By the Power of Grayskull: Difference between revisions
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And ''woe betide'' anyone who mispronounces the transformation phrase, as horrible, horrifying things may result.
The trope originated with [[Comic Book Tropes|comic-book character]] Billy Batson, who first used the [[
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.
A common [[Anime]] phenomenon, where it may be a form of [[Calling Your Attacks]]. In the Japanese dialog of [[Sentai]] and [[Anime]], the word "[[Henshin]]"—meaning roughly "change" or "transform"—is often found in the phrase, and is sometimes the ''entire'' phrase.
Differs from [[In the Name of the Moon]] in that By
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]].
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''Gone, gone the form of man,
''Rise the demon Etrigan!'' }}
{{quote|''Gone, oh little man so tame,''
:* Also, if he cannot speak in order to say the phrase (like a story where he is turned into a fly) writing it can suffice.
* The original [[Captain Marvel]]'s "Shazam!". Along with Cap, the entire Marvel Family uses this magic transformation word. (Except for Captain Marvel Jr., who uses "Captain Marvel!") The Captain Marvel villain IBAC changes back and forth from his identity by saying his own "super" name, as does Junior's villain Sabbac.
** DC is constantly messing with them, though. Billy Batson (calling himself simply Marvel) is now the wizard who gives the others their powers, Freddy Freeman (formerly Captain Marvel Jr) is trying to become a superhero named Shazam (who still uses his name to transform, but has thankfully gained the ability to make that optional, so he ''can'' say his name without transforming now), and, in a fit of nostalgia, Billy Batson/Marvel changed Black Adam's word from "Shazam" to {{spoiler|"Chocolate Egg Cream"}} in an attempt to keep Black Adam from transforming. It didn't take. Black Adam then got rid of the powers himself by transferring them to a powerless Mary, creating [[Panty Shot|Black Mary Marvel]]. Which went well...
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* ''[[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.
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* ''[[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.
** [http://www.toonzone.net/forums/showpost.php?p=2184092&postcount=116 Not everyone]{{Dead link}} likes transformation phrases.
* Possibly similar to ''[[Inspector Gadget]]'s'' "Go, Go, Gadget ''X!''", a phrase that
* 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.]]
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* 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.
* In ''[[DC Super Hero Girls]]'', Jessica uses the [[Green Lantern]] Oath to do this (as in, "In Brightest Day, in Blackest Night!"), a departure from the comic version where the Oath is used to recharge the Ring. Sometimes she doesn't need to say anything at all, but then, [[Self-Parody| this isn't exactly a serious adaptation.]]
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Superhero Tropes]]
[[Category:Harbinger of Asskicking]]
[[Category:Magical Girl Tropes]]
[[Category:Magic and Powers]]
[[Category:Power]]
[[Category:Be Careful What You Say]]
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