Involuntary Shapeshifter: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

A character possesses some manner of [[Shapeshifting]] ability, but is unable to control when their transformations from one form to another occur.

 

If their transformations are specifically triggered by stress or anger, the character may be [[Hulking Out]].

 

Note that being an '''Involuntary Shapeshifter''' is ''a recurring character ability''—the character is usually aware that they have such power and just lack the ability to control it—the ability must not be confused with any of the following, superficially similar shapeshifting subjects or transformation topics:

 

See also [[Animorphism]], which itself can be voluntary or otherwise.

{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

* The titular character from the one-shot 1989 OVA Baoh: The Visitor. Less a true shapeshifter than a being with amazing transformative abilities. While the protagonist, Ikurou Hashizawa, certaintly won't be winning any points for his looks any time soon (at least in his transformed state; in his [[Ordinary High School Student]] persona, he's not nearly so hideous) he ''is'' outfitted with a [[New Powers as the Plot Demands|veritable arsenal]] of [[Shapeshifter Weapon|biological weapons]] and is nigh-indestructible. And perhaps most importantly, he seems to retain most if not all of his awareness and reasoning abilities even when transformed.

** The Oozaru, or "great ape" transformation on the full moon is essentially this for all Saiyans. The only way to stop an Oozaru rampage is to chop off the Saiyan's tail or blow up the moon. For Goku and Gohan, it's very much a curse, though other, more bloodthirsty Saiyans (such as pre-Namek Vegeta) use the transformation to their full advantage. This of course has something to do with the fact that they are apparently able to keep their minds while transformed and direct the brute power. Goku became fully animalistic while transformed with no memory of his actions in Oozaru form afterwards. {{spoiler|Making him unaware that it was he who killed his grandfather.}}

* ''[[Kanon]]'' has an animal to human one in {{spoiler|Makoto}}.

* Much of the initial storyline of the manhwa ''[[The Bride of the Water God]]'' is moved by the fact that {{spoiler|the eponymous Water God Habaek becomes a little boy during the day and only regains his true adult form at night}}.

* {{spoiler|Negi}} of ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' {{spoiler|has been in the process of [[Painful Transformation|transforming]] into a demon ever since he started using [[Black Magic|magia Erebea]]}}; this transformation manifests if he loses control of his emotions. Once he found out, he decided that instead of trying to stop it, he should just complete the transformation and get it over with immediately.

** At a couple of different points he becomes more stable, either locked into a particular form for a stretch or able to take control over his emotions to the point that he can mostly suppress or evoke the change as desired.

* [[Spider-Man]] is at times forced to battle The Lizard, a scientist and friend who periodically transforms into a [[Lizard Folk|lizard-like humanoid]] by way of the [[Healing Factor|experimental regenerative treatment]] he tested on himself, usually triggered by extreme stress. In addition, Spidey himself has had trouble with more spider-like mutations.

* In ''[[Batman Gotham Adventures]]'' comic, [[The Creeper]] (Jack Ryder, who in the [[DCAU]] was transformed into the Creeper by Joker's laughing gas and toxic waste) is seen involuntarily transforming due to not using the medicine and a bit later mentioning that Creeper has gotten stronger and now only needs a rush of adrenaline to transform even under the medicine. (So he jumps out of the apartment building's window.)

 

== Film ==

* ''[[The Nutty Professor]]'': Quite a lot happens in the '90s remake, especially at the end.

* ''[[Ladyhawke]]'', a story of two lovers. By day, she is a hawk. By night, he is a black wolf. And as long as a [[No Man of Woman Born|day is followed by night and a night is followed by day]], they can never meet.

 

 

* In ''[[Animorphs]]''', Rachel had an allergic reaction to a crocodile morph, and the book "The Reaction" dealt with her uncontrollable changes back and forth.

** One book had Marco changing into hybrid morphs whenever he was stressed out. At the worst possible times. And some of them, like the Osprey/Lobster, couldn't even ''breathe.''

* In Katie MacAlister's Aisling-Grey-Series, Drake (Aisling's mate and dragon-in-human-form) shapeshifts only when he orgasms, otherwise he isn't able to willingly shapeshift anymore.

* Sewer Jack of the ''[[Wild Cards]]'' series turns into a huge alligator under stress. His life has a ''lot'' of stress.

* In JK Rowling's [[Harry Potter]] books, involuntary shapeshifting at the full moon is [[Our Werewolves Are Different|part and parcel of lycanthropy]]. It cannot be cured, but a Wolfsbane potion can be used to counteract [[The Mind Is a Plaything of the Body]].

* Played for laughs in Thorne Smith's screwball comedy novel ''The Stray Lamb'' (1929): T. Lawrence Lamb meets a little russet man who puts a spell on him that causes him to transform into different animals uncontrollably - first a horse, but also a seagull, a goldfish, a cat, a lion, a dog and a kangaroo.

* In [[Devon Monk]]'s ''[[Age of Steam|Dead Iron]]'', Cedar's werewolfery is this. As opposed to the [[Baleful Polymorph]] his brother got.

 

== Live Action TV ==

* ''[[Galidor]]'': The main character's special ability allows him to exchange his limbs with other beings, an ability which works properly a very small percentage of the time.

* ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''

** Odo's race, the Changelings, cannot maintain solid forms for extended periods of time, with Odo himself having to occasionally return to his native liquid form, usually once per day. His main piece of furniture? A bucket to sleep in.

== Mythology and Folklore ==

* In European folklore, werewolves are not in control of their shapeshifting; it being an artifact of phases of the moon and/or the presence of certain plants (such as "Wolfsbane", aka ''Aconitum'' spp.). Well, there are two kinds of werewolves in European mythology - the merely cursed and the truly evil. The former indeed usually change under certain conditions (like the aforementioned full moon), while the latter ''deliberately'' turn themselves with evil witchcraft, which typically involves wearing fur of a wolf on their back.

 

 

** Or if she just needs some [[Cuteness Proximity|puppy dog eyes]][http://www.sdamned.com/2011/01/01082011/\]...

* The changes in Jules from ''[[The Key to Her Heart]]'' are controlled by his/her emotional state, over which he's learned [[Voluntary Shapeshifting|meticulous control]]; except, of course, [[Rule of Funny|when it's funny]].

* In ''[[El Goonish Shive]]'', there are multiple examples. Elliot, for example, has shapeshifting [[Gender Bender]] powers, but he's at a stage where his body doesn't know its limits, so basically, he needs to transform every day to burn off excess magical energy, or else it'll overload at some inopportune moment, causing him to involuntarily transform with barely any warning.

 

== Web Original ==

* ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]'': Both Fenris and The Beast are villainous werewolves who have a hate on for the world that cursed them into being monsters. They are both villains [[For the Evulz]] rather than for money or power.

* For whatever reason, Sonic shapeshifts into several [[Platform Game]] protagonists during ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Special Edition]]'''s Metropolis Zone.

 

== Western Animation ==

** In one particular episode where the aliens grow out of control and briefly take over the whole world, he kicks into overdrive and explodes into a pink goo.

** In the final episode, the whole team gets sent on the Moon. Makes you wonder what the hell a ''two-headed spacesuit'' was doing in a space shuttle.

** And this was only one of many episodes of ''Darkwing Duck'' with this trope as the premise.

** A ''[[Donald Duck]]'' comic story by Carl Barks once used a variation where Magica De Spell comes up with a concoction that, after having been sprayed onto somebody's face, would change the victim's face to that of anyone they look at. She naturally plans to use it to blackmail Scrooge to get his dime.

** The weird part was he always had his own voice, except for the Louis Armstrong bit...

* A TV series titled ''[[Monster By Mistake]]'' features a main character who is a young boy named Warren, Warren turns into a blue monster whenever he sneezes.

* [[Word of God]] has it that, in the ''[[Transformers]]'' metaseries, Primus, Unicron, and the Original 13 Transformers's bodies automatically change to fit the physics of whatever universal stream they enter (similar in effect to a [[Fisher Kingdom]], but caused by themselves, not the universe they enter). Primus and Unicron stopped there, but the other 13 changed further to fit the specific idiosyncrasies of the local Transformers. For example, when The Fallen was in the G1 universe, he looked blocky, and in the live action movie universe he looks more thin, lithe, and pointy. Also, in G1 he was [[Incendiary Exponent|on fire]], while in the movie universe, due to physics, he was merely glowing red-hot.

* ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'': During the last two seasons of the first cartoon, this began happening to the turtles themselves: at inopportune moments, they would transform into monstrous, mindless forms. At the same time, the turtles had made a new ally in Carter, who also suffered from his own kind of involuntary shapeshifting, albeit one in which he kept control of his faculties.

* Chuck Jones' bizarre late-entry ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' "I was a Teenage Thumb" had a wizard with the hiccups who would transform into different random things with each 'hic' - a lamppost, a touring car, a hot-air balloon...

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Shapeshifting]]