Secret Keeper: Difference between revisions
→[[Literature]]: Replaced redirects
m (Mass update links) |
(→[[Literature]]: Replaced redirects) |
||
| (16 intermediate revisions by 8 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{trope}}
{{quote|'''Max''': How do you save the world ''and not tell anybody?''
'''Terry''': I can tell you. You can tell me. That's why I'm glad you found out, partner.
|''[[Batman Beyond]]'', "Final Cut"}}
Your hero has a [[Masquerade|dirty little secret]] that is central to the character and the show's main plot. He might be a superhero, or he might have [[Dexter's Laboratory|a lab in his bedroom]], or that [[Sabrina the Teenage Witch|she's a witch]]. There will sometimes be one regular Joe who knows about the hero's secret, and will also keep it secret. The
Often, the existence of a
The [[Trope Namer|phrase originated]] in ''[[Harry Potter]]'', where the ''Fidelius Charm'' hides a secret within a living person's soul (that person would then become the "
See also [[Tongue-Tied]], for when a character is ''forced'' to keep a secret. See also [[The Confidant]], someone who keeps non-heroic secrets. For cases in which the hero doesn't ''know'' that someone knows his secret, see [[Secret Secret Keeper]]. Frequently discovers [[Keeping Secrets Sucks]], and is witness to [[The Masquerade Will Kill Your Dating Life]].
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== Anime ==▼
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* ''[[Sonic X]]'' has Chris Thorndyke, his grandfather, and his two servants Mr. Tanaka and Ella right before everyone knows about Sonic and his friends.
* The whole premise of [[Fruits Basket]] is Tohru Honda serving as the
* Melchisedec and Carmichael in ''[[Soukou no Strain]]'' serve as Sara's Secret Keepers despite not knowing just what her secret ''is'', only that she can synchronize with a discarded Mimic.
* Hayate was the Wolkenritter's
** At the same season, there's Arisa and Suzaka discovering Nanoha and Fate's secret as [[Magical Girl Warrior]].
* Despite being in mysterious competition with one another, the members of the SOS-dan in ''[[Suzumiya Haruhi]]'', besides Haruhi herself, fiercely guard each other's [[Secret Identity|secret origins]].
* In the classic anime ''[[Kimagure Orange Road]]'', blood members of the Kasuga family all had psychic powers and a desire to keep them a secret from the general populace. This necessitates that anyone who marries into the family (such as Kyousuke's father) must become a
** Of course, the other major secret that Kyousuke has - his budding love for Ayukawa Madoka - is kept by his sister Manami.
** The Master of the local coffee shop, Abcb, knows the feelings that both Kyousuke and Madoka have for each other.
Line 26 ⟶ 27:
** Well, actually Ai Haibara and Vermouth are ''part'' of the secret. In fact, it could be argued that they are {{spoiler|directly responsible for it}}. I'm not sure they count as secret keepers.
* Rin Sawamura, Shiro and Nao Makinoha, Shuichi Takamizawa, Kota Shingyoji, Hisashi Sakisaka, and Lucy Winladd in ''[[Midori Days]]''.
* The Tendo family, Ryoga, Shampoo and her grandmother, Mousse, Ukyo, Konatsu, and Nodoka in ''[[Ranma
* ''[[Inuyasha]]'': Kagome's mother, brother and grandfather.
** [[Ultimate Blacksmith|Toutousai]]. Although it was obvious he knew the truth about [[Infinity+1 Sword|Tessaiga]] what had been hidden much better were the secets he was keeping about [[Healing Shiv|Tenseiga]] and [[More Than Infinite|Bakusaiga]].
Line 46 ⟶ 47:
** Komamura, Iba, Yumichika, Renji and Keigo are all secret-keepers for Ikkaku's bankai.
** Hisagi is the sole living person who knows the truth about Yumichika's abilities.
* Athrun Zala in [[Gundam Seed Destiny]] is a
* The whole [[Ouran High School Host Club|Host Club]] keeps Haruhi's real [[Wholesome Crossdresser|gender]] a secret since she's working as a Host to pay back her debt.
* Ito and Akane in [[W Juliet]] guard the secret of Makoto's real [[Wholesome Crossdresser|gender]] though a few other people eventual figure it out they have much more passive rolls.
* In [[Genshiken]] it is implied that Ohno knows about Madarame's crush on Saki, as she tries to covertly give him pictures of Saki in cosplay outfits.
* Sena's title ''[[Eyeshield 21]]'' is kept by Hiruma, Kurita, Panther, Shin, the Ha-Ha Bros.
* In ''[[Code Geass]]'', C.C. is a
* A case shows up in [[One Piece]], where Sanji, Brook, Robin and the Risky Brothers all knew about [[Heroic Sacrifice|what really happened]] between Zoro and Kuma, even keeping it a secret from Zoro himself, knowing that if Luffy found out, it would devastate him and Zoro didn't do it so people would praise him anyways.
* A handful of one off characters in the ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' anime find out about one or more of the Sailor Senshi's identities, but they usually only show up in an episode each. The manga has a few more ongoing characters learn of the masquerade (most notably Motoki). It is implied in both during ''R''/the ''Black Moon'' arc that Naru does know Usagi is part of something unusual and important but that Usagi doesn't want her to ask about it.
* In ''[[Karin]]'', the character [[Face of a Thug|Kenta]] [[Nice Guy|Usui]] ends up as one for the Marker/Maaka family when he learns that Karin is a [[Friendly Neighborhood Vampire|vampire]].
* In ''[[Baccano!]]'', Ronnie Suchiart serves as [[The Older Immortal|Maiza's]] secret keeper and only constant companion up until {{spoiler|just about ''everyone'' in the [[The Mafia|Martillo family]] winds up immortal, and Maiza catches on that that Ronnie is [[Eldritch Abomination|a lot less human]] than he originally presented himself as}}, at which point the roles reverse.
* ''[[A Certain Magical Index]]'': Initially, Heaven Canceller is the only one who knows about Touma's memory loss (aside from Touma himself). Terra of the Left manages to deduce this ({{spoiler|shortly before being killed}}) and Mikoto happens to overhear this conversation. Later on, Fiamma of the Right also discovers the secret, telling Index about it. Seria, Misaki and (by implication) Motoharu also discover the secret of their own accord, though Touma [[Secret Secret Keeper|isn't aware that these three know]].
== [[Comic Books]] ==▼
* Modern age comic book Lois Lane knows that [[Clark Kenting|Clark Kent]] is actually [[Superman]] but only Modern age comic book Lois Lane. Golden
▲== Comic Books ==
▲* Modern age comic book Lois Lane knows that [[Clark Kenting|Clark Kent]] is actually [[Superman]] but only Modern age comic book Lois Lane. Golden age Lois was blitheringly ignorant of the fact, Silver Age Lois suspected and kept trying to prove it and Lois of other mediums is nearly uniformly portrayed as not knowing.
** Bruce Wayne is also one of Clark's Secret Keepers (as is Clark for Bruce).
*** Leading to an amusing sequence when Bruce assumed ''Lois'' knew his secret, because he didn't expect Clark to keep secrets from his wife, whereas Clark felt it wasn't his secret to share. By the end of the story Lois has become another of Bruce's Secret Keepers.
** Lana Lang too (in the
** And, of course, Jonathan and Martha Kent, who have been keeping Clark's secret since before he knew about it himself.
** Pete Ross discovered Superman's secret ID back when he was just Superboy during a camping trip. A convenient flash of lightning revealed Clark changing clothes, and Pete kept it secret, [[Secret Secret Keeper|not even letting Superboy know that he knew]]. He once even used his knowledge to become an honorary member of the Legion of Super-Heroes by claiming he had telepathy and knew Superboy's secret ID. Writing the identity on a lead tablet so Superboy couldn't see. Superboy assumed Pete was bluffing and that everyone else was just going along with the joke.
* ''[[Batman]]'': More people are in on
** Alfred Pennyworth is his primary
** Lucius Fox is sometimes portrayed as most likely knowing that Batman and Bruce Wayne are one and the same, but not telling anyone, [[Secret Secret Keeper|not even Bruce]], this knowledge. In the recent movies, this was expanded to him explicitly knowing his secret and being in the loop.
** In "Hush," the Riddler reveals that he deduced Batman's [[Secret Identity]] while taking a dip in a Lazarus Pit. However, Batman convinces him to keep it secret for two reasons: first, having such a secret is no fun for an obsessive puzzler like him if every one knows it, and second, it would give the owner of the Lazarus Pits, the [[Big Bad]] Ra's Al Ghul, a vital clue that the Riddler used a pit without permission and have his League of Assassins kill him no matter where he is. More recently, the Riddler has developed a mental block preventing him from remembering this.
** "Hush" actually showed a ''lot'' of Batman's Secret Keepers: two Robins, Superman and Lois Lane, the Huntress, Leslie Thompkins, Zatanna, Batgirl, Catwoman, Ra's and Talia Al Ghul, the Riddler...
** Jim Gordon is generally portrayed as being a good enough detective to have found Batman's secret, but reserved enough not to tell anyone, even Bruce. In the first of the most recent Batman/Superman series, Batman, while noting the same thing about Superman's Perry White, reveals that he's aware that Gordon most likely knows.
** In one issue of ''[[Birds of Prey]]'', Barbara Gordon revealed her operations as Oracle to her father, who was initially stunned but ultimately proud of his daughter. Barbara then pulled out her old Batgirl costume, saying, "I'm so glad that you're handling this so well, Dad, because there's more to it, I'm afraid." Jim Gordon's response: "Okay, this part I knew."
* [[Batwoman]] has her dad, Colonel Kane, who is also her main source of logistical support. Also, [[The Question|Renee Montoya]] and [[Nightwing]] deduce her identity in ''[[
* Mary Jane Watson was [[Spider-Man (Comic Book)|Spider-Man]]'s
** MJ is still Spider-Man's secret keeper. They're just not romantically involved at this time.
** Then again in ''[[Ultimate Spider-Man]]'', including former bully Kenny McFarlane. [[Dumb Muscle|Kenny]] actually figures it out on his own, staying up late at night, thinking about Peter's new awesomeness (ie: he flipped Kenny once, broke Flash's hand, replaced Flash on the basketball team, etc.) and Spidey's apparent availability at Midtown High School. Then he tests it. Cue the subverted [[Bruce Wayne Held Hostage]].
{{quote|
- '''Kenny''': (kicks him into the locker)
'''Peter Parker''': Ow! Owy ow! Why did you- ow! What is wrong with you!!?? Ow- Owww!! }}
** Aunt May seems to play this role in the recent{{when}} [[Spider-Man (film)|Spider-Man]] movies, particularly the second movie, where she gives Peter a speech seemingly directed at Spider-Man, which helps him decide to become Spider-Man again.
*** Aunt May definitely plays this role later in Ultimate Spider-man. With that awesome matriarchy, Aunt May subverts [[There Are No Therapists]]. At one point, she pulls a [[Guns Are Worthless|gun on a recognized supervillain]].
* Jaime Reyes, the current [[Blue Beetle]], was thrown a year into the future after ''Infinite Crisis''. His family, naturally enough, [[Freak-Out|freaked out]] on his return, so Jaime decided to prove his story about what had happened to him by revealing his secret identity. His family and friends know, but keep it a secret outside of that.
Line 86 ⟶ 87:
** Whether or not the superheroes' secret keepers are aware of the others are open to debate. Especially considering that Jean Loring knows Tim Drake is Robin, despite Tim having his identity a deep secret even from Bruce's allies.
* Wesley Dodds' girlfriend Dian Belmont knows he is [[Sandman Mystery Theatre|the Sandman]], and even occasionally helps him in his cases.
* [[Green Lantern]] Hal Jordan's first Secret Keeper was his airplane mechanic, Tom Kalmaku. When Tom accidentally learned Hal's identity, he respected GL enough to offer to let him erase the memory from his mind
== [[Fan Works]] ==
* In ''[[Kyon: Big Damn Hero]]'', {{spoiler|Rika and Kyon are this to each other}}, {{spoiler|Miyoko/Miyokichi}} inadvertently became one, and Kyon's sister wants to become one.
** So far, quite a few members of the extended SOS Brigade trust Kyon's sister, but Kyon himself doesn't trust her.
* In the ''[[Mass Effect]]'' [[Self Insert]] ''[[Mass Vexations]]'', Tali eventually becomes [[Author Avatar|Art's]] secret keeper.
** He gets a lot more secret keepers in the sequel: as of the moment, Garrus, {{spoiler|Madison}}, Thane, Kasumi, and Shala'Raan have all found out.
* In the ''[[Elemental Chess Trilogy]]'', it gets revealed that Maes Hughes was this for Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye, before and during the early part of the ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' canon. Hughes, who was Mustang's best friend, was the only one who had absolute confirmation of the actual relationship between the two (though plenty of other people guessed).
* Patrick and Grace Winslow play this role in ''[[The Smurfs (film)|The Smurfs]]'' regarding their little blue visitors from another time and place, because, hey...who would believe them in a world that seems to regard the Smurfs as [[Recursive Canon|a mere legend documented by a Belgian cartoonist?]]
== [[Literature]] ==▼
* The [[Trope Namer]] is Peter Pettigrew, the traitorous rat-animagus from the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' series. He was chosen by Harry's parents to guard the secret of their location from Lord Voldemort. Bad choice on their part.▼
▲== Literature ==
▲* The [[Trope Namer]] is Peter Pettigrew, the traitorous rat-animagus from the [[Harry Potter]] series. He was chosen by Harry's parents to guard the secret of their location from Lord Voldemort. Bad choice on their part.
** To be fair, Pettigrew was only chosen because everyone would naturally assume James Potter would select his brother-from-another-mother best friend, Sirius Black. Knowing that, the Potters decided to choose a less obvious Secret Keeper and Pettigrew became it. They just didn't know that Pettigrew was a Death-Eater...
** Later, Dumbledore is the
** Note that Harry, himself, doesn't have a
* ''[[Zorro
* Safe-Keepers of Sharon Shinn's ''Safe-Keepers Series'' can be told any secret, no matter how terrible, no matter how much damage may be caused, and will never reveal it until the secret is found out by someone else, Or they get permission. Yes, they really ''will not'' tell. Never. Ever.
** This doesn't mean that they won't ''do'' anything about it, though. Fiona in ''The Safe-Keeper's Secret'' goes out of her way to help this one girl who confides in her. However, considering that {{spoiler|she doesn't actually have the Safe-Keeping gift, since she's [[Oblivious Adoption|Obliviously Adopted]] and is in fact a [[Heroic Bastard]]}} this may or may not count.
* [[Deryni]] Stivana deCorwyn and her husband Keryell, Earl of Lendour had twins Alyce and Vera. As a hedge against persecution, they passed Vera off as the daughter of the human Howards. Alyce and Vera only learned of this after their parents were dead. They kept the secret between themselves and their tutor of ''ars magica'' Father Pascal until they Named their sons, when Alyce told her husband so he could assist in the ritual, and when King Donal paid a surpise visit to participate in Alaric Morgan's Naming. Alyce blocked Kenneth Morgan's memory at his request, Donal promised Vera that the secret was safe with him, and {{spoiler|both Donal and Alyce died in a few months' time}}. Morgan and Duncan kept the secret between them for many years.
* In the final books of ''[[Animorphs]]'', the Animorphs end up revealing their powers and ongoing battle to their families as part of hiding them away from the Yeerks.
** The Animorphs are also mutual Secret Keepers: their allies include a race of ancient androids who have been posing as normal humans at least since the time of the Great Pyramids, and a colony of alien freedom fighters who escaped from the Yeerks. They also know the identities of two key members of the Yeerk Peace Movement. Later, Visser One figures out that they're human (because {{spoiler|"Andalites don't make human pop culture references!"}}), while they find out that she has {{spoiler|two human children}}
* In ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'', only two people survived the battle at the Tower of Joy before the start of the book: Ned Stark and Howland Reed. There are many clues for the reader as to what Ned's big secret is, but it's clear that Howland Reed is probably the only person in-universe who knows. Knowing the author's [[Anyone Can Die]] [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog]] tendencies, Howland Reed will probably still wind up dying before anybody else finds out.
* In ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'', three people know Perrin can talk to wolves: Egwene, Faile, and Elyas.(Who can also talk to wolves, and helped Perrin discover that he had the ability in the first place.) Also {{spoiler|Moiraine knew about it too, but she was out of the picture, and believed dead for 8 books and has only just returned.}}.
* In ''[[The Stormlight Archive]]'', Teft and Lopen end up acting as Kaladin's Secret Keepers after Kaladin first discovers his magical abilities (though Teft actually knew about them before Kaladin even did) later the rest of Bridge 4 gets let in on it, though it was kind of necessary seeing as Kaladin demonstrated said abilities fairly spectacularly. Also Shallan and Jasnah are currently mutual Secret Keepers of their shared innate soulcasting powers, and Dalinar's sons and Navani are keeping the secret of Dalinar's visions.
* In the ''[[Warrior Cats]]'' series, there's quite a few.
** Several cats help keep forbidden relationships hidden. Fireheart and Mistyfoot do this for Graystripe and Silverstream's relationship, and {{spoiler|Squirrelflight raises Leafpool's kits as her own}}.
Line 120 ⟶ 118:
** {{spoiler|Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Leafpool know that Hollyleaf killed Ashfur}}, but they decide not to reveal it to the Clan. Apparently keeping secrets just runs in the family.
▲== Live Action TV ==
* Captain Roger Healey on ''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]''.
* Janet from ''[[My Hero (TV)|My Hero]]''.
** Tyler technically could count as well, except no one would believe him anyway...
* Original Cindy, from ''[[Dark Angel]]''
Line 130 ⟶ 127:
* Naru Osaka and Motoki Furuhata in ''[[Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon]]''.
* ''[[The Secret World of Alex Mack]]'': Alex's friend Ray, and her sister Annie.
* ''[[100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd
** The last episode has Tori.
* Keely in ''[[Phil of the Future]]''.
Line 139 ⟶ 136:
* On ''[[Torchwood]]'', Rhys Williams ([[Action Girl|Gwen Cooper's]] fiance), stumbled onto proof of just what it is that Gwen does for Torchwood. Captain Jack Harkness decides to not dose Rhys with [[Retcon]] (Torchwood's amnesia pill) after he sees how much good it does Gwen to have someone outside of Torchwood to talk to about work.
* In ''[[Dexter]]'', Harry, Dexter's foster father, is the typical example. The second is the Ice Truck Killer, Dexter's nemesis, {{spoiler|who is appropriately revealed to be Dexter's biological brother.}}
* Zach was Claire's
** Ando is Hiro's
** Claire herself was the Haitian's
* Merton Dingle and Lori Baxter in ''[[Big Wolf on Campus]]''.
* Omar (and at least one other kid of John's), ''New Amsterdam.''
* On ''[[Bewitched]]'', Darrin
* The writers of ''[[Smallville]]'' have had to let so many people in Clark's secret to keep the show fresh that Lois Lane is about the only one who DOESN'T know by now. Lana, Chloe, Lionel, [[Product Placement]] Pete. And now, as of the Season 7 finale, Lex also knows.
** {{spoiler|Lois seems to know now and is currently a [[Secret Secret Keeper]] as Chloe was before her.}}
Line 151 ⟶ 148:
* Gaius from ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'' is the only person (as yet) in town who knows about Merlin's powers, as well as being his [[Mentors|mentor]].
** Lancelot knows too, but has agreed to keep it a secret.
** Likewise, Merlin is Lancelot's
** On the same show, Gaius, Merlin and Gwen are the only ones that know Morgana has precognitive dreams.
*** [[Inverted]] in regards to Morgana in season 3. For the first half of the season only Merlin and Gaius know the secret that {{spoiler|Morgana is evil}}, but they are unable to tell anyone about it without any proof, despite dearly wanting to warn their friends.
Line 159 ⟶ 156:
* ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'': the first people to discover the Rangers' secret identities were Rocky, Adam, and Aisha, and they pledged to keep them secret. They weren't able to play this role for very long however, as Jason, Zack, and Trini were soon "[[Put on a Bus|sent to a peace conference]]", and Rocky, Adam, and Aisha became their replacements as Rangers.
* Fran in ''[[Power Rangers Jungle Fury]]'', who discovers the secret identities of her fellow pizza-parlor staff around the time they get their [[Mid-Season Upgrade]].
*
* [[Hannah Montana]]'s secret keepers (aside from Bobby Ray and Jackson) are Lilly and Oliver. Later, there's Jake Ryan, Lilly's mother, Oliver's mother, Officer Daria and his daughter. That is until everyone discovers the fact in the movie.
* Almost all the major [[Muggle]] characters on ''[[Kyle XY]]'' end up being this, although in this case it's also to help Kyle and Jessi. At one point, it causes a [[Crowning Moment of Funny]] for Josh as he spills all his ''other'' secrets. Josh also briefly doubles as one for Andy, before her cancer is made public.
Line 166 ⟶ 163:
** {{spoiler|And now they have both been joined by Casey's daughter Alex, as well as Ellie.}}
* On ''[[Bosom Buddies (TV series)|Bosom Buddies]]'', Amy kept the secret that Kip and Henry were [[Disguised in Drag|pretending to be their own sisters]] during the first season. In the second season, the remainder of the main were also in on the secret and helped maintain the ruse.
* In ''[[Fringe]]'', [[Fun Personified|Agent Lincoln Lee]] from the [[Alternate Universe]] Fringe Division prides himself as this when he is speaking to (Alternate)Olivia. Later, he decides that he "can't keep secrets for shit" and spills it all to (Alternate)Charlie Francis.
* In ''[[The Quest for Karla (TV series)|Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy]]'', only George Smiley ever knew Control's real name.
== [[Video Games]] ==
* In the second game of the ''[[Eagle Eye Mysteries]]'' PC [[Edutainment Game]] series, protagonists Jake and Jennifer Eagle, as well as your [[The Faceless|unseen player character]], become Secret Keepers in "Case of Blood's Bold Bauble." A distant relative tells you that there's a particular story that has been kept within his immediate family for generations: that three centuries ago, an ancestor found a small but very valuable ruby that was dropped by the titular thief Captain Blood and his gang, who beat a hasty retreat after attempting to break into the Tower of London to steal the Crown Jewels. The ancestor, fearing he would be implicated in the robbery if he tried to return the ruby, kept it for himself and only told its story to his son, who in turn told the tale to ''his'' son, and so on. By the time you, Jake and Jennifer have been told the story, the secret's origins are so distant that the ruby's revelation can no longer hurt the family; the only reason the relative tells you the story is because he thinks one of his three children, who are currently the only other people who know the family secret, might have broken the bond of parent-child trust and told the secret to cash in on
==
* Parodied [https://web.archive.org/web/20070610064616/http://www.qwantz.com/index.pl?comic=749 here] in ''[[Dinosaur Comics]]''; the [[Alt Text]] explicitly identifies T-Rex as "the worst Lois Lane ever".▼
▲* In the second game of the ''[[Eagle Eye Mysteries]]'' PC [[Edutainment Game]] series, protagonists Jake and Jennifer Eagle, as well as your [[The Faceless|unseen player character]], become Secret Keepers in "Case of Blood's Bold Bauble." A distant relative tells you that there's a particular story that has been kept within his immediate family for generations: that three centuries ago, an ancestor found a small but very valuable ruby that was dropped by the titular thief Captain Blood and his gang, who beat a hasty retreat after attempting to break into the Tower of London to steal the Crown Jewels. The ancestor, fearing he would be implicated in the robbery if he tried to return the ruby, kept it for himself and only told its story to his son, who in turn told the tale to ''his'' son, and so on. By the time you, Jake and Jennifer have been told the story, the secret's origins are so distant that the ruby's revelation can no longer hurt the family; the only reason the relative tells you the story is because he thinks one of his three children, who are currently the only other people who know the family secret, might have broken the bond of parent-child trust and told the secret to cash in on it--hence, the beginning of your covert investigation to find out who's responsible without tipping off any of the children as to your knowledge. {{spoiler|Turns out none of the kids talked--the oldest son is set to star in a film about a very different Captain Blood, and the misunderstanding arose from that}}.
* In ''[[El Goonish Shive]]'', Outside the "core" cast, Melissa is Noah's secret keeper.▼
* In ''[[The Dreamer]]'', Yvette is the only person who knows about Beatrice's time-travel dreams.▼
== [[Web Original]] ==▼
▲== Web Original ==
* In ''[[Red vs. Blue|Red vs. Blue: Reconstruction]]'', Agent Washington hides the fact that he has all the memories of the Epsilon AI, which is the manifestation of the Alpha AI's memories, which ''itself'' was created from the Director's mind. This means that he has knowledge of both the torture used to split the Alpha into separate AIs and all of the access codes used in the Director's lab.
== [[Western Animation]] ==▼
▲* Parodied [http://www.qwantz.com/index.pl?comic=749 here] in ''[[Dinosaur Comics]]''; the [[Alt Text]] explicitly identifies T-Rex as "the worst Lois Lane ever".
▲* In ''[[El Goonish Shive]]'', Outside the "core" cast, Melissa is Noah's secret keeper.
▲* In ''The Dreamer'', Yvette is the only person who knows about Beatrice's time-travel dreams.
▲== Western Animation ==
* Elena Potato and her cousin Lonzo in ''[[Monster Allergy]]''.
* Matt Olsen in ''[[WITCH (animation)|WITCH]]''.
* Chloe Flan, Sabrina's [[Black Best Friend]], who was invented
* Dee-Dee, from ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]''
* Richie from ''[[Static Shock]]'', who later becomes a superhero himself.
** Frieda [[Static (comics)|in the comics.]]
* Sam, Tucker, and later Danny's sister Jazz in ''[[Danny Phantom]]''.
* Scrooge McDuck and Mrs. Crackshell are the only ones in ''[[DuckTales (1987)]]'' who knows that Fenton is Gizmoduck.
* Debbie Thornberry, in the last five episodes of ''[[The Wild Thornberrys]]''.
* Max, from ''[[Batman Beyond]]''.
** As of the ''[[Justice League (animation)|Justice League Unlimited]]'' episode, Dana knows as well. Terry considered trying to [[It's Not You, It's My Enemies|break up with her for her own safety]], but was last seen asking her out while palming an engagement ring.
*
* In ''[[Hey Arnold!]]
** As well as Helga's shrink Dr. Bliss, who is a Secret Keeper by way of professional confidentiality.
* Subverted by Gaz on ''[[Invader Zim]]''. She discovers early on that Zim is an alien, but doesn't care. When Dib says "Zim's trying to conquer the world," Gaz replies, "but he's so ''bad'' at it." Which is true, but...
* Trixie and Spud, from ''[[American Dragon: Jake Long]]''. In the episode where they find out about Jake's dragon powers, Jake's grandfather gives him a potion that will erase their memories and [[Reset Button|put everything back the way it was]] to maintain the [[Masquerade]] around the magical world. In a subversion of [[Status Quo Is God]] (and possibly as a "screw you" to ''[[Juniper Lee]]'', which had a reset after her friends found out), he pours it out in a potted plant rather than dose their drinks, and they continue to help him in both forms.
* The Holograms (Kimber Benton, Shana Elmsford, Aja Leith, and Carmen 'Raya' Alsono) from ''[[Jem and The Holograms]]'' count here as well.
* In ''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]'', only a few others know Adam is He-Man: Cringer, Orko, Man-at-Arms, and the Sorceress. In the spin-off ''[[She-Ra: Princess of Power|She Ra Princess of Power]]'', his twin sister Adora had Kowl, Madame Razz, Light Hope and Spirit who share her [[Secret Identity]] as She-Ra. They're
** He-Man also, at the Sorceress' request, keeps the secret that the Sorceress is Teela's mother.
* Both averted and played straight in ''[[Kim Possible]]''. Averted in that [[Action Girl|Kim's]] hero status is publicly known. Played straight with Ron Stoppable when he attended a [[Academy of Adventure|ninja school]]; he promised Yori and Master Sensei that he wouldn't tell anyone about the school, even Kim. Later in the series, Yori allowed Ron to tell Kim (who had already discovered the truth about the school on her own). Presumably Kim then became a Secret Keeper for the school as well.
Line 208 ⟶ 201:
** She does. There's an episode where she meets Honker's family, after complaining that Darkwing never introduces her to any of her friends. She even calls him Drake in front of them.
* The human friends of [[The Smurfs]] act in this role to prevent humans from ever getting their hands on them.
* In a twist on the usual [[Secret Identity]] trope, Robin from ''[[Young Justice (animation)|Young Justice]]'' is hiding his civilian identity from his superhero teammates. [[Word of God]] (and [[All There in the Manual|Free Comic Book Day tie-in]]) is that while Batman has forbidden him from revealing his real name, he told Wally anyway.
* Cavin and later, Princess Calla from ''[[Adventures of the Gummi Bears]]''.
* In ''[[Chip and Potato]]'', Chip keeps her pet mouse Potato disguised as a stuffed animal. She later tells the truth to her best friend Nico, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Dazzle.
== [[Real Life]] ==▼
▲== Real Life ==
* Lawyers (at least in the United States, the United Kingdom, and some other common law jurisdictions; [[Your Mileage May Vary]]). While there are a few exceptions to attorney-client privilege (generally having to do with preventing reasonably certain serious bodily harm), for the most part, an attorney can't reveal anything that their client tells them in confidence. This means that in most, if not all, U.S. jurisdictions that if an attorney find out their client committed a crime that an innocent person's in jail for, their ethical obligations to their client prevent them from saying anything without their client's permission, even if the other person is serving a life sentence. [[Keeping Secrets Sucks]].
** Similarly, although doctors are required to report evidence of a crime (gunshot wounds, suspected child abuse, etc.), most details of your medical history are protected by doctor-patient privilege.
* Catholic priests are bound by The Seal of the Confessional to never divulge what anyone says in confession, even if they confess to a crime. A priest violating the seal would risk laicization (defrocking) and excommunication (which that he could not receive any sacrament until he would (ironically) confess his violation of the seal.
** While it's still a sin to break the seal of confession, if the confession says that the person
*** That's simply not true
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Characters As Device]]
[[Category:Romance Novel Plots]]▼
[[Category:Superhero Tropes]]
[[Category:The Secret Index]]
[[Category:Secret Identity Tropes]]
▲[[Category:Romance Novel Plots]]
▲[[Category:Secret Keeper]]
| |||