Unreliable Narrator: Difference between revisions

Note: as this is often a particularly subversive [[Reveal]], '''REALLY BIG spoilers''' ahead, especially in the Literature section.

 

== Anime and Manga ==

* Being the [[Animated Adaptation]] of the light novels, Kyon from the ''[[Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' anime certainly qualifies. At the end of each episode, in the original 2006 summer broadcast, Haruhi always indicates the number of the next episode by its chronological order, while Kyon corrects her every time with the episode number based on the broadcast order (and for the one episode where the numbers actually match up, he then corrects himself and apologizes). Both are replaced with Nagato delivering a deadpan tie-in to the next episode, in both the DVD release and expanded 2009 broadcast.

*** ''Tasha’s Guide to Everything''. Iggwilv is fooling nobody, the fans know “Tasha” is one of her aliases, and trusting the word of an [[Evil Sorceress]] known for her dalliances with Graz’zt and being the mother of [[The Caligula|Iuz the Old]] is something to avoid. She is also co-collaborator of ''Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse'', and while Mordenkainen fits this Trope two for many reasons, he is the more trustworthy of the two.

*** ''Xanathar’s Guide to Everything''. Xanathar is [[The Dreaded| a beholder]] a species most civilized races know enough to steer clear of (including other races that hate humans, like the drow and illithids), and a known crime boss as well, who desires to know everything. Its comments in the text will often make its [[Orange and Blue Morality]] obvious.

* Indie storytelling game ''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen'' makes every player into an unreliable narrator, and has specific mechanics governing how players can challenge the veracity of each others' tales.

* The''[[Deadlands]]'' source books are divided into two to three sections. The Posse Territory sections are for general use, and give about as much information as the world at large knows. No Man's Land is for information only certain people would know, like the existence of Harrowed or how Huckster magic works. Both of these sections are filled with untruths, ranging from simple misinformation to [[Blatant Lies]]. The Marshall's Only sections have the lowdown on how things ''really'' work. Part of the setting's mystique is having the inner workings of the Reckoning remain a mystery to the players.

* [[Played for Laughs]] in ''[[Borderlands|Tales from the Borderlands]]'': the game shows events as described by Rhys and Fiona after the fact, and they sometimes go into completely ridiculous fabrications to make themselves look cool. Of course, these are immediately retracted since no one falls for them.

 

* The early parts of ''[[A Profile]]'' do not have entirely accurate narration because it is all from the point of view of Masayuki, who insists on seeing the best in situations and people, even if they're terrible. After some of his backstory is revealed, the point is largely dropped.

* Shikanosuke in ''[[Kirakira|Kira Kira]]'' is sufficiently [[Kuudere]] that he won't admit what he's feeling, ''even to the reader.'' Despite him being the narrator it can fall to other characters to explain his emotions.

 

 

* ''[[Homestuck]]'' has a subversion. After the reader goes to Doc Scratch for some god moding help, he gives out a huge amount of exposition and his self-serving memory prompts Andrew Hussie, the creator of the comic, to break through the "fifth wall" and beat him up.

** Not that Hussie is that reliable either. He has the tendency to do [[Orwellian Retcon]]s and [[Gaslighting]] his audience whenever convenient to the plot.