History Main / BackupBluff

* When Akira makes Sheryl the new boss of the Sebia gang in ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'', the remaining gang members confront her and try to oust her. She taunts them and flashes the necklace Akira got her as proof that she's her favorite, using the gang's knowledge that Akira single-handedly wiped out a large portion of the gang and the previous boss single-handedly to threaten them into backing off. She also purposefully spent half a day walking aimlessly around the market with him in order to sell the bluff. The gang members initially leave, but are ready to charge back in to call her bluff when it turns out that Akira ''is'' in fact tailing her. He kills several of them to make them back off, leaving rest alive to spread the word and make them think twice about doing it again.

* ''Manga/DetectiveConan''

* Usopp from ''Manga/OnePiece'' does this all the time, but since it's usually BlatantLies, half the time they see right through him.
* In episode 20 ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', Kirito does one of these towards the commander of the Salamander army, stating that he's a Spriggan-Undine ambassador, and that attacking him and the Cait-Sith and Slyph meeting would cause the four races to declare war on the Salamander. The commander doesn't buy it, but challenges Kirito to a duel anyway. [[spoiler: After Kirito defeats him, one of his men tells the commander that he saw Kirito the other day with an Undine. Said man was the guy Kirito spared after he saved Leafa during their first encounter in episode 17 (no Undine was present). The Salamander army then leaves peacefully.]]

* ''Film/{{Solo}}'': When Han Solo is confronted by a band of marauders, he tries to bluff them by saying there are thirty armed men aboard the ''Falcon'' who will come running at his call. The ''Falcon'' [[InstantlyProvenWrong promptly takes off.]]

* ''Film/FletchLives''. Fletch confronts the BigBad with evidence of his EvilPlan, saying that his LoveInterest is ready to hand over everything he knows to the media if something happens to him.
-->'''Villain:''' You're bluffing, Fletch.
-->'''Fletch:''' No, I'm not.
-->'''Villain:''' You think you're not... but you are. ''[TheDragon drags in [[IHaveYourWife Fletch's girlfriend at gunpoint]]]''

* Subverted in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Literature/SoulMusic''. Death joins the Klatchian Foreign Legion. When the D'regs charge and kill most of the defenders, Death sets their corpses up to fire back. When the D'regs charge (knowing the trick), the corpses shoot the D'regs when Death gives the order to fire.
* Creator/KeithLaumer's ''The Glory Game''

* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 1}}'', a sufficiently-crafty player character can pull one of these on a ''boss''; even if it works, he suspects the ruse, but decides it isn't worth testing and lets you go.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', Dale rescues Hank, Bill, Boomhauer, and himself from a deranged gun club member by a combination of outrageous bluffing and exploiting the other man's paranoia. Dale pretended to have CIA backup, but instead called for delivery florists. The bluff works because the target of his bluff is a paranoid ConspiracyTheorist, [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike who much like Dale also believes that the CIA would actually send agents disguised as delivery florists]]. [[DeadlyDelivery Fully convinced that the florists are hit teams]], the hostage-taker abandons the situation entirely, but not before blowing up his cabin.

-->My name is Charles Carmichael. I'm a CIA agent, and this is my trap. I don't think you gentlemen recognize the gravity of the predicament you're in. Your call to the Buy More? Yeah, we traced that. Your compound is currently surrounded by 23 infantry troopers, 16 snipers, seven heavy gunners, four demolitions experts and enough ammunition to orbit Arnold Schwarzenegger. You're outmatched and you're outgunned. Those pea-shooters you're holding might as well be sharp sticks and strong language....Of course you don't see anyone. What do you think we are, the FBI? The only thing you're going to see is a muzzle flash and an e-ticket straight to hell."

* From the second season premiere of ''{{Series/Chuck}}'': "My name is Charles Carmichael. I'm a CIA agent, and this is my trap. I don't think you gentlemen recognize the gravity of the predicament you're in. Your call to the Buy More? Yeah, we traced that. Your compound is currently surrounded by 23 infantry troopers, 16 snipers, seven heavy gunners, four demolitions experts and enough ammunition to orbit Arnold Schwarzenegger. You're outmatched and you're outgunned. Those pea-shooters you're holding might as well be sharp sticks and strong language....Of course you don't see anyone. What do you think we are, the FBI? The only thing you're going to see is a muzzle flash and an e-ticket straight to hell." To further sell this bluff, Chuck calls up Morgan and asks him about their Call of Duty map, where all of the figures in the quote come from, and gets Morgan to repeat all of those figures to the baddie of the week.

* Subverted in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/SoulMusic''. Death joins the Klatchian Foreign Legion. When the D'regs charge and kill most of the defenders, Death sets their corpses up to fire back. When the D'regs charge (knowing the trick), the corpses shoot the D'regs when Death gives the order to fire.

Frequently characters, especially [[TheHero heroic]] {{Main Character}}s, find themselves going up against an opponent which outnumbers them or otherwise has a tactical advantage. Whether the character is a badass or completely incapable, they know that in this instance, they don't have enough of a chance in a straight-up fight, so they try to gain an advantage by tricking their opponent.

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* [[Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium Turin Turambar]] of ''Literature/TheChildrenOfHurin'' and ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' fame uses this bluff on a group of orcs attacking some helpless woodmen. Of course, the legend of Turin and his [[BlackSwordsAreBetter sword]] are enough to send the orcs fleeing in terror.
* Sending flag signals to non-existent ships is a tactic used several times by Literature/HoratioHornblower and [[Literature/AubreyMaturin Captain Aubrey]] to convince opposing ships to either give up or maneuver to try to avoid the non-existent ships in such a way as to put them at a disadvantage.
* Subverted in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/SoulMusic''. Death joins the Klatchian Foreign Legion. When the D'regs charge and kill most of the defenders, Death sets their corpses up to fire back. When the D'regs charge (knowing the trick), the corpses shoot the D'regs when Death gives the order to fire.
* In the Lone Islands section of ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'', Prince Caspian does this, ordering his crew to send signals "to all the other ships we haven't got but which it might be well that Gumpas thinks we have."

* Literature/ArtemisFowl does this to Minerva in ''The Time Paradox'' by hacking into the security cameras and simulating armed forces, including a tank.
* Several groups in various ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' books use this trick, usually successfully. Of course, it helps that the bluffer is usually ''[[OneManArmy worth]]'' [[BadassCrew that many]].

* In the last book of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain'', King Rhun takes advantage of the smoke and confusion that pervades a battle. He races his horse from one side of the battlefield to the other, shouting orders to regiments of cavalry that don't exist.

** In the episode "A Jewel Thief Caught Red Handed",Inspector Takagi is off duty and at a jewelry store to look at a broach he is considering buying. While he is there, a thief comes in and holds up the store. Inspector Takagi shows his badge and falsely claims that there are other detectives around. It doesn't work.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', when Frank Bryce catches Voldemort and Wormtail in the old Riddle House, he tries to scare them away by threatening that his wife is downstairs phoning the police. Unfortunately for him, Voldemort can easily read his mind and knows he doesn't have a wife.

More indirectly, the hero might shout or radio false commands to non-existent groups in such a way that the enemy will overhear. For example, a two man team might loudly call out commands like "First platoon, cover my flank!" Even more sophisticated methods might involve creating a simulation of backup through decoys or illusions. If the hero is under siege, he might use these methods to convince the besiegers that they have [[TheCavalry reinforcements on the way]] to break the siege, when in fact there are none.

If the enemy actually surrenders or retreats, they're bound to feel enraged and humiliated when they find out they've been tricked. By the same token, the bluffer ends up looking pretty pathetic if the enemy calls his bluff and nothing happens.

Frequently characters, especially [[TheHero heroic]] {{Main Character}}s, find themselves going up against an opponent which outnumbers them or otherwise has a tactical advantage. Whether the character is a badass or completely incapable, they know that in this instance, they don't have enough of a chance in a straight-up fight, so they try to gain an advantage by out-thinking their opponent.

One way of doing this try to make the enemy think that the enemy is outnumbered or surrounded, by pretending that there are people on your side which in fact do not exist. The most basic way to do this is to lie to the enemy. For example, the hero might say "I have snipers covering the back door" when they are in fact all alone.

The hero might also call out false commands to non-existent groups. For example, a two man team might loudly call out command likes "First platoon, cover my flank!" Even more sophisticated methods might involve creating a simulation or illusion of backup. If the hero is under siege, he might use these methods to convince the besiegers that they have [[TheCavalry reinforcements on the way]], when in fact there are none.

* ''Film/{{Maverick}}'': When Maverick confronts the fake Indian bandits, he tells them they're surrounded. He does have ''some'' backup hiding nearby in the persons of Marshall Cooper and Annabelle Bransford, and calls for them to whistle (and then clap, when both turn out to be unable to whistle) to prove that his claim of having the bandits surrounded isn't a bluff, but matters quickly degenerate into a shootout anyhow.
* In ''Film/{{Ladyhawke}}'', Philippe the Mouse (Creator/MatthewBroderick) is hearing noises in the woods. He tries to fool his potential attackers by talking to two imaginary friends, saying things like, "You'd better draw your sword, Pierre!" and, "Ah, Louis, you brought your crossbow!" He also uses different voices to make it sound like they are there.