View source for I Am the Noun

{{trope}}
{{quote|''"I am the law!"''
|'''[[Judge Dredd (comics)|Judge Dredd]]'''|''[[2000 AD]]''}}
A character declares him- or herself to be the sole representative of a group or abstract concept. The implication is often that they believe that they can speak for the entirety, and that their needs, wants, and thoughts and those of the group are one and the same.

Will usually come in the form of someone asking about X, with another character replying that they ''are'' X.

Not to be confused with [[Screw the Rules, I Make Them]]. Unrelated to [[I Am the Band]].
See also [[A God Am I]] and [[Badass Boast]]. A phrase like this is usually spoken with [[Punctuated! For! Emphasis!|copious amounts of punctuation]]. Said phrases might also be lyrics to an [["I Am" Song]].

{{examples|I am the examples!}}
== I Am [[Advertising |Advertising]] ==
* Australian company Quicksilver Cruises claims, "Quicksilver is the Great Barrier Reef."
* Charter Internet has introduced Timothy, who [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DO0Ts7c8KM IS the Internet].
* The most famous ad campaign for Molson Canadian beer: ''[[Punctuated! For! Emphasis!|"I! Am! Canadian!"]]''

== We Are [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* Catherine II in ''[[Le Chevalier d'Eon]]'': "I am Russia!"
* In ''[[Death Note]]'', we get this in stereo from Light and L: "I am... Justice!" They both use the same word for 'justice' but [[Japanese Pronouns|different ones for 'I.']]
* In ''[[Dragonball Z]]'', when Goku first reaches the Super-Saiyan level he proceeds to lecture Frieza, the gist of which is "I am the hope of the universe!"
** In ''[[Dragon Ball]]'', when Staff Officer Black questions Commander Red's true motives, the commander utters this line: "I am the Red Ribbon Army. What's good for me is good for everyone and I want to be taller. All my life, I've drawn the short straw. I've had to contend with being a mere pebble in a land of giants. It is the curse of my existence. You couldn't possibly understand what it's like...the nightmare of being a genius...yet trapped inside this ugly little body?"
** Piccolo says to Cell, "I am the Namek!" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS0D8kiDlyU here]
* Setsuna F. Seiei from ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 00]]'': "I am Gundam!"

== We Are [[Comic Books]] ==
* "I am the law" is a [[Catch Phrase]] of [[Judge Dredd]].
* In the [[Marvel Universe]], [[Galactic Conqueror]] [[Thanos]] delivers a perfect one after [[Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence|having achieved Godhood]].
{{quote|'''Thanos''': ''My skills, my power, are more than a body can provide! I move with the cosmos, held only by thought and never by flesh! I am Thanos, emperor of the universe! I '''AM''' the universe!''}}
* Marvel's cosmic characters tends to love this in general:
** [[X-Men (Comic Book)|"I am Fire made Flesh! I am Power Incarnate! I am Phoenix! Now and Forever!"]]<ref>[[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic|Amen!]]</ref>
** "I am the absence of opposites! I am that which those who live among opposites cannot explain! In short... '''[[Galactus]]!'''"
* [[The New Gods|Darkseid IS.]]
{{quote|'''[[Darkseid]]''': [[Final Crisis|''I. Am. The. New. God.'']]}}
** "I am the Tiger-Force at the heart of all creation! When you cry out in your dreams, it is ''Darkseid'' that you see!"
** From an early New Gods story:
{{quote|'''Mr. Miracle''': Have you been out in the storm all this time.
'''Darkseid''': I ''am'' the storm. }}
*** [http://www.4thletter.net/2009/06/and-now-darkseid-minus-new-gods/ But not a wedding.]
* In ''[[Bionicle]]'':
{{quote|'''Zaktan''': [[Hannibal Lecture|You think you know horror]], [["What Do They Fear?" Episode|Irnakk]]? Horror is looking into the eyes of the Shadowed One, knowing you are about to die... and then being forced to live. Horror is waking each day to see every part of your body moving on its own - a shifting mass of Protodites where once was solid metal and living tissue. Horror is what is in the eyes of your partners when they look at you... and in the cries of your enemies when your swarm engulfs them. Don't talk to ''me'' about fear, creature - I ''am'' fear!//}}
** Later, when [[Big Bad]] Makuta manages to [[The Bad Guy Wins|successfully]] pull off his [[Xanatos Roulette]] and [[A God Am I|become a]] [[Physical God]], he tells the heroes, "No longer must I fight you in hopes of controlling a universe. I ''AM'' THE UNIVERSE!"
** Earlier than that, when Makuta was confronted by [[The Mole]] of the Barraki - who claimed that under the Brotherhood Law, he has to be spared - right before he "[[Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves|spared]]" the Mole, Makuta's response was "Under Brotherhood law? I ''am'' Brotherhood law!"
** Before any of that, in 2001, as part of his speech when the Toa come to destroy him (destroy being The Makuta's word here):
{{quote|''I ''am'' destruction''.}}
* In ''Uncanny [[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]'' #423 [[Wolverine]] says "when it comes to mutants, we are the police!"
{{quote|'''[[Atop the Fourth Wall|Linkara]]''': Well so much for ''[[Law and Order]]: Mutant's Division.''}}
* In ''[[100 Bullets|One Hundred Bullets]]'', Augustus Medici, the head of [[Ancient Conspiracy|The Trust]], is staring out his hotel window at the lights of the city below. He says they make him happy. The call girl in his room, wondering why, asks if he works for the power company. His response: "Work? No. I am the power company."

== I Am [[Film]] ==
* ''[[Judge Dredd (film)|Judge Dredd]]'' contains his catchphrase (see the page quote), which he uses to attempt to scare a group of criminals into turning themselves in. It nearly works, but the gang members ultimately end up firing at him, forcing him to attack.
* In ''[[Star Wars]] Episode III: [[Revenge of the Sith]]'', Palpatine says "I am the Senate!"
** This is also the name of an awesome song on John Williams' soundtrack for the film.
* In ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]: Dead Man's Chest'', Davy Jones is informed by one of his [[Mooks]] that Will must have been claimed by the sea, to which he replies "I am the sea!"
* ''[[Antz]]''
{{quote|'''[[Big Bad]]''': Don't you understand? It's for the good of the colony! ( {{spoiler|killing all the worker ants}})
'''Z:''' What are you saying? We ''are'' the colony.
'''[[Big Bad]]''': ( {{spoiler|Shoved aside by Cutter}})  {{spoiler|Cutter}}, what are you doing?!
{{spoiler|Cutter}}: Something I should have done, long ago. ''This'' is for the good of the colony.
'''[[Big Bad]]:''' You useless, ungrateful maggot! ''I'' AM THE COLONY! }}
* ''[[Chariots of Fire]]''. Eric Liddel is trying to avoid running on Sunday and a friend makes a place for this. When one of the English grandees questions the legality of this, another says:
{{quote|That's a matter for the committee.
Then a third says "We ARE the committee". }}
* ''[[RoboCop]]'': "[[Mega Corp|We]] practically ARE the military!"
** Comes back to bite Robo in the ass too: "You thought you could just stroll in here and arrest me? You're ''product''!
* The 1990s TV movie ''Kingfish'' starred John Goodman as Governor Huey P. Long of Louisiana (on whom Willie Stark of ''All The King's Men'' was also based), and featured a scene where Goodman, in a Dixie accent similar to the one he had in ''[[O Brother, Where Art Thou?]]'', bellowed "I ''am'' the constitution of the State of Louisiana!".
* ''[[The Princess Bride (film)|The Princess Bride]]'':
{{quote|'''Miracle Max''': Beat it, or I'll call the Brute Squad!
'''Fezzik''': I'm on the Brute Squad!
'''Miracle Max''' (surveying the giant Fezzik): You ''are'' the Brute Squad! }}
* "This ship IS England", Captain Jack Aubrey in ''[[Master and Commander (film)|Master and Commander]]''.
* Defied in ''[[Iron Man (film)|Iron Man]]''. After Tony declares his intent to run his company with "more responsibility and consideration for the country's greatest good", a reporter shows him pictures of Stark Industries weapons in enemy hands, accusing him of hypocrisy.
{{quote|'''Tony''': I didn't approve any shipments
'''Reporter''': Well, your company did.
'''Tony''': Well I'm NOT my company. }}
** Played straight in the sequel when he faces the congressional committee that is trying to confiscate his armor.
{{quote|'''Tony''': I ''am'' Iron Man. The suit and I are one.}}
* [[The Virgin Queen|Queen Elizabeth I.]] in ''[[Fire Over England]]'' (1937): "Then let me speak for all of you -- for I ''am'' England."
* In ''[[Tropic Thunder]]'', when Jay Baruchel confronts his co-stars about whether or not they know the script, the [[Dyeing for Your Art|ridiculously deep in-character]] Kirk Lazarus declares "I am the script!".
* "[[A Nightmare on Elm Street|THIS...is God!]]"
* ''[[Hellraiser Bloodline]]'':
{{quote|'''Pinhead:''' What you think of as pain is a shadow. Pain has a face. Allow me to show it to you. Gentlemen, I... Am... Pain.}}
* In ''[[Star Trek: First Contact]]'' Data and the Borg Queen discuss this about the Queen's statement of "I am the Borg". Data asks if this means she is their leader, so she replies, "I am the beginning. The end. The one who is many. I am the Borg." To which Data replies, "An interesting, if cryptic, response."
** Given that the Borg Queen is apparently a personification of the Borg's collective intelligence, her statement was true.
* In ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'', as Indiana Jones is menacing to shoot a rocket at the Ark of the Covenant:
{{quote|'''Belloq''': Indiana, we are simply passing through history. This [points at ark], this * is* history. }}
* "I AM RIPPER! TEARER! SLASHER! GOUGER! I AM THE TEETH IN THE DARKNESS! THE TALONS IN THE NIGHT! MINE IS STRENGTH! AND LUST! AND POWER! '''I AM [[Beowulf (film)|BEOWULF]]!'''"
** "'''I AM RIPPER! TEARER! SLASHER! GOUGER! I AM THE TEETH IN THE DARKNESS! THE TALONS IN THE NIGHT! I AM THE POWERFUL WAVES OF THE OCEAN! THE MIGHTY WIND IN THE AIR''' THAT BRINGS THE SOFT BREEZE IN THE MORNING? the, I am the, Dew upon the flowers that glisten in the sunlight?? The pleasant scent of freshly cut grass???, The giver of presents to small children, Igivehugswhennooneelsewillgivehugs. Mine is kindness and sweetness and cheer… [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFeRN19Blr4 i'm beowulf"]
* ''[[I Am Legend]]''.
* ''[[The Siege (film)|The Siege]]'':
{{quote|'''William Devereaux''': I am the law. Right here, ''right now, I am the law!''}}
* ''[[Blades of Glory]]'':
{{quote|'''Charles Michael Michaels''': I am ice skating!}}
* ''The'' ''Last'' ''Detail''
{{quote|'''Bartender''': Beat it, before I call the shore patrol.
'''Budusky''': I am the fucking shore patrol! }}
* ''[[Jackboots on Whitehall]]''. The hero Chris bemoans the fact that he's not allowed to join the military because the government says his hands are too big to fit in a trigger guard. [[Winston Churchill]] declares "I am the government!"
* [[RocknRolla|He is the Wild Bunch]]
* [[Kingdom of Heaven]]: I'am Jerusalem. Proceeds to bitch slap someone till they bleed.
* "[[Highlander|I know everything! I AM EVERYTHING!]]"
* Ramses in [[The Ten Commandments]]: "I am Egypt."
* [[The Lion King|"I AM THE KING!"]]
* In ''[[Airheads]]'', as Chazz and his band first take Rebel Radio hostage:
{{quote|'''[[Corrupt Corporate Executive|Milo]]:''' Hey, we're all rock 'n' rollers here?
'''Chazz:''' (''pointing a {{spoiler|plastic}} Uzi'') You look like half a [[Unusual Euphemism|butt puppet]]! Do you know what it's like to be on the bill and to play for 15 minutes and the only people there to see you are the other bands and their girlfriends? Don't talk to me about Rock 'n' Roll! I'm out there in the clubs and on the streets and I'm living it! '''I ''AM'' ROCK 'N' ROLL!''' }}
* ''[[Paycheck]]'':
{{quote|'''{{spoiler|[[Big Bad|Rethrick]]}}''': Still think you can change your fate, Mike? [[Narm|I AM THE FUTURE, MIKE!]]}}

== I Am [[Literature]] ==
* From [[The Bible]]:
{{quote|'''God:''' [[Shaped Like Itself|I am that I am]].}}
** The sequel tries to top this:
{{quote|'''God 2.0:''' I am the way and the truth and the life.,BR>
'''God 2.0:''' I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. }}
*** Really that's most of the gospel of John.
** Jesus also does it in the most minimalist way possible:
{{quote|'''Jesus:''' I AM.}}
* [[Stephen Colbert]]: ''I Am America (and so can you)''.
* [[Piers Anthony]]'s ''[[Xanth]]'' series
{{quote|I will send you Torus's worst dream!
'''I AM Torus's worst dream!''' }}
* [[Discworld]]: [[Grim Reaper|Death's]] phrase, {{small-caps|"There is no Justice, There is just Me."}}
** From ''[[Men at Arms]]'':
{{quote|'''Assassin:''' Who are you?
'''Vimes:''' ''The Law'', you sons of bitches! }}
** From ''[[Hogfather]]'':
{{quote|'''Jonathan Teatime:''' So I'd rather you didn't try any last-minute stuff.
'''Death:''' {{small-caps|I ''AM'' Last Minute Stuff.}}  }}
** From the short story "Theater of Cruelty":
{{quote|'''Carrot:''' You see, sir, as I understand the law, you are an Accessory After The Fact. Or possibly Before The Fact.
'''Death:''' {{small-caps|Young man, I ''AM'' the fact.}} }}
** From ''[[Sourcery]]'':
{{quote|'''The Archchancelor's Hat''': ''I challenge. And those who will not face me must follow me, in accordance with the Lore.''
'''Wizard''': Whereabouts in the Lore?
'''The Archchancelor's Hat''': ''I embody the Lore.'' }}
* Rand al'Thor from ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'': "Come against me, if you dare! I am the storm! Come if you dare, Shai'tan!"
* ''[[I Am the Cheese]]''.
* In [[The Thrawn Trilogy]], the Noghri object to their sovereign Grand Admiral Thrawn breaking their rules by having a commando under suspicion taken to his ship rather than being tried by their elders. He doesn't like this. He doesn't like this at all. In fact, when the maitrakh keeps protesting he reminds them of what it means to defy the Empire by ordering an airstrike on the hills around him - and on Honoghr, where most of the planet is barren, this is really bad.
{{quote|"''I'' am the law on Honoghr now, maitrakh. If I choose to follow the ancient laws, I will follow them. If I choose to ignore them, they will be ignored. Is that clear?"}}
** Also, when Pellaeon is concerned that the mad C'baoth is breaking away from [[The Empire]], C'baoth retorts "I ''am'' the Empire".
* The Warden in ''[[Redwall|Martin the Warrior]]'': "I am the Law!"
* From the ''[[Sword of Truth]]'' series:
{{quote|'''{{spoiler|Drefan}}''': You don't even have your weapon.
'''Richard''': I ''am'' the weapon. }}
* From ''[[Prince Caspian]]'', the werewolf boasts - "I am hunger. I am thirst. Where I bite, I hold till I die" - and goes on.
* Neil Gaiman's ''[[American Gods]]'': Shadow asks Czernobog (who is smoking a cigarette) if he's frightened of getting cancer. Czernobog scoffs, "I AM cancer. I do not frighten myself."
* [[Guile Hero|Kelsier]] and later [[Dark Action Girl|Vin]] in ''[[Mistborn]]'': "I am [[Hope Bringer|Hope]]."
* In ''Ethan of Athos,'' when interviewing the telepathic Terrance Cee for possible recruitment:
{{quote|'''Elli:''' Of course not. Not on our ''own'' people.
'''Terrance:''' Lady, when this thing is activated, I ''am'' the other people. }}
* In the [[RCN Series]] story ''The Way to Glory'', Daniel becomes aware of an Alliance spy and sets a trap for him with Adele's help. When it goes badly—the spy is killed ''and'' the admiral he was duping forms a grudge against Daniel and Adele—he frets that perhaps he should've instead reported the matter to the proper authorities. Adele points out that as an agent of Cinnabar's intelligence service, "I ''am'' the proper authorities," and nothing the admiral says will outweigh Adele's report on the incident.
* [[Sherlock Holmes]] on his brother Mycroft:
{{quote|"You are right in thinking that he is under the British Government. You would also be right in a sense if you said that occasionally he ''is'' the British Government.”}}
* [[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea]]: Captain Nemo:
{{quote|"I am the law, and I am the judge! I am the oppressed, and there is the oppressor!..."}}
* [[The Smiths|I am the son and the heir]] [[The Woobie|of a shyness that is criminally vulgar...]]
* ''[[Animorphs]]'' Aldrea tries this with Ax and the gang "I am hork-bajir!" Ax doesn't buy it, still seeing her as an Andalite in Hork-bajir form.
* In ''[[Warrior Cats]]'', Tigerstar tries to declare himself the sole representative of ShadowClan. It doesn't really work out for him...

== I Am [[Live-Action TV]] ==
* In ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' episode "The Search" we have:
{{quote|'''Kira:''' You're part of the Dominion, aren't you?
'''{{spoiler|Female Changeling}}:''' ''Part'' of? Major, the {{spoiler|Changelings}} ''are'' the Dominion! }}
* In ''[[Angel]]'', as the title character tools up for the big fight scene...
{{quote|'''Angel:''' You're driving.
'''Doyle:''' Wait a minute! No, no! I'm not combat ready, man. I'm just the messenger!
'''Angel:''' And I'm the message. }}
** Illyria gets one in later [[A God Am I|"I am a god!"]]
* In season three of [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]], during the aftermath of Faith's {{spoiler|murder of a fellow human being and the ensuing angst}}, Faith says to Buffy: "We don't need the law, we '''are''' the law!"
* In ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'', the Goa'uld have a tendency to yell "I am your god!" at defiant foes. The Wraith in [[Stargate Atlantis]] go for the somewhat more disturbing "I am your death."
* ''[[The West Wing]]'':
{{quote|'''Donna:''' [Despairing of the nigh-impossible process of getting travel expenses reimbursed] We're getting beat by the system, Josh.
'''Josh:''' We ''are'' the system, Donna.
'''Donna:''' ...well, we suck! }}
** Also, when Donna had described him as not practicing law: "I don't practice law? I help write the laws! I make the laws! I am the law!"
** And later:
{{quote|'''Leo:''' You don't pick losing candidates and usher them to their principled end. You're the guy who takes good men and makes them great. You and Josh still think you're barking at the heels of the party - you ''are'' the party!}}
* Multiple [[Police Procedural]] shows:
{{quote|'''Random civilian:''' Get out of here before I call the police!
'''Cop:''' I ''am'' the police! }}
* Used a lot by [[Magnificent Bastard|Malcolm Tucker]] in ''[[The Thick of It]]''. Things he ''is'' include the matrix, the press and the heart of government:
{{quote|'''Olly Reeder:''' "Are you out of the loop?"
'''Malcolm Tucker:''' "Fuck you [[The Nicknamer|Andy Pandy]], I ''am'' the loop..." }}
* From ''[[Trailer Park Boys]]'' we have the alcoholic Jim Lahey, who ''is'' the liquor.
** "Against the law, is it Randy? Well I AM THE LAW! Go get the chains and orange gag balls."
* From ''[[24]]'' Season 2 we got:
{{quote|'''Civilian''': Get out or I call the police!
'''Jack Bauer''': I AM the police! }}
* Rather like ''The Thick of It'' above, the ever-popular ''Scenes from a Hat'' from the even-more-popular ''[[Whose Line Is It Anyway?]]'' has these suggestions for "announcements that will make this audience cheer wildly":
{{quote|'''Ryan''': "In ten minutes, we bring out the liquor!"
'''Wayne''': {{spoiler|"I'm the <s>liquor</s> licker!"}} }}
* In one episode of ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'', Dr. Forrester told TV's Frank to push the button and Frank said, "I ''am'' the button!" He was acting high at the time, though.

== I Am [[Music]] ==
* "I am Music/And I write the songs"—the final lines of [[Barry Manilow]]'s "I Write the Songs".
* [[Anthrax]]'s homage to ''[[Judge Dredd]]'', appropriately enough titled "[[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|I Am the Law]]".
* The recurring [[Catch Phrase]] of the [[Greek Chorus]] in [[The Protomen]]'s first album repeatedly chant "We are the dead."
* [[Stratovarius]] has a song called [[Alpha Ω]] that is almost full of lines like this. "I am the low and high/ I am the earth and sky..."
* [[The Beatles (band)|The Beatles]] example: "I am The Walrus" would be missing quite a few words if this trope didn't exist.
* The [[Chemical Brothers]] ' album "We are the Night"
* The [[Dead Kennedys]]' cover of "I Fought The Law", keeping in with the lyrical subversion (instead of a robber who [[Can't Get Away with Nuthin'|went to jail]], it's a criminal who pulled a [[Karma Houdini]] on the authorities) changes the final line to "I ''am'' the law so I won".
** The DKs also use this trope in their original song "I Am the Owl".
* [[Dimmu Borgir]] has a few of this. From "The Serpentine Offering": "I am hatred, darkness and despair"
* "I Am, I Said" by Neil Diamond.
* "I Am A Viking", by [[Yngwie Malmsteen]].
* "I Am A Pilgrim", a bluegrass standard covered by [[The Byrds]].
* [[Selena Gomez|"You are the thunder, and I am the lightning..."]]
* Javert's Suicide, from ''[[Les Misérables (theatre)|Les Misérables]]''
{{quote|'''Javert:''' I am the law, and the law is not mocked!}}
* I AM [[Black Sabbath|IRON MAN!]]
* "I Am I", by Queensrÿche
* "I Am the War" by Sodom.
* "[[The Smiths|I am the son and the heir]] [[The Woobie|of a shyness that is criminally vulgar...]]"
* "[[Ear Worm|I am I am...I am I am...I am I am...I think I am...I think I am]]...I'm glad I am...I'm proud I am...[[Nacho Libre|a real religious man]]."
* "I Am The Storm" by [[Blue Öyster Cult]]
* "[[Epic Rocking|I am the root! I am the progress! I'm the aggressor! I am the tablet!]] [[Lou Reed|I AM! I AM! I AM! I AM! I AM!]]
* "Touched By The Crimson King", by Demons & Wizards:
{{quote|''I am the angel, I am madness
''I am the word, I am the law
''I am holding truth, release your sadness
''I am the key, I am the door }}
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqjIMsLRz94 "Inside of You, In Spite of You"] by [[ThouShaltNot]] is composed ''entirely'' of "I am the noun" lines.
* "I'm a tornado", a repeated line in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaEmQJG2HHU "Tornado"] by Little Big Town.
* "I am the Sword" by [[Motörhead]].

== I Am [[Professional Wrestling]] ==
* "You call me a student of the game? ''I am'' the damn game!" And thus, [[World Wrestling Entertainment|Triple H]]'s most well-known nickname was born...
* "I am [[Samoa Joe]], and I am pro wrestling."
* [[AJ Styles]]' theme song. I am I am!
* [[The Undertaker]], from a speech he gave during his [[Ministry of Darkness]] phase: "For I am the Reaper of Men, the Chaser of Souls, the Weaver of Nightmares. I am the heart of darkness."
* [[Dolph Ziggler]] is perfection! (perfection!)
* Because I'm [[The Miz]].. .[[Catch Phrase|and I'm...AAAAAWWWWWESOOOOOOOOOOOOOME!]]'"
* [[Chris Jericho]] is the best in the world at what he does.
** Subsequently, [[CM Punk]] is the best in the world.

== We Are [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* Konrad Curze from ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'': "I fear no evil. For I am Fear Incarnate!"
** The Canticle of Absolution of the Grey Knights.
{{quote|''I am the hammer!''
''I am the hate!''
''I am the END!'' }}

== We Are [[Theatre]] ==
* At the end of the opera ''Paul Bunyan'', [[The Unseen]] title character is asked who he is, and he says:
{{quote|''Where the night becomes the day,
''Where the dream becomes the fact,
''I am the Eternal Guest,
''I am Way,
''I am Act. }}

== We Are [[Video Games]] ==
* [[Alone in the Dark|I'm]] the [[Large Ham|FUCKING UNIVERSE]]!!!
* From ''[[Vagrant Story]]'':
{{quote|'''[[Damsel in Distress|Callo Merlose]]''': "It's far too dangerous! We must wait for reinforcements!"
'''[[Badass|Ashley Riot]]''': "Reinforcements? I ''am'' the reinforcements." }}
* ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'':
{{quote|'''Shepard:''' Better for humanity? Or just Cerberus?
'''[[Smug Snake|Illusive Man]]:''' Cerberus ''is'' humanity. }}
** Don't forget Aria:
{{quote|"I ''am'' Omega."}}
** According to Javik, the Protheans invoked this trope right and left. There's an avatar, a "voice" of just about everything. He is the avatar of vengeance. He later proclaims Shepard to be the avatar of victory.
* From ''[[Command & Conquer: Red Alert]]'':
{{quote|'''Kane:''' I ''am'' the future.}}
** And in the ''Firestorm'' expansion to ''Tiberian Sun''.
{{quote|'''Slavik:''' I AM Nod!}}
* In the [[Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi]] games (which feature a moderately changed script from the movies/anime), when Goku goes Super Saiyan against Frieza, Frieza, displaying visible fear, asks "What ARE you?" and Goku comes back with ""I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace, I am protector of the innocent, I am the light in the darkness, I am your WORST NIGHTMARE, FRIEZA!"
** The English dub did something similar.
** As well as the [[Fixed-Floor Fighting|2 dimension side-fighting]] predecessor, [[Dragonball Z]] Budokai.
* An example of Kain's dry sense of humour in ''[[Legacy of Kain]]: Blood Omen 2'':
{{quote|'''Duncan:''' "Restricted area. This passage is for night shift workers only."
'''Kain:''' "I ''am'' the night shift." }}
** The Elder God often speak of himself this way. From ''Soul Reaver 2'' and ''Defiance'':
{{quote|'''Elder God:''' "I am the Engine of Life, the source of Nosgoth's very existence. I am the hub of the Wheel, the origin of all Life, the devourer of Death."
'''Elder God:''' "I am the still center of the turning wheel, the hub of this world's destiny."
'''Elder God:''' "I am the Wheel and its turning. I am the circle of life and death." }}
* [[Street Fighter|"I AM]] [[That One Boss|YOUR]] [[Physical God|GOD."]]
** Waaait...isn't that the [[Physical God|Goa']][[Sufficiently Advanced Aliens|uld's]] [[Catch Phrase]] in ''Stargate SG-1''?
* "[[BlazBlue|I am the White Void.]] [[Badass Boast|I am the Cold Steel.]] [[For Great Justice|I am the Just Sword.]] [[Knight Templar|With blade in hand shall I reap the sins of this world,]] [[Kill It with Fire|and cleanse it in the fires of destruction!]] [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner|I am Hakumen!]] [[Prepare to Die|The end has come!]]"
* The [[Private Military Contractors|Flaming Fist Mercenaries]] in the first ''[[Baldur's Gate]]''.
{{quote|"I ''AM'' THE LAW!"}}
* [[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots|I am Lightning]], the rain transformed.
* ''[[Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne]]'': Kagutsuchi every other turn: I am eternity. [[That One Attack|*casts Infinite Light*]] I am destiny. [[Running Gag|*casts Infinite Light*]] [[Rule of Three|I am truth. *casts Infinite Light*]]...
* [[Unreal Tournament|Xan Kriegor's]] taunts include "I am the Alpha and the Omega."
* [[Final Fantasy XIII|"L'Cie? I am more than that! I am Fal'Cie!"]]
* [[Pokémon Black and White|"I AM PERFECTION!"]]
* [[Fallout: New Vegas|"I am the East, and I shall prove it this day."]]
* ''[[Legend of Mana]]'':
{{quote|(the beginning of the story)
Remember me!
Need me!
I can provide you with everything!
[[Arc Words|I am love.]]
[[Call to Adventure|Find me, and walk beside me.]] }}
{{quote|(the final battle)
I am light.
I am darkness.
Half of myself is what
[[Wham! Line|You have fought in the past.]]
I create, I destroy.
And I create again.
[[Arc Words|I am love.]]
{{spoiler|--Goddess of Mana, who is the final boss.}} }}
* From his themesong: "[[Sonic Adventure 2|I am the Eggman!]] That's what I am, I am the Eggman! I got the Master Plan..."
** [[My Name Is Inigo Montoya|My name is]] [[Shadow the Hedgehog]]. I am the world's Ultimate Lifeform.
*** Shadow's spinoff title also featured the themesong "I am". It actually averts this trope but is [[Captain Obvious|an I Am song]] and contains some [[Shaped Like Itself]] with it's chorus "I am, I am I'm all of me."
*** Also, every ending of this game has Shadow starting with, "I am Shadow the Hedgehog...", includes the noun of what he believes he is (depending on the path you chose), a speech, and then ending with "...this is WHO I AM!"
* In ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', Deathwing gets this just before the final battle.
{{quote|'''Deathwing''': I am Deathwing. The Destroyer. The end of all things. Inevitable. Indomitable. [[Badass Boast|I]]! [[Punctuated! For! Emphasis!|AM]]! [[Title Drop|THE CATACLYSM]]!}}
* ''[[Dawn of War]]: Soulstorm'' had this from Archon Tahril:
{{quote|''"I am the deadly shadow and the bird of prey. I am the poisoned dagger that brings swift death!"''}}
* [[Super Robot Wars|I am the Sword That Smites Evil!]]
* From ''[[Stranglehold]]'':
{{quote|'''Mr. James Wong:''' You are nothing, Tequila! I ''am'' Hong Kong!}}

== We Are [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[[Homestar Runner]]'':
{{quote|'''Homestar:''' Strong Bad, so I see you decided to join the other side, eh?
'''Strong Bad:''' What joining? I ''am'' the other side! }}
* ''[[Sinfest]]'' - [http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2009-09-21 I AM the internets!]
* Mocked in ''[[Homestuck]]'' [http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=003020 here].
* ''[[Darths and Droids]]'': [https://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0626.html I AM the legend!]
* ''[[Girl Genius]]'' has Beausoleil presumably quoting Simon Voltaire as "La ville s'est moi". Also, [https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20170630 after] his daughter Colette did "[[Traumatic Superpower Awakening|break through]]" at last (she was using his [[Brain-Computer Interface|way of directly controlling]] city systems at the time). [https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20180124 Or] —
{{quote|'''Gil''': ''[[Mad Scientist|Mad]]?''
'''Tarvek''': ''"I AM PARIS..."' What do ''you'' think?}}
* ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'' in [https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2019-10-29 one] conversation:
{{quote|'''Kevyn''': How do you do this "[[Dissonant Serenity|calm in the storm]]" thing?
'''Tagon''': I ''am'' the storm. }}
** His father likes "[https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2019-11-16 I ''am'' the payload]". Which is also a [[Brick Joke]], though [https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2019-03-24 not very long one].

== We Are [[Web Original]] ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100314104639/http://www.theonion.com/content/video/supreme_court_rules_death_penalty I Am the law!]
* [[Weebl and Bob]] gives a nod to the Oppenheimer quote at the top of the page:
{{quote|'''Death:''' Lo. I have become death. Stealer of pie.}}
* In the beginning of the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk Hayek vs. Keynes rap]:
{{quote|'''Receptionist:''' Your agenda.
'''Keynes:''' That won't be necessary, I am the agenda. }}
* From ''[[Kickassia]]'', complete with [[Lampshade Hanging]]:
{{quote|'''[[The Cinema Snob]]:''' You're out of order, they're out of order! The whole system is out of order!
'''[[The Nostalgia Critic]]:''' I am the system!
'''Snob:''' I know you're the system! That's my point!
'''Critic:''' I know it's your point! It's just when you say that I'm out of order and the system's out of order it's kind of redundant!  }}

== I Am [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[South Park]]'' used this in reverse, in a somewhat more...belittling manner.
{{quote|This is deeply offensive to the Jewish community!
You ''are'' the Jewish community! }}
* [[Superman: The Animated Series|Brainiac]]: "I ''am'' Krypton."
* ''[[Darkwing Duck|That]]'' [[Morally-Ambiguous Ducktorate|bird]]:
{{quote|''I am the terror that flaps in the night!''
''I am the offtopic discussion that ruins your YKTTW!''
''I am [[Darkwing Duck]]!'' }}
* Batman was a triple threat in ''[[Batman: The Animated Series|Batman the Animated Series]]'': "You are NOT my father. I am NOT a disgrace. I am Vengeance. I am the Night. I AM [[Batman]]!"
** When the pilot episode of the animated series was scripted out, Batman's first scene was going to be fairly similar to how it was in the recent [[Tim Burton]] ''[[Batman (film)|Batman]]'' movie from 1989, but meddling executives made them change it because they felt it was too frightening for children, particularly as this was the first episode and they wanted to hook the audience first. Like in the movie, at the end of a fight Batman grabs a thug and holds him over the edge of rooftop. The criminal defiantly yells, "Who do you think you are?! You can't rule the night!", to which Batman coldly declares "I *am* the night!" and drops him off the building.
* ''[[ReBoot]]'': "|I am become Gigabyte, [[Shout-Out|destroyer of systems!]]"
* Cat R. Waul from ''[[An American Tail|An American Tail: Fievel Goes West]]'' says something along these lines.
{{quote|'''Cat R. Waul''': "Simply put, mouseling, I am the law here, and you are a mere hors d'ouevre."}}
* ''[[Cars|"Speed. I am speed."]]''
** [[Cars 2|"Then Francesco is ''triple'' speed."]]
* ''[[Beast Wars]]'':
{{quote|'''Waspinator:''' "Wait! Need plan! Wazzpinator in charge!"
'''Dinobot II:''' "I ''am'' the plan." }}
** Also from ''Beast Wars'':
{{quote|'''Optimus Primal''': Megatron, don't! Their power is beyond what you can imagine. You can't control it!
'''Megatron''': I '''am''' power. }}
* ''[[Aeon Flux|"I am the edge"]].''
* From the ''[[G.I. Joe]]'' cartoon:
{{quote|'''[[Instant Awesome, Just Add Ninja|STORM SHADOW]]:''' Anyone can use a weapon, but the ninja ''is'' a weapon.
''(Proceeds to dismantle a tank with his bare hands.)'' }}
* ''[[The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes|Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes]]'' had a truly classic one with the villain MODOK:
{{quote|'''[[MODOK]]:''' I am ''SCIENCE''!!!}}
* [[Popeye (comic strip)|Popeye]] says "I [[Phonetic Accent|yam]] what I yam, and that's all what I yam." Depending on how you interpret this rather philosophical statement, this is either the straight trope or a defiant aversion.
* ''[[American Dad]]'':
{{quote|'''Roger:''' You want me to leave this nation? ''I AM THIS NATION!''}}
* [[The Venture Brothers|"I am the Bat."]]

== I Am [[Real Life]] ==
* ''"You think you are the State? No, I am the State."'' - Louis XIV
** Interestingly subverted by his last words: "I am dead, but the state will survive".
*** The two statements are in fact entirely consistent: French law considered the king the personification of the nation, but the new king ascends instantly upon the death of the old king. Therefore, Louis XIV's great-grandson Louis XV (his son and grandson, both also named Louis, died a few years before Louis XIV did) became "the state" at the moment of his death. Thus the phrase, "The King is dead. Long live the King."
** This is consistent with the idea of the Divine Right of monarchs, where the king or queen is seen as the source of all law and political authority in his or her domain. In this framework the monarch is above the law. This is why you'll see similar statements from almost every European ruler from the Renaissance to the modern age.
*** Even where monarchs are firmly constitutional, they frequently are the legal embodiment of the state. For example, where American criminal cases are ''The People'' or ''The State v. Whoever'', British and Commonwealth Realm cases are ''Regina'' (the Queen) ''v. Whoever.''
* France seems to like these: "[[Badass Boast|The Revolution is over: I AM The Revolution]]." - [[The Napoleon|Napoleon]]
* The name of the comedian escapes memory at the moment, but he put on a skit about two people going on a date for the first time. They would sit down and take turns plunking down cards with all of their emotional problems.
{{quote|'''Man:''' Look, I'm neurotic. I need to see other people. (Plunk!)
'''Woman:''' I'm schizophrenic; I AM OTHER PEOPLE!!!
'''Man:''' Okay! Take the pot. You win. }}
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88f_NtDeQyE Richard Jeni]
* [[Salvador Dali]]: "I do not take drugs. I AM drugs."
** Also, when asked to define surrealism, he answered "I am surrealism."
* Portly Miami sports radio talk show host Hank Goldberg once dealt with an obnoxious caller by subverting this for humor:
{{quote|'''Caller''': You don't know anything about basketball!
'''Hank''': What do you mean? I AM a basketball! }}
:: Doubly funny, considering that a self-deprecating sense of humor is normally one of the last things that one would associate with Goldberg. (Isn't that self-aggrandizing humor though?)
* While they (to my knowledge) never explicitly said "I am the State", [[Those Wacky Nazis]] spent much of their time and effort in promoting that image. For example: "Ein Volk, ein Staat, ein Reich, ein Führer. [[Rule of Three|(One people, one State, one empire, one leader)]]" - [[Adolf Hitler]].
* In an interview, Amy Lee from [[Evanescence]] declared "I AM Evanescence."
* [[Fidel Castro]] said of Che Guevara, 'he WAS the revolution'.
* [[wikipedia:Roy Bean|Roy Bean]], while serving as a Justice of the Peace, often called himself "Law West of the Pecos". [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Old_langtry_tx.jpg See here].
* [[Stephen Colbert]] of ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' claims, "I know western culture, I ''am'' western culture.
* [[Jorge Luis Borges]]' ''"A New Refutation of Time"'': "Time is the substance from which I am made. Time is a river which carries me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger that devours me, but I am the tiger; it is a fire that consumes me, but I am the fire."
* A rather tragic case with Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 with David Burke killing the pilot but not before proclaiming "I'm the problem".
* Leigh Alexander, famous for the start of "Gamers are dead" articles where dozens of unrelated sites [[I Resemble That Remark|posted editorials proclaiming their audience dead without citing or referencing the others within 48 hours when accused of collusion]], proclaimed "I am game journalism" (most likely while drunk). Within a year Leigh had left her job, almost certainly involuntarily, and started a blog nobody reads. An overblown ego or the perfect miniature of the implosion of game journalism? You be the judge!

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[[Category:I Am an Index]]
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