Inexplicably Identical Individuals: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:officers jenny.jpg|link=Pokémon (anime)|frame|Shopped! I call sho-- oh, there really are that many of her.
:(ahem) Carry on.]]
{{quote|'''Gordon Frohman:''' Morning, Barney! Didn't I see you just a second ago?
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Compare and contrast to the game trope of [[You All Look Familiar]]. Also compare [[Single-Minded Twins]]. Contrast with the [[Recurring Extra]], where it really is the same character(s) in every town.
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* Originally named for Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny in the ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'' anime. They likely arose as a parody of the games' use of [[You All Look Familiar]]. Some weren't even related, but they all had the exact same personality and appearance. The series did its share of [[Lampshade Hanging]]; at one point, one Jenny shows off a picture of her graduating class at the police academy (shown above), every single one of which is a Jenny. Regardless of whatever differences there are, Brock [[Lovable Sex Maniac|loves every last one of both kinds]]...and is able to tell them apart.
** There
** The Magikarp Salesman, a recurring con-artist who tries to sell useless Pokémon to James (and has done so more than once), [[Exploited Trope|tries to pass himself off as a family of one of these to assure wary marks]], but he's the same guy each time.
** In one episode, Brock explains the subtle differences between the Officer Jennys when a bunch of them turn up to perform an arrest. Said differences included perfumes used, slight differences in skirt length, and slight differences in hair style - in other words, things that would be virtually impossible for audiences to see on a television (and judging by the fact that very few in the show notice them, they're not that easy to spot period). As he puts it:
{{quote|Brock: Jenny from Viridian City wears her skirt shorter than the other Jennys. The Celadon City Jenny uses styling gel in her luxurious hair! Saffron City Jenny wears exotic Vileplume No. 5 Perfume. Then there's the vivacious Vermillion City Jenny... ''[Misty carts him off the screen before he can continue]''}}
:*
* ''[[Sister Princess]]'' had one person who was a butler/real estate agent/antique salesman/boat captain and anything else that was needed on the island. But they were all different people. At the second to last episode it's revealed that they {{spoiler|really ARE all the same person}}.
* The protagonist of ''[[Elf Princess Rane]]'' (who is not the title character) has about twenty older sisters, the product of repeated sets of quads and quints, who all look exactly alike. (Five of them have formed a rock band.)
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* There are two girls called Nago in ''[[Daily Lives of High School Boys]]'', one being the staff of a pizzeria Tadakuni works part-time and the other being Yanagin's [[Rival]]. They look suspiciously alike; the latter Nago is essentially a [[She Cleans Up Nicely|cleaned up]] version of the [[Fat Girl|former]], wear red bandanas, and they go to the same school as well. The problem is their names are written with ''different kanji''—the former is 奈古 while the latter is 名護. While [[Word of God]] already declared they are different people, speculation are still abound.
* [[Naruto]]'s [http://media.animegalleries.net/albums/Naruto/lee/naruto_lee0179.jpg?=123 Rock Lee] and [http://i1017.photobucket.com/albums/af298/poppylover14/naruto/MightGuy.png Might Guy] are ''apparently'' not related.
* In ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'', during the Battle City arc, Kaiba has a command center monitoring every duel, the monitors being females who all look and dress exactly the same - white suits over tan shirts, high-tech specs, and a bobbed hairstyle with bangs - the only difference between them being hair color. Fans often refer to them as "clone girls", but no explanation for this is ever given.
* The members of the Morals Committee / Mallard Team in ''[[Girls und Panzer]]'', while not related to each other, are distinguishable only by minor differences in their hairstyles. (The the original Japanese but not in the English dub, [[Talking to Himself|they even have the same voice actress]], [[Shiori Izawa]].)
== Comic Books ==
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** This achieved [[Fridge Brilliance]] with the years-later reveal that Cobra Commander is {{spoiler|the "original model"}}. The ''real'' reason for the "Fred" series of Crimson Guard was so that the paranoid Cobra Commander would have an {{spoiler|impenetrable disguise if he needed to escape from}} his treacherous lieutenants.
* In their original appearance (and thus prior to at least two [[Retcon|RetCons]]), the Zamarons, a race of Amazon-like Warriors [[In Space]]! (later revealed as female {{spoiler|counterparts of the Guardians of the Universe of [[Green Lantern]] [[The Chosen Many|Corps]] fame}}) always chose their queens from humanoid females who met an ideal physical model, and thus always looked alike. They would take a prospective candidate from her home planet, explain that she was going to be their new Queen, and then give her super-powers by playing some kind of alien musical instrument at her (!) and presenting her with the gem that gave her a name—the Star Sapphire. Naturally, Earth had a candidate for the role -- {{spoiler|[[Green Lantern]]'s then would-be girlfriend, Carol Ferris}}.
* In Carla Speed McNeil's "aboriginal Sci-Fi" series ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20131019122544/http://www.lightspeedpress.com/ Finder],'' one of the main cities in the series is run by several different "clans." Most of these clans, in addition to a common name, share common features. The Llavrics are all women (yes, even the men are women. They are physically formed to be able to "tuck it in" with ease), and not just any women, the same slim, blonde woman. They all tend to be a bit on the artistic, dramatic side. The Mediwar clan has distinct male and female versions that are identical within their gender. They run military, police, and medical branches of the government, which leads to the fantastic insult - "copface." (Try that one on Officer Jenny!) These clans are most emphatically not made up of clones and not everyone born to clan parents is automatically given full clan status. There is a yearly examination which could be similar to defending a thesis - or winning a beauty pageant. It all depends on your clan. Clan members can and do intermarry and procreate (they're all human, after all); genetics determine if the offspring resemble one parent over the other.
* Thompson and Thomson in [[Tintin]]; the only difference is in the mustache. Furthermore, it's explicitly stated that they're not twins or even related.
* In ''[[The Muppet Show Comic Book]]: On The Road'', the Muppets, on tour following the destruction of the theatre, keep encountering [[Statler and Waldorf|familiar-looking elderly hecklers]]. Two farmers (one of whom is apparently Waldorf's cousin); Mitch Wacky's gagwriters Stadler and Waltorf; the entire population of Little Statwald...
* In every [[Pink Panther]] comic book story, the panther runs into a foul-tempered, moustached short man with a big nose who looks exactly like the foul-tempered, moustached short man with a big nose from the previous story. He keeps running into these guys in the animated shorts as well, but not as consistently.
* In ''[[Batman]]'' titles, the villain Ras Al Ghul has a hulking henchman named Ubu who for unknown reasons, tended to appear again multiple times after being killed. Eventually, it is revealed that "Ubu" is actually a clan who has sworn loyalty to Ras, and all the male members look identical.
== Film ==
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* In the 2002 film ''[[Big Trouble]]'', Andy Richter plays a mall security guard who claims to have a relative who works in airport security. Sure enough, Richter later shows up in an airport (this time with a mustache), working security.
** That one is straight out of the book the movie was based on, Andy Richter was a perfect touch though...
* In ''[[The Phantom Menace]]'', Queen Amidala's handmaidens all look identical. This, of course, is intentional, and part of the "decoy trick", where one of them, Sabé, posed as the Queen while the Queen dressed as one of the handmaidens in her identity as Padmé; the Queen's incredibly opulent royal clothing was also part of this strategy, as it made her stand out among the comparitively plain-looking handmaidens. They have similar names too, at least in public; in addition to Sabé, the others were named Eirtaé, Rabé, Saché, Yané, Fé, and Dané; Padmé's name mentioned often make members of the royal court assume that the Queen has ''eight'' handmaidens. This Trope is lampshaded in the ''[[Star Wars: Clone Wars]]'' comic book ''In Triplicate'' with this exchange:
{{quote|'''Anakin:''' In fact, I'm pretty sure it's... Amidala's decoys Sabé and Eritaé.
'''Eirtaé:''' Actually, I'm Eritaé!
'''Sabé:''' [[Mind Screw|And I'm Sabé]]!}}
* In the course of the ''[[Spider-Man]]'' movies, Peter Parker has encountered a wrestling emcee, a snooty usher, and a French waiter who all look exactly like [[Bruce Campbell]].
** It would have been [[Fridge Brilliance]] that he was Mysterio and presumably staking out targets. It just makes Peter Parker look like a dumbass for not noticing.
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* In ''[[Night at the Museum]] 2'' Amy Adams plays [[Acting for Two|Amelia Earhart and a woman who visits the museum at the end]]. Larry attempts to invoke [[Identical Grandson]] by asking if she was related to Earhart, but Adams responds "No, I think I just have one of those faces, you know?".
* In ''[[Shaun of the Dead]]'' Shaun's group, sneaking around an alleyway between houses, bumps into another group of survivors led by Shaun's ex, Yvonne. As the two groups pass, it becomes clear that each of Shaun's group has an exact counterpart in Yvonne's gang. The incident is never mentioned again. In the director's commentary, Edgar Wright calls this group the 'doppelgang'.
== Literature ==
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* ''[[Babylon 5]]'' gives us 10 identical brothers named Zathras, all with the same [[You No Take Candle|speech pattern]], philosophical attitude, and accent, all played by one actor (Tim Choate). "No, that was not Zathras, that was Zathras. There are 10 of us, all of family Zathras, each one named Zathras. Slight differences in how you pronounce. Zathraas, Zathras, Zathras...You are seeing now?"
** Worth mentioning that the slight differences in pronounciation are just almost too subtle for human ears to recognize, unless the name is spoken REALLY slowly.
* Tom Poston played at least three completely unhelpful clerks on ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]]''. At least two of them were brothers.
* On ''[[Sliders]]'', no matter how many centuries of [[Alternate History]] divided one Earth from the next, any roles for a cab driver, desk clerk, or bartender tended to be filled by counterparts of the same three men.
** Bizarrely, the desk clerk was [[The Other Darrin|Other Darrined]] for the final two seasons, acquiring a ''very'' different accent, weight, and personality, with ''only'' his job and the name "Gomez Calhoun" linking him to the original version of the character. Considering that those seasons used a different hotel in a different city, it would have made far more sense just to name him something else.
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== Radio ==
* This was Frank Nelson's role throughout his career, and one he served with [[Large Ham|extra ham]]. Frequently [[Homage]]d, especially in ''[[The Simpsons]]''. A typical routine might go:
{{quote|''''[[The Jack Benny Program|Jack Benny]]'''': Oh, Sir, Sir.
''''Frank Nelson'''': [[Catch Phrase|Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssss?]]
''''Jack Benny'''': [[Lampshade Hanging|You work at this airport too!?]]
''''Frank Nelson'''': No, I'm just a DC-4 with a mustache.
''''Jack Benny'''': Oh, never mind, I just want to know: Do these planes go to New York?
''''Frank Nelson'''': [[Catch Phrase|Oooooooooh, Do They!]] }}
** Later lampshaded in an episode of the TV show in which Jack worriedly relates to a psychiatrist (with flashbacks) how he keeps seeing this same guy, no matter where he goes.
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* The RPG ''[[Exile]] III''/''[[Avernum]] III'' had an enormous amount of towns, and did a good job in making [[Loads and Loads of Characters|all the NPCs and shopkeepers unique]] with the exception of the fletchers, dressmakers, provisioners, and...Pat, who were all alike and had all the the same exact dialogue. They just had a lot of cousins.
* And in ''Exile 1'', the initial description of the guards in Silvar would end with. "You wonder why he looks exactly like all the other guards."
* The [[
* In ''<nowiki>[[Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja]]</nowiki>'', the innkeeper is an elderly woman named Ume. In the sequel's first town, the heroes see Ume, complete with the same profile picture...except it's not ''their'' Ume. She has the same personality, but she doesn't recognize any of the main cast. [[Lampshade Hanging|Shino mentions that "it is said that up to three people in the world can share the same face at the same time," although the others were unsure about sharing the same name.]] As it turns out, that was a little too literal, as they see the third person with the same face in the next town, who is ''also'' named Ume. The original shows up later when they return to Kamiari Village (the setting of the first game).
** This continues further, and by the time they find the fifth Ume they give up on ever trying to figure it out.
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[[Category:Characters As Device]]
[[Category:Acting for Two]]
[[Category:Alliterative Trope Titles]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
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