History Main / EffectiveKnockoff

* Volpina from ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' is an EvilKnockoff of users of the Fox Miraculous created by [[TheCorrupter Hawk Moth]] using the power of the [[SuperEmpowering Butterfly Miraculous]]. She has all of the same powers that the Fox Miraculous bestows, but she is able to create as many [[MasterOfIllusion illusions]] as she wants. This is in contrast to Rena Rouge, the real owner of the Fox Miraculous, whose special power "Mirage" allows her to create one illusion before needing to recharge. [[spoiler:At the end of season 2, it is revealed that the assumed limitations on the heroes' powers are due to inexperience rather than a hard limit, meaning that Volpina's apparent superior ability compared to Rena Rouge may be more due to Hawk Moth's greater ability in using the Miraculous.]]

* Volpina from ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' is an EvilKnockoff of users of the fox miraculous created by [[TheCorrupter Hawk Moth]] using the power of the [[PrettyButterflies butterfly]] miraculous. She has all of the same powers that the fox miraculous bestows, but she is able to create as many [[MasterOfIllusion illusions]] as she wants. This is in contrast to Rene Rouge, the real owner of the Fox Miraculous, whose special power "Mirage" allows her to create one illusion before needing to recharge. [[spoiler: At the end of season 2, it is revealed that the assumed limitations on the heroes' powers are due to inexperience rather than a hard limit, meaning that Volpina's apparent superior ability compared to Rena Rouge may be more due to Hawkmoth's greater ability in using the miraculous.]]

* The GN Tau Drives in ''Anime/Gundam00'', respectively named "pseudo-reactors" by the original creators, are only slightly less effective than the actual solar reactors. Yet, they can be mass-produced and allow Earth's nations to compete against the Gundams. The manuals explain that the Tau Drives have everything except the TD Blankets, which can be only made with materials from Jupiter and is part of a production process that takes up to a full year to make.
** In practical terms this has two effects. The first is the GN particles have unfortunate side-effects in high concentrations, complicating medical treatments of survivors of near misses. This is fixed by the second season (shown by the change in colour of the GN particles from red to orange). The second is that the Tau drives only have a finite amount of power and need periodic recharges while the originals act as a form of PerpetualMotionMachine. This generally isn't an issue until A-Laws and the Earth Alliance start attempting to replicate [[SuperMode Trans-Am Mode]] which drains the power completely.

-> ''These are all imitations. As you say, these are all trifling swords. But there is no rule that says an imitation cannot defeat the original.''

!!Examples include:

[[AC:AnimeAndManga]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'' combines this with GoneHorriblyRight. The human-built Transformer Galvatron was built to be exactly like Megatron. And...he is exactly like Megatron.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:TabletopGames]]
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40K''. Ork technology is either looted from enemies or built in vague imitation of their weapons (especially bolters). It annoys and horrifies the Adeptus Mechanicus to no end that such arms built with no respect for the techno-theological rules can often surpass their own wargear.

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins'' has the "Imitation Siwan sword", a CursedWithAwesome sword that does triple damage as well as multiplying your critical hit chances but also caps your maximum health to one-third of your normal maximum. Your protagonist immediately spots it for the unconvincing fake it is and puts on a show of being duped by it... because the little girl whose mother sells it to you is...adorable?

[[AC:VisualNovel]]

[[AC:WebComics]]
* In ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'', Schlock starts requisitioning knockoff [[PlasmaCannon BH-209 Plasguns]] from the ship's [[MobileFactory fabber]] after Strohl Munitions discontinues the model. They're about as prone to exploding as the original.
** Supplemental notes make mention that this is a serious problem for manufacturers since anyone with a sufficiently high-grade fabber can replicate anything they make once they have the plans.
** Schlock is also a fan of "imitation Ovalquik", which he might prefer to the original.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

See also VariantPowerCopying, which is an imperfect copy of someone else's ability, but may turn out to be as good (or even better) than the original.

* Volpina from ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' is an EvilKnockoff of users of the fox miraculous created by [[TheCorrupter Hawk Moth]] using the power of the [[PrettyButterflies butterfly]] miraculous. She has all of the same powers that the fox miraculous bestows, but she is able to create as many [[MasterOfIllusion illusions]] as she wants. This is in contrast to Rene Rouge, the real owner of the Fox Miraculous, whose special power "Mirage" allows her to create one illusion before needing to recharge.

[[AC:FilmLiveAction]]

* Part of TheReveal in ''Literature/TheFifthElephant'' is that the Dwarf relic, [[spoiler:the Scone of Stone was not stolen, but destroyed and that the supposed thieves are holding a replica instead]]. This trope comes into play when it's revealed that [[spoiler:the Scone has been destroyed and replaced with multiple replicas already, as Dwarf bread doesn't last forever. The one recovered from the supposed thieves proves a suitably accurate replacement]].

* The Unlimited Blade Works in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' is all about creating an unlimited arsenal of Noble Phantasms that are knockoffs. Shirou states that they can not defeat the original Noble Phantasms, but are still able to imitate their abilities to a close second. Gilgamesh is defeated by this Noble Phantasm because even though he has all the originals, he merely uses them as throwing objects, never utilizing them to their full potential. That, and being copies, they can be Broken, turning them into a single use version with a rank boost that bumps the power up to the same as the original. Since it's a copy you can always just make another one after breaking the first.

* The main cast of ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' once sold a large mass of drugs for what turned out to be CounterfeitCash. However, Cyril points out they're pretty ''good'' counterfeit bills, [[GoodForBad which even a knowing buyer would pay around twenty cents on the dollar for]], partially recouping their losses.

* The main cast of ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' once sold a large mass of drugs for what turned out to be CounterfeitCash. However, Cyril points out they're pretty ''good'' counterfeit bills, which even a knowing buyer would pay around twenty cents on the dollar for, partially recouping their losses.

* The Unlimited Blade Works in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' is all about creating an unlimited arsenal of Noble Phantasms that are knockoffs. Shirou states that they can not defeat the original Noble Phantasms, but are still able to imitate their abilities to a close second. Gilgamesh is defeated by this Noble Phantasm because even though he has all the originals, he merely uses them as throwing objects, never utilizing them to their full potential.
** That, and being copies, they can be broken, turning them into a single use version with a rank boost that bumps the power up to the same as the original. Since it's a copy you can always just make another one after breaking the first.

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* In ''WebOriginal/SchlockMercenary'', Schlock starts requisitioning knockoff [[PlasmaCannon BH-209 Plasguns]] from the ship's [[MobileFactory fabber]] after Strohl Munitions discontinues the model. They're about as prone to exploding as the original.

* ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}'': In the Kizumonogatari subplot, the CentralTheme that surrounds the story is whether or not a "fake" can be more real than the real thing. Examples of this include Tsukihi, who turns out to be [[NotBloodSiblings not blood-related]] to Koyomi, but who is still his precious sister in his eyes and Kaiki Deishuu, a conman pretending to be a BlueCollarWarlock, who actually manages to solve a supernatural case using his guile.

-->- '''Shirou Emiya''', ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''

[[AC:RealLife]]
* The "Shanzhan" business practice is about creating obviously fake copies of original products, yet many cases show them to be just as good.

* ''Franchise/{{Discworld}}'':
** Part of TheReveal in ''Literature/TheFifthElephant'' is that the Dwarf relic, [[spoiler:the Scone of Stone was not stolen, but destroyed and that the supposed thieves are holding a replica instead]]. This trope comes into play when it's revealed that [[spoiler:the Scone has been destroyed and replaced with multiple replicas already, as Dwarf bread doesn't last forever. The one recovered from the supposed thieves proves a suitably accurate replacement]].

--> '''Shirou Emiya''', ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''

* The Excalipoor in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' is a crappy knockoff of the Excalibur, and a JokeItem that only does 1 damage for regular attacks. But if you throw the knockoff onto an enemy or use it for the Goblin Punch special ability, [[LethalJokeItem it can carry a whooping amount of damage]].

* The Excalipoor in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' is a crappy knockoff of the Excalibur, and a JokeItem that carries only a single digit damage. But if you throw the knockoff onto an enemy, [[LethalJokeItem it can carry a whooping amount of damage]].

--> ''"These are all imitations. As you say, these are all trifling swords. But there is no rule that says an imitation cannot defeat the original."''
---> '''Shirou Emiya''', ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''