History Main / IAmWho

* Ares of ''Manhwa/VagrantSoldierAres'', suffers from EasyAmnesia and can't remember his previous life as Sebastian, bastard son of the king of Chronos.

* In ''Film/AngelHeart'', a private eye hired by "Louis Cypher" to track down a vicious killer who made a deal with the devil. Turns out that private eye is the killer; each horrible murder he discovers along the way was actually done by himself, and "[[LouisCypher Louis Cypher]]" ...
* This is the big reveal in ''WesternAnimation/{{Bionicle}}: The Mask of Light''. The protagonist, Takua is chosen by the titular mask and sent on a quest to find the Toa of Light, but when he reaches the place the mask leads him to, there is no Toa of Light there. His friend Jaller's LastWords make him realise the truth: ''he'' is the Toa of Light, once he puts on the mask.
-->'''Jaller:''' You know... who you are... you were always different...
* In ''Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. When Buffy is informed that she is the Slayer.
* The 2007 animated film ''The Chosen One'', features a [[TheChewToy Chew Toy]] who learns near the end that he's actually God, who occasionally lives as a normal human in order to understand them.
* Peter Pan in the film ''Film/{{Hook}}'', who ends up growing up back on Earth, totally forgetting his entire original identity.
* This becomes part of the plot of ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'' when Po discovers the [[SarcasmMode incredibly shocking]] fact that a goose isn't his real father.
* ''Film/TheMatrix'' has two. Whilst Neo ''is'', as he discovers in the first film, [[TheChosenOne special]], he's not quite as unique as he's been led to believe. Neo is at least the sixth of the Matrix's [[TrialAndErrorGameplay abnormalities]], and has in fact been duped from the start by none other than the [[MagicalNegro Oracle]] herself, who's engineered ThePlan to ensure humanity's survival.
* In ''Film/{{Overboard|1987}}'' the leading lady is incredibly rich, and (after falling overboard her yacht and getting amnesia) lives with a poor carpenter. The carpenter knowingly dupes her into believing that she was his wife.
* In the 1997 film of ''ComicStrip/PrinceValiant'', Valiant was an orphan who worked hard and became the squire of Sir Gawain. Then, he eventually learns that he's the long-lost Prince of Thule.

** The title character, who spends his first eleven years unaware that he is actually a wizard -- much less that his parents were war heroes, and he himself is world-famous for surviving an attack from an EvilSorcerer as a baby.
** Near the end of the fifth book, Harry learns about [[spoiler:the prophecy that got Voldemort to start hunting him down.]] And at the end of the seventh, [[spoiler: he learns that Voldemort *accidentally* made him a SoulJar.]]

* In Adam R. Brown's ''Literature/{{Alterien}}'' series, Oberon learns he is an Alterien, thus explaining why he's as strong and fast as a superhuman.
* In ''Literature/ArchersGoon'', it's revealed that [[spoiler: Not only is the eponymous Goon, present since page one, ''not'' working for Archer, but actually one of Archer's possibly-alien-wizard-god brethren, the lot of whom they've spent the whole book being harassed by and tracking down...so is the ''main character''.]]
* Adam R. Brown's other work, ''Literature/AstralDawn'', features this occurring multiple times.

* Will Stanton's eleventh birthday in ''Literature/TheDarkIsRising'' was even more extreme than Harry Potter's. Oh, yes, your family is your real family and all...but you're also an immortal wizard with an incalculable eternal destiny to fight the personified forces of evil and be deeply disconnected from the human race, even those you love most, forever. And you're the last of us and the fate of the world hinges on your completing this FetchQuest we refuse to explain within the next few weeks. Happy Birthday.
* In ''Literature/DeltoraQuest'', Lief is [[spoiler:the true heir of Deltora; his father, Jarred, is actually Endon in disguise in a bait-and-switch plot to confuse the Shadow Lord.]]
* ''Literature/{{Demon Road}}'': Shortly after her parents try to kill her, she finds out [[spoiler:that they are demons and she inherited that from them]].

* In William Sleator's ''Fingers'' the narrator and his half-brother were informed near the end that they were ''both'' the reincarnation of an obscure Hungarian composer [[spoiler:who was dismembered during his accidental death]]. The narrator (who composed) was the "head" and his half-brother (who played piano, albeit mostly badly) was the "hands."
* ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' protagonists in the end would discover they were not humans but actually ghosts, aliens, dogs, robots, monsters, etc.
* In the third ''Literature/GreenRider'' book, ''The High King's Tomb'', the protagonist finds out that [[spoiler:she's the avatar of the god of death. Said god possesses her just long enough to save the day, then erases her memory so she can go back to a normal life.]]

* In ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' series, there is a minor character introduced for the sheer hilarity of the story as a Rain God. He has no idea of it, only that it has always rained wherever he was.
** Arthur Dent gets a small dose of this when it turns out that every living creature he has ever harmed (directly or indirectly) has been the same being, reincarnated over and over again only to die at his hands once more. Said being believes him to be a creature of ultimate evil and malice, but Arthur concludes that the universe is simply messing with them.
* In ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' novel ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy'', protagonist Shasta learns at the end that there's a reason he [[IdenticalStranger looks exactly like]] young Prince Corin: [[spoiler: He's actually Corin's older twin brother Cor, the rightful heir to the throne, who was KidnappedAtBirth.]]
* In Creator/TamoraPierce's ''Literature/TheImmortals'' quartet, main character Daine's mysterious one-night-stand of a father turns out to be [[spoiler:Weiryn, god of the hunt]]. This is why Daine has such strong wild magic (and a gift for archery).
-->''[Numair, in the first book:]'' "She's brimming with it. I've never seen a [[{{Foreshadowing}} human]] with so much."

* [[Literature/InheritanceCycle Eragon]] has at least ''two'' of these.
* Subverted somewhat in A. Lee. Martinez's ''In the Company of Ogres''. First it's played straight with Never Dead Ned [[spoiler:not knowing what he was, or why he returned from the dead every time he died. No one knows except for the Red Goddess.]] He couldn't be told of his identity as the [[spoiler:Mad Void]] due to the fact that [[spoiler:it would wake up and destroy everyone.]] However, later it turns out [[spoiler:that he has to find out that he's the Mad Void in order to remove the burden from the Red Goddess.]]
* Caeden, the AmnesiacHero from ''Literature/TheLicaniusTrilogy'' is floored when he discovers that he used to be [[spoiler: Aarkein Devaed, ostensibly the BigBad of the series]].

* In ''Literature/LordValentinesCastle'' by Creator/RobertSilverberg, the protagonist who has been memory-wiped discovers that he is Lord Valentine, one of the rulers of the world of Majipoor.

* Literature/{{Percy Jackson|AndTheOlympians}} is [[spoiler:the son of Poseidon]].
** The first ''[[Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus Heroes of Olympus]]'' book does this with Jason's identity.
** Pretty much any demigod or demigoddess, when he or she is first claimed by their godly parent. Some don't quite understand at first.
-->'''Leo''': ''*just claimed as the son of Vulcan (aka Hephaestus)*'' Vulcan? I don't even ''like'' Franchise/StarTrek! What are you talking about?!
* Megan Whalen Turner's ''[[Literature/TheQueensThief The Thief]]'' manages to use this trope even though the book is written in ''first person''. Even though we are privy to the main character's thoughts, the reveal still comes as a surprise. Of course, Gen himself knows who he is -- he's just hiding the truth from everyone else.

* In Creator/TerryPratchett's early novel ''Strata'', it is eventually made clear at the climax of the story that [[spoiler:every sentient being in existence]] is a member of the godlike "Disc Builders" who have taken on mortal form in order to learn new experiences. [[spoiler:This is, in fact, what they created the entire known universe for]].

* In ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'', Umlaut was an avatar/creation of the Demon Jupiter, and there was a bet between Jupiter and a couple other Demons about whether he was going to figure this out before finishing his quest.

* Corran Horn, in the Literature/XWingSeries, finds out that he's the grandson of a Jedi; the man he's called Grandfather all of his life was that Jedi's partner, who married his wife after the Jedi died.

Subtropes include AmnesiacGod. Often the result of a ChangelingFantasy. Related to TomatoInTheMirror. If everyone ''else'' knows the truth, the hero's been LockedOutOfTheLoop. Not the correct response to IAmSpartacus.

* In the ''Literature/{{Belgariad}}'' series, by David Eddings, Garion learns after ''several books'', first that he is [[spoiler:a sorcerer]], then that he is the last descendant of [[spoiler:the Rivan throne, and is thus crowned King of the kings of the West]]. Later it gets worse as he learns that [[spoiler:he is fated to fight an evil god all by himself.]] Still, there were clues... Big bright flashing clues
* The first volume of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfAmber'' starts with this.

* ''VideoGame/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'': Hajime Hinata, this game's 'unknown talent', is [[spoiler: ''not'' an Ultimate. He's a reserve course student who volunteered to be turned into the ultimate MasterOfAll, Izuru Kamukura.]]

* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'':

* Roughly translated, the title of ''LightNovel/KyoKaraMaoh'' is "From Today, You Are Demon King". [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin From today, Yuuri is king of the demons.]] He's a bit flummoxed.

* Lain of ''Anime/SerialExperimentsLain'' finds out that she is the rough equivalent to [[spoiler: an artificial god, given that she is completely omnipotent. There's also something about her being an ArtificialHuman made to bridge the gap between the real world and the wired, too, but the whole omnipotent thing is the key bit]].

* In Osamu Tezuka's ''Anime/{{Metropolis}}'', Tima is a robot that was designed to run the Ziggurat, a weapon capable of controlling [[spoiler:and destroying]] all mankind. The only ones aware of this fact are Dr. Laughton who is killed in the first few minutes of the film, Duke Red who commissioned Tima to be built, and Rock who wants Tima destroyed. [[spoiler:when Tima finds out her purpose she loses memory of all the events that occurred in the film and tries to use the Ziggurat to destroy all mankind for its insolence and self destructive habits]] This is a trope namer as this question is Tima's first words in the film. [[spoiler:They are also her last words spoken in the film]]

* The protagonists of {{Manga/Saiyuki}} are really [[spoiler: reincarnations of gods who died 500 years ago]], with the exception of Goku, who is the [[spoiler: Seiten Taisei (Great Sage Equaling Heaven), a golden-eyed being who is so powerful that his power limiter was made by heaven itself and who was thrown out of heaving for snapping and murdering many of the beings there after his best friend stabbed himself in front of Goku's eyes rather than kill him]].

* ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow]]'' had a plot twist: [[spoiler:Soma Cruz is actually the reincarnation of Dracula.]] The direct sequel, ''Dawn of Sorrow'', states this early on in the game, [[LateArrivalSpoiler spoiling it for anyone who played it before]] ''Aria of Sorrow''.

* In ''Film/SuperMarioBros'', Daisy is completely shocked to learn that she's an interdimensional princess who descended from dinosaurs.

* In ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', Agent Washington figures out [[spoiler:Church]] is the Alpha AI. [[spoiler:Church]] does not take it well.

* Maria Grace Fleed from the ''Mazinger'' series (''Anime/MazingerZ'', ''Anime/GreatMazinger'', ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'') believed she was a completely average, tomboyish teenager with a taste for [[BikerBabe bikes]]. Then her dying ''grandfather'' revealed than she was not his granddaughter, but [[spoiler:she was an alien from planet Fleed. And her real parents were the rulers of the planet.]]

* [[FirstEpisodeTwist At the beginning of the series]] ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is told that he houses the [[SealedEvilInACan Kyuubi]]. Later in the series Naruto is told that his father was one of the most powerful Shinobi ever and his mother was [[spoiler: the previous host of the Kyuubi]]. Keep in mind that the Naruto-verse thrives on SuperpowerfulGenetics.

* In ''Literature/DeltoraQuest'', Lief is [[spoiler:the true heir, his father, Jarred, is actually Endon in disguise in a bait-and-switch plot to confuse the Shadow Lord.]]