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[[Image:Bowser's Tower 1F - Mario Party Island Tour.png|thumb|link=Mario Party: Island Tour|Mama Mia! Who's their stylist?]]
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When you become your own worst enemy in a way you couldn't imagine...
When you become your own worst enemy in a way you couldn't imagine...


The '''Mirror Mook''' is a type of [[Mook]] or other NPC that mimics the player in some manner - ranging from something as simple as copying or mirroring their movements, all the way to copying the player themselves. Particularly tough enemies of this kind are usually [[Mirror Boss]]es. While commonly implemented via generation or mass-production by an actual [[Magic Mirror]], creation by someone with mirror-based powers or else coming from a [[Mirror Universe]], none of these are a strict requirement.
The '''Mirror Mook''' is a type of [[Mook]] or other NPC that actively mimics the player's appearance and/or movements in some manner, and in especially extreme cases copy the player themselves. Particularly tough enemies of this kind are usually [[Mirror Boss]]es; Mirror Mooks and Bosses are a common feature of games that employ [[Meta Multiplayer]], with NPCs or enemies that represent other players in some manner.


Compare [[Evil Knockoff]]s, a common form of Mirror Mook, and [[Superpowered Mooks]], some of whom may have the same powers as the hero. [[Sister Trope]]s include [[Shadow Archetype]], [[Evil Twin]] and [[Evil Counterpart]], as well as their many subtropes (e.g. [[Fighting a Shadow]]). Mirror Mooks may or may not be the product of a special [[Doppleganger Attack]], and might also be [[Robot Me|mechanical in nature]].
Mirror Mooks may or may not be the product of a special [[Doppleganger Attack]], and might also be [[Robot Me|mechanical in nature]] - while commonly implemented via generation or mass-production by an actual [[Magic Mirror]], creation by someone with mirror-based powers or else coming from a [[Mirror Universe]], none of these are a strict requirement. [[Sister Trope]]s include [[Shadow Archetype]], [[Evil Twin]] and [[Evil Counterpart]], as well as their many subtropes (e.g. [[Fighting a Shadow]]).


Compare [[Evil Knockoff]]s, a common form of Mirror Mook, and [[Superpowered Mooks]], some of whom may have the same powers as the hero. Contrast [[Mirror Match]], where two players pick the same character; the roster may rarely include [[Player Mook|playable Mirror Mooks]]. Also contrast [[Mega Manning]], which lets ''you'' copy Mooks' and bosses' powers.
Contrast [[Mirror Match]], which can occur in games with [[Player Mooks|playable Mirror Mooks]], and [[Mega Manning]], which lets ''you'' copy mooks and bosses' powers. Mirror Mooks and Bosses are a common feature of games that employ [[Meta Multiplayer]], with these NPCs/enemies representing other players in some manner.


{{examples}}
{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
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== [[Advertising]] ==

==[[Anime]] and [[Manga]]==
* In ''[[Naruto]]'', Pain has the ability to make doppelgangers of other Akatsuki members out of living people, which are essentially perfect copies of the targets aside from the percentage of chakra put into them.
* In ''[[Naruto]]'', Pain has the ability to make doppelgangers of other Akatsuki members out of living people, which are essentially perfect copies of the targets aside from the percentage of chakra put into them.
* ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation]]'' has a gender-flipped example - giving specifics would be a major spoiler.


== [[Child Ballad|Ballads]] ==
== [[Comic Books]] ==

==[[Comic Books]]==
* [[Sonic the Hedgehog (comics)|The ''Sonic'' comics]] by [[Archie Comics]] feature recurring foe [[Robot Me|Metal Sonic]] alongside various other mechanical copies of Sonic and the heroes.
* [[Sonic the Hedgehog (comics)|The ''Sonic'' comics]] by [[Archie Comics]] feature recurring foe [[Robot Me|Metal Sonic]] alongside various other mechanical copies of Sonic and the heroes.
** The "main" Metal Sonic was constantly rebuilt and repaired; eventually, after the destruction of his v2.5 form, he was [[Heel Face Turn|reconstructed]] [[Death Equals Redemption|and redeemed]] as Shard the Metal Sonic.
** The "main" Metal Sonic was rebuilt and repaired several times, with his third version going through at least five different iterations. Meanwhile, his v2.5 form was salvaged, [[Death Equals Redemption|redeemed]] and [[Heel Face Turn|reconstructed]] as Shard the Metal Sonic.
** The Metal Series robots, a [[Five-Bad Band]] of [[Psycho Rangers]] consisting of [[Robot Me|mechanical]] [[Evil Knockoff]]s of the [[Five-Man Band|five main protagonists]] (including the seventh incarnation of Metal Sonic v3), were created to serve the Dark Egg Legion after Snively's betrayal.
** The Metal Series robots - a [[Five-Bad Band]] of [[Psycho Rangers]] consisting of [[Robot Me|mechanical]] [[Evil Knockoff]]s of the [[Five-Man Band|five main protagonists]] (including the seventh incarnation of Metal Sonic v3) - were created to serve the Dark Egg Legion after Snively's betrayal.
* ''[[Sonic the Comic]]'' meanwhile has Metallix the Metal Sonic, who plays a similar role and is also actually one of several such Metal Sonic-type Badniks. This 'Brotherhood of Metallix' was created when Robotnik converted his old Egg Fortress base in the Special Zone into a Metallix factory, planning to use their labor to create the ultimate Metal Sonic. Naturally, they secretly went rogue and began building an Emperor Metallix in order to conquer Mobius themselves. The Metallix based on Mecha Sonic from ''[[Sonic & Knuckles]]'' was their creation, and there have also been Metallix replicas of Knuckles the Echidna and Porker Lewis.
* ''[[Sonic the Comic]]'', meanwhile, has Metallix the Metal Sonic, who plays a similar role and is also one of several such Metal Sonic-type Badniks. A 'Brotherhood of Metallix' was created when Robotnik converted his old Egg Fortress base in the Special Zone into a Metallix factory, planning to use their labor to create the ultimate Metal Sonic. Naturally, they secretly went rogue and began building an Emperor Metallix in order to conquer Mobius themselves. The Metallix based on Mecha Sonic from ''[[Sonic & Knuckles]]'' was their creation, and there have also been Metallix replicas of Knuckles the Echidna and Porker Lewis.


== [[Fan Works]] ==
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' has a few:
** The Aleax, an avatar of a deity sent to punish a specific mortal by taking on on the target's exact appearance and carrying identical equipment.
** Doppelgangers are shapechangers more likely to use the [[Kill and Replace]] motive, but can become this type of enemy if they fail in the "kill" part.
** The ''mirror of opposition'' is a cursed magic item that creates an [[Evil Twin]] of anyone who looks at their reflection in it, with the sole purpose of killing the original.
** There are no less than two spells an evil wizard might use to create a Mirror Mook: ''simulacrum'' (creates an identical-looking, but physically inferior duplicate, utterly loyal to its creator) and the more advanced ''ice assassin'', which creates an identical-looking physically-equal duplicate which is ''completely immune to damage done by anyone other than the person it duplicates''; its purpose is always to kill that person.
** One of the most horrific ways to create one is via the corrupt spell ''Searing Seed'', found in the 300th issue of ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' magazine. It actually impregnates the victim, causing said victim to bring an unholy infant to term within minutes, inflicting a great deal of damage due to the incredibly fast pregnancy and birth. [[Mister Seahorse|It can be cast on a male victim - and if so he takes even more damage]], as the male body isn't designed for such a thing. The half-fiend infant grows to adulthood within minutes and becomes a duplicate of its "parent", and is alike in all regards, except for being a half-fiend and of darkest evil. Its primary goal from then on is, naturally, to kill the parent - assuming the victim survived, of course.
* In the ''[[Ravenloft]]'' setting, one of the functions of the [[Artifact of Doom|Alchemist Apparatus]] is to create an [[Evil Twin]] of a subject. This twin is ''so'' evil that it is automatically adopted by the Land itself and becomes a minor Darklord, possibly becoming a [[Mirror Boss]].


== [[Film]] ==
== [[Video Games]] ==
* The ''[[Bomberman]]'' series tends to have [[Evil Knockoff|Mecha Bombers]] as a common foe, alongside some other examples:

** ''[[Bomberman Quest]]'' has Shelterine, a shellfish enemy hidden in a well within the Forest Zone. It only moves when Bomberman moves, but in the opposite direction and at the same speed as Bomberman would normally, stopping occasionally to attack with waves in a short '+' or 'x' pattern.
== [[Literature]] ==
** ''[[Bomberman World]]'' has Hologra-Boms that appear on Planet Black and look like translucent Bomberman clones with angry yellow eyes. They move slowly and can throw bombs similar to Bomberman.

** ''[[Super Bomberman]]'' marks the debut of the Mecha Bombers, with one sent by [[Big Bad|Carat Diamond]] and [[The Dragon|Dr. Mook]] to attack White Bomberman ([[All There in the Manual|as detailed by the manual]] and the accompanying prologue comic). The villainous Black Bomberman manages to intercept it, but is defeated and retreats to warn White Bomber, [[Enemy Mine|subsequently teaming up with him]] to defeat Diamond and Dr. Mook.
== [[Live-Action TV]] ==
*** The Mecha Bombers appear as enemies on the fifth level, which is a replica of the basic stage most ''Bomberman'' PVP battles take place on - Bomberman fights them one by one (or two by two if playing in co-op mode), and the first pair are even modeled after White and Black Bomberman! They use bombs and obey similar rules to Bomberman, e.g. they are only stunned by punched bombs, are unharmed by kicked bombs, and can collect and use the items that periodically appear. The first four are [[One-Hit-Point Wonder]]s, while the next three go down in two hits.

*** The yellow Mecha Bomber that previously defeated Black is then fought as [[Mirror Boss|the fifth stage's boss]] - it has 5 HP, the ability to kick bombs, and can set up to four bombs that boast an impressive Fire rating of 9!
== [[Music]] ==
** In Stage 4-7 of ''[[Neo Bomberman]]'', Mecha Bombers appear in a similar capacity - they are even called "Fake Bombers" (not to be confused with [[Master of Disguise|the disguise-savvy]] [[Name's the Same|Fake Bomber]], who can be rescued earlier in 4-2).

** In [[Bomberman (PSP)|''Bomberman'']] for the [[PlayStation Portable]], four Mecha Bombers are fought as the bosses of the first stage, Bomber World.
== [[New Media]] ==

== [[Newspaper Comics]] ==

== [[Oral Tradition]], [[Folklore]], Myths and Legends ==

== [[Pinball]] ==

== [[Podcast]]s ==

== [[Professional Wrestling]] ==

== [[Puppet Shows]] ==

== [[Radio]] ==

== [[Recorded and Stand Up Comedy]] ==

==[[Tabletop Games]]==
* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' has the Aleax, an avatar of a deity sent to punish a specific mortal - the Aleax takes on the target's exact appearance, and carries identical equipment.

== [[Theatre]] ==

==[[Video Games]]==
* The ''[[Bomberman]]'' series tends to have [[Evil Knockoff|Mecha Bombers]] appearing as a common foe, alongside some other examples:
** ''[[Bomberman Quest]]'' has Shelterine, an enemy hidden in a well within the Forest Zone. It only moves when Bomberman moves, but in the opposite direction and at the same speed as Bomberman would normally, stopping occasionally to attack with waves in a short '+' or 'x' pattern.
** ''[[Bomberman World]]'' has Hologra-Boms that appear on Planet Black and look like translucent Bomberman clones with yellow eyes. They move slowly and can throw bombs similar to Bomberman.
** ''[[Super Bomberman]]'' marks the debut of the Mecha Bombers, with one sent by [[Big Bad|Carat Diamond]] and [[The Dragon|Dr. Mook]] to attack White Bomberman, [[All There in the Manual|as detailed by the manual]] and the accompanying prologue comic. The villainous Black Bomberman manages to intercept it, but is defeated and retreats to warn White Bomber, [[Enemy Mine|teaming up with him]] to defeat the villains.
*** Several Mecha Bombers appear as enemies on the fifth level, which is a replica of the basic stage most ''Bomberman'' PVP battles take place on - Bomberman must fight the Mecha Bombers one by one (or two by two if playing in co-op mode), and the first pair are even modeled after White and Black Bomberman! They use bombs and obey similar rules to Bomberman, e.g. they are only stunned by punched bombs, are unharmed by kicked bombs, and can collect and use the items that periodically appear. The first four are [[One-Hit-Point Wonder]]s, while the next three go down in two hits.
*** The yellow Mecha Bomber that previously defeated Black is then fought as [[Mirror Boss|the fifth stage's boss]], with 5 HP, the ability to kick bombs, and a set-limit of four bombs that boast an impressive Fire rating of 9!
** In Stage 4-7 of ''[[Neo Bomberman]]'', Mecha Bombers appear in a similar capacity - they are even called "Fake Bombers" (not to be confused with [[Master of Disguise|the disguise-savvy]] [[Name's the Same|Fake Bomber]] rescued earlier in 4-2).
** In [[Bomberman (PSP)|''Bomberman'']] for the [[PSP]], four Mecha Bombers are fought as the first bosses of the game in Bomber World.
* ''[[Kirby]]'':
* ''[[Kirby]]'':
** The first ''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]'' has "imposter" Kirbies in Mt. Dedede's [[Boss Rush]], where Kirby must complete short levels each representing one of the four bosses fought; each level's boss door is blocked by a [[Invincible Minor Minion|Gordo]], which is destroyed (along with every on-screen enemy) by running into the "imposter".
** The first ''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]'' has "imposter" Kirbies in Mt. Dedede's [[Boss Rush]] - Kirby must complete short levels each representing one of the four bosses fought, and each level's boss door is blocked by a [[Invincible Minor Minion|Gordo]] that can only be destroyed (along with every on-screen enemy) by running into the "imposter" Kirby.
** ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]]'' has the rare Batamon enemy, which heavily resembles Kirby and is usually found in inaccessible areas, with the exception of one in Cloudy Park.
** ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]]'' has the rare Batamon enemy, which heavily resembles Kirby and is usually found in inaccessible areas, with the exception of one in Cloudy Park. It isn't particularly threatening, though.
** ''[[Kirby Super Star]]'' introduces a sort of inversion in [[Sdrawkcab Name|Tac]], a cat-like enemy dressed in ninja garb who attempts to steal Kirby's Copy Ability; inhaling one grants the [[Department of Redundancy Department|Copy power]], which lets take on the appearance of any enemy he scans. This is actually quite useful for snagging boss powers more easily, and Tac can also do the same as a [[Player Mook|helper]].
** ''[[Kirby Super Star]]'' introduces a sort of inversion in [[Sdrawkcab Name|Tac]], a cat-like enemy dressed in ninja garb who attempts to steal Kirby's Copy Ability; inhaling one grants the [[Department of Redundancy Department|Copy power]], which lets him take on the appearance of any enemy he scans. Though it seems redundant, it allows for more effective cycling of Copy Abilities, and is actually quite useful for reliably snagging boss abilities - particularly in Milky Way Wishes, where Kirby's normal copying method doesn't work (and the Copy power is well-hidden as a result). Tac can also do the same as a [[Player Mook|helper]] in the sub-games.
** In ''[[Kirby & the Amazing Mirror]]'', [[Shadow Archetype|Shadow Kirby]] appears once in each of the mirror world's areas to attack Kirby using a random Copy Ability, and defeating him earns Kirby a random power-up, such as an Invincibility Candy or a 1UP. {{spoiler|Near the end, it's revealed that Shadow Kirby was [[Good All Along|simply trying to protect his home world]], and he teams up with Kirby to defeat the true [[Big Bad]], Dark Mind.}}
** In ''[[Kirby & the Amazing Mirror]]'', [[Shadow Archetype|Shadow Kirby]] appears once in each of the mirror world's areas to attack Kirby using a random Copy Ability, and defeating him earns Kirby a random power-up, such as an Invincibility Candy or a 1UP. {{spoiler|Near the end, it's revealed that Shadow Kirby was [[Good All Along|simply trying to protect his home world]], and he teams up with Kirby to defeat the true [[Big Bad]], Dark Mind.}}
* [[The Legend of Zelda (Franchise)|''The Legend of Zelda'' franchise]] has among its many examples Dark Link and Shadow Link, two distinct recurring [[Evil Counterpart]]s that frequently appear as enemies; Dark Link is more likely of the two to serve as a [[Duel Boss|Duel]] [[Mirror Boss]].
* [[The Legend of Zelda (Franchise)|''The Legend of Zelda'' franchise]] has many examples, with the most prominent being Dark Link and Shadow Link - two distinct recurring [[Evil Counterpart]]s that frequently appear as enemies. Dark Link is the more likely of the two to be used as a [[Duel Boss|Duel]] [[Mirror Boss]].
** ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link]]'' has the final boss, [[Fighting a Shadow|Link's Shadow]]. Despite being the first such instance in the games, this boss is actually distinct from both of the above examples, and is created by the Sage as a final test for Link to overcome and prove himself worthy of the Triforce of Courage.
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past]]'' has Green and Red Goriyas<ref>Unrelated to the boomerang-wielding Goriyas seen in the other games; they are called "Koppis" in Japanese versions.</ref> that mirror Link's movements in opposite directions; the red ones shoot fireballs if they make eye contact with Link, and can only be killed with arrows, making them tricky to dispatch. Koppis also appear in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds]]''.
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past]]'' has Koppis (known as Green and Red Goriyas in English versions<ref>Unrelated to the boomerang-wielding Goriyas seen in the other games.</ref>) that mirror Link's movements in opposite directions; the red ones shoot fireballs if they make eye contact with Link, and can only be killed with arrows, making them tricky to dispatch.
*** The [[Game Boy Advance]] port-exclusive [[Bonus Dungeon]] has [[Sequential Boss|a set of Dark Links]] {{spoiler|formed from the cursed components of the Four Sword}} as its [[Mirror Boss|final bosses]], each with their own copies of the primary endgame items. All four will attempt to run at Link and slash at him, and each of them adds an additional attack to their strategy; the first one uses the Pegasus Boots, the second also uses a Hurricane Spin, the third adds a jumping down-thrust, and the fourth has twice as much health and can additionally fire sword beams.
*** The [[Game Boy Advance]] port-exclusive [[Bonus Dungeon|Palace of the Four Sword]] has [[Sequential Boss|a set of Dark Links]] {{spoiler|formed from the cursed components of the Four Sword}} as its [[Mirror Boss|main bosses]], each with their own copies of the primary endgame items. All four will attempt to run at Link and slash at him, and each subsequent Dark Link adds an additional attack to the previous one's strategy - the first one uses the Pegasus Boots to try and run him down; the second also uses a Hurricane Spin; the third adds a jumping down-thrust; and the fourth has twice as much health and can additionally fire sword beams.
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening]]'' and [[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo Switch)|its remake for the]] [[Nintendo Switch]] has Arm-Mimics, haniwa-like enemies that mirror Link's movements and require a sword stronger than the normal one to defeat them. Shy Guys from the ''Mario'' franchise (called Mask-Mimics in the original game) also appear as similar enemies, with their mask protecting them from frontal sword attacks.
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening]]'' and [[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo Switch)|its remake for the]] [[Nintendo Switch]] has Arm-Mimics, ''haniwa''-like enemies that mirror Link's movements and require a sword stronger than the normal one to defeat them. Similar to them are Shy Guys from the ''Mario'' franchise (called Mask-Mimics in the original ''Link's Awakening''), with their mask additionally protecting them from frontal sword attacks. The ''Link's Awakening'' remake also adds Shadow Link as an enemy that can appear in custom-made Chamber Dungeons.
** Arm-Mimics make a return in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages|The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages]]''. {{spoiler|Veran also summons four Arm-Mimic-like Dark Links during the final boss battle.}}
** Arm-Mimics make a return in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages|The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages]]''. {{spoiler|Veran also summons four Arm-Mimic-like Dark Links during the final boss battle.}}
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures]]'' has Shadow Link serve as a recurring enemy and [[Mirror Boss]] in Hyrulean Adventure. "Lesser" Shadow Links will either attempt to evade the player or else make trouble by using items, and one hit will defeat them and produce a large green Force Gem. "Boss" Shadow Links will attempt to fight the player using the same skills as them, and later fights will have him [[Flunky Boss|create up to]] [[Doppleganger Attack|three other duplicates]]; when the main Shadow Link has taken enough damage, he will jump away and begin to cycle through different colors, only taking damage from that specific color Link.
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures]]'' has Shadow Link serve as a recurring enemy and [[Mirror Boss]] in Hyrulean Adventure. "Lesser" Shadow Links will either attempt to evade the player or else make trouble around Hyrule by using items - one hit will defeat them and produce a large green Force Gem. "Boss" Shadow Links will attempt to fight the player using the same skills as them, and later fights will have him [[Flunky Boss|create up to]] [[Doppleganger Attack|three other duplicates]] - when the main Shadow Link has taken enough damage, he will jump away and begin to cycle through different colors, only taking damage from that specific color Link. {{spoiler|It is revealed that [[Hijacked by Ganon|Ganon]] - [[Man Behind the Man]] to [[Big Bad]] Vaati - was creating the Shadow Links through his evil thoughts using an artifact called the Dark Mirror. Zelda and the Links discover the Mirror during the final encounter with Shadow Link in the Dark Cloud - several weaker clones will continually spawn, forcing the princess to counteract it with her magic and stop the Links from being overwhelmed until they can finish off the shadowy clones and purify the mirror.}}
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds]]'' also features Shadow Link in the StreetPass-linked Shadow Link Battle mode; after talking to Gramps to unlock the mode, receiving a StreetPass hit causes a Shadow Link representing that player's Link to appear in one of various locations around Hyrule or Lorule. The Shadow Link is computer-controlled and will have whatever items and gear were on hand at the time the profile was set up (done by talking to Gramps); its battle theme is [[Call Back|based on that of Link's Shadow]] from ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link]]''. Shadow Links can also be generated at random, with the alias of the "sending player" given as Shade.
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds]]'' marks the return of Koppis, and also features Shadow Link in the StreetPass-linked Shadow Link Battle mode; after talking to Gramps to unlock the mode, receiving a StreetPass hit causes a Shadow Link representing that player's Link to appear in one of various locations around Hyrule or Lorule. The Shadow Link is computer-controlled and will have whatever items and gear were on hand at the time the player's profile was set up (done by talking to Gramps); its battle theme is [[Call Back|based on that of Link's Shadow]] from ''Zelda II''. Shadow Links can also be generated at random, with the alias of the "sending player" given as Shade.
** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes]]'' has Prankster Poes and Key Bandit Poes, whose heads (and faces in the former case) vaguely resemble those of the Links. Prankster Poes primarily spawn on large platforms, where they will quickly try to sneak up on one of the Links and toss them off the platform, and take several hits to defeat. Key Bandit Poes fly around a maze-like room carrying three Keys that open the end-of-stage gateway; they can be defeated in one hit, but will quickly respawn, and will chase down whoever takes the Keys until all the doors are unlocked.
* The [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'']] franchise has various types of enemies that copy Mario or one of his friends.
*** Three Shadow Links also appear as [[Mirror Boss|the bosses]] of the Baneful Zone in the Den of Trials. They wield more powerful versions of items found in the game that are chosen at random, and their swords can temporarily curse the Links upon dealing damage.
** In ''[[Super Mario RPG]]'', Belome's second fight has him as a [[Flunky Boss]] that can eat the party and spit them out to create clones of them.
** Shadow Links appear as mini-bosses in ''[[Cadence of Hyrule]]''.
** ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' has Tanoombas (tanuki-like Goombas) who can attack the bros by transforming into one of the pair and jumping onto them; the attack always targets the opposite brother (i.e. a Tanoomba turning into Luigi will always attack Mario), who must counter with their hammer.
* The ''[[Super Mario (franchise)|Super Mario]]'' franchise has various types of enemies that copy Mario or one of his friends.
** ''[[Mario & Luigi: Dream Team]]'' has Antasma create a clone of Mario called "Dreamy Mario", a [[Doppleganger Attack]]ing [[Mirror Boss]] that spawns several clones of himself to avoid direct hits and attack Mario in turn.
** In ''[[Super Mario RPG]]'', Belome is fought as a [[Flunky Boss]] during his second fight, and he can eat the party and spit them out to create clones of them.
** ''[[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' has Tanoombas, [[Underground Monkey|tanuki-like Goombas]] that attack the Bros. by transforming into one of the pair to stomp onto them, and must be countered with the hammer - the attack always targets the opposite brother (a Tanoomba turning into Luigi will always attack Mario).
** Early in ''[[Mario & Luigi: Dream Team]]'', Antasma creates a clone of Mario called "Dreamy Mario", a [[Doppleganger Attack]]ing [[Mirror Boss]] that spawns several clones of himself to avoid direct hits and attack Mario in turn.
** ''[[Paper Mario]]'' has Duplighosts, [[Bedsheet Ghost]]-like enemies who can transform into one of Mario's partners. The sequel, ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'', introduces a named Duplighost as [[Mirror Boss|the boss of Chapter 3]] that can also turn into Mario, and even {{spoiler|manages to steal his body in the process and fool his partners into thinking he's Mario}}.
** ''[[Paper Mario]]'' has Duplighosts, [[Bedsheet Ghost]]-like enemies who can transform into one of Mario's partners. The sequel, ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'', introduces a named Duplighost as [[Mirror Boss|the boss of Chapter 3]] that can also turn into Mario, and even {{spoiler|manages to steal his body in the process and fool his partners into thinking he's Mario}}.
** ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]'' introduces Cosmic Clones, who appear in certain sections of the various galaxies as well as any galaxy where a Clone Comet is orbiting. They mimic the appearance of Mario or Luigi and start spawning and following behind them as soon as they appear; Cosmic Clones disappear and damage Mario/Luigi if they make contact, and flawlessly copy their movements even if the terrain changes (e.g. copying jumps off platforms that disappeared by the time the Clones reach them).
** ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]'' introduces Cosmic Clones, who appear in certain sections of the various galaxies as well as any galaxy where a Clone Comet is orbiting. They mimic the appearance of Mario or Luigi and start spawning and following behind them as soon as they appear; Cosmic Clones disappear and damage Mario/Luigi if they make contact, and flawlessly copy their movements even if the terrain changes (e.g. copying jumps off platforms that disappear by the time the Clones reach them).
** Cosmic Clones return in ''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]'', which also introduces Big variants. Only one appears at a time, and they are found exclusively in the Special worlds.
** Cosmic Clones return in ''[[Super Mario 3D Land]]'', which also introduces Big variants. Only one appears at a time, and they are found exclusively in the Special worlds.
** In the [[Nintendo 3DS]] version of ''[[Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games]]'', Bowser and Dr. Eggman use the Phantasmal Fog urn to create copies of the cast called Fog Imposters, who aid the villains in their plot to stop the Olympics from happening.
** In the [[Nintendo 3DS]] version of ''[[Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games]]'', Bowser and Dr. Eggman use the Phantasmal Fog urn to create copies of the cast called Fog Imposters, who aid the villains in their plot to stop the Olympics from happening.
** The Bowser's Tower mode of ''[[Mario Party: Island Tour]]'' has the player face off against several "bubble" clones of the playable cast in minigames. They were created by Bowser, who was jealous of not being invited to the Party Islands and created the tower to have his own "party".
** The Bowser's Tower mode of ''[[Mario Party: Island Tour]]'' has the player face off against several "bubble" clones of the playable cast in minigames. They were created by Bowser, who was jealous of not being invited to the Party Islands and created the tower to have his own "party".
** ''[[Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker]]'' has the Mummy-Me, which resembles a mummified Toad and acts similarly to the previously mentioned Cosmic Clones.
** ''[[Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker]]'' has Mummy-Mes, which resemble a mummified Toad and act similarly to Cosmic Clones.
** ''[[Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury]]'' has Fury Shadows, who act similarly to Shadow Mario in ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]''. They form from a sphere of black paint and take the shape of Luigi, running away from Mario, and he must hit them three times with a jump or a magic paintbrush to defeat it and recover one of the Cat Shines.
** In the re-release of ''[[Super Mario 3D World]]'', the side-game ''[[Bowser's Fury]]'' has Fury Shadows, who act similarly to Shadow Mario in ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]''. They form from a sphere of black paint and take the shape of Luigi, running away from Mario, and he must hit them three times with a jump or a magic paintbrush to defeat it and recover one of the Cat Shines.
* ''[[NetHack]]'':
* In ''[[NetHack]]'' and its many variants, you can encounter "player monsters" that represent NPC adventurers; there is one corresponding to each of the playable roles, and the game even refers to them with the rank title appropriate for their experience level. Player monsters have armor, weapons and other items similar to what a player would usually have, as well as cheap plastic copies of [[MacGuffin|the Amulet of Yendor]]. Normally, almost all of them can only be encountered {{spoiler|on the Astral Plane, the very final level of the game; [[Fridge Brilliance|the cheap plastic imitation Amulet is probably why they're stuck there]]}}.
** You can encounter "player monsters" that represent NPC adventurers; there is one corresponding to each of the playable roles, and the game even refers to them with the rank title appropriate for their experience level. {{spoiler|Most of the actual player monsters you will see are only found on the Astral Plane, the very final level of the game; they are generated with armor, weapons and other items similar to what an average player would be expected to have, as well as cheap plastic copies of [[MacGuffin|the Amulet of Yendor]] (with [[Word of God|comments in the code]] explaining that this is why they're stuck there).}}
** [[Doppelganger]]s and other shapeshifters can imitate player monsters, with dopplegangers being the most likely culprits; the mass majority of player monsters encountered in the dungeon prior to {{spoiler|the Astral Plane}} will usually be a doppleganger in disguise, with some notable exceptions (for example, wizards named Newt and Pug can be found imprisoned in the goal level of the Wizard quest). {{spoiler|Reading a cursed scroll of genocide while confused will "reverse genocide" yourself and create multiple player monsters of the same role as you.}}
** [[Doppelganger]]s and other shapeshifters can imitate player monsters, with dopplegangers being the most likely culprits; the mass majority of player monsters encountered in the dungeon prior to {{spoiler|the Astral Plane}} will usually be a doppleganger in disguise, with some exceptions (e.g., wizards named Newt and Pug can be found imprisoned in the goal level of the Wizard quest). {{spoiler|Reading a cursed scroll of genocide while confused will "reverse genocide" yourself and create multiple player monsters of the same role as you}}. Dopplegangers are capable of using armor and weapons, though due to randomly polymorphing they're likely to end up dropping both.
** ''[[EvilHack]]'' has player monsters appear far more often far earlier in the main dungeon, which you can encounter starting around experience level 10. They are technically a class of monster distinct from how the player is defined in the game's files, and are kitted out in player-like gear that can reach up to "ascension kit" levels depending on how late they're encountered. Player monster hit dice and difficulty level roughly match that of the actual player, based on their experience level when the player monster spawns; they also have their role's abilities and traits (e.g. wizards and priests can cast spells, rogues can steal items from inventory, knights spawn [[Mounted Combat|riding either a horse or a warhorse]], etc.)
* [[NetHack variant|''NetHack'' variants]] do more with the concept of player monsters and other monsters designed to mimic you:
*** While not all such player monsters are hostile to you, those that are covet the [[MacGuffin|Amulet of Yendor]] and will attempt to steal it. {{spoiler|If they steal it while on the Astral Plane, they'll attempt to sacrifice it to their own god, [[Nonstandard Game Over|ending your game if they succeed]].}}
*** A player character that dies may revive and turn into a hostile player monster instead of becoming a ghost in their [[Meta Multiplayer|"bones" file]]. Also, wishing for an artifact not tied to a specific role has a chance to {{spoiler|summon a player monster as its current "owner", forcing you to fight them for it}}.
** In ''[[NetHack brass]]'', doppelgangers always imitate the player, copying their appearance, inventory (including artifacts) and attributes (but not spells). Any items it manifests in this manner [[Unusable Enemy Equipment|disappear upon its defeat]]; it is possible to [[Video Game Stealing|steal them via the #bereave extended command]], but artifacts gained in this way revert to their base item, and the items will disappear once put on the ground.
** In ''[[NetHack brass]]'', doppelgangers always imitate the player, copying their appearance, inventory (including artifacts) and attributes (but not spells). Any items it manifests in this manner [[Unusable Enemy Equipment|disappear upon its defeat]]; it is possible to [[Video Game Stealing|steal them via the #bereave extended command]], but artifacts gained in this way revert to their base item, and the items will disappear once put on the ground.
** In ''[[UnNetHack]]'' and ''[[SpliceHack]]'', the Aleax behaves more like it does in ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (mentioned in the [[#Tabletop Games|Tabletop Games]] section above) compared to vanilla ''NetHack''. Aleaxi will spawn with erosion-proofed +0 copies of the player's current equipment and weapons at the moment of their generation; artifacts will be converted to their base items.
** ''[[Slash'EM Extended]] also has player monsters that spawn randomly, with equipment suited for their role, as well as player monsters potentially being created from bones files. Unlike most variants, they can actually be tamed, though they resist many of the more common methods.
** ''[[Slash'EM Extended]]'' also has player monsters that spawn randomly, with equipment suited for their role, as well as player monsters potentially being created from bones files. Unlike most variants, they can actually be tamed, though they resist many of the more common methods.
** In ''[[UnNetHack]]'', the Aleax is changed from vanilla to behave more like it does in ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (mentioned in the [[#Tabletop Games|Tabletop Games]] section above) - Aleaxi will spawn with [[erodeproof]] +0 copies of the player's equipment and weapons that they have at the moment of generation (artifacts will be converted to their base items).
** In ''[[EvilHack]]'', player monsters can appear randomly in the main dungeon starting around experience level 10, and may also appear in response to certain actions. ({{spoiler|Wishing for a artifact not tied to a specific role's Quest may summon a player monster representing its current owner, forcing you to fight them for it; [[Final Death|dying]] may also cause your character to revive and turn into a hostile player monster instead of becoming a ghost in their [[Meta Multiplayer|"bones" file]].}}) They are kitted out in player-like gear that can reach up to "ascension kit" levels depending on how late they're encountered - player monster hit dice and difficulty level roughly match that of the actual player, based on their experience level when the player monster spawns. A player monster also has their role's abilities and traits (e.g. Wizards and Priests can cast spells, Rogues can steal items from inventory, Knights spawn [[Mounted Combat|riding either a horse or a warhorse]], etc.) - while not always hostile, those that are covet the [[MacGuffin|Amulet of Yendor]] and will attempt to steal it from you. {{spoiler|If one nabs it on the Astral Plane, they'll attempt to sacrifice the Amulet to their own god, [[Nonstandard Game Over|ending your game if they succeed]].}}
* ''[[Dungeon Crawl]]'':
* ''[[Dungeon Crawl]]'':
** Player ghosts are created upon the death of a non-undead player character, and can also appear inside randomly generated ghost vaults. Player ghosts have the max HP, AC and EV of the deceased character, as well as certain other traits: the base damage and brand of the weapon they had wielded, the bonuses from Fighting skill levels, their elemental<ref>Specifically cold, fire, and electric.</ref> resistances, and the ability to cast certain spells and see invisible. In very rare cases, if a ghost file isn't available, the vault ghost will instead be an actual "clone" of the player.
** Player ghosts are created upon the death of a non-undead player character, and can also appear inside randomly generated ghost vaults. Player ghosts have the max HP, AC and EV of the deceased character, as well as certain other traits: experience level-based hit dice, the base damage and brand of the weapon they had wielded if any, the bonuses from Fighting skill levels, their elemental resistances,<ref>Specifically cold, fire, and electric.</ref> and the ability to cast certain spells and see invisible if the player had them. It also becomes undead and insubstantial, gaining [[Acquired Poison Immunity|immunity to poison]], negative energy, constriction, Sticky Flame and torment, but gains a vulnerability to holy attacks and [[Turn Undead|Dispel Undead]]. In very rare cases, if a ghost file isn't available, the vault ghost will instead be an actual "clone" of the player.
** Mara, Lord of Illusions is a unique monster with the ability to make clones of any monster in the area - including himself and ''you''. Said clone is essentially a player ghost with many of your character's spells, melee and defensive capacities, and any buffs you had active at the time.
** Mara, Lord of Illusions is a unique monster with the ability to make clones of any monster in the area - including himself and ''you''. Player clones are essentially live player "ghosts" with the addition many of your character's spells, melee abilities, defensive capacities, and any buffs you had active at the time.
* ''[[Caves of Qud]]'' has Arconauts and Graverobbers, mobs who are members of the Grazing Hedonists faction and tend to be mostly peaceful towards the player character. In addition, one of the random events that can occur is the appearance of a cryotube that contains {{spoiler|an exact copy of yourself with your entire inventory inside}}.
* ''[[Caves of Qud]]'' has Arconauts and Graverobbers, player-like mobs who are members of the Grazing Hedonists faction and tend to be mostly peaceful towards the player character. In addition, one of the random events that can occur is the appearance of {{spoiler|a cryotube that contains an exact copy of yourself with your entire inventory inside}}.
* One arc in ''[[City of Heroes]]'' ends with the party [[Fighting a Shadow|fighting shadow versions of themselves]] in the lower level of Paragon City Hall. There are also story arcs in which you face off against clones or extradimensional counterparts of yourself, all of which (usually) possess the same powers and abilities as you.
* One arc in ''[[City of Heroes]]'' ends with the party [[Fighting a Shadow|fighting shadow versions of themselves]] in the lower level of Paragon City Hall. There are also story arcs in which you face off against clones or extra-dimensional counterparts of yourself, all of which (usually) possess the same powers and abilities as you.
* The ''[[Disgaea]]'' series has "Clone" Geo Panels that generate duplicates of whatever is standing on a matching color panel, be they allies or enemies. All of the generated clones are very real and will invariably attack your party; they retain the stats and Hit Points of the original, but you [[Unusable Enemy Equipment|can't steal any of their equipment]].
* The ''[[Disgaea]]'' series has "Clone" Geo Panels that generate duplicates of whoever is standing on a matching color panel, be they allies or enemies. All of the generated clones are very real and will invariably attack your party; they retain the stats and Hit Points of their original selves, but you [[Unusable Enemy Equipment|can't steal any of their equipment]].
* [[Sonic the Hedgehog (Franchise)|''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise]]:
* [[Sonic the Hedgehog (Franchise)|''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise]]:
** [[Evil Knockoff|Robotic]] [[Evil Twin|versions]] [[Robot Me|of Sonic]] and other characters are recurring villains [[Mirror Boss]]es, with the most common one, Metal Sonic, being introduced in ''[[Sonic CD]]''. Most Metal Sonic fights are at least race-like in nature (where Sonic must catch up to the mechanical menace to damage him), if not outright actual races for survival.
** [[Evil Knockoff|Robotic]] [[Evil Twin|versions]] [[Robot Me|of Sonic]] and other characters are recurring villains and [[Mirror Boss]]es, with the iconic Metal Sonic being introduced in ''[[Sonic CD]]''. Most Metal Sonic fights incorporate a race in some manner when they're not outright actual races for survival.
** The [[Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game)|first game]] has Rollers, spherical Badniks that roll down steep hills in a manner similar to Sonic (who hadn't yet gotten his trademark Spin Dash).
** The [[Sonic the Hedgehog (1991 video game)|first game]] has Rollers, spherical Badniks that roll down steep hills in a manner similar to Sonic; though the hedgehog [[Early Installment Weirdness|hadn't yet gotten his trademark Spin Dash]], he could do this if you tapped down while running on a downward slope.
** ''Sonic CD'' also introduces pillbug Badniks (internally called Dangos) that crawl slowly along the ground, and curl into a ball to roll towards Sonic upon spotting him.
** ''Sonic CD'' also introduces pillbug Badniks (internally called Dangos) that crawl slowly along the ground, and curl into a ball to roll towards Sonic upon spotting him.
** ''[[Sonic Heroes]]'' has Shadow Androids, with one damaged android discovered after Team Dark (Rogue, Shadow and E-123 Omega) defeats a fake Eggman, [[Cloning Blues|causing Shadow to wonder if he was one himself]]. In Team Dark's ending, {{spoiler|Rogue and Omega discover a room full of Shadow Androids in suspended animation tubes, with Omega prepping to destroy them and hopefully find the real Shadow.}}
** ''[[Sonic Heroes]]'' has Shadow Androids, with one damaged android discovered after Team Dark (Rogue, Shadow and E-123 Omega) defeats a fake Eggman, [[Cloning Blues|causing Shadow to wonder if he was one himself]]. In Team Dark's ending, {{spoiler|Rogue and Omega discover a room full of Shadow Androids in suspended animation tubes, with Omega prepping to destroy them and hopefully find the real Shadow}}.
** ''[[Sonic Advance]]'' has a Mecha Knuckles as the boss of Angel Island.
** ''[[Sonic Advance]]'' has a robotic doppleganger named Mecha Knuckles as the boss of Angel Island.
** [[Shadow the Hedgehog (video game)|''Shadow the Hedgehog'']] features Shadow Androids as enemies in Iron Jungle and Lava Shelter.
** ''[[Shadow the Hedgehog (video game)|Shadow the Hedgehog]]'' features Shadow Androids as enemies in the Iron Jungle and Lava Shelter zones.
** ''[[Sonic Mania]]'' sees the return of Dangos as well as Metal Sonic. During the first phase of the multi-stage boss fight against him in Stardust Speedway Act 2, Metal Sonic will reprise his tactics from ''Sonic CD'' at first; the second starts upon reaching an Eggman-shaped generator that Metal Sonic hooks himself up to. The generator produces smaller Silver Sonics (based on the [[Mirror Boss]] from ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'') that can Spin Dash at the player; they must Spin Dash into the curled-up robots to send them bouncing around the room and into Metal Sonic. (In ''Sonic Mania'' Version 1.04 onwards and ''Sonic Mania Plus'', destroying the Silver Sonics also produces energy balls that can damage the generator.) The chase then resumes as it did in the first phase, with the final phase being different depending on the version: pre-1.04, he reprises his final fight from ''Sonic CD'', while in post-1.04 and ''Plus'' versions {{spoiler|Eggman tosses him the Phantom Ruby, which he uses to become Giga Metal (a form based on his boss fight in ''[[Knuckles' Chaotix]]'')}}.
** ''[[Sonic Mania]]'' sees the return of Dangos as well as Metal Sonic. During the first phase of the multi-stage boss fight against him in Stardust Speedway Act 2, Metal Sonic will reprise his tactics from ''Sonic CD'' at first; the second stage starts upon reaching an Eggman-shaped generator that Metal Sonic hooks himself up to (which is a reference to his fight from ''[[Knuckles' Chaotix]]''). The generator produces smaller Silver Sonics (based on the penultimate boss from ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'') that can Spin Dash at the player; Spin Dashing into the curled-up robots sends them bouncing around the room, damaging Metal Sonic if they collide.<ref>In ''Sonic Mania'' Version 1.04 onwards and ''Sonic Mania Plus'', destroying the Silver Sonics also produces energy balls that can damage the generator.</ref> The chase then resumes as it did in the first phase, with the final phase being different depending on the version: pre-1.04, he reprises his final fight from ''Sonic CD'', while in post-1.04 and ''Plus'' versions {{spoiler|Eggman tosses him the Phantom Ruby, which he uses to become Giga Metal (another ''Chaotix'' allusion). Upon his defeat, a Dango rolls in and knocks the Phantom Ruby away before Sonic can reclaim it}}.
* In the ''Hordes of the Underdark'' module to ''[[Neverwinter Nights]]'', there is a hall of [[Magic Mirror]]s, with most giving the player items and/or various kinds or gold. One of them creates a mirror copy of you that attacks the party, though this is rarely a difficult fight due to only one copy being made. If you ''destroy'' the mirror instead of looking into it, it spawns ''two'' copies of your character, which may possibly be a glitch.
* In the ''Hordes of the Underdark'' module to ''[[Neverwinter Nights]]'', there is a hall of [[Magic Mirror]]s, with most giving the player items and/or various kinds or gold. One of them creates a mirror copy of you that attacks the party, though this is rarely a difficult fight due to only one copy being made. If you destroy the mirror instead of looking into it, it spawns ''two'' copies of your character, which may possibly be a glitch.
* The "Labyrinth" in ''[[Vindictus]]'' features increasingly powerful doppelgangers as the end bosses on each floor (for a total of 5 encounters).
* The "Labyrinth" in ''[[Vindictus]]'' features increasingly powerful doppelgangers as the end bosses on each of its five floors.
* The [[Bonus Boss|Golden Swordsman]] in ''[[Tales of Xillia]]'' combines this with [[Doppelganger Attack]] in an interesting way: he creates a copy of himself once after you run down his HP for the first time, then again once you run down the HP of him and his clone, resulting in the last phase being fought against three equal-strength clones of him; what qualifies them for this trope is that the duplicates possess distinct fighting styles based off of those of your party members.
* The Golden Swordsman [[Bonus Boss]] in ''[[Tales of Xillia]]'' combines this with [[Doppelganger Attack]] in an interesting way: he creates a copy of himself once after you run down his HP for the first time, then again once you run down the HP of him and his clone, resulting in the last phase being fought against three equal-strength clones of him; what qualifies them for this trope is that the duplicates possess distinct fighting styles based on those of your party members.
* The ''[[Mega Man]]'' franchise has numerous examples:
* The ''[[Mega Man]]'' franchise has numerous examples:
** The Sniper Joes are recurring enemies in the [[Mega Man (video game)|"Classic" ''Mega Man'' games]] whose base design is borrowed from Proto Man.
** The Sniper Joes are robots that act as recurring enemies in the [[Mega Man (video game)|"Classic" ''Mega Man'' games]] - their design [[In-Universe]] is based on occasional playable character Proto Man.
** The Copy Robot is a duplicate of Mega Man that is fought as the second stage boss of Dr. Wily's manufacturing plant in ''[[Mega Man 1]]''.
** The Copy Robot is a duplicate of Mega Man that is fought as the second stage boss of Dr. Wily's manufacturing plant in ''[[Mega Man 1]]''.
** ''[[Mega Man 3]]'' has a trio of Holographic Mega Men (a Copy Robot and two holograms) as the bosses of the third Wily Castle stage, though they only copy his appearance and Mega Buster.
** ''[[Mega Man 3]]'' has a trio of Holographic Mega Men (a Copy Robot and two holograms) as the bosses of the third Wily Castle stage, though they only copy his appearance and Mega Buster.
** In the [[Mega Man Powered Up|updated remake of the first game]], the Copy Robot appears as part of the [[Boss Rush]] in the third stage of Dr. Wily's plant, and instead copies whatever character the player is currently using. There is also "Mega Man?", another Mega Man duplicate built by Dr. Wily who takes the place of whatever Robot Master the player currently controls in the aforementioned Boss Rush (since the Copy Robot is always fought after the other Robot Masters).
** In the [[Mega Man Powered Up|updated remake of the first game]], the Copy Robot appears as part of the [[Boss Rush]] in the third stage of Dr. Wily's plant, and instead copies whatever character the player is currently using. There is also "Mega Man?", another Mega Man duplicate built by Dr. Wily who takes the place of whatever Robot Master the player controls in the aforementioned Boss Rush (since the Copy Robot is always fought after the other Robot Masters).
** ''[[Mega Man 9]]'' has [[Fighting a Shadow|Shadow Mega Men and Shadow Protomen]], shadow-like enemies that appears to be holograms of the heroes. These Shadow copies appear in Plug Man's stage behind the player if they walk in front of certain panels on the wall; they move faster than Mega Man and Proto Man and will attempt to inflict [[Collision Damage]] by running into them. However, their jump is lower, they can't shoot at you, and they can often be tricked into running off a ledge or into spikes (which instakills them).
** ''[[Mega Man 9]]'' has [[Fighting a Shadow|Shadow Mega Men and Shadow Protomen]], shadow-like enemies that appears to be holograms of the heroes and appear in Plug Man's stage. When the player character walks in front of certain panels on the wall, these shadow enemies spawn behind them; they move faster than Mega Man and Proto Man, and will attempting to inflict [[Collision Damage]] by running into them. However, their jump is lower, they can't shoot at you, and they can often be tricked into running off a ledge or into [[Spikes of Doom|spikes]] (which instakills them as it would you).
** ''[[Mega Man Battle Network 4]]'' has MegaMan DS ([[Super-Powered Evil Side|Dark Soul]]), created when MegaMan.exe was forced to use Dark Chips to defeat ShadeMan. It is fought twice in the late game: {{spoiler|first as [[Fighting a Shadow|a creation of Duo.EXE]] from the darkness in MegaMan's heart as a test for humanity, and again in the [[Bonus Dungeon]] Black Earth as a [[Bonus Boss]].}} In both fights it mirrors his battle style, Navi Customizer programs, chips, and HP.
** In the ''[[Mega Man Battle Network (series)|Battle Network]]'' spinoffs: ''[[Mega Man Battle Network 4]]'' has MegaMan [[Super-Powered Evil Side|Dark Soul]], created when MegaMan.exe was forced to use Dark Chips to defeat ShadeMan. It is fought twice in the late game: {{spoiler|first as [[Fighting a Shadow|a creation of Duo.EXE]] from the darkness in MegaMan's heart as a test for humanity, and again in [[Bonus Dungeon|Black Earth]] as a [[Bonus Boss]]}}. In both fights, it mirrors MegaMan's current battle style, Navi Customizer programs, chips, and HP.
** ''[[Mega Man Battle Network 5]]'' has Dark MegaMan.exe, who is also fought twice. In the first instance, {{spoiler|he is actually MegaMan himself, [[Drunk on the Dark Side|turned fully to darkness by]] [[Evil, Inc.|Nebula]], and [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight|must be fought at the end of End Area's first half]], returning to normal after.}} He is also found in Nebula Area 6 as a [[Bonus Boss]] if the player defeats all the DS Navis in two minutes or less. In both fights, Dark MegaMan can use all the battle chips and Program Advances the player has used to that point.
** ''[[Mega Man Battle Network 5]]'' has Dark MegaMan.exe, who is also fought twice. In the first instance, {{spoiler|he is actually MegaMan himself, [[Drunk on the Dark Side|turned fully to darkness by]] [[Evil, Inc.|Nebula]], and [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight|must be fought by his teammate at the end of End Area's first half]], returning to normal after.}} He is also found in Nebula Area 6 as a [[Bonus Boss]] if the player defeats all the DS Navis in two minutes or less. In both fights, Dark MegaMan can use all the battle chips and Program Advances the player has used to that point.
** In ''[[Mega Man Battle Network 6]]'', Mega Man is consumed by the version Cybeast and goes on a rampage, forcing Lan to use either SpoutMan (''Falzar'') or HeatMan (''Gregar'') to [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight|bring him to his senses]]. After recovering, Mega Man gains the Beast Out ability. Later, he can fight a copy made of leftover data as a [[Bonus Boss]] in the [[Bonus Dungeon|Graveyard]].
** In ''[[Mega Man Battle Network 6]]'', Mega Man is consumed by the version Cybeast and goes on a rampage, forcing Lan to use either SpoutMan (''Falzar'') or HeatMan (''Gregar'') to [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight|bring him to his senses]]. After recovering, Mega Man gains the Beast Out ability, and can later fight a copy made of leftover data as a [[Bonus Boss]] in the [[Bonus Dungeon|Graveyard]].
* ''[[Mother 3]]'' has [[Our Zombies Are Different|the Zombie Man and Zombie Lady]], who bear an eerie resemblance to {{spoiler|Claus and Hinawa}}...
* ''[[Mother 3]]'' has [[Our Zombies Are Different|the Zombie Man and Zombie Lady]], who bear an eerie resemblance to {{spoiler|Claus and Hinawa}}...
* In [[God of War (PS2)|the first ''God of War'']], Kratos is trapped in a psychological void where demonic doppelgangers attack {{spoiler|phantoms of his family - both were created by Ares in an attempt to break the would-be Godslayer,}} forcing him to keep them at bay for as long as possible.
* In [[God of War (2005)|the first ''God of War'']], Kratos is trapped in a psychological void where demonic doppelgangers attack {{spoiler|phantoms of his family - both were created by Ares in an attempt to break the would-be Godslayer}}, forcing him to keep them at bay for as long as possible.
* Spectres from ''[[XCOM 2: War of the Chosen]]'' can use the Shadowbind ability to incapacitate a soldier and spawn a Shadow with the same stats and equipment.
* Spectres from ''[[XCOM 2: War of the Chosen]]'' can use the Shadowbind ability to incapacitate a soldier and spawn a Shadow with the same stats and equipment.
* [[Dig Dug Arrangement]] has purple Taizo-like enemies that can dig around the stage, and will even attempt to inflate and pop the player(s)!
* ''[[Dig Dug Arrangement]]'' has purple Taizo-like enemies that can dig around the stage and even attempt to inflate and pop the player(s)!
* ''[[Bayonetta]]'': In one scene, the heroine confronts a Joy disguised as herself, exposing the Joy by challenging it to (and winning) a [[Dance Battler|dance-off]].

* ''[[Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters]]'' has the Ratchet clones fought in the Clone Factory on Quodrona. They use the same basic weapon as Ratchet, and were created by Otto Destruct using technomite technology after extracting Ratchet's DNA on Medical Outpost Omega. The first segment of the [[Final Boss]] gauntlet against Otto pits Ratchet against an army of clones, including a few elite variants with some genetic modifications.
== [[Visual Novel]]s ==

== [[Web Animation]] ==

== [[Web Comics]] ==

== [[Web Original]] ==
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== [[Western Animation]] ==

== Other Media ==

==[[Real Life]]==



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Revision as of 07:25, 22 June 2023

Mama Mia! Who's their stylist?

When you become your own worst enemy in a way you couldn't imagine...

The Mirror Mook is a type of Mook or other NPC that actively mimics the player's appearance and/or movements in some manner, and in especially extreme cases copy the player themselves. Particularly tough enemies of this kind are usually Mirror Bosses; Mirror Mooks and Bosses are a common feature of games that employ Meta Multiplayer, with NPCs or enemies that represent other players in some manner.

Mirror Mooks may or may not be the product of a special Doppleganger Attack, and might also be mechanical in nature - while commonly implemented via generation or mass-production by an actual Magic Mirror, creation by someone with mirror-based powers or else coming from a Mirror Universe, none of these are a strict requirement. Sister Tropes include Shadow Archetype, Evil Twin and Evil Counterpart, as well as their many subtropes (e.g. Fighting a Shadow).

Compare Evil Knockoffs, a common form of Mirror Mook, and Superpowered Mooks, some of whom may have the same powers as the hero. Contrast Mirror Match, where two players pick the same character; the roster may rarely include playable Mirror Mooks. Also contrast Mega Manning, which lets you copy Mooks' and bosses' powers.

Examples of Mirror Mook include:

Anime and Manga

  • In Naruto, Pain has the ability to make doppelgangers of other Akatsuki members out of living people, which are essentially perfect copies of the targets aside from the percentage of chakra put into them.
  • Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation has a gender-flipped example - giving specifics would be a major spoiler.

Comic Books

  • The Sonic comics by Archie Comics feature recurring foe Metal Sonic alongside various other mechanical copies of Sonic and the heroes.
    • The "main" Metal Sonic was rebuilt and repaired several times, with his third version going through at least five different iterations. Meanwhile, his v2.5 form was salvaged, redeemed and reconstructed as Shard the Metal Sonic.
    • The Metal Series robots - a Five-Bad Band of Psycho Rangers consisting of mechanical Evil Knockoffs of the five main protagonists (including the seventh incarnation of Metal Sonic v3) - were created to serve the Dark Egg Legion after Snively's betrayal.
  • Sonic the Comic, meanwhile, has Metallix the Metal Sonic, who plays a similar role and is also one of several such Metal Sonic-type Badniks. A 'Brotherhood of Metallix' was created when Robotnik converted his old Egg Fortress base in the Special Zone into a Metallix factory, planning to use their labor to create the ultimate Metal Sonic. Naturally, they secretly went rogue and began building an Emperor Metallix in order to conquer Mobius themselves. The Metallix based on Mecha Sonic from Sonic & Knuckles was their creation, and there have also been Metallix replicas of Knuckles the Echidna and Porker Lewis.

Tabletop Games

  • Dungeons & Dragons has a few:
    • The Aleax, an avatar of a deity sent to punish a specific mortal by taking on on the target's exact appearance and carrying identical equipment.
    • Doppelgangers are shapechangers more likely to use the Kill and Replace motive, but can become this type of enemy if they fail in the "kill" part.
    • The mirror of opposition is a cursed magic item that creates an Evil Twin of anyone who looks at their reflection in it, with the sole purpose of killing the original.
    • There are no less than two spells an evil wizard might use to create a Mirror Mook: simulacrum (creates an identical-looking, but physically inferior duplicate, utterly loyal to its creator) and the more advanced ice assassin, which creates an identical-looking physically-equal duplicate which is completely immune to damage done by anyone other than the person it duplicates; its purpose is always to kill that person.
    • One of the most horrific ways to create one is via the corrupt spell Searing Seed, found in the 300th issue of Dragon magazine. It actually impregnates the victim, causing said victim to bring an unholy infant to term within minutes, inflicting a great deal of damage due to the incredibly fast pregnancy and birth. It can be cast on a male victim - and if so he takes even more damage, as the male body isn't designed for such a thing. The half-fiend infant grows to adulthood within minutes and becomes a duplicate of its "parent", and is alike in all regards, except for being a half-fiend and of darkest evil. Its primary goal from then on is, naturally, to kill the parent - assuming the victim survived, of course.
  • In the Ravenloft setting, one of the functions of the Alchemist Apparatus is to create an Evil Twin of a subject. This twin is so evil that it is automatically adopted by the Land itself and becomes a minor Darklord, possibly becoming a Mirror Boss.

Video Games

  • The Bomberman series tends to have Mecha Bombers as a common foe, alongside some other examples:
    • Bomberman Quest has Shelterine, a shellfish enemy hidden in a well within the Forest Zone. It only moves when Bomberman moves, but in the opposite direction and at the same speed as Bomberman would normally, stopping occasionally to attack with waves in a short '+' or 'x' pattern.
    • Bomberman World has Hologra-Boms that appear on Planet Black and look like translucent Bomberman clones with angry yellow eyes. They move slowly and can throw bombs similar to Bomberman.
    • Super Bomberman marks the debut of the Mecha Bombers, with one sent by Carat Diamond and Dr. Mook to attack White Bomberman (as detailed by the manual and the accompanying prologue comic). The villainous Black Bomberman manages to intercept it, but is defeated and retreats to warn White Bomber, subsequently teaming up with him to defeat Diamond and Dr. Mook.
      • The Mecha Bombers appear as enemies on the fifth level, which is a replica of the basic stage most Bomberman PVP battles take place on - Bomberman fights them one by one (or two by two if playing in co-op mode), and the first pair are even modeled after White and Black Bomberman! They use bombs and obey similar rules to Bomberman, e.g. they are only stunned by punched bombs, are unharmed by kicked bombs, and can collect and use the items that periodically appear. The first four are One-Hit-Point Wonders, while the next three go down in two hits.
      • The yellow Mecha Bomber that previously defeated Black is then fought as the fifth stage's boss - it has 5 HP, the ability to kick bombs, and can set up to four bombs that boast an impressive Fire rating of 9!
    • In Stage 4-7 of Neo Bomberman, Mecha Bombers appear in a similar capacity - they are even called "Fake Bombers" (not to be confused with the disguise-savvy Fake Bomber, who can be rescued earlier in 4-2).
    • In Bomberman for the PlayStation Portable, four Mecha Bombers are fought as the bosses of the first stage, Bomber World.
  • Kirby:
    • The first Kirby's Dream Land has "imposter" Kirbies in Mt. Dedede's Boss Rush - Kirby must complete short levels each representing one of the four bosses fought, and each level's boss door is blocked by a Gordo that can only be destroyed (along with every on-screen enemy) by running into the "imposter" Kirby.
    • Kirby's Dream Land 3 has the rare Batamon enemy, which heavily resembles Kirby and is usually found in inaccessible areas, with the exception of one in Cloudy Park. It isn't particularly threatening, though.
    • Kirby Super Star introduces a sort of inversion in Tac, a cat-like enemy dressed in ninja garb who attempts to steal Kirby's Copy Ability; inhaling one grants the Copy power, which lets him take on the appearance of any enemy he scans. Though it seems redundant, it allows for more effective cycling of Copy Abilities, and is actually quite useful for reliably snagging boss abilities - particularly in Milky Way Wishes, where Kirby's normal copying method doesn't work (and the Copy power is well-hidden as a result). Tac can also do the same as a helper in the sub-games.
    • In Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, Shadow Kirby appears once in each of the mirror world's areas to attack Kirby using a random Copy Ability, and defeating him earns Kirby a random power-up, such as an Invincibility Candy or a 1UP. Near the end, it's revealed that Shadow Kirby was simply trying to protect his home world, and he teams up with Kirby to defeat the true Big Bad, Dark Mind.
  • The Legend of Zelda franchise has many examples, with the most prominent being Dark Link and Shadow Link - two distinct recurring Evil Counterparts that frequently appear as enemies. Dark Link is the more likely of the two to be used as a Duel Mirror Boss.
    • Zelda II: The Adventure of Link has the final boss, Link's Shadow. Despite being the first such instance in the games, this boss is actually distinct from both of the above examples, and is created by the Sage as a final test for Link to overcome and prove himself worthy of the Triforce of Courage.
    • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past has Koppis (known as Green and Red Goriyas in English versions[1]) that mirror Link's movements in opposite directions; the red ones shoot fireballs if they make eye contact with Link, and can only be killed with arrows, making them tricky to dispatch.
      • The Game Boy Advance port-exclusive Palace of the Four Sword has a set of Dark Links formed from the cursed components of the Four Sword as its main bosses, each with their own copies of the primary endgame items. All four will attempt to run at Link and slash at him, and each subsequent Dark Link adds an additional attack to the previous one's strategy - the first one uses the Pegasus Boots to try and run him down; the second also uses a Hurricane Spin; the third adds a jumping down-thrust; and the fourth has twice as much health and can additionally fire sword beams.
    • The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and its remake for the Nintendo Switch has Arm-Mimics, haniwa-like enemies that mirror Link's movements and require a sword stronger than the normal one to defeat them. Similar to them are Shy Guys from the Mario franchise (called Mask-Mimics in the original Link's Awakening), with their mask additionally protecting them from frontal sword attacks. The Link's Awakening remake also adds Shadow Link as an enemy that can appear in custom-made Chamber Dungeons.
    • Arm-Mimics make a return in The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. Veran also summons four Arm-Mimic-like Dark Links during the final boss battle.
    • The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures has Shadow Link serve as a recurring enemy and Mirror Boss in Hyrulean Adventure. "Lesser" Shadow Links will either attempt to evade the player or else make trouble around Hyrule by using items - one hit will defeat them and produce a large green Force Gem. "Boss" Shadow Links will attempt to fight the player using the same skills as them, and later fights will have him create up to three other duplicates - when the main Shadow Link has taken enough damage, he will jump away and begin to cycle through different colors, only taking damage from that specific color Link. It is revealed that Ganon - Man Behind the Man to Big Bad Vaati - was creating the Shadow Links through his evil thoughts using an artifact called the Dark Mirror. Zelda and the Links discover the Mirror during the final encounter with Shadow Link in the Dark Cloud - several weaker clones will continually spawn, forcing the princess to counteract it with her magic and stop the Links from being overwhelmed until they can finish off the shadowy clones and purify the mirror.
    • The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds marks the return of Koppis, and also features Shadow Link in the StreetPass-linked Shadow Link Battle mode; after talking to Gramps to unlock the mode, receiving a StreetPass hit causes a Shadow Link representing that player's Link to appear in one of various locations around Hyrule or Lorule. The Shadow Link is computer-controlled and will have whatever items and gear were on hand at the time the player's profile was set up (done by talking to Gramps); its battle theme is based on that of Link's Shadow from Zelda II. Shadow Links can also be generated at random, with the alias of the "sending player" given as Shade.
    • The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes has Prankster Poes and Key Bandit Poes, whose heads (and faces in the former case) vaguely resemble those of the Links. Prankster Poes primarily spawn on large platforms, where they will quickly try to sneak up on one of the Links and toss them off the platform, and take several hits to defeat. Key Bandit Poes fly around a maze-like room carrying three Keys that open the end-of-stage gateway; they can be defeated in one hit, but will quickly respawn, and will chase down whoever takes the Keys until all the doors are unlocked.
      • Three Shadow Links also appear as the bosses of the Baneful Zone in the Den of Trials. They wield more powerful versions of items found in the game that are chosen at random, and their swords can temporarily curse the Links upon dealing damage.
    • Shadow Links appear as mini-bosses in Cadence of Hyrule.
  • The Super Mario franchise has various types of enemies that copy Mario or one of his friends.
    • In Super Mario RPG, Belome is fought as a Flunky Boss during his second fight, and he can eat the party and spit them out to create clones of them.
    • Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga has Tanoombas, tanuki-like Goombas that attack the Bros. by transforming into one of the pair to stomp onto them, and must be countered with the hammer - the attack always targets the opposite brother (a Tanoomba turning into Luigi will always attack Mario).
    • Early in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Antasma creates a clone of Mario called "Dreamy Mario", a Doppleganger Attacking Mirror Boss that spawns several clones of himself to avoid direct hits and attack Mario in turn.
    • Paper Mario has Duplighosts, Bedsheet Ghost-like enemies who can transform into one of Mario's partners. The sequel, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, introduces a named Duplighost as the boss of Chapter 3 that can also turn into Mario, and even manages to steal his body in the process and fool his partners into thinking he's Mario.
    • Super Mario Galaxy 2 introduces Cosmic Clones, who appear in certain sections of the various galaxies as well as any galaxy where a Clone Comet is orbiting. They mimic the appearance of Mario or Luigi and start spawning and following behind them as soon as they appear; Cosmic Clones disappear and damage Mario/Luigi if they make contact, and flawlessly copy their movements even if the terrain changes (e.g. copying jumps off platforms that disappear by the time the Clones reach them).
    • Cosmic Clones return in Super Mario 3D Land, which also introduces Big variants. Only one appears at a time, and they are found exclusively in the Special worlds.
    • In the Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Bowser and Dr. Eggman use the Phantasmal Fog urn to create copies of the cast called Fog Imposters, who aid the villains in their plot to stop the Olympics from happening.
    • The Bowser's Tower mode of Mario Party: Island Tour has the player face off against several "bubble" clones of the playable cast in minigames. They were created by Bowser, who was jealous of not being invited to the Party Islands and created the tower to have his own "party".
    • Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker has Mummy-Mes, which resemble a mummified Toad and act similarly to Cosmic Clones.
    • In the re-release of Super Mario 3D World, the side-game Bowser's Fury has Fury Shadows, who act similarly to Shadow Mario in Super Mario Sunshine. They form from a sphere of black paint and take the shape of Luigi, running away from Mario, and he must hit them three times with a jump or a magic paintbrush to defeat it and recover one of the Cat Shines.
  • NetHack:
    • You can encounter "player monsters" that represent NPC adventurers; there is one corresponding to each of the playable roles, and the game even refers to them with the rank title appropriate for their experience level. Most of the actual player monsters you will see are only found on the Astral Plane, the very final level of the game; they are generated with armor, weapons and other items similar to what an average player would be expected to have, as well as cheap plastic copies of the Amulet of Yendor (with comments in the code explaining that this is why they're stuck there).
    • Doppelgangers and other shapeshifters can imitate player monsters, with dopplegangers being the most likely culprits; the mass majority of player monsters encountered in the dungeon prior to the Astral Plane will usually be a doppleganger in disguise, with some exceptions (e.g., wizards named Newt and Pug can be found imprisoned in the goal level of the Wizard quest). Reading a cursed scroll of genocide while confused will "reverse genocide" yourself and create multiple player monsters of the same role as you. Dopplegangers are capable of using armor and weapons, though due to randomly polymorphing they're likely to end up dropping both.
  • NetHack variants do more with the concept of player monsters and other monsters designed to mimic you:
    • In NetHack brass, doppelgangers always imitate the player, copying their appearance, inventory (including artifacts) and attributes (but not spells). Any items it manifests in this manner disappear upon its defeat; it is possible to steal them via the #bereave extended command, but artifacts gained in this way revert to their base item, and the items will disappear once put on the ground.
    • In UnNetHack and SpliceHack, the Aleax behaves more like it does in Dungeons & Dragons (mentioned in the Tabletop Games section above) compared to vanilla NetHack. Aleaxi will spawn with erosion-proofed +0 copies of the player's current equipment and weapons at the moment of their generation; artifacts will be converted to their base items.
    • Slash'EM Extended also has player monsters that spawn randomly, with equipment suited for their role, as well as player monsters potentially being created from bones files. Unlike most variants, they can actually be tamed, though they resist many of the more common methods.
    • In EvilHack, player monsters can appear randomly in the main dungeon starting around experience level 10, and may also appear in response to certain actions. (Wishing for a artifact not tied to a specific role's Quest may summon a player monster representing its current owner, forcing you to fight them for it; dying may also cause your character to revive and turn into a hostile player monster instead of becoming a ghost in their "bones" file.) They are kitted out in player-like gear that can reach up to "ascension kit" levels depending on how late they're encountered - player monster hit dice and difficulty level roughly match that of the actual player, based on their experience level when the player monster spawns. A player monster also has their role's abilities and traits (e.g. Wizards and Priests can cast spells, Rogues can steal items from inventory, Knights spawn riding either a horse or a warhorse, etc.) - while not always hostile, those that are covet the Amulet of Yendor and will attempt to steal it from you. If one nabs it on the Astral Plane, they'll attempt to sacrifice the Amulet to their own god, ending your game if they succeed.
  • Dungeon Crawl:
    • Player ghosts are created upon the death of a non-undead player character, and can also appear inside randomly generated ghost vaults. Player ghosts have the max HP, AC and EV of the deceased character, as well as certain other traits: experience level-based hit dice, the base damage and brand of the weapon they had wielded if any, the bonuses from Fighting skill levels, their elemental resistances,[2] and the ability to cast certain spells and see invisible if the player had them. It also becomes undead and insubstantial, gaining immunity to poison, negative energy, constriction, Sticky Flame and torment, but gains a vulnerability to holy attacks and Dispel Undead. In very rare cases, if a ghost file isn't available, the vault ghost will instead be an actual "clone" of the player.
    • Mara, Lord of Illusions is a unique monster with the ability to make clones of any monster in the area - including himself and you. Player clones are essentially live player "ghosts" with the addition many of your character's spells, melee abilities, defensive capacities, and any buffs you had active at the time.
  • Caves of Qud has Arconauts and Graverobbers, player-like mobs who are members of the Grazing Hedonists faction and tend to be mostly peaceful towards the player character. In addition, one of the random events that can occur is the appearance of a cryotube that contains an exact copy of yourself with your entire inventory inside.
  • One arc in City of Heroes ends with the party fighting shadow versions of themselves in the lower level of Paragon City Hall. There are also story arcs in which you face off against clones or extra-dimensional counterparts of yourself, all of which (usually) possess the same powers and abilities as you.
  • The Disgaea series has "Clone" Geo Panels that generate duplicates of whoever is standing on a matching color panel, be they allies or enemies. All of the generated clones are very real and will invariably attack your party; they retain the stats and Hit Points of their original selves, but you can't steal any of their equipment.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog franchise:
    • Robotic versions of Sonic and other characters are recurring villains and Mirror Bosses, with the iconic Metal Sonic being introduced in Sonic CD. Most Metal Sonic fights incorporate a race in some manner when they're not outright actual races for survival.
    • The first game has Rollers, spherical Badniks that roll down steep hills in a manner similar to Sonic; though the hedgehog hadn't yet gotten his trademark Spin Dash, he could do this if you tapped down while running on a downward slope.
    • Sonic CD also introduces pillbug Badniks (internally called Dangos) that crawl slowly along the ground, and curl into a ball to roll towards Sonic upon spotting him.
    • Sonic Heroes has Shadow Androids, with one damaged android discovered after Team Dark (Rogue, Shadow and E-123 Omega) defeats a fake Eggman, causing Shadow to wonder if he was one himself. In Team Dark's ending, Rogue and Omega discover a room full of Shadow Androids in suspended animation tubes, with Omega prepping to destroy them and hopefully find the real Shadow.
    • Sonic Advance has a robotic doppleganger named Mecha Knuckles as the boss of Angel Island.
    • Shadow the Hedgehog features Shadow Androids as enemies in the Iron Jungle and Lava Shelter zones.
    • Sonic Mania sees the return of Dangos as well as Metal Sonic. During the first phase of the multi-stage boss fight against him in Stardust Speedway Act 2, Metal Sonic will reprise his tactics from Sonic CD at first; the second stage starts upon reaching an Eggman-shaped generator that Metal Sonic hooks himself up to (which is a reference to his fight from Knuckles' Chaotix). The generator produces smaller Silver Sonics (based on the penultimate boss from Sonic the Hedgehog 2) that can Spin Dash at the player; Spin Dashing into the curled-up robots sends them bouncing around the room, damaging Metal Sonic if they collide.[3] The chase then resumes as it did in the first phase, with the final phase being different depending on the version: pre-1.04, he reprises his final fight from Sonic CD, while in post-1.04 and Plus versions Eggman tosses him the Phantom Ruby, which he uses to become Giga Metal (another Chaotix allusion). Upon his defeat, a Dango rolls in and knocks the Phantom Ruby away before Sonic can reclaim it.
  • In the Hordes of the Underdark module to Neverwinter Nights, there is a hall of Magic Mirrors, with most giving the player items and/or various kinds or gold. One of them creates a mirror copy of you that attacks the party, though this is rarely a difficult fight due to only one copy being made. If you destroy the mirror instead of looking into it, it spawns two copies of your character, which may possibly be a glitch.
  • The "Labyrinth" in Vindictus features increasingly powerful doppelgangers as the end bosses on each of its five floors.
  • The Golden Swordsman Bonus Boss in Tales of Xillia combines this with Doppelganger Attack in an interesting way: he creates a copy of himself once after you run down his HP for the first time, then again once you run down the HP of him and his clone, resulting in the last phase being fought against three equal-strength clones of him; what qualifies them for this trope is that the duplicates possess distinct fighting styles based on those of your party members.
  • The Mega Man franchise has numerous examples:
    • The Sniper Joes are robots that act as recurring enemies in the "Classic" Mega Man games - their design In-Universe is based on occasional playable character Proto Man.
    • The Copy Robot is a duplicate of Mega Man that is fought as the second stage boss of Dr. Wily's manufacturing plant in Mega Man 1.
    • Mega Man 3 has a trio of Holographic Mega Men (a Copy Robot and two holograms) as the bosses of the third Wily Castle stage, though they only copy his appearance and Mega Buster.
    • In the updated remake of the first game, the Copy Robot appears as part of the Boss Rush in the third stage of Dr. Wily's plant, and instead copies whatever character the player is currently using. There is also "Mega Man?", another Mega Man duplicate built by Dr. Wily who takes the place of whatever Robot Master the player controls in the aforementioned Boss Rush (since the Copy Robot is always fought after the other Robot Masters).
    • Mega Man 9 has Shadow Mega Men and Shadow Protomen, shadow-like enemies that appears to be holograms of the heroes and appear in Plug Man's stage. When the player character walks in front of certain panels on the wall, these shadow enemies spawn behind them; they move faster than Mega Man and Proto Man, and will attempting to inflict Collision Damage by running into them. However, their jump is lower, they can't shoot at you, and they can often be tricked into running off a ledge or into spikes (which instakills them as it would you).
    • In the Battle Network spinoffs: Mega Man Battle Network 4 has MegaMan Dark Soul, created when MegaMan.exe was forced to use Dark Chips to defeat ShadeMan. It is fought twice in the late game: first as a creation of Duo.EXE from the darkness in MegaMan's heart as a test for humanity, and again in Black Earth as a Bonus Boss. In both fights, it mirrors MegaMan's current battle style, Navi Customizer programs, chips, and HP.
    • Mega Man Battle Network 5 has Dark MegaMan.exe, who is also fought twice. In the first instance, he is actually MegaMan himself, turned fully to darkness by Nebula, and must be fought by his teammate at the end of End Area's first half, returning to normal after. He is also found in Nebula Area 6 as a Bonus Boss if the player defeats all the DS Navis in two minutes or less. In both fights, Dark MegaMan can use all the battle chips and Program Advances the player has used to that point.
    • In Mega Man Battle Network 6, Mega Man is consumed by the version Cybeast and goes on a rampage, forcing Lan to use either SpoutMan (Falzar) or HeatMan (Gregar) to bring him to his senses. After recovering, Mega Man gains the Beast Out ability, and can later fight a copy made of leftover data as a Bonus Boss in the Graveyard.
  • Mother 3 has the Zombie Man and Zombie Lady, who bear an eerie resemblance to Claus and Hinawa...
  • In the first God of War, Kratos is trapped in a psychological void where demonic doppelgangers attack phantoms of his family - both were created by Ares in an attempt to break the would-be Godslayer, forcing him to keep them at bay for as long as possible.
  • Spectres from XCOM 2: War of the Chosen can use the Shadowbind ability to incapacitate a soldier and spawn a Shadow with the same stats and equipment.
  • Dig Dug Arrangement has purple Taizo-like enemies that can dig around the stage and even attempt to inflate and pop the player(s)!
  • Bayonetta: In one scene, the heroine confronts a Joy disguised as herself, exposing the Joy by challenging it to (and winning) a dance-off.
  • Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters has the Ratchet clones fought in the Clone Factory on Quodrona. They use the same basic weapon as Ratchet, and were created by Otto Destruct using technomite technology after extracting Ratchet's DNA on Medical Outpost Omega. The first segment of the Final Boss gauntlet against Otto pits Ratchet against an army of clones, including a few elite variants with some genetic modifications.
  1. Unrelated to the boomerang-wielding Goriyas seen in the other games.
  2. Specifically cold, fire, and electric.
  3. In Sonic Mania Version 1.04 onwards and Sonic Mania Plus, destroying the Silver Sonics also produces energy balls that can damage the generator.