History Main / ByThePowerOfGrayskull

* ''TheMysticKnightsOfTirNaNog'': "Fire within me!" "Earth beneath me!" "Air above me!" "Water around me!" "Forest before me!"

* Averted in ''{{The Order of the Stick}}'': while V does say "Shapechange" before transforming into [[spoiler: a pink dragon]] for the first time, this is not what actually triggers the transformation. Rather, virtually all spellcasting in ''[=OotS=]'' has ''the name of the spell'' as a verbal component. The next time V transforms, no verbal statement is necessary, as the ''Shapechange'' spell's duration has not expired.

* In Emergency Exit, Karl Tameron activates his couch robot by saying the phrase, "I sing the body electric," the beginning of a Walt Whitman poem. While this is not an example, it happens that later that same phrase not only transforms his couch but also seems to give him some manner of super powered electronics control, which satisfies the criteria. Fridge logic dictates that it's possible that he would have gained the super powers if he had a face the first time he said it and didn't need to use the speaking program from the portal bracelet, as he did not say the words himself that time.

* Megaton Man uses the word {{Overkill}} to transform into his ridiculously muscled superhero form from his ridiculously muscled alter ego.

* ''TheCenturions'' had the activation phrase, "Power-X-Treme!" (or rather "pow-ER ext-REEM!") to beam down their weapons.

** "I Am Transformed" for the ''BeastMachines'' Maximals (a plot point in the early episodes, as the characters needed to learn how to transform, as it had previously been handled by an onboard computer in them.).

* ''Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad'' had "Let's Samurize, Guys!" (for Sam, TheHero), "Let's kick some Giga-butt!" (for Tanker, TheBigGuy), "Pump up the Power!" (for Sydney, [[TheSmartGuy The Smart Girl]]), and a random non sequitur (for Amp, the PluckyComicRelief) that essentially lampshaded the whole pointlessness of the henshin phrases (at least, until he was replaced: Lucky London, the second comic-relief guy, just said "Surf's up!")

* A failed cartoon pilot based on the video game series ''{{Battletoads}}'', amongst its many differences from the original games, had the three teenage protagonists shout out "Let's get warty!" to transform into their toad counterparts. A pretty stupid catchphrase, but not half as bad as what many people thought they said: "Let's get ''horny''!" (As in horny toads. Hopefully.)

*** Subverted in Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition, as a player can take Nonverbal Spell as a feat, allowing one to cast spells without speaking when speaking is usually required.

** Most tabletop games don't require the ''player'' to chant anything, as it's assumed the PC says whatever he needs to say to get the desired spell activated (ie, Power Word Kill doesn't specify the word used).

* Hell, this is done with ''every'' Digimon, really. "-Insert Name Here-mon, Digivolve to...!" or "-Insert Name Here-mon, shinka!" in the Japanese version, and so on and so forth with different languages. Or, some variation on the phrase; examples include "DNA Digivolve", "Warp Digivolve", and "Matrix Digivolve", among others. The actual phrase is used to activate evolution by the Digimon themselves; the only time it isn't said is when you have a mute Digimon. In this case, though, someone else may say it for them.

* "Let's go {{Voltron}} Force!... Form feet and legs!... Form arms and torso/body!... And I'll form... the head!"

** As if we could!

** Musubi ? These are the fists of my pledge, crush the catastrophe before my Ashikabi
** Kazehana ? Wind of my pledge, blow away the dark clouds of my sekirei
** Homura ? These are the flames of my pledge, burn the Karma of my Ashikabi
** Tsukiumi ? This is the water of my pledge, purify the evil residing in my Ashikabi
** Shiina ? Decaying streams of my pledge, wither the cross of my Ashikabi.

*** [[IncrediblyLamePun APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD!]]

** Spells in Kobolds Ate My Baby require the player to perform the correct action/speak the correct words. I seem to remember that the phrase for casting "Wall of Beer" was "Tappa tappa kegga, wall o'Beer omega!". Being invisible required the player to cross their arms and do their best to look like a brooding vampire.

*** And of course when the good deed has been done : "Remember Planeteers, The Power is Yours." to be the powers uncombined, though I'm pretty sure the first part was optional.

* A failed cartoon pilot based on the video game series ''{{Battletoads}}'', amongst its many differences from the original games, had the three teenage protagonists shout out "Let's get warty!" to transform into their toad counterparts. A pretty stupid catchphrase, but not half as bad as what many people thought they said: "Let's get ''horny''!" (As in horny toads. I hope.)
** Considering [[EvilIsSexy who their arch-nemesis is]], they might well have said "horny" instead.

* In ((SuperRobotWarsOriginalGenerationDivineWars)) the main character, Ryusei Date, shouts out 'Variable Formation' whenever he and his two team mates combine in the Super Robot SRX. It's a homage and a parody of this trope because 'Super Robots always have to have a cool combination battlecry.'

* In ((SuperRobotWarsOriginalGenerationsDivineWars)) the main character, Ryusei Date, shouts out 'Variable Formation' whenever he and his two team mates combine in the Super Robot SRX. It's a homage and a parody of this trope because 'Super Robots always have to have a cool combination battlecry.'

* [[SuperSentai Super Sentai]], the show Power Rangers get their basic concept from. Granted, they didn't do it until [[DenshiSentaiDenziman the fourth series]] but that's still 13 years before Power Rangers.[[hottip:* : For a bit of fun trivia, the transformation call for [[KyoryuSentaiZyuranger Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger]], the first Sentai to be adapted for Power Rangers, was "Dino Buckler".]]
** "Chrono Changer!"
** "Gao Access!"
** "Ninpuu / Jinrai / Tenkuu! Shinobi Change!"
** "Bakuryuu Change! HA!"
** "Emergency: Dekaranger!" for the core five. Other Rangers got to personalise it: "Emergency: Dekabreak / Dekamaster", etc.
** "Heavenly Saints, grant us the power of magic! Mahou Henshin! Maagi Magi Maagiro!"
** "Boukenger! Start up!"

* Some of the Lumas in ''SuperMarioGalaxy'' transform into various objects when fed enough star bits by the player. When this happens, they shout 'Transform!!!' which appears on the screen in a speech bubble in a very large, bold font.

* [[PantyStocking&Garterbelt Panty and Stocking]] have an elaborate chant while powering up their lingerie into ghost-slaying weapons. The full version is used once, and later parodied when it quickly decays into apathetic mumbling. Their demonic nemeses, Scanty and Kneesocks, have their own Power of Grayskull chant.

** Hal Jordan's oath is attributed to AlfredBester, who also wrote the bit of doggerel that supplied the title to one of his best-known works: "The Stars, My Destination".

** It's also parodied. Urahara tells Ichigo that the only way to activate some "magic armor" is to yell "TAKE THIS! THE POWER OF JUSTICE! JUSTICE ARMOR! JUSTICE HACHIMAKI! EQUIP!" at the top of his lungs. Ichigo eventually figures out it's uselass, but not before humiliating himself. It later shows up as an actually useful item in a filler arc, leading to much outrage from Ichigo.
** While fighting Stark the two with the longest release 'phrases' - Kyoraku and Ukitake - activate the first release simply with the names of their swords and without fanfare (contrast with Stark's rather more showy transformation). Helpful given the potential for such lengthy verses getting interrupted by the Genre Savvy.

* ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh}}!'': In the first season of the English dub, Yugi's transformation into the pharaoh is usually precipitated by his shouting the title of the series.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* In 2009 when Barack Obama was being sworn in as the president of the United States, part of the oath of office was done incorrectly. Some commentators opined that the he was not actually president because of this, at least not until the oath was re-administered with the correct words. Turns out that real life is a subversion.
** As Keith Olbermann pointed out, the time at which the President Elect takes office is dictated by the Constitution, and that he takes office at precisely that time "whether he is taking the oath, or taking a bath".
[[/folder]]

Primarily associated with {{Anime}}, where it may be a form of CallingYourAttacks, but the trope almost certainly originated with [[ComicBookTropes comic-book character]] Billy Batson, who first used the CatchPhrase "Shazam!" to transform into CaptainMarvel in [[TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks 1940]].