History Main / HumanAliens

This trope also covers [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shape-shifters]] who [[CoconutSuperpowers budget-savingly]] stay in human form around humans.

* In ''Film/{{Lifeforce}}'', when the astronauts explore the vampire spaceship they are astonished to discover a humanoid crew in stasis pods. Subverted when it's discovered that they're actually shapeshifting monsters who assumed human form to more easily find and seduce human victims to snack on their LifeEnergy. Their real form is some sort of extraterrestrial, winged bat creature.

Contrast with StarfishAliens (where the aliens are nothing like humans), HumanoidAliens (where aliens have a similar shape, but not quite human), AmbiguouslyHuman (where it isn't made clear in-canon whether a culture are human-like aliens or human-descended), AFormYouAreComfortableWith (when gods and other metaphysical beings take human form) and HumanSubspecies (biologically "alien" yet related to humans). In the case one of them had been RaisedByHumans, may lead to HumanAlienDiscovery. HughMann is the PlayedForLaughs version when an obviously nonhuman creature still fools humans in a PaperThinDisguise. Not to be confused with HumanityCameFromSpace, which are actual alien humans from places other than Earth. See AnimalAliens for aliens who look identitical to Earth animals.

Contrast with StarfishAliens (where the aliens are nothing like humans), HumanoidAliens (where aliens have a similar shape, but not quite human), AmbiguouslyHuman (where it isn't made clear in-canon whether a culture are human-like aliens or human-descended), AFormYouAreComfortableWith (when gods and other metaphysical beings take human form) and HumanSubspecies (biologically "alien" yet related to humans). In the case one of them had been RaisedByHumans, may lead to HumanAlienDiscovery. HughMann is the PlayedForLaughs version when an obviously nonhuman creature still fools humans in a PaperThinDisguise. Not to be confused with HumanityCameFromSpace, which are actual alien humans from places other than Earth.

-->-- ''Series/DoctorWho'', [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E2TheBeastBelow "The Beast Below"]]

* [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] and [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in [[Creator/HGWells H.G. Wells's]] ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds''. The narrator, as well as most others present when the Martians first emerged from their vessel, expected to see "a man", or something near like it, not the TentacledTerror they got.

** The final episodes of the original series reveal that [[spoiler:one of the main cast, Fang]] was a Human Alien all along when Captain Kaizo [[spoiler:(his older brother)]] pays a visit to Earth. Their only distinctions from humans are [[spoiler:their red irises and raven-colored spiky hair]]. Gopal and Lieutenant Lahap (Kaizo's lackey) lampshade this:

** ''[=BoBoiBoy=] Galaxy'' introduces more human aliens as the main gang take the fight to space. Some introduced in the first season alone are Sai, Shielda and Ramenman, who all appear just as human as the heroes they work with.

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* ''Animation/BoBoiBoy''
** The final episodes of the original series revealed that [[spoiler:Fang]] was a Human Alien all along when his older brother paid a visit to Earth. Their only distinctions from humans are [[spoiler:their red irises and raven-colored spiky hair]]. Gopal and Lahap lampshade this:
-->'''Gopal:''' Hey, why do you look like a human?\\

** ''[=BoBoiBoy=] Galaxy'' introduces more human aliens as the main gang take the fight to space. Some introduced in the first season alone are Sai, Shielda and Ramenman, who all appear just as human as Fang and work with the heroes.

* Some of the ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'' novels have the Doctor come across as mildly not-so-human, to generally [[UncannyValley creepy]] effect. Anji seems to be particularly prone to noticing this. In one scene, when he does strike her as a convincing human, she considers him "a fake" and refers to him as "the alien" and "it" before she remembers he is, after all, [[PlatonicLifePartners her friend]] and a nice guy. In another scene, they'd have ''really'' run up the special effects budget if it were TV, just to make people go "[[{{Squick}} Ewwww]]" at the protagonist:

* ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' has several examples, most notably Ford and Zaphod's unnamed species from the Betelgeuse system (the latter's extra head and arm are due to surgery). The only known differences are biological incompatibility with humans and multi-centennial lifespans. This resemblance is explicitly only through human eyes; when the two are with Arthur (a human) other aliens can tell right away that he's a different race and usually assume that he's their pet monkey.

* ''WebComic/AvasDemon:''

* ''WebComic/EerieCuties'': Jeffery, the groundskeeper at [[AllGhoulsSchool Charybdis Heights]] purposely [[http://www.eeriecuties.com/strips-ec/a_little_wuv tries to scare humans away]] and Layla does what she can to [[http://www.eeriecuties.com/strips-ec/sneezeweed scare them off as well.]] Yet, no one finds it strange that there's [[http://www.eeriecuties.com/strips-ec/carefully_hidden a human science teacher]] working at their school... or is she? The cast page even list Proff. Twiggit's species as [[http://www.eeriecuties.com/cast/ "(human?)"]], suggesting she may not be what she appears.

** [[{{Characters/HololiveIndonesia}} Airani Iofifteen]] is described as a breed of aliens who enjoys drawing who entered a Virtual Communication and Designs school in a university on Earth. She resembles a human girl with paint splashes on her body.
** [[{{Characters/HololiveJapanGenerationFive}} Nene Momosuzu]] is an alien from a planet named [=TaoTao=] who came to Earth to meet new people. She has the most humanlike design out of her generation, which has a snow elf with PointyEars, [[SuccubiAndIncubi a succubus-in-training,]] [[{{LittleBitBeastly}} a lion, and a fennec fox clown.]]

** [[{{Characters/HololiveJapanGenerationFive}} Nene Momosuzu]] is an alien from a planet named [=TaoTao=] who came to Earth to meet new people. She has the most humanlike design out of her generation, which has a snow elf with PointyEars, [[{{HornyDevils}} a succubus-in-training,]] [[{{LittleBitBeastly}} a lion, and a fennec fox clown.]]

In {{Anime}}, on the other hand, the trope is often invoked to show that humans and their alien enemies [[NotSoDifferentRemark aren't all that different]].

In stories involving alien [[HollywoodCyborg cyborgs,]] the aliens are often human-looking in their original form, to emphasize that the conflict of the story is between their biological and cybernetic natures, and not mainly about the fact that they are aliens. Examples include the Kaleds and Mondasians, who became [[Series/DoctorWho the Daleks]] and the original [[Series/DoctorWho Cybermen]] respectively, the Galadorians from ''ComicBook/RomSpaceknight,'' the Nebulans from ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers,'' the ''[[WesternAnimation/ChallengeOfTheGobots GoBots]],'' and ''Franchise/StarTrek's'' Borg.[[note]] A notable exception to this rule is the original series version of ''[[Series/BattlestarGalactica1978 Battlestar Galactica's]]'' Cylons. They were a race of LizardFolk before [[{{Transhumanism}} trans-lizardizing]] themselves into killer robots.[[/note]]

Reasons for using this trope may vary. Sometimes it is a case of the TheoryOfNarrativeCausality, or it may make audience relate to the character better ([[UnfortunateImplications because people aren't going to like a character]] [[ButNotTooForeign who looks, you know, "different"]]) or to have the character live among ordinary humans without undue complications, or to make a [[InterspeciesRomance human-alien romance]] more plausible and less squicky. Or it might just be because they can't afford the makeup and rubber foreheads. Or sometimes, [[CreatorsApathy well...]]

* ''WebComic/AvasDemon:

* Conspicuously and consciously avoided in Wayne D. Barlowe's illustrated sci-fi novel ''Expedition''. Barlowe, a noted fantastic fiction illustrator who darn well knows his biology, openly despises this trope and so he invented an alien race who is very like humankind in their attitude and culture - [[spoiler: but they look a bit like a cross between a hot air balloon and an [[SpaceWhale airborne octopus]].]]

* In ''Sev Trek'', the Enterprise is making FirstContact with the Obscuricons. Kirk asks Spock what type of beings they might be. After long speculation on StarfishAliens types, a human looking alien beams up instead.

* The sci-fi film ''WesternAnimation/{{Ark}}'' is set in the distant planet of Alcyeon, populated by two different alien races at war, the Ceveans and Storrians, but both races resembles humans, right down to having skin tones resembling earthlings.

When a creature from a planet other than Earth looks like a human, sounds like a human, acts somewhat like a human and gets confused for a human.

In-story, this occasionally leads to a {{handwav|e}}ing story about how all the races have some common ancestor. Other times, it gets {{justified|Trope}} by using a TransplantedHumans story. Out-of-story, this is often explained by the fact that there are remarkably few non-humanoids in the Screen Actors' Guild or Creator/{{Equity}}, and by the fact that believable-looking, wildly-different-in-appearance aliens are incompatible with low budgets. Other explanations include the idea that a humanoid form is the natural result of any evolutionary path (HumansAreSpecial [[JustForFun/XMeetsY on]] EvolutionaryLevels).

In stories involving alien [[HollywoodCyborg cyborgs,]] the aliens are often human-looking in their original form, to emphasize that the conflict of the story is between their biological and cybernetic natures, and not mainly about the fact that they are aliens. Examples include the Kaleds who became [[Series/DoctorWho the Daleks]], the original [[Series/DoctorWho Cybermen,]] the Galadorians from ''ComicBook/RomSpaceknight,'' the Nebulans from ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers,'' the ''[[WesternAnimation/ChallengeOfTheGobots GoBots]],'' and ''Franchise/StarTrek's'' Borg.[[note]] A notable exception to this rule is the original series version of ''[[Series/BattlestarGalactica1978 Battlestar Galactica's]]'' Cylons. They were a race of LizardFolk before [[{{Transhumanism}} trans-lizardizing]] themselves into killer robots.[[/note]]

The bottom rung of the [[AlienTropes Alien ladder]], below RubberForeheadAliens and {{Intelligent Gerbil}}s. Note that, for this trope, the alien must be '''visually indistinguishable from a human'''. "Human, but with blue (or purple, orange, [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe green]], etc.) skin" falls under RubberForeheadAliens. Aliens with cultural rather than biological similarities fall under InexplicableCulturalTies.

Reasons for using this trope may vary. Sometimes it may make audience relate to the character better ([[UnfortunateImplications because people aren't going to like a character]] [[ButNotTooForeign who looks, you know, "different"]]) or to have the character live among ordinary humans without undue complications, or to make a [[InterspeciesRomance human-alien romance]] more plausible and less squicky. Or it might just be because they can't afford the makeup and rubber foreheads. Or sometimes, [[CreatorsApathy well...]]

* Music/MeghanTrainor invokes the trope in "Your Lips are moving" with lines like "I come from outer space", and "I can smell her on your collar"

* ''TabletopGame/Bulldogs'' has the Arsubarans, who are humans with a greater variety of skin, hair and eye colours, and whose early discovery of space travel has led to them spreading across the galaxy faster than any other species.

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[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Franchise/{{Superman}}, Franchise/{{Supergirl}}, and all other Kryptonians are outwardly indistinguishable from humans, despite obvious biological differences. Exactly ''how'' close or distant humans and Kryptonians are can vary [[DependingOnTheWriter depending on the work]]:
** According to some [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] stories, Kryptonians were descendants of [[TransplantedHumans humans plucked from Earth by a more technologically advanced race]]. Some ComicBook/PostCrisis stories imply this as well.
** One Superman/Flash story has the duo facing a mysterious alien race that apparently seeded both Earth and Krypton with life, at around the same time, serving as a possible explanation for this trope.
** In depictions of Superman's origin story, Jor-El and Lara are shown choosing to send him to Earth precisely ''because'' humans look exactly like Kryptonians, thus Kal-El can live among them and blend in with little trouble.
** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in an issue of ''Comicbook/{{Starman}}'' where Jack Knight's journeys through space and time land him on Krypton before its destruction. He is promptly arrested by the authorities, who suspect him of being a member of a Kryptonian rebel group. When Jack tries to argue that he's an alien visitor from planet Earth, his interrogator refuses to believe him, pointing out that he looks no different from any Kryptonian. Jack wonders whether God was feeling unoriginal.
** Other stories suggested that the human and Kryptonian species actually were directly related.
** Krypton dodges the White Trap via "Vathlo Island", home to "a highly developed black race" of Kryptonians, first mentioned in 1971. Later depictions of Kryptonians such as the one in ''Comicbook/NewKrypton'' depicts the species as being [[MulticulturalAlienPlanet much more diverse]] than their Pre-[[ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths Crisis]] counterparts.
** Double subversion in ''Comicbook/KryptonNoMore''. Supergirl tells her cousin they look like Earth people because they were actually born in Earth, not Krypton. However [[spoiler:it turns out that she was being coerced into lying to him about their origins]].
** The {{Elseworld}} story ''ComicBook/SupermanRedSon'' provides a distinctly non-canon explanation: [[spoiler:Kal-El didn't come from a distant planet, he time-traveled back from Earth's very distant future following Luthor's victory. In fact, the House of El is a bastardization of "L", from Luthor, [[LukeIAmYourFather making him a direct ancestor of Kal-El]].]]
** Subverted by alien villain Xviar in ''ComicBook/WhoTookTheSuperOutOfSuperman''. He looks human because he is a shape-shifter whose real shape is unknown.
* In ''ComicBook/SupermanSmashesTheKlan'', Clark is terrified of his alien heritage and begins freaking out when he sees visions of figures who claim to be his parents but are grotesque and lizard-like. [[spoiler:When he finally resolves himself to confront his alien heritage and accept it, they appear as they actually did on Krypton.]]
* There's a very strong tendency for aliens in Franchise/TheDCU to look exactly like humans:
** Most inhabitants of [[ComicBook/NewGods New Genesis]] and Apokolips resemble humans. In one issue where Doomsday arrives on Apokolips, the aliens crewing the ship that brings him there look human.
** In ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'', most of the alien races are perfectly humanoid in appearance, although they possess various additional abilities. ComicBook/PostCrisis, this was {{handwave}}d by having them be descendants of humans who were given superpowers in alien experiments (this explanation was later {{retconned}} out of existence by the 2010 "New Krypton" storyline, which tells us they were, in fact, alien races to begin with.)
** ComicBook/PostCrisis, it was established that [[ComicBook/{{Valor}} Mon-El's]] people, the Daxamites, are descended from Kryptonian colonists, explaining the similarity of both races.
** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': A Daxamite is not only the most human looking of the extraterrestrials to aid Diana, she's also the only person in the entire Sangtee Empire to speak English.
** Natives of Rann seem to be entirely indistinguishable from humans. Indeed, human hero ComicBook/AdamStrange had a child with his Rannian wife Alanna.
** ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' revealed that Earth was really the place where life began, which might help explain all the humanoid life in the galaxy.
** The planet Bellatrix from the ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'' series has a very human-looking population, but with a refreshing amount of diversity. One of the planet's two Lanterns, Zale, fits this trope, looking like a human of African descent.
** Tamaranians like ComicBook/{{Starfire}} are nearly indistinguishable from humans, save the solid green eyes, usually exceptional height, and spray-tan color skin, yet are specifically stated to taxonomically be descended from something more feline than ape.
** In the ''Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'' storyline ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'', Supergirl found several human-like races such like Graxians (blue-skinned humanoids with cow-like ears) and Primeenians (orange-skinned, pointy-eared humanoids).
** A number of the extraterrestrials introduced in ''ComicBook/SuperboyAndTheRavers'' are rather humanoid, such as the Qwardians who look like pink hairless humans with odd eyes, and the race of the man running the rave looks human outside of their orange skin and pointed ears.
** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Most of the aliens Diana met in the Golden Age were rather humanoid with little tweaks like those from Venus having butterfly wings, but the Saturnians were pretty much visibly indistinguishable from humans save a handful of their number with green or blue hair.
* The MarvelUniverse also has a number of examples:
** The Kree are divided into two races: the pink Kree (who look just like white humans) and the blue Kree (who look just like humans, save for their [[RubberForeheadAliens blue skin]]).
** The Shi'ar, who are basically humans with avian forefathers, birdlike physiology (yet NonMammalMammaries), and enhanced physical abilities. For most Shi'ar, the only visible sign of their avian ancestry is that they have feathers instead of hair... and DependingOnTheArtist, it's not even always obvious that it's not just oddly-shaped hair. This is lampshaded in ''Comicbook/{{Excalibur}}'' when the Shi'Ar warrior Cerise first arrived on Earth and encountered Nightcrawler and Excalibur's alien frenemies the Technet, a team of bounty hunters composed of various alien members who do ''not'' fall under this trope, and Nightcrawler is a mutant with an inhuman appearance. Cerise demanded to know which one of them best resembled the dominant lifeform on this planet, to which Nightcrawler replied, "Ironically fraulein, ''you'' do."
** The Xandarians and the Spartoi all look exactly like humans.
** [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Asgardians]], which are basically much stronger and longer living humans with access to mystical powers. If you believe some questionable sources (namely Loki) they are actually something much weirder; namely, ''living myth and metaphor''. They look human because, well, they originate on Earth where MostWritersAreHuman.
** ComicBook/TheEternals, being Jack Kirby's Marvel [[{{Expy}} expies]] of the ComicBook/NewGods, all look like humans, with the exception of ComicBook/{{Thanos}}, who is a mutant to his species.
** Karolina Dean of ''Comicbook/{{Runaways}}'' looks exactly like a normal human as long as she wears a bracelet made from a special material that dampens her powers. When she takes the bracelet off, she looks more like a [[EverythingsBetterWithRainbows human-shaped rainbow]] . It turns out that her parents come from the planet Majesdane.
** The title character from ''ComicBook/OmegaTheUnknown'', who was [[CreatingLife created]] by another alien race to be the perfect {{Ubermensch}}.
** The Galadorians of ''ComicBook/RomSpaceknight.''
** The people of Homeworld in ''ComicBook/{{Micronauts}}.'' It was eventually explained that they and the RubberForeheadAliens of the Microverse are descended from humans from [[TimeTravel the future]].
** Nebulans from ''ComicBook/TheTransformers''.
** The people of [[ComicBook/SilverSurfer Zenn-La]] look the same as humans. The men are all bald, but that could be cultural.
** This is all explained by the fact that the Celestials based all dominant life forms on the same template
* In a similar manner to Superman, the Viltrumites of ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'', of whom main character Mark is a [[HalfHumanHybrid human hybrid]], are basically humans with superpowers, and, if they're male, mustaches. All of them. And that's it. It's later revealed that Viltrumites are almost 100% biologically identical to humans, and in crossbreeding the Viltrumite powers are so heavily dominant Mark himself is nearly pure Viltrumite. [[spoiler:Facing extinction, the surviving Viltrumites relocate to Earth to breed.]]
* The Wildstorm Comics [[TheVerse 'Verse]] has Kherubim, super-powered humanlike [[{{Immortality}} immortals]] who can even interbreed with ''Homo sapiens''. It's eventually [[{{Retcon}} revealed]] that this is because Earth and other planets were [[spoiler:seeded with devices designed to spread the Kherubim genome]] across the universe in a form of bloodless conquest. Not that they were averse to the bloody kind on occasion either, being [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy a Warrior Race]].
* The many worlds of the Creator/CrossGen universe seem quite prone to humanity as a dominant population. Possibly explained by Geromi in ''Crux'', who mentions a mass exodus from Earth at some point that led to many other worlds being colonized, and that nobody's a true human any more. Discussed in the world-hopping storylines of ''Sigil'' and ''Mystic'', when Sam and Giselle encounter humans on a variety of strange worlds (in fact, it initially takes Giselle a while to realize she's not on Ciress any more). It is worth noting that [[AGodAmI Solusandra]] apparently created many of the worlds depicted and populated them according to whatever theme had struck her fancy at the time. Whether she actually created the human inhabitants as well or simply transported them from elsewhere in the diaspora is unstated.
* The title character from ''ComicBook/{{Superlopez}}''.
* Examples from girl's comics include "Mindreader Mina" from ''ComicBook/{{Bunty}}'', "Stella Starr" from ''ComicBook/{{Mandy}}'' and Xenia of "Almost Human" from ''ComicBook/{{Jinty}}''.
* The [[http://www.comicvine.com/therns/4060-59848/ Therns]] in ''ComicBook/WarlordOfMars'' physically resemble humans the closest out of all other Martian races, who either have exotic skin coloring or are straight up monstrous. So much so that the main protagonist, a human from Earth, is mistaken for one by other people. The Tarids from Thuria also qualify.
* ''ComicBook/KhaalTheChroniclesOfAGalacticEmperor'': The main protagonist and the human-like beings from [[PlanetSpaceship Empyreon]] call themselves "humans", but its made clear they do not come from Earth, but rather they belong to a very ancient and long destroyed civilization that spanned over the galaxy.
* ComicBook/{{Vampirella}} was originally presented as an alien from the planet Drakulon, which was populated by a human-like race that subsisted in blood that flew like water in their world. {{Dracula}} was revealed to have been from the same race as Vampi until he was banished, instead of being native from Earth. Later publications {{retcon}}ned Drakulon being a place inside of hell instead of an alien planet, though recently the comic has overlapped between the two.
* Mekkans from ''ComicBook/ManTech''.
* ''ComicBook/StarTrekEarlyVoyages'':
** In "Our Dearest Blood", the Rigellians are physically identical to humans.
** In "Immortal Wounds", the Neydans are likewise identical to humans.
* The Creator/ImageComics [[ComicBookAdaptation adaptation]] of ''Anime/BattleOfThePlanets'' explains the Spectrans' human appearance. Apparently the original Spectrans are extinct, and the EnergyBeing who ruled them decided to ''grow'' a new race of Spectrans from human genetic material. Those weird animalistic uniforms they wear are meant to resemble the long-dead original Spectrans.

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' and its sequel, Asgardians and the mostly extinct Kryptonians (who are stated to have previously interbred) are the most prominent examples of this, as are the Kree - the Shi'ar and Skrulls are mentioned, but like other species like the Jotuns, they are at last humanoid. The classic Marvel explanation of 'the Celestials did it', since the entities in question make a passing appearance, likely holds true.
* The humans from ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' - referred to as "Pokérinians" - are described as "humanoid but decidedly not human" in ''Fanfic/IntelligenceFactor''.
* In ''Fanfic/KeepersOfTheElements'', everyone from the magical planets Alma, Spectra, Erendor, Wispera and Nadir resemble humans, with few exceptions.
* The Angels, Jews, and Muslims in the ''FanFic/SonicXDarkChaos'' universe. Humanity was originally descended from them, and they look very similar to humans with only a few minor quirks.
** Ethnic Angels closely resemble Tolkien [[TheFairFolk elves]]. They are often tall and fair.
** Jews are short, dark-skinned tribal people with [[BadassBeard Badass Beards]]. Jesus, although he's the leader of the whole Federation, is one of these.
** Male Muslims are generally quite similar to Jews. Female Muslims are always completely covered up, and [[BodyHorror for good reason]].
* Jason Shepard from ''Sailor Moon: Legends of Lightstorm'' is suspected to be this. At the very least, he's extremely old and used to have powers, but whether or not he's an actual alien is up for debate.
* ''FanFic/TheLastDaughter'' subverts and plays this straight. According to Jor-El, they had to remove Taylor's ancillary thumbs and re-add her canine teeth back, among other things, in order for her blend in on Earth. Amy notes that humans genetically have more in common with sea sponges than with Kryptonians. However, the end product means that virtually no one, including Taylor for most of her life, can tell the difference.
* Alex Harris, the heroine of ''Fanfic/OriginStory'', is a Kryptonian, and thus nearly identical to a human female. There is a discussion between Alex and her human lover that details some of the physical differences between the two species (specifically, the Kryptonians in this story have hearts on the opposite side of the chest than a human, Kryptonians don't have anything that corresponds with the human appendix, female Kryptonians only ovulate four times a year and thus only menstruate four times a year, they have less body hair per square inch of skin, their eyes can't differentiate as many separate shades of color as the human eye, and so on), but none of them are readily obvious to the casual viewer.
* In ''Fanfic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', Izuku is Kryptonian. His appearance and bodily functions are close enough to a human's that he has no problems passing as one even after the government discovers him. The fact that his powers manifested when he was four years old only adds to the illusion that he's just a kid with a ridiculously powerful Quirk rather than the "big green monster man" the public believes him to be.
* Shinji Ikari in ''FanFic/AlphaAndOmegaFanfic'' is completely identical to humans on a biological level but vastly different on a metaphysical level, being the last of the Lilum. Unlike humans of the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' universe, Shinji can pilot an Evangelion and utilize an AT field. It's eventually revealed that Shinji is older than the last ''trillion'' universes.
* Discussed by a pair of Peruvian llama farmers in ''Fanfic/IfTheyHaventLearnedYourName'' who find Barnes and the spaceship floating near their farmlands. After Barnes asks them for directions and then takes off, the two farmers debate if Barnes is an alien- obviously thinking of Asgardians -a drunk, or just a gringo, or if they're the ones who got drunk enough to hallucinate a white guy and an ugly-ass spaceship. They also realize that if Barnes is, in fact, an alien sent to take over Earth Loki-style, they're the idiots who just pointed him to the nearest town.
* ''Fanfic/TalesOfTheOtherverse'': Discussed. Sherri finds hard to believe the fact that there were humanoids ''and'' dog-looking animals in Krypton, although Mon-El points there is a thing called convergent evolution.
-->'''Mon-El:''' "Dog? White? Named Krypto?"\\
'''Sherri:''' "Yes. Supposedly he came from the same planet ComicBook/{{Superboy}} came from, though I find that hard to believe. It's hard enough to imagine that evolution followed similar paths with humanoids on other planets."\\
'''Mon-El:''' "Depends. If you give credence to the theory that many worlds were seeded with similar life forms, then it stands to reason that those life forms might evolve along similar paths."

[[folder:Film — Animation]]
* The sci-fi film ''WesternAnimation/{{Ark}}'' is set in the distant planet of Alcyeon, populated by two different alien races at war, the Ceveans and Storrians, but both races resembles humans, right down to having skin tones resembling earthlings.
* [[HeroAntagonist Metro Man]] from ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'', being an {{expy}} of Franchise/{{Superman}}, fits this trope perfectly.
* Disney's 1953 adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'' apparently takes "second star to the right" literally, implying that Neverland is located in a completely different solar system. Despite this, the island is home to a number of groups who look totally to almost human: pirates, Indians, and mermaids (not human, but close enough). Of course - and [[BellisariosMaxim for good reason]] - Disney never goes into detail regarding [[FridgeLogic how mere mortals are able to fly to this land without becoming exhausted, dying from old age, or suffocating from lack of oxygen]].

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
* ''Film/{{Barbarella}}'': All the intelligent aliens that Barbarella meets on the uncharted Planet 16 look entirely human.
* In ''Film/CaptainBerlin'' Doctor Sind, his henchman, and his mutant are said to be from outer space while looking like normal people.
* All the alien races in ''Franchise/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'' series. This gives the superficial illusion of AbsentAliens, but there are a few here and there revealed to be aliens. Such as the air elemental, who looks like [[strike:a normal old lady]] Dame Creator/JudiDench, but can turn into mist as she chooses. And there's some ambiguity concerning the Furyan race and its most famous member, the protagonist, Richard B. Riddick.
* [[spoiler: Ella]] was an alien who took on human form in order to blend in among humans in ''Film/CowboysAndAliens''.
* Franchise/{{Godzilla}}:
** The OG example of this trope in the series are the Showa era version of the Xiliens, also known as the People from Planet X, who appear outwardly human and don’t seem to have a hidden beastly form. This is averted in Film/GodzillaFinalWars, where their human appearance is merely a disguise for their true appearances, being grey and black eyeless humanoids.
** The Kilaaks from Film/DestroyAllMonsters have two forms. Their first form looks almost exactly like a human, as long as the temperature is high enough. Should it fall below a critical point, the Kilaaks will show their true colours, taking on the form of metallic slug-like creatures.
** Averted in the case of the Seatopians in Film/GodzillaVsMegalon, who are just as earthly as us, being a race of sophisticated humans who live deep BeneathTheEarth.
* Klaatu from ''Film/TheDayTheEarthStoodStill1951'' is identical to a human being. It's been said that the filmmakers cast a British actor virtually unknown in the United States so audiences would have an easier time believing he was an alien than if he was a familiar face.
* The three aliens in ''Film/EarthGirlsAreEasy'' look human.. after all their fur has been shaved off and their [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation primary-colored skins]] have been dyed different shades. (The leader of the aliens is played by a swarthy Jewish-American actor, while the other two are a light-skinned African-American and a pale Anglo-Canadian.)
* Most of the aliens in the Kingdom of Mongo in ''Film/{{Flash Gordon|1980}}''.
* The squid-like Thermians in ''Film/GalaxyQuest'' use [[AppliedPhlebotinum appearance generators]] to look human. Somewhat justified: they based their entire society and technology on a human TV show, and they were trying to fit in with their human guests. Since they have no concept of deception, it isn't meant to let them pass for human or even to make the humans ease into the whole alien thing; it's just their version of {{Cosplay}}.
* Practically all alien races in the ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' movies. (Although sometimes this is [[MobileSuitHuman just a disguise]] for [[Film/GodzillaVsMechagodzilla space gorillas]] or [[Film/GodzillaVsGigan cockroaches]].)
* The immortals from Zeist in ''Film/HighlanderIITheQuickening''.
* ''Film/TheHistoryOfFutureFolk'': People from the planet Hondo look exactly like humans and can interbreed with them. They are, however, immune to pepper spray and can make their hands glow blue to use various abilities as the plot demands.
* Centauri puts on a human face, the Xandoxan assassins take on human form, and the Rylans look basically human in ''Film/TheLastStarfighter''.
* ''Film/Leprechaun4InSpace'' features an alien princess who teams up with the Leprechaun [[HighHeelFaceTurn (only to reveal at the end she's been secretly working against him the whole time)]]. She looks exactly like the sexy blonde human woman who's portraying her; her only real difference from us is that she has green blood.
* ''Film/TheLostSkeletonOfCadavra'' used this trope with the "Marvans" as part of an AffectionateParody of low-budget sci-fi horror movies from the 50s.
-->'''Lattis:''' It's interesting how different people from different planets differ.
* Kryptonians in ''Film/ManOfSteel'', as always, look perfectly human despite their alien biology.
* Thomas Jerome Newton in ''Film/TheManWhoFellToEarth'' is actually a RubberForeheadAlien, but appears human (as human as Music/DavidBowie is capable of looking, at least) throughout most of the film through the use of contact lenses and stage makeup, as well as a few prosthetics for other parts of his body. Without his cosmetics, his bright golden skin and eyes with vertical, ovular pupils would give him away. Biologically his people are similar to humans, but among other things have longer life spans (Newton remains the same age while other characters in the movie go from college age to their late 50s) and are extremely sensitive to X-rays (even more so in the source novel, in which they prove [[spoiler: blinding]]).
* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
** ''Film/{{Thor}}'': Asgardians are physically indistinguishable from humans, but you can usually tell when you're [[LargeHam talking to one]]. Their main difference is that Asgardians are ''far more'' durable than humans, even when Thor was de-powered he takes more damage than a regular man and was able to easily make a bunch of elite SHIELD agents look like mall rent-a-cops. The ''other'' races in the ''Thor'' films like the Jotuns, Dark Elves, and [[AllThereInTheManual Light Elves]] are mostly RubberForeheadAliens.
** ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'': Xandarians are visually identical to humans (but apparently have differing DNA because they are able to identify Peter Quill as half-Terran by scanning him). The Collector and [[AllThereInTheManual his brother]], [[Film/ThorRagnarok the Grandmaster]], are also very human-looking, though they have rather bizarre fashion sense. Other HumanAliens of indeterminate species are mixed with RubberForeheadAliens in various background shots, such as in Knowhere and many of the Ravagers that make up Yondu's crew. Although given Rocket calls Peter "humie", it would seem that "human" in the MCU is not limited to "Terran".
** [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-Zagged]] by the Kree in ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' and ''Film/{{Captain Marvel|2019}}'': Some of them have [[RubberForeheadAliens blue skin, purple eyes, and occasionally]] PointyEars, while others are indistinguishable from humans, to the point where [[spoiler:Carol Danvers, while[[AmnesiacHero amnesiac]], believes she is Kree]]. Likewise, [[spoiler:Mar-Vell is able to live on Earth as "Dr. Wendy Lawson" and only gets outed as Kree after she and Carol are shot down in a dogfight because Carol sees her bleed blue]]. Notably, unlike in the comics, where the human-looking Kree are officially classified as "Pink" and can only pass for Caucasian humans, Korath (Creator/DjimonHounsou) resembles a man of Sub-Saharan African descent.
* He-Man, Man-at-Arms, Teela, Blade and Evil-Lyn in ''Film/MastersOfTheUniverse''.
** Interestingly, the original ending would have revealed that they were from the future and the planet Eternia was settled by stranded space travellers from Earth.
* In ''Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace'', Eros, Tanna, and the Ruler of the Galaxy all look perfectly human.
* ''Film/QueenOfOuterSpace''. When our heroes realise they've crashlanded on Venus, they speculate on what form of intelligent life might inhabit it. Insectoid beings? LittleGreenMen with eyes on stalks? They're later captured by a [[LadyLand society consisting entirely of hot babes]] in [[SpaceClothes miniskirts and high heels]].
* ''Film/RaceToWitchMountain''. The aliens look ''exactly'' like humans... but then there's the superpowers. When Dwayne Johnson's character [[InvokedTrope points this out]], they [[{{Handwave}} respond]] with "What's an alien ''supposed'' to look like?" He responds with his idea that they were supposed to resemble little green men.
* Dr. Frank N Furter, Riff Raff, Magenta, and the other Transylvanians from ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'' look like normal (well, normal except for their sexual practices) human beings. Considering that the film is an AffectionateParody of old B-Movie science fiction films, it's no surprise.
* Common when aliens turn up in MaskedLuchador films such as ''Film/SantoContraLaInvasionDeLosMarcianos'' (Santo vs. The Martian Invasion, 1966). Typically, the alien invaders are fair-skinned and platinum blond haired, not unlike [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_aliens the "Nordic Aliens"/"Space Brothers"]] of UFO mythology.
* ''Franchise/StarWars'', of course, features Human Aliens as the protagonists alongside HumanoidAliens and SerkisFolk, with the occasional {{Rubber Forehead|Aliens}} such as Twi'leks or Darth Maul. There's [[ALongTimeAgoInAGalaxyFarFarAway no sign of Earth]], and what connections or differences exist between the totally-human-looking races of different worlds remain unknown. (One must wonder if there are other planets with, say, Wookiees that are completely unrelated to the ones of Chewie's homeworld of Kashyyyk...). The ExpandedUniverse explains that multiple races are evolutionarily connected to humans and are thus categorized as "near-human." These races include, but are not limited to, Twi'leks, Zabrak, Chiss, Miraluka, Sullustan, and the possibly-extinct Red Sith. Some of them are close enough to produce viable half-human offspring.
** Most sources which dwell on the subject imply that Coruscant is the human homeworld, but no one knows for sure. The other humans are the result of sleeper ships launched before the founding of the Galactic Republic, or of {{Precursors}} moving them around as slaves. Some were separated long enough ago and/or ended up in sufficiently divergent environments that they evolved into what are known as "Near-Humans", basically different enough that they'd be considered new subspecies, but still close enough to interbreed with "normal" humans. After the founding of the Republic (most of whose members were the result of the sleeper ships) widespread colonization ensued using the [[FasterThanLightTravel hyperdrive]].
** ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' implies that the human homeworld was actually Tatooine. The {{original|man}}s were the ancestors of the Sand People as well, who abandoned technology after a (technically) successful rebellion against the Rakatan that also led to the world being turned into a desert by orbital bombardment. Alternately, the Tuskens might be just another human or near-human race.
** When C-3PO introduces himself, he always adds, "human-cyborg relations". It seems they are human after all. Then again, he's [[FridgeLogic not a cyborg]], and neither Darth Vader nor General Grievous, who really are cyborgs, need an interpreter to speak with humans.
** A novel was planned that would have explained the humans as arriving through time and space from a troubled future Earth, but the project was scrapped before release. The ExpandedUniverse did include a couple of theories along the way, though.
* Shep Ramsay in ''Film/SuburbanCommando''.
* Most of the aliens in ''Film/TeenagersFromOuterSpace'' look human.
* The alien visitors to Earth in ''Film/WhatPlanetAreYouFrom?'' look completely human. Then again, they can [[RuleOfFunny shoot rays of light out of their nostrils]], so obviously they aren't.
* In the Russian film ''Attraction'', the alien that crash-lands in Moscow not only looks very much human but actually receives a blood transfusion (something that can be harmful between humans) from Yulia without any side effects. On the other hand, the aliens are TheAgeless, which appears to have always been the case.
* In the Soviet two-part film ''Film/MoscowCassiopeia'', the aliens turn out to look almost identical to humans, with the difference being that they're completely bald until they hit puberty. They do have a StarfishLanguage though, which involves a series of whistles that appear to contain a lot of information. When one of the teens first sees the aliens, she has an IKnewIt moment and proclaims that all intelligent life in the universe ''must'' be this trope. When another teen rightly points out that she can't possibly know that from the two examples, she gives him a look and tells him that he's ignoring the evidence right in front of him. Care to take a guess as to which of them is the better scientist?
* ''Film/TheGirlFromMonday'': Nobody, an alien traveler, appears to be a lovely young human woman. It's explained her species lacks a corporeal form however, so she took one on to blend in among humans. As with most examples, she's also white. [[spoiler:Jack]] turns out to be one too.

* ''{{Literature/Alterien}}'' series. The Alteriens, aka homo alteris, are this. In their concealed form they look like any normal human with the usual exception of being highly attractive. As this particular trait can sometimes make them stick out in situations they may want to be more inconspicuous, they can shapeshift to look like a less attractive, more average-looking human at any time. Oberon and the other Alteriens of the first group were completely unaware of true nature of their "human" bodies until the Sisters of Orion reveal it to them later on in the series (The Orion Directive).
* Creator/RobertRankin shamelessly {{lampshade}}s this in one of his stories (''Armageddon, the Musical'') where it is advanced as proof that there is a {{God}} who designs dominant species in his own image. "As any ScienceFiction fan knows, the basic human shape, Head at the top, two feet at the bottom, wedding tackle about halfway down, is the standard for intelligent life the universe over. They often speak good English with a noticeable American accent, too. Facts that should serve up friend Atheist with a workload of eggs, faces for the use of."
* Angels in ''Literature/TheBible'' are an interesting take on this. Usually they look near indistinguishable from humans. The ones who announce Jesus resurrection are a good example of this being described simply as men in white robes. On the other hand some angels can [[OurMonstersAreWeird be a lot stranger]].
* In one ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' book (though it was referring to gods, the spirit's the same), it's mentioned that if you ask someone to come up with an alien-looking being, it would basically be a man in an animal mask.
* OlderThanTelevision: Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs did this all over the place.
** Starting back in 1912 with ''Literature/APrincessOfMars''. Everybody on Mars except the Green men looked human, but [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe hotter]], and have much longer lifespans. The earth born hero [[Literature/JohnCarterOfMars John Carter]] and his Martian Princess wife have two kids, despite massive [[BizarreAlienBiology biological differences]] including Martians being oviparous.
** In the ''Literature/{{Amtor}}'' series, the people of Vepaja, a nation on Venus, slightly resemble Middle-Easterns on Earth.
** This doesn't even begin to cover some of the [[BizarreAlienBiology wild biology]] that shows up in ''Literature/TheLandThatTimeForgot'' stories.
** The ecosystem of ''Literature/{{Pellucidar}}'' is supposedly entirely convergent evolution from the outer surface of Earth, except without the asteroid-induced mass extinctions. Resulting in several sapient species ranging from pterosaur-descended Mahars to humans, though at least one tribe of humans are known to be descendants of Barbary corsairs who sailed through a passage at the North Pole to Pellucidar.
* The Takisians of the ''Literature/WildCards'' series. In fact, that's what leads to the entire plot of the series; the Takisians note how biologically similar they are to humans, believe they must be the descendants of a "lost colony," and drop the wild card virus on Earth to test out its purpose as a biological weapon. Humans and Takisians can even have children together.
* The various biological species of Literature/TheCulture are mostly human-looking, although they have various additional internal glands and bits. Given the degree of casual genetic modification in the universe though, it's anyone's guess as to whether they were all always like that.
** ''Literature/UseOfWeapons'':
** Shias Engin asks Zakalwe "I know that all the outworlders aren't humanoid, but a lot are. How come?". Zakalwe replies jokingly that it is the universe's way of getting rid of alcohol.
** Some of them ''are'' human, a result of the Culture grabbing some of them to spread out across the universe.
** The essay [[http://www.vavatch.co.uk/books/banks/cultnote.htm A Few Notes on The Culture]] deliberately sidesteps the issue:
---> Now, in all the above, there are two untold stories implicit. One is the history of the Culture's formation, which was a lot less easy and more troubled than its later demeanour might lead one to expect, and the other is the story which answers the question; why were there all those so-similar humanoid species scattered around the galaxy in the first place?\\
Each story is too complicated to relate here.
** Played with somewhat, in that while the Culture's main species are called "Human", they're not quite what we think of as "Human"; A character in The State Of The Art needs cosmetic surgery to fit in on Earth.
** It's also implied that while human is a recurring body plan, it's not the ''only'' one -- the various races of humanoid are called "pan-human", but a race of bouncing monopods are referred to as a "pan-hopper" species in ''Surface Detail''.
An interesting variation on First Contact occurs in ''The Algebraist'', another of Iain M. Banks's sci-fi novels. It is mentioned that humanity - (perhaps just human genetic material) - was transplanted from Earth to a number of nearby worlds ''in 4051 BC''. These humans were raised in an interstellar culture while Earth itself was declared off-limits. Result; by the time Earth discovered interstellar travel, HumanAliens, or aHumans outnumbered the remaining humans or rHumans by an order of magnitude. First Contact was less WeComeInPeaceShootToKill than What Kept You? As a method of preventing every First Contact boondoggle ever theorized, it worked. It also annihilated all terrestrial human culture.
--->'''EncyclopediaExposita:''' ''Prepping. A very long-established practice, used lately by the Culmina amongst others, is to take a few examples of a pre-civilised species from their home world (usually in clonoclastic or embryonic form) and make them subject species/slaves/mercenaries/mentored. So that when the people from their home world finally assume the Galactic stage, they are not the most civilised/advanced of their kind (often they're not even the most numerous grouping of their kind). Species so treated are expected to feel an obligation to their so-called mentors (who will also generally claim to have diverted comets or otherwise prevented catastrophes in the interim, whether they have or not). This practice has been banned in the past when pan-Galactic laws (see Galactic Council) have been upheld but tends to reappear in less civilised times. Practice variously referred to as Prepping, Lifting or Aggressive Mentoring. Local-relevant terminology: aHuman & rHuman (advanced and remainder Human).''
* In Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin's Literature/{{Hainish}} Cycle, this is because all the humanoid races are spawned by a precursor race from the planet Hain (including the humans of Earth). Despite a common ancestry, they do not all look like us. Some of the differences are subtle: some are shorter, some are hairier, some are green-tinted. Some of the differences are profound enough to qualify as a HumanSubspecies, as in the case of a people who are hermaphrodites.
* In Creator/JamesPatterson's ''[[Literature/DanielX The Dangerous Days of Daniel X]]'', the aliens on Daniel's home world, Alpar Nok, look exactly like humans. The planet even [[AllPlanetsAreEarthLike looks like Earth]].
* From the ''Literature/{{Kadingir}}'' series: The Ziti are genetically identical to humans, despite coming from a [[AnotherDimension different world]]. Many have crossed dimensions into Earth throughout history, so much so that they even have their own government HiddenInPlainSight posing as a MegaCorp, the Kadingir Corporation.
* In the ''Literature/PerryRhodan'' universe, the ancestors of the most prominent 'human alien' races of our galaxy actually came from Earth. (Extra irony points for one of those species later coming back and, quite unaware, [[AncientAstronauts claiming 'Larsaf III' as a colony of their own]] for a brief time.) Humanoid life in general seems to have some common ancestors in the distant cosmic past, and can also be partially justified by the fact that SufficientlyAdvancedAliens have been known to meddle in the evolution business as well.
* {{Justified|Trope}} in Creator/CSLewis's Literature/SpaceTrilogy, whose premise is that Literature/TheBible is true: ever since The Creator [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} became a man]], the human form became His favorite, so any intelligent beings created after Christ's time will also have human form. So while Mars (which is older than Earth) has several races of sapient non-humans, Venus (which is so new it is still in its "Eden" phase) has green humans.
* In''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'':
** {{God}} in this series has created earthly animals on other worlds. This results in such things as Bear Aliens and Mouse Aliens.
** The beavers in ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'' claim the Witch, Jadis, was descended from Lilith, which just raises further questions. Of course, they aren't exactly experts on Jewish apocrypha.
*** There is also the claim that she is descended from the Djinn on one side of her family, and the Giants on the other, and to have no human blood at all. One of the themes in the books is that being that look like humans but aren't are, invariably, wrong in ways that make them inimical to humans. This is not her true heritage so much as MaliciousSlander but Jadis claims to be an Earth human, which is equally untrue.
*** The truth is revealed in ''The Magician's Nephew'' that Jadis is the [[LastOfHisKind last]] member of a human looking but nonhuman species from a third world separate from earth and Narnia making her a straight example of this trope. She fled to Narnia because her world was rendered an empty ruin by [[WhereIWasBornAndRazed her magic.]]
* The Literature/NoonUniverse novels of the Creator/StrugatskyBrothers feature a lot of PlanetOfHats Human Aliens civilizations, though their cultural, technological and historical development is rarely 100 % identical to that of the Terrans. [[PlayingWithATrope Among the most inventive examples]] are the people of the planet Saraksh, whose entire philosophical and religious system has been heavily influenced by the immense optical refraction phenomenon present in the atmosphere of their homeworld. From the surface it looks like the horizon is above the observer, which makes the Sarakshans think that they actually live inside a hollow cave in an endless piece of rock, rather than on a round planet floating in space. They call all who claim otherwise [[PardonMyKlingon "Massaraksh"]] ("of the world inside-out"), a term which is also an UnusualEuphemism for "insane".
** Then there are the Leoniders, who are essentially a whole race of SpaceAmish, and the people from the unnamed planet Arkanar is located on, who are locked in a MedievalStasis by their damaged culture rejecting science.
** The Noon-verse is also a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]], since it features several IntelligentGerbil (e.g. Tagorians, Golovans) and StarfishAliens (e.g. [[{{Precursors}} Wanderers]], Ark Megaforms).
* ''Literature/EnchantressFromTheStars'' has all the alien civilizations be different types of humans to make it ambiguous which civilization is Earth. The Torisians of its sequel, ''Literature/TheFarSideOfEvil'', are also pretty human.
* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in Creator/SergeyLukyanenko's ''Literature/ALordFromPlanetEarth'' trilogy, where all races in the Milky Way (except [[spoiler:humans]]) have been [[{{Panspermia}} seeded]] by a mysterious {{precursor|s}} race. Played straight with Human Aliens from a faraway galaxy.
* Thomas in ''Literature/TheManWhoFellToEarth''.
* In Sergey Volnov's ''Army of the Sun'' trilogy, there are three alien races who are dead ringers for three of the major human "sub-races" (the term used in the books): whites, blacks, and Asians. Nobody knows why that is the case, although there are plenty of other humanoid races. The leading theory is that they have been transplanted to other planets from Earth by {{Precursors}}. This theory is partially supported by several ancient records of the "Asian" race that look eerily similar to Ancient Chinese. To top it off, the name of their legendary ancient leader is very similar to "Genghis Khan". In any case, during the centuries of galactic domination of the [[TheEmpire EarthStella Empire]], these three races were shown preferential treatment due to their, at least external, similarity to humans. After the aliens rebelled (justified, as Imperial humans were [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters bastards]]), they killed off many humans and enslaved many others. Those who survived and were not enslaved are still treated as second-class citizens (if that). As such, most traveling humans tend to pass themselves off as members of one of these human-like races, as aliens have no beef with them.
* This is the whole point of Zenna Henderson's Literature/ThePeople. They may be from another world and have paranormal abilities, but they look exactly like us. (In one story, "Deluge", there's a hint that they may have changed some to match Earth's environment.)
* The Elyins and the Kin in Geary Gravel's 1984 novel ''The Alchemists''.
* Parodied in ''Literature/TheStarDiaries'' by Creator/StanislawLem, where a group of StarfishAliens living on an extremely hot planet discuss a possibility of an intelligent species living in a lower temperature; the oldest one explains that the existence of such creatures is impossible, and any other sapient species must be exactly like them. While Lem used the trope in comedic works, he criticized its use in serious ones.
* The people of Ginen in ''Literature/TheShadowSpeaker'' look like black Africans.
* In Alan Dean Foster's Literature/HumanxCommonwealth novels, we meet the Pitar, a race that by chance resembles beautiful, perfect humans (albeit with some slightly odd hair and eye colors in the mix).
* Played almost completely straight in Creator/MikhailAkhmanov's ''Literature/ArrivalsFromTheDark'' series. While there are some StarfishAliens and LizardFolk, most races are of humanoid nature and some are even capable of interbreeding with humans (although this is a rare case). Several are sexually compatible but are not capable of producing offspring together. There is also a race of SpaceElves who are specifically referred to as "pseudo-humanoids", as they have 4 sexes and reproduce telepathically. It should be noted that the LizardFolk still have a basically humanoid shape with the only addition being a tail. However, they are hermaphrodites. The ''Trevelyan's Mission'' series, taking place in the same 'verse but much later, introduces other humanoid races, mentioning hundreds of others that have been found in-between the series, most of which are on primitive development levels.
* In ''Literature/TheClanChronicles'' by Creator/JulieECzerneda, the only way you'd know a mated adult female Clan from a human is because [[ExpressiveHair their hair has a mind of its own]]. Men and unmated women look exactly like humans.
* In {{Literature/Adaptation}} by Malinda Lo, [[spoiler: the Imria look exactly like humans but have biological differences such as [[HealingFactor the ability to heal quickly.]]]]
* In Creator/WenSpencer's Literature/UkiahOregon series most of the Ontongard and Pack are indistinguishable from humans unless they're [[AlienBlood injured]], because they are a virus that took over a human, and they look like their host.
* In the science fiction novel ''Literature/NationOfTheThirdEye'' by K.K. Savage, there are both "good" and "bad" human aliens. [[spoiler: The "good" ones are similiar to the Nordics in UFO lore, while some of the negative aliens used to be human and transformed somewhat as they entered a higher dimension.]]
* ''Literature/{{Archvillain}}'': Mike, although even he doesn't know it, being an AmnesiacHero. Only Kyle saw him beam down from space. [[spoiler: Subverted as of book three: Mike's not an alien, he's an artificial human created by Future!Kyle and sent back to help his past self.]]
* ''Literature/TheHistoryOfTheGalaxy'' features a number of different alien races, including InsectoidAliens, StarfishAliens, and even EnergyBeings. It does, however, feature two humanoid races: the billion-year-old Emulotti and the 3-million-year-old Harammins (they're blue, though).
* In ''Literature/AlanMendelsohnTheBoyFromMars'', Martians are identified by wearing checkerd sweaters and black-and-white polo shoes, but otherwise look like humans. Turns out [[spoiler: Alan Mendelsohn]], who looks like a normal boy, [[spoiler: really is from Mars.]] Also the Nafsulians Manny, Moe, and Jack, who just look like short men.
* In ''Literature/SolarWarden'', the first alien race to contact the US look like the stereotypical "Nordic aliens": tall, incredibly beautiful, white-haired, with eyes slightly larger than normal. They offer to share their tech in exchange for the US to disarm all their nukes. Naturally, since they show up at the height of the Cold War, Eisenhower refuses. [[spoiler:They later turn out to be humans from the distant future (about 11,000 years), who have colonized their past. This makes their concern over nukes understandable: if modern-day humans nuke themselves to extinction, the "Nordics" will disappear as well.]]
* The aliens in ''Literature/YoungWizards'' generally go for a more {{Humanoid|Aliens}} or {{Starfish|Aliens}} design, but the inhabitants of the planet Wellakh such as Roshaun and his family look completely human. At one point Roshaun insists that ''he's'' the human and the Earth characters are the humanoids, but it's not made clear if there's an actual relationship or if he's just blustering.
* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/TheWateryPlace": The aliens from Venus were careful to assume human shapes. Unfortunately, this meant the person they chose to meet for FirstContact thought they were humans playing around with him, and he was already annoyed from doing his taxes, so he told them to "Get the hell out of here".

[[folder:Music]]
* The music video for Hot Chocolate's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr9fRIIziXY No Doubt About It]]".
* Music/MeghanTrainor invokes the trope in "Your Lips are moving" with lines like "I come from outer space", and "I can smell her on your collar"
* The fictionalised version of Music/{{Rezz}} is a young alien from Neptune with the power of hypnosis through music
* Music/{{Vitas}} has been known to invoke this trope in some of his music videos, particularly "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6rxu0lrfxs Blessed Guru]]," and his more well known "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWmfNeLs7fA Seventh Element]]."

[[folder:Pinball]]
* Technically, everyone except Flash and Dale in ''Pinball/FlashGordon'' qualify for this trope.

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* This is Wrestling/KrisStatlander's gimmick. She is dubbed as "The Galaxy's Greatest Alien" and is billed from [[PartsUnknown the Andromeda Galaxy]], at times even as "recently escaped from {{Area 51}}".

[[folder:Radio]]
* ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' has several examples, most notably Ford and Zaphod's unnamed species from the Betelgeuse system (the latter's extra head and arm are due to surgery). The only known differences are biological incompatibility with humans and multi-centennial lifespans. This resemblance is explicitly only through human eyes; when the two are with Arthur (a human) other aliens can tell right away that he's a different race and usually assume that he's their pet monkey.
** The Asgoths of Kria (writers of the second worst poetry in the universe) are also likely to be this way on account of how precise Douglas Adams tends to be with his language - after all, their poet's small intestine throttled his brain in 'a desperate attempt to save ''humanity'''. In the very next episode, Arthur compliments the 'humanity' of a Vogon poem, which Ford hastily corrects into 'Vogonity', decreasing the likelihood that this was a mistake.
** Possibly {{Justified}} by the reveal that Earthmen are a designed species created by aliens... and by the still later reveal that they are in fact descendants of AncientAstronauts from Golgafrincham.

[[folder:TabletopGames]]
* ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu''. The secretive inhabitants of the subterranean city of K'n-Yan are almost completely indistinguishable from humans.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}''. Humans, or something close enough to be called Human, apparently evolved on three different worlds, Golarion (the main world of the setting), Earth (visited in ''Reign of Winter''), and Androffa ([[spoiler: the source of the spaceship which crashed in Numeria on Golarion millenia ago.]])
* ''Ankur: Kingdom of the Gods''. A scifi rpg based on Sumerian mythology. AncientAstronauts visit Earth and create humans (and other subspecies) as slaves to mine for gold. The aliens look very similar to us because we share two-thirds their dna.
* ''TabletopGame/HeroesUnlimited'': You can easily create an alien superhero who looks indistinguishable from an ordinary human.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'' reveals that all the Human Aliens are actually humans, who left Earth long ago voluntarily. The Mysterious Lovecraftian Aliens refer to Earth as the "Land of Beginning", where sentient life first evolved.
* ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations'' has a race called the Altarians, who are essentially Humans With PsychicPowers. The Altarians even call the [[HumansByAnyOtherName Terrans]] their "lesser cousins." It's implied in the backstory, however, that the two races might have a common origin.
** That being said, the game makes it clear they are two separate species, and unlikely to be compatible for reproduction (no one has really tried). Furthermore, everyone in the game notes that the physical similarities between the two species are very strange and seemingly fly in the face of science.
*** Specifically, certain Altarian research options with ''Dark Avatar'' notes that a) Altarians and Terrans are two separate species, b) Altarians are more genetically similar to Terrans than they are to any species on their home planet.
** The resident {{Precursors}}, the Arnor, are also noted to look similar (though at the same time they are clearly a separate species) to humans. The only known Arnor still around are the [[AbusivePrecursors Dread Lords]], however, so humanity is rather disturbed by this revelation. [[spoiler:It turns out that this is because the Arnor's creator, the Mithrilar Draginol, is himself an ascended time-travelling human. The heavy Arnor presence on early Altaria (as demonstrated in the backstory of the ''Elemental'' fantasy spinoff series) is probably significant to that planet's natives' resemblance to humans as well.]]
* ''VideoGame/StarControlII'' is mostly pretty good about making its aliens different from humans, though there are still a suspiciously large number of bipeds with heads on the top. However, one species, the Syreen, are your typical [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe blue-skinned space babes]] - and they comment on the perplexing similarity between their species (the big difference being matriarchal rather than patriarchal). They're so close, in fact, that they're apparently sexually compatible, capable of producing fertile offspring. It is implied in the game's rich backstory, however, that it's because a [[LittleGreenMen certain other alien species]] transplanted some ancient Syreen to Earth as part of an extremely long-term experiment.
* VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'s Gensokyo is a FantasyKitchenSink inhabited by a variety of mythological creatures that all look quite human, [[CuteMonsterGirl even at their most bizarre]]. A lot of the youkai themselves could qualify for this trope, but The Lunarians are the closest the humans there are. But then again, they might be [[EpilepticTrees merely ascended humans]] after all, and the ending of ''Imperishable Night'' describes them as having aspects of [[HalfHumanHybrid both humans and youkai]].
* Similarly, the Lunarians in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' don't look too different from humans other than slightly different skin tones and hair colors. They can even interbreed with humans and the two major characters are [[HalfHumanHybrid Half-Lunarian]].
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''[=/=]''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2 Final Fantasy X-2]]'': With few exceptions, the Al Bhed are virtually indistinguishable from the other human races on Spira. The only way to recognize them, is by the unique [[ExoticEyeDesigns spiral pattern of their irises]], which is how Auron confirms his suspicions about [[GenkiGirl Rikku.]] The game also uses this as a minor plot point, since Wakku [[FantasticRacism hated the Al Bhed]], yet failed to realize she was one of them. Yuna herself is half Al Bhed, and is in fact Rikku's cousin.
* The vast majority of the alien races in ''VideoGame/StarOcean'' are human or {{Beast M|an}}en.
* The D'ni in the ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' series count, as their ancestors (the Ronay) evolved on a different planet. However, this is further complicated by the fact that that planet was in an AlternateUniverse, since the Ronay (and their descendant cultures, D'ni included) invented the use of Linking Books as a means of access to TheMultiverse (originally to evacuate their dying homeworld). Up until the Uru spinoff games introduced the (humanoid, but non-human) Bahro species, all sentient inhabitants of D'ni-linked worlds were hardly distinguishable from humans of our universe, suggesting that some part of their linking technology automatically avoids creating links to worlds with non-humanoid inhabitants for some reason.
** There is some precedent for such an interpretation, even given the Bahro. D'ni law (although not any actual aspect of The Art) required all ages to conform to certain environmental conditions, for safety reasons. Since these conditions fostered the evolution of the human-like D'ni, it stands to reason that they would foster the evolution of biologically similar races, especially if they were sufficiently constrained.
** This also explains why they look human; D'ni itself is underground on Earth, but is itself a colony from a forgotten homeworld.
* Going along with ''Franchise/StarWars'' above, ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' has several. The Handmaiden (and by extension the entire Echani species) look like humans but with a tendency towards being very pale, sometimes with white hair (they also have the quirk of ''extreme'' familial similarity: looking like twins is the ''norm'' -- so long as the age difference isn't too large -- to the point that Handmaiden looking subtly but visibly different from her five sisters[[note]]as established in dialogue. They actually use the ''same'' model and textures except for the Handmaiden having a different hairstyle which can't even be seen in the standard Handmaiden outfit[[/note]] is a clear sign she had a different mother). Echani [=NPCs=] in the first game look entirely human[[note]]though this may just be ContinuityDrift[[/note]]. The Miraluka are also functionally indistinguishable; it's not until they take off their wrappings that they're revealed to be eyeless. (Visas, your Miraluka party member, is never seen unveiled.) Note that many ''Franchise/{{Star Wars|ExpandedUniverse}}'' species are actually 'near-Humans', meaning that they are descended from Humans but evolved into something else because of long-term genetic isolation. This is because before the Hyperdrive was invented, people traveled around in generation ships or sleeper vessels; some limited interspecies contact occurred, but no organization on the scale of the Republic or Empire was possible. Also, not all isolated Human populations diverged genetically if their new environment was benign enough; for example, the inhabitants of Naboo stayed well within the Human genetic range, but diverged from mainstream humanity culturally. Apparently, [[UnfortunateImplications Indians are an aberration]].
* While not referred to as aliens, many of the demons from ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' fall under this, since we see that they do inhabitant different planets throughout space. In the second one, it's an even a major plot point that [[spoiler:Adell]] is a demon indistinguishable from humans.
* ''VideoGame/EscapeFromStMarys'': You first think you're looking for a shriveled green man, for your search's actual result turns out more like this.
* Waka from ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' looks very human, yet he's acquainted with Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Eventually, he's revealed to be [[spoiler: a survivor from the Moon Tribe]]
* ''VideoGame/UniverseAtWar'' mostly plays this straight with the Masari, though there are implications that it may be the inverse as the Masari had been "guiding" humanity for at least ten thousand years. Alien humans anyone?
** There is also Mirabel, who plays it straight (baring similar Masari influence on Novus' creators)
* If you put it this way, the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series resolves around space travel, though all the worlds were originally one. Many of them contain humans (with some exceptions), and the human characters you control can be considered aliens. Though the only one ever called that, indirectly, was Terra, [[spoiler: when he was "saved" by Gantu and shown, unconscious, to the Grand Counselwoman]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}}'' has the Hiigarans (consequently their descendants, the Kushan [[spoiler:and [[LongLostRelative Kadeshi]]]]), [[TheEmpire Taiidani]], [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Vaygr]], [[TheFaceless apparently]] the [[ProudMerchantRace Bentusi]] and possibly everyone else (given that their ships, once captured, [[PossessionImpliesMastery instantly can be fielded against them]]).
* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' has the Homs, inhabitants of Bionis. At first they appear to be HumansByAnyOtherName, being the only 100% human-like species around, but they have some differences, such as being affected by the presence (or lack thereof) of the local "ether" around them.
* ''VideoGame/BodyBlows'': The second game in the series, Body Blows Galactic, introduced a multitude of extraterrestrial fighters, of which three, named Azona, Kai-Ti, and Lazer, looked exactly like humans. The rest of the newcomers were either beings with a humanoid body shape or other kinds of creatures altogether.
* Hat Kid from ''VideoGame/AHatInTime'' looks entirely human, but is from space, identifies as non-human in her personal writings, and regards a toy model of [[AliensStealCattle a UFO abducting cattle]] as an offensive stereotype. The only physical proof that she's not a human comes from an X-ray that shows her ponytail has vertebrae-like bones.
* Possible in ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}''. Create a custom species and use the human portraits, and voilà, an alien species that look like humans [[HumansByAnyOtherName but not named as such]], evolved on a planet other than Earth, and have entirely different traits from "standard" humanity altogether.
* ''VideoGame/PolarisSector'' has the Magellans, who look extremely similar to humans, except for purple skin, vertical pupils, and certain other physiological characteristics. Moreover, humans and Magellans are able to interbreed, even though human-Magellan males are sterile (female hybrids, though, are fully capable of producing offspring). Hybrids tend to take the best of both races: human physical strength and Magellan intelligence. Genetic testing has confirmed that they are, in fact, distinct species, but they do share a 98.735% genetic similarity (that's less than chimps, by the way, who share 99% of our DNA), suggesting a common ancestor in distant past, which seems odd, considering that they have come from the Magellanic Clouds. Magellans are generally slow breeders. While it's common for a female to bear 2-3 children at once, their male-to-female ratio is astoundingly skewed towards females (1 male per 1000 females). They practice neither artificial insemination (against their religion) nor cloning (too much risk of genetic errors). It's not clear why they don't practice polygamy, though, since that would help alleviate the problem.
* ''VideoGame/{{Tamagotchi}}'': Most Tamagotchis avert this by being HumanoidAliens at most. However, Rolatchi, who is a Tamagotchi version of the Japanese model Rola, actually does look exactly like a human.
* ''{{VideoGame/AlexKidd}}'' is a large-eared humanoid alien.
* ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'' has the Sentinels, also known as the Argenta, who appear completely identical to humans in almost every way. They had a vast galactic empire millions of years ago and even made a (failed) attempt to form a colony on Mars, though there is no suggestion that they are AdvancedAncientHumans; they are treated just like a completely alien species.

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* In ''VisualNovel/MarcoAndTheGalaxyDragon'', Gargouille, Haqua and Pandagraph are aliens from three different species. All three of them look like humans apart from their exotic eye colours. Haqua’s a particularly odd case, as her father Astaroth is a RubberForeheadAlien [[spoiler:and they both come from the Andromeda galaxy]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''WebComic/EerieCuties'': Jeffery, the groundskeeper at [[AllGhoulsSchool Charybdis Heights]] purposely [[http://www.eeriecuties.com/strips-ec/a_little_wuv tries to scare humans away]] and Layla does what she can to [[http://www.eeriecuties.com/strips-ec/sneezeweed scare them off as well.]] Yet, no one finds it strange that there's [[http://www.eeriecuties.com/strips-ec/carefully_hidden a human science teacher]] working at their school... or is she? The cast page even list Proff. Twiggit's species as [[http://www.eeriecuties.com/cast/ "(human?)"]], suggesting she may not be what she appears.
* In ''Webcomic/TheEnd'', most aliens are portrayed as being well and truly alien (huge six-eyed birdlike humanoids, UglyCute slug-people, etc.) The Ith, however, stand out.
--> '''Henri''': ''Those'' are Ith? You said they were ''similar'' to us.\\
'''Ethma''': Are they not?\\
'''Henri''': No! They're ''exactly'' the same!
* The Narvans, and the Amazons ''Webcomic/{{Tripp}}'' & co. encounter in their first attempt to vortex-jump.
* In ''Sev Trek'', the Enterprise is making FirstContact with the Obscuricons. Kirk asks Spock what type of beings they might be. After long speculation on StarfishAliens types, a human looking alien beams up instead.
-->'''Kirk:''' What were you saying, Spock?\\
'''Spock:''' I see; [[BoldlyComing you visited this planet too]].
* The Franchise/{{Superman}} example is parodied in a (SFW) comic by [[Webcomic/{{Sunstone}} Stjepan]] [[ComicBook/DeathVigil Sejic]], when Lois Lane and Superman prepare to have sex. It's not shown to us, but apparently Kryptonian males aren't identical to human males ''[[ExoticEquipment everywhere.]]''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Almost all characters in ''Literature/ChaosFighters'' are this. The exceptions are [[spoiler:Irtial and Muranyl, who are from Earth.]]
* In ''WebVideo/{{Dad}}'', It's heavily implied that Dad and his family came from space; not only does he mention he used to live under the "Kepler rays" [[note]] as in the planet Kepler 22b[[/note]] and claims that his family is several eons old. He also tells the viewers to "move [their] human limbs" in "Dad Is On", calls his audience "Earthlings" in "Dad Feels Good", and claims to have "left his planet" in "Dad Bod". [[spoiler:ACT II PART I shows a younger Dad, in an astronaut suit, laying in the desert.]] In spite of this, they all look like ordinary humans, and even manage to pass as such while in public.
* [[{{WebAnimation/Hololive}} hololive]]:
** [[{{Characters/HololiveIndonesia}} Airani Iofifteen]] is described as a breed of aliens who enjoys drawing who entered a Virtual Communication and Designs school in a university on Earth. She resembles a human girl with paint splashes on her body.
** [[{{Characters/HololiveJapanGenerationFive}} Nene Momosuzu]] is an alien from a planet named [=TaoTao=] who came to Earth to meet new people. She has the most humanlike design out of her generation, which has a snow elf with PointyEars, [[{{HornyDevils}} a succubus-in-training,]] [[{{LittleBitBeastly}} a lion, and a fennec fox clown.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Most episodes of ''WesternAnimation/TheBackyardigans'' that take place in outer space have the kids playing characters who live in space but look exactly like them: "Cops and Robots", "Garbage Trek", "Ranch Hands from Outer Space", "Los Galacticos", "Pablor and the Acorns", and "The Big Dipper Diner". Played with, as they are FunnyAnimals, not humans.
* In ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'', Alan is a [[HalfHumanHybrid Pyronite crossbreed]] who looks human except for when he's using his powers, and it's revealed that Gwen (and of course Ben by extension) is a HalfHumanHybrid and gets her powers from her alien grandmother (the logical extension is, of course, that anyone without an Omnitrix strapped to their wrist who has powers is an alien or part-alien. The fans have had fun with this).
** Hex and Charmcaster are humans from an alternate dimension, making them literal Human Aliens.
* WesternAnimation/WordGirl is an alien from the planet Lexicon, but looks nothing remotely exotic.
* Just about everyone in ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'' are from different planets throughout the Magical Dimension. Technically they're aliens, but other than their ability to do magic, they're exactly the same as humans.
* ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'' has the Gallalunans, who seem to blend in with the Earthlings very well. Interestingly, one episode showed they have equivalents to multiple human ethnicity instead of all looking like white people.
* The [[WesternAnimation/ChallengeOfTheGoBots GoBots]] looked completely human before becoming a race of cyborgs. The only two remaining Gobotic humanoids are the Last Engineer and the Master Renegade, who were discovered in [[HumanPopsicle suspended animation.]]
* Comet Guy in ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' is from the planet Mertz, where he and his people all resemble humans instead of anthropomorphic animals.
* The main character of ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' looks human, but is from another dimension. The human equivalents mostly live in a kingdom called Mewni, and so are called "[[{{Portmanteau}} mewmans]]". While Star and her mother are HumanOutsideAlienInside, going through a bizarre form of puberty that eventually makes them {{Winged Humanoid}}s, this seems to be [[RoyaltySuperpower exclusive to their royal lineage]]. [[spoiler:It eventually turns out they really ''[[TransplantedHumans are]]'' humans that wandered from Earth to Mewni but [[IdentityAmnesia lost their memories]] in the process.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Fangbone}}'''s eponymous character looks human but is from a dimension called Skullbania. Skullbanians are a ProudWarriorRace look exactly like humans but distinguish themselves from humans in their speech, while also possessing SuperStrength (Fangbone can break rocks with his head without flinching).
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', the Harlem Globetrotters are [[PlanetOfHats an entire species]] of genius-intelligence basketball players. Also of note are the Amazonians (muscular women twice as tall as a normal human) and the Vincians (identical to humans but smarter).
* In ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'', all Bortronians look like humans. This helps the Propulsion family to blend in with the Earthies and keep their alien identity a secret while on Earth.
* Averted in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' with the Rannians from ''ComicBook/AdamStrange''. Usually they're this trope, but in this continuity, they look more elvish with green-tinted skin.
* Eternians in general in ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse'' are this. The only exception is Adam's mother who is from Earth.
* The Jammbonians from ''WesternAnimation/JellyJamm'', aside from their [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation brightly-colored skin]], look a lot like humans.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other]]
* According to some UFO enthusiasts, NewAge religions and alleged contactees some RealLife alien races are human aliens like the Pleiadians, a.k.a. Nordic Aliens.
[[/folder]]

----
!!Aversions and subversions

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
* Prot in ''Film/KPax'' explains this by saying that it is the most energy-efficient form to take on Earth. Of course, he [[spoiler:may or may not be an alien]].
* In the earlier film which might have inspired the novel, an Argentinian production called ''Hombre Mirando al Sudeste'' (''Man Looking Southeast''), Rantes explains to the doctor that though they came in a ship, he and the others are actually physical [[ProjectedMan projections]] from a distant, doomed future on another planet, and that they naturally adapt to whatever the observer [[WeirdnessCensor expects to see]]. Of course, he [[spoiler:may not be an alien, either -- though he does have PsychicPowers, and his equally-alien (?) female friend does leak blue liquid from her mouth when excited]], and then again, he also claims to be a MessianicArchetype... yeah, it's one ''hell'' of a MindScrew.
* Subverted with the Ultramen and Ultrawomen of Tsuburaya Productions' Franchise/UltraSeries, and an interesting case given the amount of humanlike alien races encountered by the Ultras over the course of the series! In the lore of the franchise, the Ultras started out looking very much like humans, but after their star died and the Plasma Spark was activated, their species was transformed into the first Ultra Warriors. That being said, most Ultras can 'become' humanlike again via a host or human form, which is vital when operating on planets such as Earth where the atmosphere blocks out the cosmic rays needed to stay at full power.
* Both the {{Franchise/Transformers}} & the Brave Series have a weird variation on this, wherein there are several planets besides Cybertron/whatever planet the heroes come from that are inhabited by intelligent TransformingMecha. Sometimes explained as being colonies of the main characters' race, sometimes not. While it may be reasonable to assume that a sufficiently advanced civilization would discard their weak organic bodies for more durable mechanical ones, the whole transforming thing is pushing it. The weirdest example being the Japanese Anime/BeastWarsII series, where there is a planet of highly evolved FunnyAnimal-like aliens who have developed to the point of Trans-funnyanimalism, where they have upgraded themselves with cybernetics. This allows them to turn into humanoid robot forms that look uncannily like the Maximals & Predacons, despite having no prior contact with them, for no apparent reason other than RuleOfCool.
* Mostly averted in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' series. It does feature a few human-looking (possibly) aliens. In some cases those may just be human colonies. It also features plenty of RubberForeheadAliens. The long history of humanity in the Star Wars galaxy allows for the possibility of so-called "near-human" races that are evolutionary descendants of mainstream humanity, but which have evolved to adapt to different planetary environments. Then there are also many species that are very non-human-looking. It's a richly diverse galaxy.
* Subverted in ''Film/GalaxyQuest,'' as the aliens initially appear human, but are using technology to change their appearance because their true form is... unsettling.
* Subverted in the remake of ''Film/TheDayTheEarthStoodStill2008''; Klaatu's human form is implied to have been grown inside his initial containment suit to allow him to be compatible with the Earth's environment. The opening shows a genetic sample being taken from a man (also played by Creator/KeanuReeves), implying that Klaatu's earth form is a clone of that man.
* In ''Film/{{Lifeforce}}'', when the astronauts explore the vampire spaceship they are astonished to discover a humanoid crew in stasis pods. Subverted when it's discovered that they're actually shapeshifting monsters who assumed human form to more easily find and seduce human victims to snack on their LifeEnergy. Their real form is some sort of extraterrestrial, winged bat creature.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Averted in the novel ''Quest'' by Andreas Eschbach, when it is explained that: 1.All human races originated on earth and just evolved differently due to different environments. 2.All of the galaxy's life originated on one planet and cells of it have been spread by comets.
* Averted in the novel ''Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday'' (a prequel to the film), where Starscream claims that any sufficiently advanced race would naturally build machines that were similar to Cybertronians, as the Decepticons believe that they are the most perfect lifeforms in the galaxy. However, he also may have been simply trying to explain away the fact that the human spaceship ''Ghost 1'' seemed to be built using Cybertronian technology (i.e. that Megatron, the Decepticons' true leader, has been found).
* Conspicuously and consciously avoided in Wayne D. Barlowe's illustrated sci-fi novel ''Expedition''. Barlowe, a noted fantastic fiction illustrator who darn well knows his biology, openly despises this trope and so he invented an alien race who is very like humankind in their attitude and culture - [[spoiler: but they look a bit like a cross between a hot air balloon and an [[SpaceWhale airborne octopus]].]]
* In Creator/LarryNiven's ''Literature/{{Ringworld}}'' series, and the prequel, ''Literature/{{Protector}}'', there are various humanoid races who all turn out to be [[spoiler:descended from the Pak, the same race of {{Precursors}} who are the ancestors of Earth humans]].
* The Martians and Venusians of Creator/SMStirling's ''Literature/TheLordsOfCreation'' novels look human because they are (more or less); the eponymous beings, in prehistoric times, Terraformed Mars and Venus and seeded them with Earth life (repeating the process several times, so that on Venus you have humans sharing the planet with dinosaurs and mammalian megafauna).
* The aliens in Robert Zubrin's TheHolyLand consider themselves the humans, and the Earthlings merely 'proto-humans'. Given their superior senses, telepathic ability, superior physiques, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking superlative hygiene]], they're probably right. However, they themselves originated on Earth, about twenty thousand years ago.
* ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy1'' has a subversion in the book version with Trillian. When she's introduced, she's built up to be one of these. [[spoiler:She's from Earth.]] There's also a RunningGag that Ford Prefect looks exactly like a human to humans, but to other aliens the species are different enough that his human friend Arthur Dent is repeatedly mistaken for his [[SonOfAnApe pet monkey]]. Golgafrinchans are so close to humans that their colony displacing the cavemen in 2 million BC went unnoticed, even by the higher-dimension beings running the planet.
* In the ''Literature/YoungWizards'' series, two of the four alien species involved in the wizardly cultural exchange program look human. And there's a guest appearance by a [[Series/DoctorWho Time Lord]]. A few of the {{Mooks}} are RubberForeheadAliens. All the rest of the aliens are definetly not human, with a few of them being StarfishAliens.
** An inversion as well as Roahaun, the [[HumanAliens human alien]] staying at the Callahan house states that he is actually the human and the humans are humanoids.
* Some of the ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'' novels have the Doctor come across as mildly not-so-human, to generally [[UncannyValley creepy]] effect. Anji seems to be particularly prone to noticing this. In one scene, when he does strike her as a convincing human, she considers him "a fake" and refers to him as "the alien" and "it" before she remembers he is, after all, [[PlatonicLifePartners her friend]] and a nice guy. In another scene, they'd have ''really'' run up the special effects budget if it were TV, just to make people go "[[{{Squick}} Ewwww]]" at the protagonist:
-->In [[GentleGiant Hugo]]’s arms, the Doctor hung bonelessly limp, as if he might suddenly flow to the floor in a puddle. Anji had never seen a human body sag like that; no human being had that sort of muscular-skeletal frame. For a frightened instant, she felt more kinship with the man with no limbs[[note]]they're at a sideshow[[/note]] than she did with the Doctor.
* Played with in the ''Literature/SectorGeneral'' series. Sure, they have one species of Human Alien, but they have seventy species total, so that is to be expected eventually. There are also species which look nothing like humans but look a lot like each other, inverting the trope. On a more interesting note, every species' language uses a word equivalent to "human" as the species' name for itself, meaning actual ''Homo sapiens'' have to specify "Earth-human" (or their body shape and chemistry classification DBDG, which they share with at least two species of RubberForeheadAliens).
* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' pointedly averts this trope. The most humanoid alien ever mentioned in the series is a species of amphibious monkey. Also, the Hork-Bajir feature basically the same head/two arms/two legs body shape, but otherwise go even beyond RubberForeheadAliens (in fact, they more closely resemble dinosaurs). The torsos of Andalites look fairly humanoid, and the head has a RubberForeheadAlien quality to it, but otherwise they are very different (having a basic body structure like a Centaur). Aside from those three, none of the alien races/species portrayed or mentioned in the books look anything even remotely human. Some of them even stray into StarfishAliens territory. Elfangor reflects that humans are the only bipedal species he's ever seen or heard of that can balance without a tail.
** Played straight with the Inspector. He is a Yeerk Controller whose host body looks exactly like an Andalite, except it has no tail blade, and moves extremely quickly.
** In one book, Aximili lampshades the trope, complaining that Star Trek aliens are completely unrealistic and make no sense. He's particularly confused by Worf (they apparently saw ''Film/StarTrekGenerations''), whom he says resembles an Ongachic female.
* [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] and [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in [[Creator/HGWells H.G. Wells's]] ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds''. The narrator, as well as most others present when the Martians first emerged from their vessel, expected to see "a man", or something near like it, not the TentacledTerror they got.
* In ''Literature/ManyWaters,'' Sandy and Dennys spend the first 100 or so pages assuming that they've been teleported to a desert planet with inhabitants who look exactly like AmbiguouslyBrown humans, save that they're only about four feet tall. Eventually they realize that they're still on Earth, [[BibleTimes but shortly before the Biblical flood]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* Parodied in the ''Captain Kremmen'' radio spoof, when Kremmen first encounters the Thargoids.
-->'''Kremmen:''' Except for their large transparent heads, three lips and sixteen nostrils, they looked just like you or I!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* Subverted in ''TabletopGame/CthulhuTech''. The Nazzadi look like RubberForeheadAliens, but that is because they are actually genetically engineered from humans by the very alien [[StarfishAliens Migou]].
* ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'' RolePlayingGame both uses ''and'' subverts this; there are humans and humanoids [[TransplantedHumans spread]] by mysterious {{Precursors}}, and there are StarfishAliens, some of them ''very'' alien.
* Eldar from ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' look like humans with pointed ears and angular features in art. However, it's made clear in descriptions that no-one would ever make that mistake in-universe due to the weird boneless way they move, their fingers being compared to writhing worms.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''Franchise/DeadSpace'' has an ironic subversion, since all the Necromorphs are made from human corpses and several of them look pretty damn close to a plain old human. [[spoiler:In the third game, the remains of an alien civilization are discovered (along with some leftover Necromorphs from their civilization), and while they were human''oid'', they didn't look remotely similar to humans at all. And that's not even getting into the Brethren Moons, the creators of the Necromorphs, who are closer to an EldritchAbomination.]]
* ''{{VideoGame/Ascendancy}}'' not only does ''not'' have HumanAliens, it doesn't even have humans. ''All'' aliens in the game are StarfishAliens. The most recognizable are the Chamachies, being a race of LizardFolk with chameleon (i.e. turreted) eyes. Then there's a race whose people are made up mostly of a giant eyeball (unsurprisingly, they're called Oculons).
* ''VideoGame/TheLastFederation'', like ''{{VideoGame/Ascendancy}}'' above, does not have humans in it. Player character is a hydra looking alien, one alien race is a bug species, one looks like TheGreys, two are robots, one we do not get a good look at all and one looks like a barn owl. The last one looks humanoid, but is red, seems to have a carapace and lacks visible mouth.
* ''VideoGame/SchizmMysteriousJourney'', being an FMV game, shows the people of Argilus as mostly speaking in their native language and bearing a triangular marking on their foreheads to show signs of not being human.
* The ''[[{{VideoGame/XCOM}} X-COM]]'' series have aliens that attempt to blend in with humans. The Snakemen in the original are...unconvincing, but the [[VideoGame/XcomEnemyUnknown thin men]] are nearly perfect, and wear clothing specifically to cover the areas that don't look human (Specifically, their wrists and neck are greenish, and their eyes are clearly not human).
* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' has the Isu, a race of god-like beings that created advanced pieces of technology known as the Pieces of Eden. However, they are native to Earth and can interbreed with humans, but as revealed in ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity Unity]]'', they had triple helix DNA which made them a related but distinct species from their creations.
* In ''VideoGame/EarthDefenseForce5'', the Colonist alien enemies are described as looking "almost exactly like humans", even though they clearly don't: they are [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever building-sized]] FrogMen.
* ''{{VideoGame/Warframe}}'' has the Grineer, Tenno, and Corpus, all of whom are humans with minute differences, but with a subverted variant of the Transplaneted Humans justification, being that they all originated from actual humans long after our multi-planet civilization collapsed; genetically engineered slave races made by the now fallen solar-system spanning empire of the Orokin; the ''original'' humans. In fact, most of the scifi elements in universe are the result of the actions of interstellar humans. Even the BodyHorror inducing zombie parasite [[TheVirus Infested]], breathable atmospheres on planets like Mars and Venus, and [[spoiler:the StarfishAliens from another solar system that are the Sentients]] are human creations. Everything in the setting originated from earth.
** [[AmbiguousSituation The Man in the Wall]] may play it straight, though.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/AlienDice'' has numerous examples of aliens who look similar to humans but with subtle differences, such as exotic HairColors or CuteLittleFangs. It also has a rather interesting subversion when it is [[TheReveal revealed]] that [[spoiler:the reason that the blueskinned Rishan look human is because they '''are''' human, having been created using genetic material taken from Earth humans generations ago]].
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive.'' Aliens and magical beings get around by wearing T-shirts that say "Human" or some such. (''One'' person notices that his coworker is an alien. Her denying it is enough to convince the others, and she and this coworker wind up sending silly notes back and forth to each other about it.) Of course, Uryuoms being natural shapeshifters ''and'' the creators of TransformationRay technology, they could hide by simply becoming human. Of course, [[RuleOfFunny that wouldn't be funny.]]
** Two of them hire Ted (seen in a flashback) to design human forms for them, and provide the technology for it - apparently there are legal/political/religious reasons why they can't do it themselves (because it requires the use of object-oriented programming), rather than an inability to do it themselves. Also, once they've been raygunned into humans, they can (implied) shift back and forth freely.
** It gets better. Uryuoms don't consider themselves actual aliens--as one of the pair who hired Tedd said, he's a natural-born American! Hence the above argument--the other characters knew she wasn't ''human'', but she's not ''alien''. Wonderful thing, jus soli, eh?
* ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob.'' Except for the cameo crossovers with ''Webcomic/{{Melonpool}}, Webcomic/{{Zortic}},'' and ''Zeera the Space Pirate,'' all aliens depicted have been [[StarfishAliens nonhumanoid]] in their true forms--although the Nemesites will typically [[VoluntaryShapeshifting disguise]] themselves as humans when dealing with Earthlings.
* The Darnathi in ''Webcomic/IslaAukate'' modified themselves to look human in preparation for an infiltration-type invasion, their natural forms are more reptilian/amphibian. Unfortunately they crashed on an island populated by mythical creatures, so they kind of stand out.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* {{Inverted}} [[PlayedForLaughs For Laughs]] in ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim''. [[VillainProtagonist Zim]]'s species, the Irkens, are HumanoidAliens at best, with solid-color eyes, green skin, antennae, and no nose or ears. But with a minimum of effort, nobody notices except for [[HeroAntagonist Dib]].
* Captain Crandall of ''WesternAnimation/TeamoSupremo'' claims to be from another planet, despite the fact that he looks too much like his "Earth-mom" to possibly not be her child.
* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/MonsterBusterClub''; Cathy seems like a Human Alien at first glance... but various lines indicate that this is just a human disguise like we see on other aliens in the series, and her true form hews closer to the StarfishAliens trope.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries'' uses human aliens only for legacy species, illusion casters, and shapechangers. Otherwise, the aliens in the series are very alien indeed, taking full advantage of animation not requiring costly prosthetics or puppetry.
* Mostly averted in ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlack'' with its StarfishAliens, albeit some examples do exist including Jeeb’s unnamed species (identical to humans save for being green inside and be indestructible) and Aileen’s unnamed species (very similar to humans save for the dark blue skin and the tentacle-like retractile fingers).
* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' contains a planet called Mertz occupied by superpowered ''Homo sapiens''. However, since Earth in this universe is occupied only by anthropomorphic animals, a visitor from that planet strikes Darkwing as a "bizarre-looking alien monstrosity."
* The Bortronians from ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' look like red-haired humans and can catch and fight off human diseases normally, implying their biology is similar as well.
* The ''WesternAnimation/SpacePOP'' girls are mostly human except for pointed ears and colorful skin, and Chamberlin and Captain Hansome look extremely human. While Geela has a more alien design, she also counts compared to other aliens who are clearly nonhuman.
* The Alteans in ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'' appear mostly human, though have a few differences, such as [[PointyEars pointy elf ears]], small marks of color next to their eyes, and sometimes [[MysticalWhiteHair white hair]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other]]
* Some conspiracy theorists believe that an alien/extradimensional evil race called the Reptilians take human appearance.
[[/folder]]

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Spot_the_Human_Alien_-_2_2073.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:PopQuiz! Which of these is a human?[[labelnote:Answer]]None of the above. Starting from upper left, we have an [[Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick Air Elemental]], a [[Series/DoctorWho Time Lord]], a [[VideoGame/UniverseAtWar Masari]], an [[Franchise/StargateVerse Ancient]], one of [[Literature/TheClanChronicles the Clan]], an [[VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations Altarian]], a [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Kryptonian]], an [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration El-Aurian]], and an [[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Echani]].[[/labelnote]]]]

!!Examples:

Contrast with StarfishAliens (where the aliens are nothing like humans), HumanoidAliens (where aliens have a similar shape, but not quite human), AmbiguouslyHuman (where it isn't made clear in-canon whether a culture are human-like aliens or human-descended), AFormYouAreComfortableWith (when gods and other metaphysical beings take human form) and HumanSubspecies (biologically "alien" yet related to humans). In the case one of them had been RaisedByHumans, may lead to HumanAlienDiscovery. Not to be confused with HumanityCameFromSpace, which are actual alien humans from places other than Earth.

* ''TabletopGame/AnkurKingdomOfTheGods''. A scifi rpg based on Sumerian mythology. AncientAstronauts visit Earth and create humans (and other subspecies) as slaves to mine for gold. The aliens look very similar to us because we share two-thirds their dna.

* "TabletopGame/Ankur: Kingdom of the Gods". A scifi rpg based on Sumerian mythology. AncientAstronauts visit Earth and create humans (and other subspecies) as slaves to mine for gold. The aliens look very similar to us because we share two-thirds their dna.