History Main / Humanshifting

** Some creatures like [[HornyDevils Succubi]] and Night Hags have the innate ability to assume human or {{demihuman}} forms at will, the better to corrupt people into doing evil.

* Sabine the [[HornyDevils succubus]] from ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''. She can do "human", "dwarf", and also turn male. By ''D&D'' rules, she can change into any Medium or Small humanoid form.

* ''LightNovel/IveBeenKillingSlimesForThreeHundredYearsAndMaxedOutMyLevel'' has many characters who use magic to assume human forms for convenience or disguise, including dragons, [[GiantFlyer leviathans]], humanoid [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demons]], and intelligent [[CuteSlimeMook slimes]]. For [[AuthorAppeal some reason]], they manifest as young girls, despite being centuries or millennia old.

** Some creatures like [[HornyDevils Succubi]] and Night Hags have the innate ability to assume the form of humanoid women at will, the better to corrupt people into doing evil.

* Some creatures like [[HornyDevils Succubi]] and Night Hags have the innate ability to assume the form of humanoid women at will, the better to corrupt people into doing evil.

[[quoteright:275:[[Webcomic/ElGoonishShive https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/egs_elliot_transform.png]]]]

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[[quoteright:236:[[ComicBook/{{Mystique}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mystique_shapshifting_1888.jpg]]]]

** There is also Polyjuice Potion, which can turn you into a specific person for an hour, [[CannibalismSuperpower after you add a bit of said person into it]] (such as a hair, nail, etc.) It messes up if you add a non-human component, even if that person is a HalfHumanHybrid.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'', [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-974 SCP-974 ("Treehouse Predator").]] It can take the form of a any human being that it has killed and eaten.

* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': While the team can morph humans (their power works on anything with DNA), they rarely do so and when it happens, try to ask for permission first.

** The ''alter self'' spell lets you transform into another creature of your type. Since most spellcasters are humanoids, this means [[FiveRaces humans, elves, dwarves, etc.]] (Although a dragon casting ''alter self'' could only turn into [[OurDragonsAreDifferent a different dragon]].) The ''humanoid shape'' invocation for Dragonfire Adepts lets them transform into any (non-templated) humanoid shape (it's not ''quite'' as powerful as ''alter self'' for humanoid adepts -- it misses out on a few bonuses the new form might have -- but on the other hand it lasts for much longer than a standard ''alter self'' spell).

* DependingOnTheWriter, Mystique from the ''ComicBook/XMen'' comics is usually limited to human shapes. [[AdaptationalSuperpowerChange Some adaptations have stretched this]], though, such as ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'', where she can turn into animals like wolves (and in one memorable case due to Apocalypse boosting her power, [[OneToMillionToOne she was able to turn into]] an entire ''swarm'' of bats).

* Elliot in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' can [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=1083 consciously change his appearance]], although thanks to a botched magical awakening, most of his available forms are female. (Properly awakened magic in this setting tends towards PersonalityPowers, so it's been theorized that he won't awaken properly until he finds a female form that in some way represents his true self. [[spoiler:[[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=2184 He did.]]]]) His magically-created OppositeSexClone Ellen has a more refined version of this, allowing her to scan somebody and change her form to match theirs perfectly, which [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=1065 isn't limited to humans]].

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'', [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-974 SCP-974 ("Treehouse Predator")]]. It can take the form of a any human being that it has killed and eaten.

* The Returned in ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'' have this power. Most modern Returned don't know they have it, and so simply take on whatever build and appearance society thinks of as the ideal. The Royal House of Idris, who are descended from a Returned, can alter the color and length of their hair at will (including facial hair for male Royals).

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'': Albireo Imma's Artifact allows him to assume the appearance, personality, memories, and abilities of anyone he desires, so perfect an imitation that he might as well be transforming into that person themselves. There is a catch that keeps this from being ridiculously overpowered: if he uses it to assume the form of someone more powerful than himself, ItOnlyWorksOnce, and only for a few minutes. People less powerful than himself he can transform into with impunity.

* Minor character Suetsumu in ''Manga/ZettaiKarenChildren'', using telepathic hypnosis. An unusually benevolent example, since she uses it primarily to comfort terminally ill patients in her role as a nurse, and she doesn't even lie about who she really is while using it.

* ''{{Literature/Animorphs}}'': While the team can morph humans (their power works on anything with DNA), they rarely do so and when it happens, try to ask for permission first.

* Another False Face, from ''WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower'' could assume the features of any person who's face he'd felt with his hands. Given the prevalence of shapeshifters amongst the Horde, it was presumably the MasterOfDisguise attribute that allowed him to stand out amongst his fellows for missions.
* Replace "human" with "cybertronian," and this is the power of Makeshift from ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' who could take as his alt-mode the robot modes of any of his fellows he could scan. Given its implied he can switch to other bots' looks simply by re-scanning, it's not hard to see why the writers felt his debut episode should also be his finale.

See {{Doppelganger}}. Compare {{Shapeshifter}} and MasterOfDisguise. Contrast WigDressAccent. For nonhumans that become humans, then that's HumanityEnsues. If someone is involuntarily shifted then see CloneByConversion. {{Sexshifter}} and DualAgeModes are subtropes where shapeshifting is even more restricted, only changing sex and age, respectively.

* ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' combines this with RapidAging when the evil queen drinks a potion to transform herself into an old hag as a disguise.

* ''Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' combines this with RapidAging when the evil queen drinks a potion to transform herself into an old hag as a disguise.

* Toga Himiko from ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' has this as her Qurik: by drinking another person's blood, she can temporarily become that person... and because of her insanity, she see's this as a way of expressing her "love" for that person. In the Meta Liberation Army Arc [[spoiler: she discovers she can also copy a person's ''Quirk'' when she takes their form, something not even ''she'' knew she could do]].

** Oingo's Stand, Khnum, allows him to reshape himself into anyone else he wishes, right down to scent (so even animals, like Iggy, are fooled). That being said, Oingo seems [[BornUnlucky cursed with rotten luck]], as he repeatedly finds himself in situations where his shapeshifting won't do him much good (such as being forced to swallow lit cigarettes).
** Toshikazu Hazamada's Stand, Surface, is a life-size manikin that can change its form to any specific person Hazamada wants, with the bonus in that if Surface meets up with the person it copies and they engage in eye contact, that person is forced to mimic Surface's actions like a mirror image.

** By extension, the {{Doppelganger}} race (which the Changelings are descended from) has this same power too. Of course, by the way ''D&D'' defines "humanoid", they could also become creatures such as harpies.

* ''Series/Merlin2008'' has the titular character develop the ability to do this, primarily into an elderly version of himself who goes by 'Dragoon the Great'. Since this disguise means that he can both use his magical abilities openly and air his true thoughts about various things and people [[LargeHam (which he tends to do at the top of his voice)]], [[HilarityEnsues hilarity tends to ensue.]] He also once turned into an old woman.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone'' episode "The Four of Us Are Dying" features a con man with the ability to shapeshift into anyone he chooses. His downfall comes when he appears as a crazy old man's son. The guy [[OffingTheOffspring really doesn't like his son]].