History Main / ByThePowerOfGrayskull

** The sister series ''[[{{Silverhawks}}[=SilverHawks=]]]'' also had a villain with a transformation speech: "Moon Star of Limbo! Give me the might! The muscle! The menace! Of MON...STARR!!"

** The sister series ''{{Silverhawks}}'' also had a villain with a transformation speech: "Moon Star of Limbo! Give me the might! The muscle! The menace! Of MON...STARR!!"

*** "It's Morphin' Time!" (MightyMorphinPowerRangers and PowerRangersZeo)

* [[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. For most of the earlier series that used it, the transformation call was simply the name of the team or form, but later series started to switch it up a bit. Most of these phrases are also used along with some action done with the TransformationTrinket.
** [[ChoudenshiBioman "Bioman!"]]
** [[DengekiSentaiChangeman "Let's Change!"]] Or, alternatively, "Change [animal]!" if just one is changing, or if they're feeling particularly dramatic.
** [[ChoushinseiFlashman "Prism Flash!"]]

** [[BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger "Bakuryuu Change! HA!"]]

This is the magic CatchPhrase that actually causes or facilitates the transformation. For one that is simply a cool kind of rallying cry or way to get the adrenaline pumping ("Flame On!", for example), see {{Invocation}}. When either of these contains (or is) the hero's ''name'', it's IAmHeroHearMeRoar.

** "By [[AllYourPowersCombined your powers combined]], [[IAmHeroHearMeRoar I am Captain Planet]]!"

** Lion-O's SituationalSword, the Sword of Omens, requires him to say "Thunder! Thunder! Thunder! Thundercats, Ho!" to cause the sword to lengthen from [[RetractableWeapon dagger to longsword length]] unlock its [[SwordBeam full combat potential]] and [[BattleCry rally the troops]] to battle.

** In the original, when separated from it, Lion-O could say "Sword of Omens, come to my hand!" to get it back. This even worked over interstellar distances, but [[IdiotBall he didn't use it as often as he should have.]]

** The sister series ''SilverHawks'' also had a villain with a transformation speech: "Moon Star of Limbo! Give me the might! The muscle! The menace! Of MON...STARR!!"

** Ironically (since he's the TropeNamer), it's not ''just'' the phrase that transforms him, he needs to be holding his magic sword (which he pulls out of {{Hammerspace}}). In fact, it's questionable if he even ''needs'' the phrase, since he's been shown to use the sword to transform ''without'' saying the phrase (but to transform Cringer, who ran away to avoid being transformed earlier).
** He-Man's DistaffCounterpart (and SeparatedAtBirth twin sister), ''{{She-Ra}}'', used a minor variant beginning, "For the honor of Grayskull..." In an episode when Adora (She-Ra's alter-ego) is rendered unable to speak, she cannot transform and is powerless until she recovers her voice.

And ''woe betide'' anyone who mispronounces the transformation phrase, as horrible, horrifying things may result. The trope originated with [[ComicBookTropes comic-book character]] Billy Batson, who first used the CatchPhrase "Shazam!" to transform into CaptainMarvel in [[TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks 1940]].

And ''woe betide'' anyone who mispronounces the transformation phrase, as horrible, horrifying things may result.

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

In the Japanese dialog of {{Sentai}} and {{anime}}, the word "Henshin" -- meaning roughly "change" or "transform" -- is often found in the phrase, and is sometimes the ''entire'' phrase.

** ''BeastWars'' used this trope more extensively, with "Insert Name Here, Maximize!" for Maximals, "Insert Name Here, Terrorize!" for Predacons and "Beast Mode!" for reversing it. Later in ''Beast Wars'', some had vehicular modes with specialized names (at least once, Rattrap called his "Knieval Mode").

* The shift from "civilian clothing" to bird suits in ''{{Gatchaman}}'' was triggered by speaking the phrase, "bird go!" into a special wristband. When the show was brought to America as Battle of the Planets, the phrase was "transmute!" In the G-Force permutation, the phrase was "G-Force, Transform!"

Orange's is actually
---> "This power is mine, this is my light.
Be it in bright of day or black of night.
I lay claim to all that falls within my sight,
to take what I want,
THAT IS MY RIGHT!

** However, Orange's oath is one word - "Mine". [[hottip:* : Actually, WordOfGod is that this is not the true Orange Lantern oath. "Mine" is just a catchphrase.]]

* This trope takes its title from ''{{He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe}}'' (pictured at the top of this page), where that CatchPhrase changed unassuming Prince Adam into his titular alter-ego. The much less known power-''down'' phrase (used once in the 1980's series and once in the 2003 series) is "Let the power return!"
** Ironically (since he's the trope namer), it's not ''just'' the phrase that transforms him, he needs to be holding his magic sword (which he pulls out of Hammerspace). In fact, it's questionable if he even ''needs'' the phrase, since he's been shown to use the sword to transform ''without'' saying the phrase (but to transform Cringer, who ran away to avoid being transformed earlier).

* OlderThanPrint: In a tale from ArabianNights, the hero and his friend use the magic word "Mutabor" to turn into birds - and promptly forget how to turn back. [[spoiler: They rediscover the magic word by spying on the bad guy bragging about how he tricked them.]]

** This was repeated in the spinoff series ''[[FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash* Star]]''. This time there ''was'' an explanation (although not one that can be extended back to the original series), and as a result Saki and Mai don't really question it later on (whereas Nagisa continued to be confused whenever she and Honoka said "something weird again"). By the way, their phrase was "Dual Spiritual Power".
** ''[[YesPrecure5 Yes! Precure 5]]'' had "Precure metamorphose!" (Between that and the looks of the five girls, there have been accusations of ripping off ''TokyoMewMew'', which also uses "Metamorphose" as its phrase.)

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[[quoteright:265:[[CaptainMarvel http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ShazamCaptainMarvel_6433_tg_9234.jpg]]]]

[[quoteright:350:[[{{He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bythepowerofgreyskull.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''I have the [[PowerEchoes power-er-er-er]]!'']]

* ''PrincessGwenevereAndTheJewelRiders'' has "By the power of the (X) Stone". Which however does not apply to Kale and her Dark Stone... maybe an [[EvilLaugh evil laugh]] does the job?

* The IronMan cartoon of the 90's had this. When Tony needed the armor he was currently wearing to be something else, he'd call the other armor by name, and his chassis would simply change accordingly. This was a way to integrate the vast variations of Iron Man armor from the comics.

* ''{{Hellsing}}'' had Alucard use the phrase "Releasing control art restriction to level (#)..." when he goes from merely terrifying to NightmareFuel Incarnate.

* The MerchandiseDriven show ''KingArthurAndTheKnightsOfJustice'' had Arthur and his Knights activate their magical armor by putting their fists on the Round Table and reciting their oath:

* ''{{Thundercats}}''' and its [[ContinuityReboot reboot]] ''{{Thundercats 2011}}'' has several:

* ''{{Thundercats}}''': Lion-o had to say, "Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight!" before he could use the sword's clairvoyance abilities. This particular example is parodied in the ''FamilyGuy'' movie, where Lion-o uses the sword to spy on Cheetara in the bathroom.
** The sword required another phrase, "Thunder! Thunder! Thunder! Thundercats, Ho!" to unlock its full combat potential and to rally the troops to battle.
** A simple "Ho!" was sufficient to fire a bolt, temporarily grow the sword, and activate a number of other context-sensitive powers. On the other hand, Lion-O did occasionally grow the sword without so much as a word.
** When separated from it, Lion-O could say "Sword of Omens, come to my hand!" to get it back. This even worked over interstellar distances, but [[IdiotBall he didn't use it as often as he should have.]]
** The show also featured a villainous example: BigBad Mumm-Ra would transform into a combat-capable form with the incantation "Ancient spirits of evil: transform this decayed form ... to Mumm-Ra... the Ever-Living! [[EvilLaugh Bwa ha ha ha HA!]]"
*** And in one particularly embarrassing moment that that Mumm-Ra will never live down, ''Snarf'' of all people took advantage of this catchphrase to become even more beefy than Mumm-Ra himself. Clearly Mumm-Ra's transformation chamber could do with better security.

** He-Man's DistaffCounterpart (and SeparatedAtBirth twin sister), ''[[{{Ptitleysua9qy1}} She-Ra]]'', used a minor variant beginning, "For the honor of Grayskull..." In an episode when Adora (She-Ra's alter-ego) is rendered unable to speak, she cannot transform and is powerless until she recovers her voice.

* ''[[{{He-ManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse}} He-Man]]'' and ''[[{{Ptitleysua9qy1}} She-Ra]]'' doing this was mocked mercilessly by TheNostalgiaChick: "'''By the honor of pep-talks!'''"

** [[JukenSentaiGekiranger "Beast On!"]]
** [[EngineSentaiGoOnger "Let's Go On!"]]

** [[TensouSentaiGoseiger "Tensou!"]] (used when activating any Gosei Card power, not just the transformation into Goseiger.)

* In TengenToppaGurrenLagann, Simon calls out the transformation of Cathedral Terra to Supergalaxy Gurren Lagann, while doing a reverse GlassesPull (or crying tears of blood in TheMovie). Viral goes AudienceAvatar and responds "I was waiting for these words!". Seconded.