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.

This can be classified into a few rough groups:

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

* [[Baleful Polymorph]]: A magic spell, curse (disease, etc.) causes a non-shapeshifter to become transformed into something else. It may or may not work on an existing Voluntary Shapeshifter, depending on whether it also imposes a [[Shapeshifter Mode Lock]].

 

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

{{examples}}

== Anime and Manga ==

* ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'' has Rei, [[Green-Skinned Space Babe|the green-haired space bishonen]] [[Chick Magnet|99.9% of the female cast lusts after at one point]]...and his anger (jealousy)/excitement (food) - triggered transformation. Has to be seen to be believed.

* Most of the cast on ''[[Fruits Basket]]''.

** This later intensifies as she [[Animorphism|becomes an actual kitten]].

* In the ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]'' movie, Utena and Shiori turn into cars, for reasons that only make sense if you read the plot as an [[Mind Screw|allegory]].

** Tutu's own transformation might be considered involuntary, too, as the behind-the-scenes author that "writes fate" at the beginning of the story calls her into being by speaking her name; however, she always agrees to it. What Ahiru ''doesn't'' agree to, though, is turning into a duck when she gets excited and having to cart her clothes to the nearest water source.

* Young mermaids in ''[[Seto no Hanayome]]'' transform if splashed with water, making a water gun a viable weapon on one occasion. With enough practice and focus, one can (painfully) resist this effect.

** In Akira Toriyama's less famous work, ''[[Doctor Slump]]'', Chinese immigrant Tsun Tsuku-tsun inexplicably turns into a tiger when he comes into contact with a girl.

** 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}}.

* In [[The Cat Returns]], the [[Fisher Kingdom]] effect of the cat's world lingers on protagonist Haru; even after returning home, she still turns into a [[Catgirl]] whenever she's around the Baron.

* ''Saban's Adventures of the Little Mermaid'' saw the title character able to use a magic whistle to switch forms between human and mermaid, but she would revert back to a mermaid whenever she got wet. Cue the villains constantly dumping things on her at the most inopportune moments.

* The five protagonists in ''[[Ame Nochi Hare]]'' will transform into girls whenever it rains.

 

 

* [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]]'s [[The Incredible Hulk|Bruce Banner]] is the poster child (and [[Trope Namer]]) for [[Hulking Out]], due to his transformations being involuntarily triggered by anger or stress.

** 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.

 

== 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.

 

 

== Literature ==

** 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 the [[Chivalric Romance]] ''The Swan Children'', the children are born (to a [[Shapeshifting Lover|swan maiden]]) with chains about their necks. When these are removed, they turn into swans.

* As werewolves, Wolfs of course transform at the full moon. However, if they become too distressed they will also transform then, which is a very painful process. {{spoiler|The strain of it plus injuries sustained kills Wolf.}}

* 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.

 

 

== 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.

** 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.

** In one later season, Odo is [[Shapeshifter Mode Lock|locked into]] his [[Humanity Ensues|humanoid form]] as a punishment for being the only Changeling to kill another Changeling. He got better.

** In another he's the victim of a device that prevents him from shapeshifting while it's active, as a form of torture. What happens to him isn't pretty.

* ''Julia Jekyll and Harriet Hyde'' had this as the theme, the main character was a girl who uncontrollably turns into a furry yeti-like thing at inopportune moments.

* In one episode of ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'', "The Undead", a witch named Lydia (who transforms into a bat in the movie), appears on the Satellite of Love. As she tries to deliver a scary speech to Mike and the 'Bots, she starts shapeshifting into all sorts of things, uncontrollably. "I've never been a football before!" She ends the segment [[And I Must Scream|stuck]] as a bottle of drain cleaner. The funniest one is when she very briefly shifts into Pearl Forrester, who looks very confused at her new surroundings.

** Also, regeneration does not seem to be a particularly traumatic experience in Time Lord society, with its members casually congratulating each other on their new appearance. It's only the Doctor who seems to have a particularly tough time of it.

 

== 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.

 

 

== Video Games ==

** Also, Riku using Darkness changes his appearance to look like {{spoiler|Ansem}} in [[Kingdom Hearts]] II. Why he's {{spoiler|eventually able to stay Riku}}...well...That's what the [[MST3K Mantra]] was made for.

** Riku only transforms into {{spoiler|Xehanort's Heartless}} when tapping into his power. Riku himself isn't unskilled in the use of Darkness himself, he loses his new form only because the {{spoiler|exploding}} Kingdom Hearts' power 'purified' him. Or something. Kingdom Hearts doesn't really make sense.

* Vincent Valentine of ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' has this problem thanks to Hojo. He has [[Limit Break|varying degrees of control]] over it, although in ''Dirge of Cerberus'', he can't control his Chaos transformation {{spoiler|when the Protomateria is pulled out of his body.}}

* Certain [[Pokémon]] in the videogames have the ability to change between various physical forms. The third-generation Pokémon "Castform", for example, changes its shape (and elemental type) depending on the current weather. (Castform also has the ability to control the weather). Giratina can only assume its serpentine Origin Form with the help of the Griseous Orb, and Shaymin can only transform into its Sky Form with a Gracidea flower in its possession.

* In ''Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones'', the Prince acquires a "Dark Self" that takes over his body during times of extreme danger (though the player is still in control of the Prince), and can only change back if he touches water.

 

== Web Comics ==

* Kieri, an angel in ''[[Slightly Damned]]'', was cursed by a guardian and turned into a snow bunny (subsequently nicknamed "Snowy"). The curse is weak enough for her to generally control it, but she does regularly transform ("poing!") into her bunny form at inopportune moments, such as any time she gets excited, [http://www.sdamned.com/2010/08/08282010/ suddenly startled], or starts [http://sdamned.com/2007/09/09232007/ having a sneezing fit].

** 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]].

 

== 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.

 

== 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.

* Early in ''[[Danny Phantom]]'', Danny has trouble controlling his powers and would sometimes go partially ghost at random. Led to his pants falling down at one point, memorable for a line that followed later that episode. The beginning of the episode "Identity Crisis" ''really'' emphasized this with Danny's shape shifting abilities. Very amusing.

** Or that one episode where Raven learned how to use her powers to force him to change into another creature against his will.

** In another episode his first partner, Detective Lucky Piquel, caught "toon flu" and turned into this little three-inch high character when he sneezed.

* The main character of ''[[Turbo Teen]]'' would shapeshift into a ''talking car'' when his body temperature rose, always at inopportune times.

** 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.

** Though, given the way the episode ends, it's equally possible that Hagen was simply playing to his audience: Batman. He ''was an actor'', after all....

* Dingo of ''[[Sonic Underground]]'' had the ability of transforming into virtually any other object or person, though these were invariably orange in color. His transformations were completely under control...of his partner Sleet, that is, not himself.

* [[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.

* 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]]