Identical Stranger: Difference between revisions

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|Jean Valjean!|[[Les Misérables (theatre)]]}}
 
They say that everybody has a double somewhere. After all, the Earth has a human population of 78 billion, it would be actually stranger if no two people were at least vaguely similar. On the other hand, it's not as common in [[Real Life]] as it seems to be in media.
 
On television this is often utilized for comedy, by making them very different people.
 
As far as tropes go, this is one of the more ludicrously implausible ones. Take the probability of an [[Identical Grandson]], ramp it [[Up to Eleven]], and we're sort of in the right ballpark. ThisThe trope'''Identical Stranger''' has stuck around as a trope mainly because it's a fun [[Plot Device]]. Meeting your own grandfather requires you to be in a [[Time Travel]] scenario, whereas a stranger can be, well, [[Captain Obvious|anyone]] more or less. Still, expect groans from the audience if this trope forces both identical strangers onto the screen at the same time a little too often. It gets past our [[Willing Suspension of Disbelief]] largely because it seems less improbable in the abstract than when we're directly confronted with it.
 
When combined with [[Swapped Roles]] it results in [[Emergency Impersonation]]. Add both [[Swapped Roles]] and [[Fish Out of Water]] and you have [[Prince and Pauper]]. If one gets put out of action, the other might be called upon to pull an [[El Cid Ploy]].
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** The three Osaka kids in the OVA, "Conan and Heiji and the Vanished Boy" strongly resemble the Detective Boys. Even their names sound very alike: Mayumi, Mikihiko, and Kenta.
* ''Gundam: The Origin'', an alternate retelling-slash-prequel to ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'', introduces a '''real''' Char Aznable, who looks exactly like Casval Deikun (the Char fans know and love) except for eye color (Casval has blue, Char has brown). When Casval learns that the Zabis are out to get him, he pulls a rather [[Shoot the Dog|cold-blooded]] [[Twin Switch]], getting poor Char killed and assuming his identity. This actually briefly lead to an [[Epileptic Trees|Epileptic Tree]] that Full Frontal from ''[[Gundam Unicorn]]'' was Real!Char who had [[He's Just Hiding|somehow survived]].
* ''[[One Piece]]''
* ''[[One Piece]]'' features* Kuina, Zoro's childhood friend from flashbacks {{spoiler|who died in a home accident}}, and Tashigi, a young woman in the Navy, who both look ''very'' similar. Given that [[Word of God]] has confirmed these two share the same year of birth and the fact that Oda is pretty much the undisputed master of [[Chekhov's Gun]]...
*** Pay close attention to chapter 0... {{spoiler|Tashigi looks even more like ''Kuina's mom''. Which Zoro apparently doesn't realize, since apparently he never met said mother.}}
*** This would presumably be because {{spoiler|Tashigi in the current storyline is, like Kuina's mother in the flashback, an adult. We can only guess what an adult Kuina would've looked like, since she didn't survive to adulthood - she died at age 14.}}
** Nami has an uncanny resemblance to many secondary recurring characters, including [https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Nefertari_Vivi Vivi], [https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Rebecca?so=search Rebecca], [https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Shirahoshi?so=search Shirahoshi], and [https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Vegapunk/Lilith?so=search Lilith], the biggest difference between them being hairstyle and hair color. This is probably just a coincidence, given Oda’s art style (Shirahoshi and Lilith aren’t even human) but stranger things have happened…
* In ''[[Eyeshield 21]]'', during the "Death March" arc Sena accidentally gets roped into a round of NFL tryouts where he meets Jimmy Simard, who looks very much like his teammate Ishimaru back home. The joke is that "Jimmy Simard" sounds like "jimi ishimaru" when said with a Japanese accent. "Jimi Ishimaru" means "plain Ishimaru," one of the [[Running Gag|running gags]] of the series.
** In the anime, on the plane ride that kicked off the America arc the characters mix up Cerberus and an identical looking stuffed animal.
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* Ichigo Kurosaki and [[Posthumous Character|Kaien Shiba]] in ''[[Bleach]]'', though were never close to meeting each other or alive at the same time. Aside from Kaien having black hair and Ichigo having orange hair, they look so much alike that Ukitake, Kaien's captain, briefly wonders if Ichigo could somehow be Kaien, despite having personally witnessed Kaien's death. This lead to some people theorizing Ichigo was Kaien's reincarnation, but this was [[Jossed]] when we saw {{spoiler|Kaien's soul was consumed by the Hollow which became Aaroniero}}.
** There are still plenty of [[Epileptic Trees]] about the possibility of some larger connection between the two characters than just coincidental resemblance, though. {{spoiler|Given that Ichigo's father is a former Shinigami captain, yet none of the Shinigami (even the ones who would've been Isshin's contemporaries) recognize the name "Kurosaki", he must have changed his name when assuming a human identity. If his original last name was "Shiba", it would explain more than just Ichigo's resemblance to Kaien.}}
* Makoto and Princess Fatora in ''[[El-Hazard: The Magnificent World]]'' -- evenand worse, itthey'sre adifferent gender-swappedgenders identicalto strangerboot.
* Asuna Kagurazaka and Nekane Springfield from ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]],'' though on the more realistic side of things as one merely strongly reminds you of the other.
* In ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'', Faye Valentine first met Spike Spiegel when she mistook him for a similar-looking but ''identically'' dressed contact.
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* In ''[[Hekikai no AiON]]'', Sheila and Tatsuya's mother, who happens being called Umi. The reasons of this have not being revelated yet.
* ''[[Magical Record Lyrical Nanoha Force]]'' has an antagonist Mariya Ranevskaya who looks suspiciously like a tattooed punk version of Vivio. Doesn't qualify for [[Criminal Doppelganger]] because no one seems to have cottoned on [[In-Universe]].
* In ''[[Princess Principal]]'', Princess Charlotte of Albion and [[Street Urchin]] Ange le Carre. To the point that {{spoiler|when they [[Prince and Pauper|trade clothes]] and then are separated by a revolution and a [[Berlin Wall|Berlin-style wall]], no one suspects for ''ten years'' (and, indeed, longer)}}.
* Turned [[Up to Eleven]] in ''[[Girls und Panzer]]'', where ''every single member'' of the Ooarai Prefectural Girls High School Morals Committee (translated as "Hall Monitors") look alike save for minor differences in hair length (not the hairstyle, just the length).
* ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'':
** Jesse looks just like James' cruel former fiance [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Jessebelle]], the only difference being a different hairstyle and clothing. Oddly James never seems to notice.
** Ash has been the victim of [[Mistaken Identity]] more than once. He also has more than a passing resemblence to Richie, a trainer whose team has three of the same Pokemon - Pikachu, Charmeleon, and Butterfree - that were in Ash's original lineup.
 
== Comic Books ==
* ''[[Archie Comics|Archie]] Meets [[The Punisher]]'' (no, really, this is real and somehow, against all odds, ''actually good'') featured the Punisher following a con-man identical to Archie to Riverdale.
** In a subversion, they didn't look ''completely'' alike; only similar enough to cause some confusion. Heck, even [[Dumb Muscle|Moose]] could tell they were not the same once he got a closer look.
* ''[[Wonder Woman]]''—Originally. Originally, she met her injured love interest's nurse, who conveniently looked exactly like her, was also named Diana, ''and'' needed Wonder Woman's help to join her boyfriend in another country [[Contrived Coincidence|as well]]. Wonder Woman ''bought'' the Diana Prince identity from this nurse.
* The Golden Age ''[[Flash]]'' story "Anything Can Happen!" shows four Flashes on the cover. The story delivers, though they're never all in one place. Jay Garrick is the first; a banker who happens to look just like him is the second; a substitute who wears a mask to impersonate this banker at boring functions is the third; and a mannequin wearing that same mask to fool the bad guys is the fourth.
* The white-haired [[The Warlord|Warlord]], Travis Morgan, ends up in Seattle, home of blonde [[Green Arrow]]. Morgan is mistaken for the persona-non-grata Arrow and is consequently attacked by half of Seattle's criminal population, leading to a confrontation with his double to find out why everyone in town hates him.
{{quote|'''Morgan:''' Whatever you've been doing to piss these people off... '''cut it out!!'''}}
** And in Morgan's own series, Morgan had a double who was used by his foes to attempt to take over the kingdom.
** And Shakira turned out to be a dead ringer for a kidnapped princess, leading to an [[Emergency Impersonation]] scenario.
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** Ash also met an identical stranger in the ''Evil Dead/Marvel Zombies'' crossover...but it was actually Ashley G. Williams, a supermarket employee who happened to be the Marvel Universe version of Ash.
* In the [[Western]] [[Shojo]] manga [[Miriam (manga)|Miriam]], a lawman uses his uncanny resemblance to wanted killer Silver King (they both have long, blond hair, blue eyes, and a diagonal scar on their face) to infiltrate a criminal organization from the inside.
* In [[Marvel Comics]], Flatman, aka Dr. Val Ventura, looks exactly like and has roughly the same exact powers as Mr. Fantastic of the [[Fantastic Four]]. The only difference is that Flatman is, well, flat, his entire body being less than an inch thick. This is pretty much never ever [[Ignore the Disability|commented on, no matter how obvious it is.]], until it later became a [[Running Gag]] in ''[[Great Lakes Avengers]].''
** Later became a [[Running Gag]] in ''[[Great Lakes Avengers]].''
* This is how [[The Avengers (Comic Book)|the Wasp]] entered into Hank Pym's life - she looked identical to his dead wife.
* In ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]'', after Jean Grey kills herself to prevent herself from becoming Dark Phoenix again, Cyclops eventually meets Madelyne Pryor, who's a dead ringer for the departed Jean. They fall in love, get married, and have a son, and Scott retires from the X-Men. And then the trope is [[Subverted Trope|subverted]], when it turns out Maddie is actually a clone of Jean created by Mister Sinister to get Scott and Jean to reproduce and create a genetically perfect being, and Maddie [[Goes Mad From the Revelation]] (and demonic influence) and becomes the villainous Goblin Queen. And then she dies. And then it turns out that, not only was Jean not dead (just in a cocoon at the bottom of the Hudson river), she was never actually Phoenix in the first place (maybe; that last part gets [[retcon]]ned constantly).
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** One of the very few occasions on which this was even vaguely justified: Vam-Zee, who adopted the identity of Kandorian superhero Nightwing from Superman, looks exactly like the Man of Steel. The explanation? They're cousins.
 
== Fan Works ==
* Socrates, of ''[[Calvin and Hobbes: The Series]]'', is identical to Hobbes save for red stripes on his tail.
** Andy discovers a pharaoh that looks just like him in [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|"Pharaoh Andrew".]]
* One of ''[[Turnabout Storm]]'s'' [[Original Character]]s, Sonata, is uncannily identical to [[Ace Attorney|Mia Fey]], to the point of making Phoenix confuse her with Mia. To make things even more wierd and eerie, she's also ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|an unicorn from Canterlot]]''.
* [[Ranma ½|Ranma Saotome]]'s girl form and [[Neon Genesis Evangelion|Asuka Soryuu Langley]] can pass as twins in ''[[The Wild Horse Thesis]]''.
* From the first chapter of the ''[[Ranma ½]]'' / ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]'' fanfic ''[https://archives.eyrie.org/anime/Ranma/Duet-of-Pigtails/ A Duet of Pigtails]'', when Hikaru Shidou first sees Ranma Saotome's transformation into girl form: "There, where Ranma had been, was a woman, who with the exception of slightly wet Chinese clothing and pale blue eyes, looked as though she could have successfully passed as my twin sister."
* Is something of a plot point in the epic-length 1990s-vintage ''[[Ranma ½]]''-centric [[Mega Crossover]] fic ''[[A Tale of Two Wallets]]'' -- the Chinese Amazon Silk and the late Kimiko Tendo were virtual twins, and both were in competition for a teenaged Soun in the [[Backstory]] that informs so much of the fic's plot. (It's eventually revealed that they also were identical to the goddess Peorth from ''[[Ah! My Goddess]]'' -- because they were Peorth's "Templates", something along the lines of a mortal "backup copy".) On top of that, Silk got pregnant from one last night with Soun before he married Kimiko, and Kachu, the daughter she bore, is a dead ringer for Kasumi Tendo.
 
== Film -- Live-Action ==
* The [[Olsen Twins]] movie ''It Takes Two'' was basically a ripoff of ''[[The Parent Trap (1961 film)|The Parent Trap]]'', only replacing Identical Twins with Identical Strangers.
* [[Hugh Jackman]]'s drunken doppelganger plays a key role in ''[[The Prestige]]''.
* This plays a huge part in [[Akira Kurosawa]]'s ''Kagemusha'', which is about a warlord's double.
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* The Disney Channel movie ''Model Behaviour'' has Alex Burrows as your average American teen who looks almost identical to supermodel Janine Adams except she wears glasses. They are both played by Maggie Lawson.
* In ''[[Monte Carlo]]'', small town girl Grace Bennett is a dead ringer for the infamous British socialite Cordelia Winthrop Scott. Despite her friends claiming they can tell the difference, she manages to fool Cordelia's aunt for awhile.
 
 
== Literature ==
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** It doesn't end there: Rogers and Hart wrote a musical, ''[[Boys From Syracuse]]'', based on ''A Comedy of Errors''. Now you can have all the Identical Stranger goodness you want, plus [[The Musical|singing]]!
* ''[[A Tale of Two Cities]]'' has this as the central plot point.
* Lord Vetinari gets one in the ''[[Discworld]]'' novel ''[[Discworld/The Truth|The Truth]]''.:
** Lord Vetinari gets one in ''[[The Truth]]''.
** Another ''[[Discworld]]'' example is in ''[[Discworld/Wyrd Sisters|Wyrd Sisters]]'', where the hidden heir to the throne looks almost exactly like the Fool. Seemingly subverted {{spoiler|when we find out that the Fool is the bastard son of the former King and a peasant woman}}. Then re-subverted in a different way {{spoiler|when we find out that it's the other way round: the Fool's parents were correct, but the supposed heir is actually the son of the former Queen and the former Fool, meaning they still share the same father.}}
* The ''[[Flashman]]'' novel ''Royal Flash'' relies on this trope, as the title character's uncanny resemblance to a Danish prince is the reason he gets dragged into his adventures in said story in the first place.
* The actor in [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s ''[[Double Star]]'' isn't perfectly identical to the politician he is assigned to impersonate, but he is close enough to fake it.
* Spoofed in the [[Daniel Pinkwater]] novel ''Slaves of Spiegel''. The three (supposed) greatest chefs in the universe are Identical Strangers of each other...except for the minor aspect that they're from three entirely different species that don't resemble each other at all. Their names are also [[Significant Anagram]]s.
* ''[[The Prince and the Pauper]]'', a story written by [[Mark Twain]]. A beggar boy and a prince have a chance encounter and decide to switch places for a short while.
* ''Brat Farrar'' by [[Josephine Tey]] features one where the eponymous Brat bears an uncanny resemblence to the missing Patrick Ashby. As it turns out, he's actually {{spoiler|a lost relative and the real Patrick had been murdered - the deception serves to uncover the murderer of the real Patrick.}}
* Already mentioned above, ''[[The Prisoner of Zenda]]'' is a classic example of the trope.
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* The Koriani entchantresses in Janny Wurts' ''War of Light and Shadow'' series find a random baby with green eyes, who looks as though he might grow up to look sort of like Arithon...and cast a spell on him as he grows up so that he looks exactly like Arithon. As Arithon is considered rather like the Antichrist...things do not work out well for that kid.
* In [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]]'s ''The Mad King'', Barney Custer of Beatrice, Nebraska, U.S.A, is taken for the title king. In their defense, the king had been imprisoned for ten years, while a boy, and so they were going by the description. Still...
{{quote|''"But there are the scum of the low country in the army these days, who would do anything for money, and it is these that the king must guard against. I could not help but note that mein Herr spoke too perfect German for a foreigner. Were I in mein Herr's place, I should speak mostly the English, and, too, I should shave off the 'full, reddish-brown beard.'"''
''Whereupon the storekeeper turned hastily back into his shop, leaving Barney Custer of Beatrice, Nebraska, U.S.A., to wonder if all the inhabitants of Lutha were afflicted with a mental disorder similar to that of the unfortunate ruler. '' }}
** It becomes a bit less improbable when you know that Barney's mother was a runaway princess of Lutha—itLutha — it was why Barney came specifically to that country on his vacation—sovacation — so, as in ''The Prisoner of Zenda'', the king and Barney were cousins in some degree.
* In ''[[Gaunt's Ghosts]]'' novel ''Only in Death'', an allied regiment's Major Berenson bears a startling resemblance to {{spoiler|the now-dead}} Caffran.
* In ''[[Wise Blood]]'', when a huckster turns Hazel Motes' Church Without Christ into a moneymaking scheme, Hazel cuts off ties with it. Said huckster then goes and finds a guy who looks a lot like Hazel—and even drives a similar car—to continue serving as the church's prophet.
* In the last two [[Time Scout]] books, Skeeter Jackson and Noah Armstrong look very similar. It's the coloring and the bone structure, and a complete coincidence.
* [[Marion Zimmer Bradley]]'s ''[[Darkover]]'' universe has a principle that everything except the psychic matrix stones has one exact duplicate somewhere in the universe; a couple of the novels have people locating their doubles for plot purposes. In another book, a Terran who simply happens to look extremely similar to a Darkovan nobleman is kidnapped by mistake.
* The protagonist/narrator of ''Don Quixote, U.S.A.'' is a Peace Corps Volunteer who, once he puts on some muscle and grows a beard that hides his rather weak chin, looks practically identical to the [[Fidel Castro]]-style revolutionary leader on [[Banana Republic|San Marcos]]. He '''accidentally''' takes over the revolution and {{spoiler|brings lasting democracy and prosperity}}.
 
 
== Live-Action TV ==
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== Radio ==
* In the [[Big Finish Doctor Who]] audio ''The Church And The Crown'', Peri is a dead ringer for ''Queen Anne of France'', and is accidentally kidnapped in place of the Queen, driving much of the plot.
 
 
== Theater ==
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* In ''[[A Flea In Her Ear]]'', faithful husband Victor and drunken porter Poche are absolutely identical.
* In ''[[Avenue Q]]'', Nicky searches for a boyfriend for his friend Rod (who secretly has a crush on him), and finds Ricky, who is almost identical to Nicky, right down to having the exact same voice, except that he's gay. Rod is overjoyed.
 
 
== Video Games ==
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* This leads to most of the plot in ''[[Leisure Suit Larry]] II'' when Larry mistakenly obtaining a microfiche when someone identical to him was suppose to and spending most of the game avoiding the KGB.
* ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep]]'' introduces Ventus, who is physically identical to Roxas. Somewhat justified in that {{spoiler|Ventus has been sleeping in Sora's heart for the past ten years, so the two of them do have some of a connection.}}
** {{spoiler|Also Vanitas, who's pretty much Sora with a dye job and a much cooler outfit, and Terra, who looks like a younger, dark-haired Xehanort.}} Both have justifications: {{spoiler|Vanitas is Ven's [[Enemy Without]], and Ven only survived their separation by linking with Sora's heart, connecting the three of them. Xehanort, meanwhile, is actually an elderly Keyblade master who pulled a [[Grand Theft Me]] on Terra, dying his hair white in the process.}} Unfortunately, this still doesn't explain why {{spoiler|the younger Master Xehanort we see in flashbacks ''also'' looks like a silver-haired Terra.}}
*** It could be that very fact that {{spoiler|caused Xehanort to select Terra for the [[Grand Theft Me]] in the first place. Terra's issues with his darkness might just have been icing on the cake, or perhaps the eggs in the cake batter...}}
* Another ''Star Ocean'' example: Ameena in ''[[Star Ocean: Till the End of Time]]'' looks ''exactly'' like Sophia. Despite being ''[[Human Aliens|from another planet entirely.]]'' Although, finding a twin is [[Fridge Logic|probably easier]] when your candidate pool is twice as large. Justified, {{spoiler|since they are both characters in an MMORPG, with, presumably, more limited character models/editing options than in the real world.}}
 
==Web Comics==
 
== Webcomics ==
* In ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'', the medieval warlord [http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/19980924 Lord Torgamous] looks exactly like modern day Torg (except for the beard).
** [[Subverted]] another time (perhaps also hinting at [[Identical Grandson]]). [http://www.sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/20011125]
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** During an earlier arc Beartato [[It Makes Sense in Context|jumps into outer space]] and encounters an alien who looks exactly like his friend Reginald with a pair of antenna. It's then subverted when Space Reginald [http://nedroidcomics.livejournal.com/242619.html wipes some dirt off his face] and [http://nedroidcomics.livejournal.com/242873.html crawls out of the crater] he's standing in, revealing himself to be [[Nightmare Fuel|quite different]] from regular Reginald
* ''[[Brawl in the Family]]'' has Kingsonnn Dededoo, who looks exactly like [[Kirby|King Dedede]] with a mustache. And he's here to [[Literal Metaphor|clean your clock]].
* ''[[Nintendo Acres]]'' has Link from [[The Legend of Zelda|LoZLink]] and Lionk, Link's part-time door-opening stunt double and full-time employee of ''all'' the town's restaurants.
* [[Akuma TH]] has the "Superhero" Mathman, who looks like the title character [[Clark Kenting|in a cape and a not particularly concealing mask]]. ''Everybody'' who sees Mathman assumes that he's actually Akuma, and neither of them is particularly convincing when denying it. However, the third annual World Spriter's Tournament showed that they were, in fact, separate people.
* ''[[Off White]]:'' A wolf pelt that looks like Iki, except with orange eyes instead of blue.
 
== Western Animation ==
* In one episode of ''[[The Fairly OddParents]]'', Timmy Turner's parents are arrested because [[Criminal Doppelganger|they resemble a pair of criminals]], the Souvenir Bandits (whose surname happens to be Turnbaum).
* In an episode of ''[[The Simpsons]] (animation)|''The Simpson'']], Homer is temporarily banned from Moe's due to rampant douchebaggery ([[Selective Enforcement|for Moe, at least]]). Soon after, a man who looks exactly like Homer with a mustache, in a top hat and suit goes to Moe's. He introduces himself as "Guy Incognito" and is promptly beaten up and thrown out. The real Homer, passing by, is shocked to find his exact double unconscious but is suddenly [[Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny|distracted by a dog with a puffy tail]].
** In [[The Movie]], Bart doodles on a wanted poster with his family on it to prevent the owner of the store it was in from noticing it and calling the police and getting them arrested. A family resembling the modified picture ends up getting arrested after the store owner notices the poster.
** Another episode has Bart do a [[Prince and Pauper]] plot with a rich kid who looks just like him. At the same time Bart and his rich doppelganger meet, they also meet a guy who looks like a 30-year-old version of them; [[Beyond the Impossible|that guy has a wife who looks like a 30-year-old, female version of Milhouse]].
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** A similar plot to that first example is used in an episode where an alien sends androids down to Earth that not only happen to look exactly like Fred, but also [[Contrived Coincidence|"Yabba dabba" just happens to be all they can say]]. This episode has a happier ending where "Fred's" strange behavior is blamed on the diet he was on and he's taken off it, much to his delight.
* In one episode of ''[[Family Guy]]'', Peter and three Identical Strangers (except for facial hair and glasses) all get free samples of sausage at the grocery store, one after the other, then all show up at the same time for seconds.
* In ''[[Code Lyoko]]'' Seasonseason 1 episode "The Girl of the Dreams,", a [[New Transfer Student]], Taelia, is believed to be a materialized Aelita. But besides their similar looksappearance and [[Significant Anagram]] names, they have nothing in common (unless you choose to believe some [[Code Lyoko/WMG|Wild Mass Guessing]]).
* ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'':
* ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'', "No Weenies Allowed": a sponge identical to Spongebob only with dark hair and the real deal (wearing a Rainbow Clown Wig) both appear at the Salty Spittoon at the same time.
** In "No Weenies Allowed", what appears to be Spongebob with a dark hairpiece tries to gain entrance to the Salty Spitoon, even putting on a cool voice and "mysterious drifter" act that Reggie isn't convinced by. When he asks what Reggie's on about in a Spongebob-like voice, Reggie yanks his hair thinking he's caught him - at which point the real Spongebob appears wearing a rainbow clown wig. Not!Spongebob isn't particularly amused, and Reggie lets him in as an apology.
* ''[[Kim Possible]]'', "Chasing Rufus": There is a couple exactly identical to Kim and Ron only with a pair of glasses and shaggy mustache respectively.
** "Squidville" has Squidward move to Tentacle Acres to get away from Spongebob and Patrick and finds out that the area is ''populated'' with somewhat-identical strangers who are just as stuck-up and rude as he is. It's a dream come true for him... [[Be Careful What You Wish For|at first, anyway]]. Meanwhile, Spongebob and Patrick come to Tentacle Acres to offer Squidward an apology, only to [[Running Gag|confuse ''everyone else'' for the real Squidward]] - fittingly, the gag begins with Spongebob hugging someone who looks and dresses exactly like Squidward, but has a mustache.
* ''[[Class of 3000]]'', "Westley Side Story": The kids from Eastley school like exactly like our protagonists from Westley.
* ''[[Kim Possible]]'', episode "Chasing Rufus": There ishas a couple that's exactly identical to Kim and Ron, only with a pair of glasses and shaggy mustache respectively.
* A trio of characters who look a lot like Catdog's nemesis appears as policemen in one episode of ''[[CatDog]]''.
* In ''[[Class of 3000]]'', episode "Westley Side Story":, Thethe kids from Eastley school like exactly like our protagonists from Westley.
* Flexo in ''[[Futurama]]''.
* A trio of characters who look a lot like Catdog'sthe Greasers nemesis appears as policemen in one episode of ''[[CatDog]]''.
** Flexo andin ''[[Futurama]]'', who looks like Bender arewith botha bendinggoatee. units,Justified AKAas theFlexo sameand modelBender ofare robots.both Theybending units that were made to look identical on purpose by Mom's factories., While theyand are strangers yes, they'rethus technically related.
** Flexo has a goatee to tell each other apart.
* In the first ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 series)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' cartoon, April O'Neil is revealed to look identical to Mallory, princess from the fictional country of Malicuria. Hilarity ensues when Shredder [[Prince and Pauper|decides to capture Mallory]] in order to ransom her for the [[MacGuffin]] of the week.
* One episode of ''The Famous Adventures of [[Mr. Magoo]]'' has the actor Mr. Magoo asked by the police to impersonate an identical gangster in order to catch the whole gang.
* ''[[King Arthur and the Knights of Justice]]'' Had Arthur King, Lance and to a lesser extent, the other ten replacements for King Arthur, Sir Lancelot and the rest of the true knights of the round table.
* Colonel Chicken in ''[[Chowder]]'' (who looks exactly like Chowder but dressed like Colonel Sanders) was mistaken by Mung as a ploy to get him to bake schmeanut blutter flookies. Then Chowder comes in with his actual ploy while Colonel Chicken is confused at their resemblance.
** Another episode features Porridge, who looks exactly like Chowder except that he wears glasses and his fur is in a different shade of purple.
* ''[[American Dad]]'': Stan has a CIA double named Bill, who he has do all the stuff Stan doesn't want to do. In one creepy development, Bill ends up dating Stan's daughter Hayley!
* In one episode of ''[[Storm Hawks]]'', Piper meets her double: Princess Peregrine of Klockstoppia, or Perry, as she prefers to be called. A [[Prince and Pauper]]-type plot ensues, albeit not with total consent on Piper's part...
* In ''[[The Weekenders]]'', Tony Tortallero looks almost identical to main character Tino Tonitini and says "Sure!" in almost the same voice. However, in neither of Tony's appearances does he ever say anything ''except'' "Sure!"
* An episode of ''[[Pepper Ann]]'' featured a girl and her family moving into town and they happened to look just like her and her family members with a few differences and having slightly difference names.
* On ''[[Rugrats]]'', Angelica is mistaken for the daughter of an Italian restaurant owner. As a [[Spoiled Brat]], she takes advantage of the situation.
* One episode of ''[[Josie and the Pussy Cats]]'' involcesinvolves a princess who looks just like Valerie.
* In ''[[Yogi Bear|Yogi's]] Great Escape'',<ref>Thethe first of the "Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10" series of TV movies</ref>, in''[[Yogi Bear|Yogi's Great Escape]]'', the "western ghost town" scene, has [[Quick Draw McGraw]] mistakesmistake Yogi and Boo-Boo for an identical pair of outlaws who were wanted for cattle rustling.
* Similarly to the Josie example, this happens to Kimber in an episode of ''[[Jem]]'' when she meets (you guessed it) a princess who looks just like her.
* An episode of ''[[Heathcliff and The Catillac Cats]]'' involves Henry, a lost cat with orange fur, thin black stripes, a round head, and a round black nose...<ref>Heathcliff: "There goes one heck of a good-looking cat!"</ref>
{{quote|Heathcliff: "There goes one heck of a good-looking cat!"}}
* The ''[[Top Cat]]'' episode "The Missing Heir".
* ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]'' gives us TCFM, who looks exactly like Beezy only green, and uses this to get the people of Miseryville to do what he wants.
* [[South Park|Eric Cartman]] looks a lot like Marlon Brando... and a bit like Dakota Fanning.
* The animated [[Punky Brewster]] episode "Double Your Punky" had Glomer creating a clone of Punky from a photograph to keep him company at home while the real Punky was at a school picnic. The cloneHowever, however,the clone wasproved obnoxious, and in his confusion, Glomer zaps the sweet Punky back into the photograph and throws it away. Having retrieved it and getting her back, Glomer is unable to tell who the real Punky is. It's up to Brandon (Punky's dog) Brandon, who recognizes her scent.
 
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