Sequence]] ([[Batman]], [[Superman]]) are exempt.

 

 

 

This is the magic [[Catch Phrase]] that actually causes or facilitates the transformation. For one that is simply a cool kind of rallying cry or way to get the adrenaline pumping ("Flame On!", for example), see [[Invocation]]. When either of these contains (or is) the ''name'' of the hero's new form, it's [[Transformation Name Announcement]].

 

{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'': In the first season of the English dub, Yugi's transformation into the pharaoh is usually precipitated by his shouting the title of the series.

* ''[[Getter Robo]]'', the majordomo of piloted [[Super Robot]] anime, used the phrase "Change, Getter X", where X was the number/name of the form to be assumed. The actual change was just assembling the [[Combining Mecha|combiner team]] in a new order. Later on in the series the phrase "Open Get" was used to disconnect the component vehicles.

** ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Show Within a Show]] [[Gekiganger 3]], based heavily on Getter Robo and other shows of its type, uses "Let's Gekiga In!" (based on ''[[Voltes V]]'''s "Let's Volt In") for all its combination sequences, and "Gekiga Out" to disconnect the vehicles.

** Sailor Jupiter's pre-attack powerup [[Invocation]] probably counts. "Guardian Jupiter! Stir up the storm, summon the clouds, send me your lightning! ''Supreme Thunder!''" She drops everything but the attack name later on, though. Though it does appear a few times later, making the attack seem more Bad Ass then normal.

*** If that counts, then [[Sailor Moon Abridged|this]] counts: "I call upon the powers of Zeus himself, infuse me with your heavenly thunder, which is actually lightning, but no one seems to notice. ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pika-chuuu!]]''"

* ''[[G Gundam]]'' has the protagonist shouting "Rise, Shining Gundam!" whenever he decides to call his [[Humongous Mecha]]. It's not quite a transformation sequence, but close enough.

* ''[[GaoGaiGar]]'': FINAL FUSION!! SYMMETRICAL DOCKING!! MEGA FUSION!! SYSTEM CHANGE!! SANMI ITTAI!!

* ''[[Princess Tutu]]'' averts this trope, but ''[[Princess Tutu Abridged]]'' throws one in.

** Ahiru still has a transformation sequence, but it's all visual, with an allegorical egg of light and the same little dance every time.

* Black*Star in ''[[Soul Eater]]'' calls out to [[Shapeshifter Weapon|Tsubaki]] to get her to change [[Morph Weapon|weapon forms]].

* [[Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt|Panty and Stocking]] have an elaborate chant while powering up their lingerie into ghost-slaying weapons. The full version is used once, and later parodied when it quickly decays into apathetic mumbling. Their demonic nemeses, Scanty and Kneesocks, have their own Power of Grayskull chant.

* In ''[[Hyper Speed GranDoll]]'', Hikaru shouts "Gran Change!" to transform.

* The girls of ''[[Makeruna Makendo]]'' say "Ma-ken-do!"

* ''[[Tekkaman Blade]]'' has "Tek Setter!".

 

* Megaton Man uses the word Overkill to transform into his ridiculously muscled superhero form from his ridiculously muscled alter ego.

* In [[The DCU]], Jason Blood is changed into [[Etrigan]] when a certain poem is read, by him or by someone else. The full version is:

{{quote|''Change, change the form of man.

** Thunder Girl, ''Big Bang Comics''' Captain/Mary Marvel pastiche, had the word "Alakazam!" Her evil Nazi counterparts (who more closely resemble the rest of the Marvel family, with another Mary thrown in for good measure) have "Gotterdammerung!"

** Perhaps ironically, an even later issue of [[The Flash]] had our hero Wally West spouting the equation out of desperation to be faster during a particularly large disaster. {{spoiler|Not only did he speed up, but time actually froze around him -- keeping the world in a frozen moment of time that only fellow speedster Max Mercury could reach for a few minutes before being dragged out again. Time resumed its natural flow when Wally was finally able to let go and allow time to resume.}} 'Pointless' indeed.

* Johnny Thunder commanded his magical (though literal-minded) genie through the mystical phrase "cei-u". In his early issues the running gag was that he wasn't aware of this, and the magic would happen at seemingly random times without him realizing that it was always after he has spoken the words "Say, you". Needless to say, he wasn't portrayed as very bright.

** There's a reason for this: {{spoiler|"Khaji da!" is the Scarab's ''name''}}, a point revealed in Blue Beetle #25 (of the most recent series).

* General Glory, also from [[The DCU]]. He forgot his magic catch phrase after being mindwiped by the government. He finally tracked it down via the propaganda comics the government used to issue so they could deny his very existence. "You saw General Glory beating up a tank? Sure... stop reading so much, soldier."

* [[The Golden Age of Comic Books|Golden Age]] (now [[Public Domain]]) superhero the Green Lama used as his transformation phrase the mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum". Since the Lama was supposed to be Buddhist this makes a sort of sense.

* The Great Ten's Thundermind uses the mantra "All hail the jewel in the lotus" (or its translation "Om mani padme hum") to transform into the mighty superhero. Since Thundermind is a Buddhist-based superhero, it makes some sense (as with the Green Lama).

* Hawk and Dove, from the DC Universe, would magically gain their superpowers and costumes by shouting out loud their super-hero names. This would only work if there was danger afoot, however.

* The trope was parodied in issue #23 of the [[Batgirl 2009|Stephanie Brown]] ''[[Batgirl 2009|Batgirl]]'' [[Batgirl 2009|series]], where she confronts the Reapers, the (Somewhat pathetic, although admittedly dangerous) villains she has faced for the majority of the tail-end of the series. When she finds herself outmatched by the numerically superior Reapers, she shouts '''''[[Shazam]]!''''' at the top of her lungs. The Reapers pause momentarily in confusion, and [[Genre Savvy|question one another on if Batgirl is magic or not]], before the [[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|Teen Titans]] [[Big Damn Heroes|burst to the rescue]], having been waiting for the signal to come charging in. They proceed to [[Curb Stomp Battle|effortlessly annhilate the Reapers]], [[Cherry Tapping|some of whom do not even bother to look at the Reapers as they defeat them]].

 

* ''[[Becka Rangers Nemo Thunder]]'' had "From Down Under, Nemo Thunder!" and "Taking on the Jellies!", as it was a combination of ''[[Finding Nemo]]'' with ''[[Power Rangers Dino Thunder]]''.

 

==Film==

 

== Literature ==

* Averted in the Tortall universe, in which the most powerful shapeshifter in the world quite frequently shifts into something else without saying anything at all.

** After her series ends, she gets pregnant with a baby shapeshifter, and has to change shape whenever the baby does so she doesn't kick her way out. Another character comments that it is quite distracting to try to talk to the shapeshifter when she has to change shape every few minutes.

* In Bruce Coville's ''The Monster's Ring'', the main character had to recite some doggerel in order to make the titular ring work, one verse to turn into a monster and another to change back.

* In Zilpha Keatley Snyder's ''Black & Blue Magic'', the main character had to recite a flying-related verse while rubbing a certain magic oil into his shoulder blades in order to grow wings.

 

== Live Action TV ==

** ''[[Tomica Hero Rescue Force]]'', which is actually a [[Spiritual Successor]] to ''Madan Senki Ryukendo'', used ''"Chakusou!"'' This is the exact same word as "souchaku".

* In ''[[Cutey Honey the Live]]'', Honey transforms by touching two fingers to a little heart charm on her neck and calling "Honey Flash!". Her transformation is a naked/sparkle scene a la ''[[Sailor Moon]]'', but the catch is that the people around her can ''see'' her naked and sparkling.

** [[Himitsu Sentai Goranger|"Go!"]]

** [[Battle Fever J|"Fever!"]]

* [[Ultraman 80]]: "Eitii!"

* [[Ultraman Mebius]]:"Mebiusu!"

 

== Tabletop Games ==

** Most tabletop games don't require the ''player'' to chant anything, as it's assumed the PC says whatever he needs to say to get the desired spell activated (ie, Power Word Kill doesn't specify the word used).

*** Actually, the majority of the incantation is done during the prepariation step. The actions they take to unleash it are simply finishing the last part of the spell. (Sorcerer's use the words to help them focus as their power is largely instinctive).

*** There's also the Nonverbal Spell feat in one of the supplements which allows a spellcaster to bypass the use of ''words'' as long as they use some other sound (grunting, mumbling, or even singing). This was initially so that one race which didn't speak could still become a spellcaster. It also allows for a cheaper way of being stealthy than Silent Spell since it doesn't affect the spell slot level.

** However, ''[[GURPS]]'' has an optional rule for spellcasting using cantrips; you can prepare in advance (or invent on the spot) a poem to cast a spell; longer poems give better effects. The player, not the PC, must recite or read the actual cantrip, and you're not allowed to "stop time" to make up a poem, so you'd better be good at improvisation or have a prewritten one at the ready.

** Spells in ''Kobolds Ate My Baby'' require the player to perform the correct action/speak the correct words. The phrase for casting "Wall of Beer" was "Tappa tappa kegga, wall o'Beer omega!". Being invisible required the player to cross their arms and do their best to look like a brooding vampire.

* Explained away in a ''[[Shadowrun]]'' book. People in the Shadowrun-verse yell, wave their hands in elegant motions, point, say things [[Narm|quite dramatically]], and other magicky stuff, but when asked this, a mage says that it's all used to help focus mana. It's not necessary, though.

 

== Video Games ==

* ''[[Super Monkey Ball|Super Monkey Ball 2]]'' and it's quite bizarre story mode where the heroes had to chant a song before they could go rolling around a level. According to the subtitles, the song had lyrics, but it all sounded like "Uki uki uki-ki-ki!"

* Combined with a [[Badass Creed]] in ''[[Princess Waltz]]'': A sword in my hand. A vow on my finger. I am clad in white. I will become a contestant in the Waltz.

 

== Web Animation ==

** The email "shapeshifting" pokes fun at this, with Strong Bad imagining himself gaining the ability to shapeshift and, in addition to having to put up with pointless rules and restrictions, having to activate the power out loud:

{{quote|"Shapeshift unto... a Sumatran tiger!" '''*DWAYNE!*'''}}

 

== Web Comics ==

{{quote|'''Alina:''' Probability distribution of... electron cloud!

'''Dmitri:''' Density with mass reaching boundaries of... the Chandrasekhar limit! }}

* Parodied in ''Tales of Mynarski Forest''; when the delusional Heywood raises his "magic sword" to the sky with a call of "By the Powers of Numbskull!" he gets struck by lightning with [http://mynarskiforest.purrsia.com/xsl06_21.htm predictable results].

* Played with in one ''[[El Goonish Shive]]'' [[Filler Strips|filler comic]]: Ellen, having nicknamed her boobs "The Wonder Twins", yells "Wonder Twin powers... ACTIVATE!"

'''Grace:''' Are you wearing a towel as a cape? }}

* In ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'', Zoe's transformation powers are enacted by the words "shupid" and "kwi". However, this works whether said by her or somebody else. (Kind of has to, since her alternate form is that of a camel... which can't talk.)

* ''[[PvP]]'' featured a comic about the minor random character Lolbat, who is shown to be a child who activates the power of ancient memes with the phrase, "It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!"

* Averted in ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'': while V does say "Shapechange" before transforming into {{spoiler|a pink dragon}} for the first time, this is not what actually triggers the transformation. Rather, virtually all spellcasting in ''OotS'' has ''the name of the spell'' as a verbal component. The next time V transforms, no verbal statement is necessary, as the ''Shapechange'' spell's duration has not expired.

* At one point in ''[[Bad Guy High]]'', one of the kids got a He-Man-esque suit and a bunch of powers from some magic hermit. To call his powers, he had to call the hermit's name <ref>The name was the initials of various DC heroes, but can't recall the order</ref> and a lightning would strike him, changing him. Saying it again restored his form, so he made that mistake a couple times. {{spoiler|1=And once when SuperDan was holding him down on the ground, he recited the word a couple times so [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|the lightning would strike Dan instead]].}}

* In ''[[Emergency Exit]]'', Karl Tameron activates his couch robot by saying the phrase, "I sing the body electric," the beginning of a Walt Whitman poem. While this is not an example, it happens that later that same phrase not only transforms his couch but also seems to give him some manner of super powered electronics control, which satisfies the criteria. Fridge logic dictates that it's possible that he would have gained the super powers if he had a face the first time he said it and didn't need to use the speaking program from the portal bracelet, as he did not say the words himself that time.

 

== Web Original ==

* Possibly in a reference to ''[[Power Rangers]]'', the Dimensional Guardians from the web fiction serial ''[[Dimension Heroes]]'' must shout "Dimensional Guardians, power up!" to activate their Guardian powers.

* [[Atop the Fourth Wall|"INTERNET REVIEWER!"]]

* Super-speedster Jenny Thunder, a hero from the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]'' activated her speed powers by yelling out the phrase "THUNDERBOLT POWER NOW!"

* ''[[Transformers]]'': Possible stretch, but when time permits, conversion to robot mode is accompanied by a transformer calling its own name, then saying, "Transform!"

** ''[[Beast Wars]]'' used this trope more extensively, with "Insert Name Here, Maximize!" for Maximals, "Insert Name Here, Terrorize!" for Predacons and "Beast Mode!" for reversing it. Later in ''Beast Wars'', some had vehicular modes with specialized names (at least once, Rattrap called his "Knieval Mode").

**** Actually, it wasn't required. The voice commands existed in the first place because Hasbro wanted viewers to be absolutely sure which character was which. The voice commands were extremely prevalent in Season 1, though were toned down by the end and almost never heard in 2 & 3 unless a new character appeared.

*** In ''[[Beast Wars]]'', Dinobot specifically changed his code whenever he switched sides.

** "I Am Transformed" for the ''[[Beast Machines]]'' Maximals (a plot point in the early episodes, as the characters needed to learn how to transform, as it had previously been handled by an onboard computer in them.).

* The [[Centurions]] had the activation phrase, "Power-X-Treme!" (or rather "pow-ER ext-REEM!") to beam down their weapons.

* ''[[Captain Planet and the Planeteers]]'': "[[Invocation|Let our powers combine]]! Earth!"

** The sister series ''[[Silverhawks]]'' also had a villain with a transformation speech: "Moon Star of Limbo! Give me the might! The muscle! The menace! Of MON...STARR!!"

* ''[[Winx Club]]'': Before 4Kids edited it, Bloom says "Bloom Magic Winx!" some of the time before transforming, with the other fairies substituting their names instead. Around season 2, it got reduced to just "Magic Winx!" When the girls earned [[Frilly Upgrade|new outfits]], 4Kids did have the girls saying "Go Enchantix!" for a while.

* The [[Wonder Twins]], from the second season of ''[[Superfriends]]'', would shout "Wonder Twin powers, ACTIVATE!" to, well, activate their Wonder Twin Powers. This was followed by Zan shouting, "Form of (something made of water or ice)!" and Jayna shouting, "Shape of (an animal or alien creature)!" (Interestingly, the comics made it clear that this wasn't required at all, but just a habit; presumably as a courtesy to [[Viewers are Morons|the audience who wouldn't understand that the Twins had just shifted shape]].)

** This habit, and the entire concept of the Wonder Twins, was hilariously subverted in a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePLXE8pLT5Q Cartoon Network promo] disguised as an Eighties-vintage "you can do anything you set your mind to" spot: after telling the kiddies they don't need superpowers to be cool, Jayna transformed into a green tiger, and Zan into a bucket of water... whereupon he began lamenting his [[What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?|lame superpower]], and exclaimed, "I could be defeated by a sponge. It wouldn't even have to be an ''evil'' sponge!" [[Hilarity Ensues|And an evil sponge (you can tell by the eyebrows) leans out from a group of lurking villains.]]

* Used by ''[[Freakazoid!]]'', without even [[Lampshade Hanging]] it to any real degree. He has to say "Freak out!" to transform into Freakazoid, and "Freak in" to turn back into mild-mannered nerd Dexter Douglas. When Dexter says "freak out", he always precedes it with an extended "Ah" sound, like the chorus to the disco song "Le Freak" by CHIC.

* In ''[[Fred and Barney Meet The Thing]]'', young Benjy Grimm would transform into The Thing by touching his magical rings together and saying "Thing Ring, Do Your Thing!"

** The power suit seems to be able to hear the phrase no matter how far away the speaker is. In one episode, Fenton is hundreds of miles away and needs the Gizmoduck suit. He says the phrase and it activates, and flies across the country to get to him.

*** Not so much as it works that when Fenton is not within the suit's range, he calls it and says the word through the telephone. The reason that he had his mother use it the one time was because he forgot to turn on the suit's answering machine.

** The actual phrase is only "blatherskite," chosen as the most obscure word in the English language. The blabbering part is just Fenton's expression, and he never realizes that he only needs to say the second half.

* The spell that serves as a modifier for Raven's powers in ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'' is "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

* The ''[[Battletoads (animation)|Battletoads]]'' cartoon pilot had the three teenage protagonists shout out "Let's get warty!" to transform into their toad counterparts. A pretty stupid catchphrase, but not half as bad as what many people thought they said: "Let's get ''horny''!" (As in horny toads. Hopefully.) "Let's get normal" was used for the reverse transformation.

** Grim may have just been having fun. Despite his usually dour demeanor, episodes have repeatedly shown that under the death's hood lurks a big goofball.

** Along with a tap of their symbol, usually...

** Spoofed during ''Nullzilla'', where the characters summon vehicles for a [[Combining Mecha]] with voice commands. Bob, Dot, and Enzo get the usual speech related to the vehicles, but Frisket ''barks'' for his and Mike has to say [[Butt Monkey|"Gnat, slightly annoyed, high pitched buzzing force"]].

{{quote|'''Arthur:''' I am King Arthur.

'''Knights:''' And we are the Knights of Justice. We pledge fairness to all, to protect the weak and vanquish the evil! }}

* In ''[[Jem]]'', a rare western [[Magic Idol Singer]] series, Jerrica would "transform" into Jem by touching her earrings and whispering, "Showtime, Synergy!" This was actually a slight subversion of the trope, however, as this wasn't a magic incantation; the earrings enabled her to communicate with the advanced computer system called Synergy, and "Showtime" was the code to tell Synergy to project the computerized hologram which changed Jerrica's appearance into that of Jem. (Synergy could be contacted in the same manner to project other holograms, usually with more explicit commands.)

** There was also an equivalent "power down" phrase: "Show's over, Synergy."

* The segment "Arabian Knights" from ''[[The Banana Splits]]'' had the sorcerer Bez transform into a different creature by proclaiming, "Size of a... (dog, elephant, cow, what-have-you)!"

* 90's toon, ''[[Mummies Alive]]'' had the four titular mummies proclaim "With the strength of Ra!" before going [[Stock Footage|going trough their transformation sequence]].

* In ''[[Defenders of the Earth]]'', the Phantom would activate his super-strength by chanting "By jungle law, the Ghost Who Walks calls forth the power of ten tigers." His transformation sequence would then show... varying numbers of tiger heads passing into his body.

** "Guardians Unite" was an invention of the animated series, as the comics only had the girls naming their powers (except for Will). Also, in most other countries, the translation of the phrase is a simple straight translation. The most notable (if not only) exception is the French dub, which uses "Cristallisation" instead (even though the show was animated in France).

** And in the comics, after "New Powers" the four girls call their element, then Will call "The power to unite them". Could be a problem if she had to do an individual transformation.

* The ''[[Iron Man]]'' cartoon of the 90's had this. When Tony needed the armor he was currently wearing to be something else, he'd call the other armor by name, and his chassis would simply change accordingly. This was a way to integrate the vast variations of Iron Man armor from the comics.

* [[Captain Marvel]] can apparently '''weaponise''' his transformation sequence, if his appearance in ''[[Justice League]]'' is anything to go by. While [[Let's You and Him Fight|battling]] [[Superman]], he caught Supes in a [[Bear Hug]], called out his transformation phrase, and the bolt of lightning that would normally have transformed him back into Billy Batson instead struck Supes for damage.

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Superhero Tropes]]

[[Category:Harbinger of Asskicking]]

[[Category:Magical Girl Tropes]]

[[Category:Magic and Powers]]

[[Category:Power]]