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{{trope}}
[[File:
▲[[File:Bad_Ronald_6537.jpg|link=The Burger King (Advertising)|right|[[McDonalds|"Hello, I wanna see if this place's burgers are better than mine. Not that I look familiar or anything."]]]]
{{quote|"''Looked like sort of a big turtle... in a trenchcoat.''"
An "evil" character, or otherwise [[Weirdness Censor|out-of-the-ordinary character]], can always be identified (by the observant audience anyway) by the fact that he wears a concealing trenchcoat, fedora and occasionally dark glasses that are in no way seen as suspicious by any passers-by.
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Not to be confused with [[Badass Longcoat]] or [[Trenchcoat Brigade]]. Lawmen or vigilantes wearing these do not count unless they are deliberately trying to avoid notice.
This one started out as [[Truth in Television]]. From the late 1930s to late 1950s, a trenchcoat and fedora were the standard outerwear for a man who was neither upper-class nor extreme lower-class. Consequently, they were the natural choice for spies, detectives and anyone wanting to blend in with the added bonus of easily concealing weapons. But as this style fell out of fashion with the general public, it came to be exclusively associated with said spies and detectives, whose continued use of this fashion would [[Revealing Coverup|make them more conspicuous]] [[Somebody
Thus, whether this is [[Wig, Dress, Accent|perfectly plausible disguise]] or a [[Paper
Very useful when [[Totem Pole Trench|two kids stand on top of each other's shoulders and pretend to be an adult]].
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With all the concern with terrorists and flashers, this is likely on its way to becoming a [[Dead Horse Trope]].
Modern version of [[Black Cloak]] and [[In the Hood]]. Variant of [[Coat, Hat, Mask]].
See also: [[Most Definitely Not a Villain]], [[Paper
[[The Other Wiki]] also explored this trope in [
{{examples|Examples:}}▼
== Anime & Manga ==▼
== [[Advertising]] ==
* The [[Pokémon (Anime)|Team Rocket]] trio have started doing this in the Unova saga. They most likely switched from a [[Paper Thin Disguise]] to this now that they're {{spoiler|competent.}}▼
*
* In retrospect, Kotomi's handler in ''[[Clannad (Visual Novel)|Clannad]]'' probably shouldn't have chosen this as his everyday clothing, since it made practically everyone think that he's a bad guy and generally made him look really, really suspicious.▼
* Trenchcoat and sunglasses was the disguise [[Anti Villain|Shamal]] went for in ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha As]]'' when she was spying on the heroines. She was immediately recognized by the first person who knew her.▼
* Heroic example in the first chapter of [[Muhyo and Roji]], Roji (who also thinks [[Mobile Shrubbery|mobile pottery]] is an effective stealth tactic) wears a trenchcoat and he and Muhyo wear sunglasses while staking out a client in order to locate the ghost of one of her dead friends. Muhyo notices that they "stick out like sore thumbs."▼
▲* The [[Pokémon (
▲* In retrospect, Kotomi's handler in ''[[Clannad (
▲* Trenchcoat and sunglasses was the disguise [[Anti
▲* Heroic example in the first chapter of [[Muhyo and Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation]], Roji (who also thinks [[Mobile Shrubbery|mobile pottery]] is an effective stealth tactic) wears a trenchcoat and he and Muhyo wear sunglasses while staking out a client in order to locate the ghost of one of her dead friends. Muhyo notices that they "stick out like sore thumbs."
* ''[[Detective Conan]]'' has members of the Black Organization frequently showing up in conspiciously sinister black trenchcoats.
* This style of dress creates some humorous confusion in an episode of ''[[Darker
* Spy D in ''[[
** ''All'' the spies in the second ''[[
* ''[[Recorder and Randsell]]'': Atsushi's trenchcoat gets him mistaken for either an exhibitionist or a pedophile a lot.
== [[Comic Books]] ==▼
▲== Comic Books ==
* [[Seen It a Million Times]], mostly in older comic books. Many a [[Super Villain]] wears this over their costume to gain access to the City Bank.
* Ben Grimm, [[Fantastic Four (Comic Book)|The Thing]], in [[The Silver Age of Comic Books|the Silver Age]], would routinely put on a trenchcoat and fedora, which was sufficient to disguise being an orange rock monster. Later comics justify this by presenting it more as a matter of self-consciousness - the disguise doesn't really work ''that'' well, but it makes Ben feel more comfortable when stepping outside.
* In one issue of ''[[Fantastic Four]]'', when the FF testify at a congressional hearing, a bunch of mentally-manipulated D-grade villains enter the room, dressed in trenchcoats and hats, and attack them.
* Hilariously, [[Iron Man]] used this disguise once in an early adventure, in about the most implausible scenario one can imagine for maintaining this ruse. Clad in his original, bulky grey armor, his trenchcoat-and-fedora disguise is evidently sufficient to elude all suspicion while travelling to Asia to take on the Mandarin ''on a commercial airline flight from New York''! He opens the door and bails out of the plane over China. (Admittedly, this was before Iron Man's armor was shown as capable of long-range flight, but you'd think Tony Stark would own an airplane or two, at least.)
* [[Sub
* The [[Silver Surfer]] also manages to look less conspicuous with the trenchcoat-and-hat look.
* In ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|Uncanny X-Men]]'' #111, the new furry Beast uses this disguise to enter a crowded carnival. Jean Grey lampshades how strange his outfit looks.
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** Makes sense, mind you, as the climate of Basin City is driven entirely by dramatic convenience. The winds blow cold and hard to keep all those long coats billowing dramatically, and the slick blackness of the asphalt is reliably maintained by constant rain.
* In Desert Peach, a Gefeldtpolizei casing a Parisian cafe appearently thought he counted as "plainclothes" despite wearing his usual coat and hat, because he was ''walking a poodle at the same time''. This was what convinced Rosen the place was under surveillance. ("No one but a Gefepo would think walking a poodle automatically makes you French!")
* Even ''[[Godzilla]]'' used this trope once, in Marvel's licensed series. To evade pursuers, the [[Bratty Half
* ''[[PS238]]'' has [http://ps238.nodwick.com/comic/04202007/ Cecil Holmes], a student of the "normal" school used as cover-up, who's into alien investigation. PS238 staff [http://ps238.nodwick.com/comic/05182007/ somehow missed this].
== [[Fan Works]] ==
* The ''[[Sailor Moon Expanded]]'' [[Fan Verse]] has two examples of this trope:▼
** Magnesite
** Ferrite
* In the ''[[Ranma ½]]'' fanfic ''[[Girl Days]]'', Ukyo spies on a date between girl!Ranma and Ryoga ([[It Makes Sense in Context]]) by using temporary platinum hair dye, sunglasses, and an incredibly out-of-place trenchcoat.
==
▲* The ''Sailor Moon Expanded'' [[Fan Verse]] has two examples of this trope:
▲** Magnesite the alien/youma, a fanfiction creation of one of Beryl's generals from the first Sailor Moon season, becomes so enamored of [[Humphrey Bogart]] movies that when he is imprisioned he keeps reviewing them in his mind to avoid [[Fate Worse Than Death|death by boredom]]. The result several hundred years later is a person who uncontrollably acts like the Bogey, spending his (unlife) trying to bring private detective work and noir to sparkling-white Crystal Tokyo. His trenchcoat is his trademark, something all the Senshi know.
▲** Ferrite, also a fanfiction creation, is a cursed human from the Silver Millennium who keeps being reincarnated throughout history until he finally meets up with the Sailors in [[Sailor Moon]]. His former Guardian powers change into a trenchcoat with infinite pockets, the ability to throw yellow roses from the trenchcoat similar to Tuxedo Mask, and he uses an ancient blunderbuss that can kill with one shot. Ferrite's alter ego calls himself Trenchcoat Mask in the modern day.
* ''[[Megamind]]'': Megamind's Brain Bot's hide under a trench coat and fedora in a crowd during the opening. It is bookended in the conclusion when we see {{spoiler|Metro Man}} using the same tactic.
* ''[[
{{quote|
== Films -- Live-Action ==▼
'''Nigel Small-Fawcett:''' Sorry I'm late but as your one of these undercover jollies I took the precaution of not being followed.
▲* ''[[Never Say Never Again (Film)|Never Say Never Again]]:'' Lampshaded by [[James Bond (Film)|James Bond]], when Nigel Small-Fawcett is yelling Bond's name to attract his attention, then acts furtively when talking to Bond. The fact Nigel is played by [[Mr. Bean]] [[Hilarious in Hindsight|makes it funnier]].
▲{{quote| '''Nigel Small-Fawcett:''' ''(yelling)'' Mr Bond! I say Mr Bond! Nigel Small-Fawcett British Embassy Nassau."<br />
▲'''James Bond:''' Nice to meet you Nigel.<br />
▲'''Nigel Small-Fawcett:''' Sorry I'm late but as your one of these undercover jollies I took the precaution of not being followed.<br />
▲'''James Bond:''' And that's why you shouted my name across a harbor?<br />
'''Nigel Small-Fawcett:''' Oh god did I? Oh I'm sorry! Damm! Damm! Sorry I'm rather new to all this! }}
* ''[[
** It does help that he can, ya know, teleport past any checkpoint.
* ''[[Spider-Man (
* The first ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (
* Judge Doom from ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]'' wears a trenchcoat and fedora with sunglasses and a rubber mask, to hide the fact that {{spoiler|he is actually a Toon himself}}.
** Roger Rabbit tries the same thing in ''[[Who Censored Roger Rabbit?]]'', the book the movie is based on. Of course, 'toon sensibilities of "discreet" tend to differ greatly from the human norm...
* The ''[[
* The aliens in ''[[
* Used as a [[Visual Pun]] in ''Mel Brooks' [[Silent Movie]]''. The title cards announce an upcoming Sneak Preview of Mel Funn's film. Cut to the theater, and the entire audience is sneaking in, dressed in trenchcoats and fedoras.
* Used by [[Wrong Genre Savvy]] hero Woody in the Disney film ''[[Condorman]]'' after he persuades his friend Harry to let him go on a CIA courier mission despite the fact that he's a comic book writer, not a spy. [[Hilarity Ensues]].
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* ''[[Back to The Future Part II]]'' gets a quick shot in at this. Doc and Marty arrive in the past trying to keep Biff from getting the sports almanac, Doc hands Marty some age-appropriate money saying, "Get yourself some fifties clothes." As Marty runs off, he screams, "Something inconspicuous!" Cut to Marty wearing a leather jacket, fedora, and sunglasses.
** Never mind that this makes him look more like a Michael Jackson impersonator than anything else....
* ''[[Batman:
* ''[[Three Days of the Condor]]'': G. Joubert finds himself rather guilty of this trope.
* ''[[The Tiger Makes Out]]'': Eli Wallach's character, preparing his campaign to disrupt the indifferent, sheeplike world around him, picks up a trenchcoat and fedora at a pawn shop. As the owner anxiously watches him suiting up, he points out that he has a sawed-off shotgun for sale.
* Rodney Skinner, the [[Invisible Streaker]] from ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'', wears a black ankle-length trenchcoat, a matching fedora, and pince-nez sunglasses. The conspicuous part comes in when he doesn't put on his greasepaint makeup, and thus the ensemble appears to be floating along all by itself.
* ''[[
{{quote|
* ''[[Le Samourai]]'': The main character's choice of unsuspicious-looking clothes is a trenchcoat and fedora. It makes sense in the setting, but even if it didn't, [[Rule of Cool]] would turn this trope into something more like a [[Badass Longcoat]] situation.
== [[Literature]] ==▼
* [[
▲== Literature ==
* There's a medieval parody of this in the [[Terry Pratchett]] book ''[[
▲* [[HG Wells|H. G. Wells]]' [[The Invisible Man (Literature)|Invisible Man]] favors this kind of appearance aid. May be the [[Trope Maker]].
▲* There's a medieval parody of this in the [[Terry Pratchett]] book ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Going Postal|Going Postal]]''- one of the main antagonist's less reliable partners gets drunk one night and comes to unburden himself to the Big Bad. Upon the partner's arrival, the villain's servant asks something like "May I take your highly conspicuous hooded cloak, sir?"
* One of [[Geronimo Stilton]]'s old friends is described as always wearing a trenchcoat and dark glasses; quite naturally, he's a [[Overt Operative|secret agent]]. Oddly, Geronimo reveals that his friend has always worn a trenchcoat and dark glasses since the first grade.
* The ducks in St. James's Park in ''[[
{{quote|
* Subverted in [[A Series of Unfortunate Events|Lemmony Snicket: The Uunauthorized Autobiography]]. After giving a lengthy description of the contents of the VFD disguise kit, the narrator mentions that the only piece they haven't figured out how to use in a disguise is the medium length beige trenchcoat.
* Lampshaded, if not played straight, in ''[[The Dresden Files]]''. Harry is often wearing his long leather duster, and notes that it makes him look odd and conspicuous, especially when he wears it in the summer. Of course, his leather duster is enchanted to withstand magical and ballistic assaults, so when he's on a case (and thus runs the risk of someone trying to shoot him), he's going to wear the damn thing even if it's 95 degrees out.
* When Susan on ''[[Desperate Housewives]]'' tries to be sneaky, she wears a trenchcoat, hat and sunglasses. This prompted one reviewer on [[Television Without Pity]] to ask, "What, no rubber nose and attached 'stache?"
* ''[[Kids Incorporated]]'': "The Bully" - After angering a local bully, the Kid sneaks into the P*lace wearing a trenchcoat and fedora, which effectively hides him in a crowd whose median age is 13.
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* ''[[Chuck]] vs. The Third Dimension'' A man in a dark trenchcoat, hat and dark glasses carrying a suspicious package plants a bomb in the BuyMore. Chuck is the only one to notice that this is an odd way to dress in a Burbank summer.
** Somewhat toying with the trope is at the end of the episode, the bomber tries again at a crowded concert, only this time he's paid several people to dress in matching trenchcoats to lure Sarah and Casey while he wanders around undetected in a business suit.
* Ze Resistance from ''[['Allo 'Allo
* ''[[
** Made even funnier by the [[Gilligan Cut]] a moment before when she derides the idea of tailing someone this way.
** Angel and Spike sometimes hide underneath their trenchcoats so they walk around in the sun.
** Lampshaded on ''[[
* Subverted in the ''[[
* Dom Joly had a few sketches that involved trenchcoat-and-fedora wearing "spies" in ''[[Trigger Happy TV]]'', whether it was spouting [[Spy Speak|generic spy code phrases]] at ususpecting members of the public, or watching ordinary people while pretending to read the paper, complete with [[Paper
* The villain in the [[Live Action Adaptation]] [[The Movie|Movie]] ''[[Ben 10: Alien Force
* Played with in ''[[Spaced]]'' when Tim accidentally runs into a man dressed like this, who tells him to watch where he's going. Tim says that he's not used to an evil, suspicious looking man wandering around, prompting the man to say [[Most Definitely Not a Villain|"What makes you think I'm evil and suspicious looking?"]]
* When [[Dexter]] is training {{spoiler|Miguel}} in how to murder people, he notes that he told him to be inconspicuous. Instead he "turns up looking like the Unabomber" (with baseball cap, black sweater and sunglasses), especially conspicuous since they're in a casino at the time. In contrast, Dexter always wears a beige sweater and pants when on the hunt.
* [[Degrassi Junior High|When Joey Snake and Wheels]] try to use a fake ID to buy beer they try putting a trench coat on Snake the tallest of the three in an attempt to make him look older. It fails partially due to the ID being especially fake but mostly due to the fact that they were only fourteen and while they were closer to the legal drinking age of 18 at the time it was still quite a stretch.
* Lampshaded on ''[[
== [[Radio]] ==
* ''[[
==
▲* [[Adventures in Odyssey (Radio)|Adventures in Odyssey]] "Heatwave" Jack tries to follow the "mystery kid" for the better part of the episode, but Mr. Watson points out that rather than appearing casual,he in fact really sticks out because of the trenchcoat that he's wearing in the middle of a heat wave.
▲* The G-Men in the [[Milkman Conspiracy]] level of ''[[Psychonauts (Video Game)|Psychonauts]]''.
* In the Eastern Europe level of ''[[Metal Gear]] Solid 4'', Snake dons a trench coat and [[Latex Perfection|face camo]] to get past [[Private Military Contractors|Raven Sword]]'s station check point. In a subversion, his face is immediately added to the PMC's blacklist, rendering that disguise useless. This is played even straighter if you notice someone (later revealed to be Scarabs) in a trench coat and hat following Snake, who immediately disappears every time you investigate.
* [[Carmen Sandiego]] not only wears a trenchcoat and fedora, but a ''fire engine red trenchcoat and fedora''. On the other hand, she is motivated by showing off.
* The Spy in ''[[Chip's Challenge]]'', who steals all your tools if you run into him, wears sunglasses with a blue fedora and trenchcoat.
* The cyborg agents of ''[[
* The graphical report for the success of certain espionage or sabotage missions in ''[[Space Empires|Space Empires IV]]'' shows an ''alien'' [http://wiki.spaceempires.net/index.php/Image:IntelSabotageByUs.png wearing a trenchcoat and fedora].
* Veronica from [[Fallout: New Vegas]] wears a thick, hooded cloak. It would work as a disguise in a fantasy game, but it's pointless in a sci-fi. Set in a desert. And people still recognise her.
** In her defence, she doesn't seem to be ''trying'' to disguise herself, and there is precedent for people walking around with thick, hooded cloaks in the [[Fallout|neighbouring]] [[Fallout 2|region]].
* Albert Wesker of ''[[Resident Evil]]'' fame dons a trenchcoat in the fifth game of the series. But by then he's far less "conspicuous" and more of a darwinistic [[Card
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* [[
* ''[[
* While Trudy of ''[[General Protection Fault]]'' was making anonymous calls to Clifford Myers of
*
* Used in ''[[The Wotch]]'' [http://www.thewotch.com/?epDate=2008-03-11 here].
* ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'': Agent Hong mistakenly sees this trope (minus the fedora) in the chapter "Aylee". "You have a surveillance photo from the military jet showing this guy leaving the scene where radar had tracked the entity moments before. You can't tell what he's carrying. You can't even tell it's a he. A long blond wig and a trenchcoat in a grainy photo? It could be anyone!" ...Except that it's Riff, who always looks like that, rather than here being in disguise. And they can't even see he's also got sunglasses.
* ''[[Vampire Cheerleaders]]'', when Leo thought he's Van Helsing or something and dropped on the A-team... in a longcoat and shades.
{{quote|'''Heather''': (amused) Leonard, uh... what are you ''dressed'' as?!
'''Suki''': (snickering) Yeah, it's a little ''early'' for Halloween.
'''Zoe''': (with round eyes and clearly struggling against [[Jaw Drop]] reflex) Definitely.}}
* ''[[Dangerously Chloe]]'' had Abby and Teddy [http://www.dangerouslychloe.com/strips-dc/mistaken_identity_-_chapter_5 followed] by a mysterious figure in trenchcoat and hat. Of course, given how well this particular outfit blends in a modern town at summer, the figure didn't remain mysterious for very long (to complete the picture, she {{spoiler|ended up tripping on her own coat}}).
* ''[[Questionable Content]]'' has a combat android [http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3140 wearing a coat].
{{quote|'''Bubbles''': I had been... considering a possibility that an outer garment might make me less threatening to the general populace.
[...]
'''Bubbles''': You are maintaining a careful neutrality about my appearance. This suggests that I look ridiculous. }}
== [[Web Original]] ==
* [[
==
▲* {{media-|Burger_King_Ad.jpg| This Ad}} for Burger King.
▲* [[The Nostalgia Critic (Web Video)|The Nostalgia Critic]]'s review of [http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/2685-godzilla-1998 Godzilla] poked fun at how easy it for Zilla to hide in [[New York City]] by cutting to a picture of the monster wearing a trenchcoat and dark glasses. No one seems to notice the six ton behemoth when he's wearing that!
* As a Cold War satire, ''[[Rocky and Bullwinkle]]'' has numerous coat/fedora/glasses examples.
* Many a colorful villain in ''[[
* Green Goblin in ''[[The Spectacular Spider
* One of the ''[[
* The ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' too, on more than one occasion.
* The Scorpion, unable to remove his suit, uses this as a disguise in ''[[Spider
** In fact, most of the colorful villains in this series use this technique to stay under the radar.
* ''[[Buzz Lightyear of Star Command]]'' uses such a coat to disguise his colorful space suit in order to infiltrate a [[Bad Guy Bar]], were everyone is dressed like this.
** The question is, can he really not take the suit off, or is it just against his training and unsafe going into a potential firefight and stuff? Because the original Buzz being an action figure makes the 'in-universe' Buzz character really easy to see as a cyborg.
** You never do see him without that purple hood thing, though you do see him out of the space suit... Oh my God, Buzz is a cyborg!
* ''[[My Life
* ''[[League of Super Evil]]'': the titular team is trying to get into a restaurant. A man who looks exactly like the team in a trenchcoat walks in, and the maitre'd lets him through. Then, per trope, comes another guy who looks exactly the same except for a slightly different visor, giving the same name. {{spoiler|And he's the actual League, wearing goggles.}}
* ''[[Captain Planet]]'' "A Formula for Hate" ([[Inept Aesop|The famed AIDS awareness episode]]) Verminous Skumm wears this outfit so as to hide his rodent-esque appearance, despite the fact that he's hiding in the closet.
* ''[[Wolverine and
* ''[[X-Men (
* ''[[X-Men: Evolution]]'' Magneto employs this guise to stalk Angel.
* In ''[[
* On an episode of [[Pound Puppies]] (the new one on the Hub), Niblet uses this to sneak into a basketball stadium, and he's hiding three puppies (out of five that the crew is trying to get adopted) in his coat. Lucky and Cookie wear disguises of their own in this case. Lucky hides the other two puppies in his coat, while Cookie hides Squirt and Strudel in her dress.
* In ''[[Hey Arnold
== [[Real Life]] ==
*
** From a child's perspective: "Mom! That sign says 'No Cowboys!'"
* From [http://everything2.com/node/1340536 this] ([[NSFW]]) [[
* When not on stage, Malice Mizer/Moi dix Mois guitarist Mana shows mild to moderate symptoms of this. Most pictures of him in public show him with a large hat and sunglasses, combined with, at various points, large, dark scarves, tops, skirts, boots and- yes- trenchcoats. Due to his habit of [[Alter Ego Acting]], it isn't publically known whether he dresses like this to try to avoid attention or whether he just likes the style, but it's most likely to be the latter, because his clothes do a pretty pants job at masking his identity. If anything, they make him more recognizable offstage.
* Victor Suvorov, a former Soviet GRU agent, says that among the first rules they were taught was - no sunshades, no raised collars, no hands in the pockets. After all, why should they look like spies if they are not spies but Soviet Intelligence Agents?
* Trenchcoats, if seen in real-life and not used for obvious comedic effect, are often associated with exhibitionism.
* The icon for [[Google Chrome]]'s incognito mode is a guy in a trenchcoat.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Action Adventure Tropes]]
[[Category:Coats and Jackets]]
[[Category:The Index Is Watching You]]
[[Category:Costume Tropes]]
▲[[Category:Trope]]
|