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{{trope}}
[[File:notaliens.gif|link=El Goonish Shive
{{quote|''"You know, you got all these people with beautiful, beautiful blonde hair and stuff. And then there's this sort of hunched over, greasy guy with black hair. It's like, "Would it be...him?"''|'''Karl Urban''', actor of Eomer on Wormtongue}}
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This sort of behavior almost always indicates that the [[Rule of Funny]] is in full effect, so its effectiveness as a disguise depends on whether it would be funnier for the impostor to get caught. If it's funnier for everyone around him [[Idiot Ball|to completely fail to see through the ruse]] -- even though the impersonate-ee is someone they've known for years -- then that's what's going to happen.
Compare [[Paper-Thin Disguise]], [[Master of Delusion]], [[Clark Kenting]], [[Blatant Lies]], [[Hugh Mann]], and [[Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?]] If a zombie were to say they aren't a zombie, well then it would [[Not a Zombie|not be a zombie]], now would it? Kind of a subtrope of [[Bad Bad Acting]], although it isn't deliberate. Tends to fuse with [[Suspiciously Specific Denial]]. Often happens during a case of [[I Am He
Named for a recurring line in the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series
If you're looking for a similarly named webcomic (which is not an example of this trope), see [[Not a Villain]].
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== Anime & Manga ==
* In the ''[[Pokémon (
* Sousuke's attempts at passing himself off as a normal civilian in ''[[Full Metal Panic]]'' occasionally segues into this, especially when one of his classmates ropes him into a [[Zany Scheme]] where he has to pretend being her boyfriend in front of her friends.
{{quote| '''Sousuke:''' I feel unimaginable happiness wasting time talking with women. I'm that type of human.}}
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== Comics ==
* A [http://www.airshipentertainment.com/buckcomic.php?date=20090409 scene] in a ''[[Buck Godot: Zap Gun for Hire]]'' comic has Buck disguised as an alien Pog, sauntering down the street singing a song about how he's just a Pog, no, really. Mind you, in this instance [[Kansas City Shuffle|having the disguise fail is actually part of the plan]]. For context, Buck Godot is at least eight feet and probably a half ton of muscle, bio-engineered for life on heavy gravity planets. Your typical pog may, generously, top four feet.
* The [[Highly-Visible Ninja]] of ''[[The Tick]]'' disguise themselves a hedge by declaring "We are a hedge. Please move along." While holding sticks. See the appropriate trope page for more (hilarious) details.
* In ''[[
* In ''[[Preacher (Comic Book)]]'' [[Corrupt Hick]] Odin Quincannon tries to use the Ku Klux Klan to kill the protagonist. In an attempt to ingratiate himself with them, he keeps enthusiastically stating how much he hates black people, all the time, and keeps adding it to practically everything he says. The other Klan members eventually start talking about how forced this makes him sound.
* In ''[[Teen Titans (Comic Book)|Teen Titans]]'', Starfire and Raven, having temporarily lost their ability to fly, seek alternative transportation on a bus full of villains. They beat up two and take their clothing. Starfire then tries to fit in by acting like an over-the-top parody of a villain. Her overacting goes almost completely unnoticed by her audience; what gives her away is the use of an alien version of "God bless you."
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== Fan Works ==
* In ''[[An Entry With a Bang (Fanfic)|An Entry With a Bang]]!'', no-one seems duly concerned with the Wolfnet agent named [[Harry Potter|Remus Lupin]], even though such a name should be more than a mite suspicious to the [[Genre Savvy]].
** The BT universe, by nature of being itself, is chock-full of pop cultural references. They've even run across [[Super Mario Bros.|Mario and Luigi, brother plumbers]] and a reporter named [[Superman|Lois Lane]]. None so far have exhibited anything special than just the odd coincidence in names, but there's just so many that GDI has decided to just ignore them all. It's just the universe screwing around with them again. This perhaps falls under the rationale ''it would be funny''. After receiving word about other operatives from Wolfnet, Remus Lupin (his name chosen beforehand as a random pseudonym and now having read ''Harry Potter'') mutters:
{{quote| "Please don't be Lily and James. Please don't be Lily and James."}}
* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!:
** Well, ''Yugi'' does. Though his reaction is less "he's definitely a villain!" and more "I'm tired of rescuing people. Let's just go home and forget this happened." Unluckily, Brisbane easily tricks Tristan and Tea to [[Schmuck Bait|"step on the map"]], dragging Yugi along for the ride.
** "HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME!"
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'''Yugi:''' Yep, she's fine. }}
* An episode of ''[[Re Boot the Abridged Series]]'' has this with Cyrus/Syrus/however his name is spelled.
* ''[[
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== Films -- Live-Action ==
* In ''[[This Island Earth]]'', a dinner conversation with Exeter quickly makes it clear he's not from Earth, as if his gigantic forehead with a huge dent in the middle wasn't enough of a clue. When it was chosen to be the experiment for ''[[
* From ''[[The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra]]'':
{{quote| "Sometimes my wife forgets she is ''not'' a space alien."}}
* The otherwise forgettable ''[[Corky Romano]]'' gives us this wonderful gem from the title character attempting to infiltrate a gang of skinheads: "I was wondering if I could purchase some heroin and then we could go out and commit some hate crimes and stuff."
* ''[[
* [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] in ''[[Bedknobs and Broomsticks]]''.
{{quote| '''Villager:''' It said on the wireless to paint out the sign posts in case the Nazis drop in!<br />
'''British officer:''' I'm not a Nazi, I'm a British officer!<br />
'''Villager:''' That's what you'd say if you ''was'' a Nazi, isn't it sir? }}
* ''[[
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Wondering where I will drip!'' }}
** In the Russian adaptation, he first of all establishes to the bees that: "I'm a little rain cloud and definitely not a bear."
* In [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld
** The Discworld book ''[[Discworld
** The Wintersmith never denied he was the Wintersmith, though; he just wanted to be human so Tiffany would love him.
* In ''[[
{{quote| '''Ax:''' You do not know me, but I am a juvenile delinquent. I do not trust authority figures, I probably will not graduate from high school, and statistics say my present rowdiness and vandalism will likely lead to more serious crimes. I am a dangerous fellow, and I am causing mayhem in this store.}}
** He then proceeds to cause mayhem in the store by... [[Poke the Poodle|Rearranging store shelves.]]
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== Live-Action TV ==
* In ''Saul of the Molemen'', Saul skins a moleman and uses the skin as a disguise to infiltrate the moleman village. He spends the day shouting, "Grunt grunt! I'm a moleman, just like you!". No one catches on, but Saul gets beaten up anyway because the moleman whose skin he wore owed money to others.
* ''[[
** "Doppelgangland": Willow (well, Season 3 Willow, anyway) [[I Am He
** On the other hand, the Scoobies were completely oblivious to the true nature of the BuffyBot in her first appearance, despite stilted dialogue along the lines of "I wouldn't keep a secret from you, Willow. You're my best friend. You're recently gay." Buffy was understandably irritated.
** Yet another ''Buffy'' example: when {{spoiler|[[Evil Counterpart|Faith]]}} exchanges bodies with Buffy, she spends about three minutes practicing saying "Because it's ''wrong''!" very emphatically and with different inflections in front of a mirror. It's amusing. She [[Ironic Echo|later says this seriously]] in a case of [[Becoming the Mask]].
** Spike once attempts to disguise his vampness with a horrible American accent. Made even funnier when you realize it's American James Marsters pretending to be British pretending to be American ''badly''. And both the ''characters'' Giles and Spike have changed accents over their lives: Both Giles and Spike come from well-educated families, both adopted low-class accents in early adulthood (with Spike sticking with his, and Giles reverting to a posh accent when his rebellious phase ended). The ''actor'' who plays Giles actually has a lower-class accent, and the American Marsters used that accent as a model for Spike's.
* ''[[
** A certain amount of [[Fridge Logic]] applies to the beginning of the first season, where Doyle's Irish-ness is a major part of his character, and yet Angel steadfastly retains his assumed California accent, and never so much as acknowledges that he is, in fact, Irish as well. This may be a mercy, since the flashbacks to the life of 'Liam' prove that David Boreanaz cannot fake accents at ''all''.
* In the first episode of the new ''[[Doctor Who]]'', Rose's boyfriend Mickey is clearly replaced by a (mobile) plastic replica. Rose begins to wonder what's the matter with Mickey when he keeps addressing her as "sweetheart/babe/babe/friend/sugar/sweetheart".
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'''O'Neill:''' You heard me! I said cree, dammit!<br />
'''[[Genre Savvy|Daniel Jackson]]''': Jack? }}
* A rare non-comedic example in [[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]], Garak, an ex-member of the secret police of a facist state (And in no way feels guilty about what he did) is [[Blatant Lies|nothing more than a simple tailor.]] Given his talents Garak could avert this trope and easily fool everyone around him about who he is, but he simply doesn't care to. He never comes right out and explains why he bothers with the facade, but the most likely explanation is so that he can maintain plausible deniability while keeping himself available should anyone wish to use his talents.
** Of course, he's also made it clear that [[For the Evulz|he just likes screwing with people basically for the fun of it.]]
* A clumsy case was Morgana from ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]''. When she returns to Camelot in series three, she spends most of her time smirking evilly to herself (in public) and interacting with her friends and family in a cloying, faux-sympathetic way (that was completely unlike the Morgana of the first two series). The audience isn't fooled for a second, but everyone else is completely taken in.
== Video Games ==
* In ''[[Star Control]] II'', one of the many [[Planet of Hats]] species in the game comes under the [[Brainwashed|mind control]] of a malevolent being, who stiltedly attempts to impersonate their particular Hat when encountered by the player. Naturally, the player is expected to not be stupid and investigate.
* This is the key mechanic for an entire ''level'' in ''[[
** The G-men tend to use the props in very interesting ways too. The gardeners do a sword-swallowing routine with their hedge clippers and the grieving widows play invisible golf with their flowers. Sample dialogue:
{{quote| "I am a Sewer Worker. The finest sewers are found in Paris, France. Although I often smell of excrement, I perform a valuable public service."<br />
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"I am a Housewife. In time my husband will desire me less sexually... but he will always enjoy my pies." }}
** There's also Crispin Whytehead, the inmate running the asylum, who explains that he is an orderly, [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|not an impostor.]]
* In ''[[Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney]]: Trials and Tribulations,'' Furio Tigre's impersonation of Phoenix consists of having spiky hair and declaring himself to be Phoenix Wright. Despite his otherwise completely different appearance, his noticeable accent, and his wearing a fake attorney's badge made of ''cardboard'', he fools an entire courtroom, including a judge, prosecutor, detective, and defendant who are all familiar with Phoenix. Phoenix himself is, of course, not amused.
** Godot easily saw through him. He just felt like screwing with Phoenix.
** There's a possible [[Lampshade Hanging]] on this, after hearing the excuses Tigre gave to Maggey ("He said he took a trip to Hawaii"):
{{quote| '''Phoenix:''' I can see why he managed to fool everyone.}}
* The Cubi sisters in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass]]''. Constantly giggling and sabotaging your efforts to rescue 'them', but since it's a [[But Thou Must!]] situation you can't just leave the little brats to rot.
* At one point in ''[[
** Somewhat justified in that {{spoiler|Doopliss did the Martian Manhunter trick mentioned above and changed places with Mario when they defeated him, leaving Mario unconscious and going back to town with the others. Being a doppleganger, he has a perfect disguise, at least until he opens his mouth.}}
*** {{spoiler|And Mario's appearance changes as well. He turns black and shadowy.}}
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* ''[[Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal]]'' had Ratchet going undercover with the Tyrrhaguise, and loudly proclaiming himself to be "certainly not a Lombax". {{spoiler|Yes, he's a Lombax.}}
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxn-kpHuB9g This guy is totally not a spy].
* A sign in Mahogany town in ''[[Pokémon Gold and Silver
** When you talk to the shopkeeper, he'll feel the need to make it clear that the breeze in the shop is just your imagination and is not coming from any kind of [[Elaborate Underground Base|hidden underground hideout]]. ''Then'' he offers you stuff to buy.
* In ''[[Thief]]: Deadly Shadows'', Garrett has the option on listening in on an illicit deal under negotiation. One of the parties is a thug pretending to be him, who fulfils this trope to the letter.
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== Web Comics ==
* ''[[The Order of the Stick
** Nale disguising himself as his twin brother Elan. Though his repeated statements of "I'm Elan" don't raise any eyebrows since that is deemed [[Cloudcuckoolander|in character]] for Elan. Nale's high bluff skill also helps. Example:
{{quote| '''Sabine-as-Policeman:''' He was just speaking to me, a police officer, about his brother Nale's treatment in prison.<br />
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{{quote| '''Illusion of Belkar''': We are all here right now, and definitely not somewhere else.}}
* [http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/index.php?date=060820 This] ''[[Bob and George]]'' comic.
* In ''[[
{{quote| '''Antimony:''' We are looking for a particular robot. A... ''fellow'' robot. Because we are also robots.}}
::: Because clearly she's a robot...
{{quote| '''Antimony:''' Also robots never lie.}}
* [http://www.galactanet.com/comic/view.php?strip=646 Lord "Smith"] is Most Definitely Not [[Casey and Andy
* In ''[[Terror Island]]'', [http://www.terrorisland.net/strips/183.html Theorem 183], Demon-Jame tries to pass himself off as Jame.
{{quote| '''Demon-Jame:''' Yes, I am your friend. I run a non-demon restaurant here in your space-time manifold, of which I am a native.}}
* In [http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/05/31/episode-999-like-a-hobby/ these] ''[[8-Bit Theater (Webcomic)|Eight Bit Theater]]'' [http://www.nuklearpower.com/2008/10/16/episode-1047-the-ol-180/ strips], [[Humongous Mecha|Warmech]] is Most Definitely Not a Robot. And Red Mage, for his part, is Most Definitely Not a Monster.
* [http://amazoness.co.uk/10.htm This] ''[[Amazoness]]!'' strip. Ekphobippe is a master of disguise.
* In ''[[
** This is parodied in a fan-made comic centered around the fans who are represented as avatars with nametags over their heads. One strip involves two characters chasing after Dan. Note that Dan represents himself as an anthropomorphic squirrel. A guy who looks suspiciously like Dan in real life shows up holding a "NotDan" tag over his head and points them in the right direction. In an earlier strip, the comic's [[Card-Carrying Villain]] manages to deceive two detectives with a fake name tag.
*** Sorry Mister Smith. We thought you were a different person who uses the same avatar.
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{{quote| '''"Aeris":''' More drivel. I am a normal flesh unit filled with meat. Now let us go home and absorb precious nourishment from the sun. Err... I mean have dinner. '''APPLES!''' Yes. Normal apples. '''Normal.'''}}
** And the general lack of suspicion when Johnny '''Evilguy''' pops up.
* [http://threepanelsoul.com/2007/10/20/on-subterfuge/ This] ''[[Three Panel Soul]]'' strip, which inspired the ''[[
* ''[[Homestuck]]'': When Equius tries to get Gamzee to indulge in the caste privileges the latter's [[Blue and Orange Morality|blood superiority]] affords him, it... [http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=004121 doesn't really work.]
{{quote| {{color|#000056| CT: D --> What do you make of it}}<br />
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{{color|indigo| TC: aNd It'S gOiNg At YoUr DiReCtIoN, cAuSe ThAt'S tHe DiReCtIoN tO fUcKiN bE aNgRy At!}} }}
* ''[[Voices]]'' has the advertisement for [[Mega Corp|Xern]] on [http://windowchronicles.com/voices/index.php?page=v01-085 this page.]
* [http://www.housepetscomic.com/2010/09/10/falling-into-the-role/ This] ''[[
* Tiffany in ''[[Eerie Cuties]]'' is most definitely not a slayer. She's just a ghost in a school for monsters! [http://www.eeriecuties.com/d/20100421.html Not suspicious at all!]
* ''[[Exterminatus Now]]'' in a strip appropriately named "subtlety" has most definitely ''not'' [http://exterminatusnow.co.uk/2003-11-03/comic/meet-the-crew/subtlety/ a hive of vile heresy].
* Lampshaded in ''[[
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== Western Animation ==
* ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door]]'' shows us just how stupid the world's worst villain, the Toilinator is, by having an [[Noodle Incident|off panel story]] about how he was fooled by Numbuh 1 whose disguise was just a t-shirt that said "I'm not Numbuh 1."
** When the KND operatives played a game of tag to decide who'd be their leader, (Numbuh 13 was the only one who wanted the mantle but the others wouldn't let him have it) Numbuh 4 hid himself in a box that had a written message stating he wasn't there.
* ''[[Justice League Unlimited]],''' The Flash [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyYOuuRmQp0 posing as Luthor], as mentioned above. Two people seemed to have caught on, but kept it to themselves for their own reasons (Gorilla Grodd, who wanted to see him squirm, and Tala, who liked "new" Lex better. Especially in bed...). The rest assumed that their leader had fried his brain trying to [[Mind Probe]] Grodd.
* ''[[
** The episode "Fear of a Bot Planet":
{{quote| '''Guard-bot #2:''' Be you robot or human?<br />
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* ''[[Robot Chicken]]'': In an ''[[A-Team]]'' spoof, Face attempts to infiltrate the criminal underworld by announcing "Greetings. Is this where the thugs and/or criminals hang out? Because I too am a thug and/or criminal." He is recognized immediately.
* In an episode of ''[[Rocko's Modern Life]]'', Heffer tries to sneak into a nightclub for elk by putting on a pair of fake antlers and telling the bouncer "I am an elk. I have antlers." The bouncer quips "You want a prize?" before letting him in.
* ''[[Earthworm Jim (
* Subverted in an episode of ''[[Out of Jimmys Head]]''. When Sonny unveils his Jimbotron, a robot double of the protagonist Jimmy, it looks like a sub-B-grade science fiction movie robot with an unconvincing wig and one of Jimmy's shirts, which barely fits it. Sonny also has it say things like "If I'm not Jimmy, why would I steal one of his shirts?" It spectacularly fails to fool anyone except Jimmy's [[Bumbling Dad|idiot father]], and even ''he'' had to be [[Blind Without'Em|missing his contacts.]]
* In one episode of ''[[
* ''[[Danny Phantom]]'': Danny does this when overshadowing his father in "Parental Bonding".
* ''[[The Simpsons (
** Bart barely convinces a group of children from Shelbyville that he is one of them. "No, not in my mouth! ...Uh, is what that kid would say." To be fair they don't have a clue who he is even after his reveal.
{{quote| '''Bart:''' It's me, Bart Simpson. ''(confused looks)'' From Springfield!}}
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{{quote| "I AM A PERFECTLY NORMAL HUMAN WORM BABY."}}
* One episode of ''[[The Tick]]'' involves a shoddy green clone of Arthur who says nothing but "I Arthur". Naturally, the Tick can't tell them apart.
* An episode of ''[[Ben 10: Alien Force
* In ''[[Transformers Animated]]'', when Wasp disguises himself as Bumblebee (and makes Bumblebee look like Wasp), his disguise is compromised by his penchant for talking in the third person, and his habit of calling Bumblebee 'Bumblebot'. The same happens to Bumblebee, except because of his lack of third-person speaking. Naturally, no-one notices.
* ''[[
** "Hello hebrews and shebrews, what a glorious Jewish day..." Also followed immediately by: "They tried to rip me off, but I 'us'ed them down to half price" (Jewish man runs up and kicks Peter in the crotch.)
* In the ''[[Bump in
* In ''[[Timon and Pumbaa]]'', the two title characters have done a [[Totem Pole Trench]] a few times, but each time, Timon had a habit of stumbling over his words forgetting that they are supposed to be one person.
* Similar to the above example, on and episode of ''[[Ed Edd and Eddy]]'', when the Ed's tried to fool the Kanker Sisters, Eddy said "We're doing a survey," instead of "I'm doing a survey."
* In ''[[
{{quote| '''Brain:''' I'm happy to be... Napoleon—uh, here, and if you need... Napoleon for anything, ask me, for I am him.}}
* An episode of ''[[Two Stupid Dogs]]'' has Little Dog freaking out over a cat and trying (in vain) to wake up Big Dog so he could scare the cat off. As part of a plan to get rid of the cat by himself, Little Dog got himself a cat puppet:
{{quote| '''Little Dog:''' Hey, cat! Hey! Look at me! I'm a cat, not a puppet! And we can be friends, you can trust me, because I'm a cat, not a puppet... and definitely not a dog.}}
* An episode of [[Taz
* In ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'' episode "Not Phineas & Ferb", Irwin tricked his brother Albert by having Baljeet and Buford dressed as Phineas and Ferb. Buford, who was dressed as Ferb, mentioned being a Britton that doesn't talk a lot.
* In ''[[The Fairly Odd Parents]]'' episode "Timvisible", Francis the bully held a tradition of beating all other boys during last day. One of his victims put on a pink dress and a blonde wig to avoid it. That boy stated he was a girl, whom Francis would beat if he were a boy but won't because he was a girl or something like that. Does any troper know the correct line? Francis saw through the lame acting and removed the wig. The boy then pleaded that he was still wearing a dress but it didn't work.
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* Everyone in Britain just assumes anyone who calls themselves a Canadian is an American who doesn't want to admit it.
** Until they say about, or out, or shout, or something. Then we've got them!
** Instead Canadians wear [[Yu-Gi-Oh!:
** The old joke (told even in Canada) goes like this:
{{quote| How can you tell there's an American in Europe? He goes around insisting he's Canadian. How do you know there's a Canadian in Europe? He goes around insisting he's not American. }}
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