History Main / InexplicablyIdenticalIndividualS

* In ''Videogame/GenshinImpact'', the receptionist for the AdventureGuild's booth is always a woman named Katheryne throughout Teyvat. When inquired about this, she never gives a straight answer though her idle dialog implies that the Katherynes might be some form of robot.

* The RPG ''VideoGame/{{Exile}} III''/''VideoGame/{{Avernum}} III'' had an enormous amount of towns, and did a good job in making [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters all the [=NPCs=] and shopkeepers unique]] with the exception of the fletchers, dressmakers, provisioners, and...Pat, who were all alike and had all the the same exact dialogue. They just had a lot of cousins.

* In ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'', every town has the same resident shopkeeper, the same postal employees, the same museum curator, the same policemen, mayor (ex-mayor in ''New Leaf''), and same mayoral assistant. While there are [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters hundreds]] of animal villagers who can move into town, it isn't uncommon to encounter the same villager that you have in your town in another person's town.

* Thompson and Thomson in ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}''; the only difference is in the mustache. Furthermore, it's explicitly stated that they're not twins or even related.

* In ''{{VideoGame/OFF}}'', a majority of non-plot-relevant NPCs consist of the Elsen, who are invariably [[NervousWreck incredibly anxious]] and resemble stereotypical white-collar workers (despite what professions they might actually have, as some are miners, for example).

* Many of the ''WesternAnimation/TheItchyAndScratchyShow'' cartoons, including the ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' parody, "Downton Tabby," show cats that all look like Scratchy and mice that all look like Itchy. Both can be either male or female.

* Officer Chunk is guarding the art gallery early in ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', and later mans the front desk at the Venture Tower (he got fired for letting you get into the gallery). ''However'', if you got by him by killing him, the one at the tower will be an identical relative of his. And on a minor note, there's the hordes of [[OnlySixFaces identical NPCs]] going around the areas. It's not uncommon to see a group of redheaded quadruplets dancing at the local club. It's directly acknowledged in one quest where someone the PC knew before they were turned recognizes them; a male Ventrue can claim it's a mistake and point out that half the men in LA look exactly like them.

* Officer Chunk is guarding the art gallery early in ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', and later mans the front desk at the Venture Tower (he got fired for letting you get into the gallery). ''However'', if you got by him by killing him, the one at the tower will be an identical relative of his. And on a minor note, there's the hordes of [[OnlySixFaces identical NPCs]] going around the areas. It's not uncommon to see a group of redheaded quadruplets dancing at the local club.

* In ''VideoGame/AHatInTime'', Mafia Town is populated by giant bald men who all look identical and all address themselves as "Mafia".

[[quoteright:350:[[Anime/{{Pokemon}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/identical_individuals.png]]]]

** Originally named for Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys in the anime. They likely arose as a parody of the trope YouALLLookFamiliar or the result of the production staff running out of ideas for other nurse/police officer characters. Some weren't even related, but they all had the exact same personality and appearance. The series did its share of LampshadeHanging; at one point, one Jenny shows off a picture of her graduating class at the police academy, every single one of which is a Jenny. Regardless of whatever differences there are, Brock [[LovableSexManiac loves every last one of both kinds]]... and is able to tell them apart. For everyone else in the world (and the audience), the Jennys are told apart by having a different insignia on their hat to represent the town they're from. Joys, on the other hand, [[http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h245/DRCEQ2/Anime/Pokemon/HordeofNurseJoys.jpg all have different colored crosses on their hats]] -- Any color except red at the request/demand of UsefulNotes/TheRedCross.

** ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhite Best Wishes!]]'' shows that Unova has somewhat different Jennys and Joys. Both have different uniforms compared to the other regions, and Jenny's hair is a lot shorter. Later series would redesign them and give them different standard starting Pokémon.
** In one episode of ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl Diamond and Pearl]]'' ([=DP028=]), two young Nurse Joys were shown, [[https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/135351/why-do-all-the-joys-and-jennys-look-the-same giving them first names and establishing Joy as a family name.]] [[GenderEqualsBreed Their mother was also a Joy, but their father was a normal man]]. Another episode ([=DP059=]) has a young Jenny who also has a unique name (Marble), implying (though unlike with the young Joys, not outright stating) that Jenny is also a family name.
** ''Best Wishes!'' also introduces the various Don Georges, all of them being the managers of the Battle Clubs who look exactly the same. Unlike Joy and Jenny, each Don George has a different sub-color.

** There's also Porter, who like Jenny and Joy, is part of a large identical family; they work on cruise ships in the Delecore isle.

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': All members of the same class are identical. Teams are only differentiated by [[PaletteSwap colour]], and unless you have some hats, team-mates not even by that. This isn't even a case of GameplayAndStorySegregation; the "Meet the Medic” video features the RED Heavy mowing down an army of identical BLU Soldiers.

[[quoteright:330:[[Anime/{{Pokemon}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/inexplicably_identical_individuals.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:330:Talk about a family resemblance.]]

* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', Dr. Tsubasa, who diagnosed [[TheHero Izuku]] as Quirkless, looks remarkably similar to "Daruma Ujiko," the personal doctor for [[GreaterScopeVillain All For One]] and villainous MadScientist in his own right, being heavyset old men with round glasses and mustaches, and the two share a voice actor in the anime. In addition Dr. Tsubasa had a grandson who is heavily hinted to have been one of the Hosu City [[WasOnceAMan Nomu]] further adding to the comparison — creating and refining Nomu is Daruma’s specialty. This has led to some theories that they're one and the same, and the conclusion that Izuku wasn't born Quirkless; his Quirk had been stolen from him by All For One.

* ''Series/CougarTown'' used a lot of actors who had appeared in creator Creator/BillLawrence’s last show ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', including Creator/CourteneyCox who briefly played Dr Maddox. The two shows were established as being in the same universe when Ted and his band the “Worthless Peons” appear in an episode. {{Lampshaded}} in TheStinger where Ted freaks out about how many people in Gulfhaven look exactly like people from Sacred Heart, including [[TheCameo cameos]] from Creator/ZachBraff playing a pizza delivery guy and Robert Maschio (aka The Todd) as a pool boy.

* In the show ''Theatre/{{Falsettos}}'', the actress that plays Cordelia also plays one of Mendel’s patients in ‘Doctor Mendel at Work’, the first scene in the number A Day In Falsettoland, with a brown wig of (otherwise) similar hair, glassses, and a different outfit. Cordelia appears again as herself in the third scene of the song, ‘the Neighbors Relax’

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': All members of the same class are identical. Teams are only differentiated by [[PaletteSwap colour]], and unless you have some hats, team-mates not even by that. This isn’t even a case of GameplayAndStorySegregation; the “Meet the Medic” video features the RED Heavy mowing down an army of identical BLU Soldiers.

Why bother with UncannyFamilyResemblance, when you can have every member of a family or even perfect strangers as the exact same person! Same taste in food, same way they style their hair, same profession, same mannerisms, and they all probably share the same HiveMind as well. They may even [[PlanetOfSteves all have the same name.]] This isn't just a RecurringCharacter -- every town has their own. These are Inexplicably Identical Individuals; there's no ''reason'' for them to be perfectly identical-- though the series may try to HandWave it as them being related-- they simply are.

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** Originally named for Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys in the anime. They likely arose as a parody of the trope YouALLLookFamiliar or the result of the production staff running out of ideas for other nurse/police officer characters. Some weren't even related, but they all had the exact same personality and appearance. The series did its share of LampshadeHanging; at one point, one Jenny shows off a picture of her graduating class at the police academy (shown above), every single one of which is a Jenny. Regardless of whatever differences there are, Brock [[LovableSexManiac loves every last one of both kinds]]... and is able to tell them apart. For everyone else in the world (and the audience), the Jennys are told apart by having a different insignia on their hat to represent the town they're from. Joys, on the other hand, [[http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h245/DRCEQ2/Anime/Pokemon/HordeofNurseJoys.jpg all have different colored crosses on their hats]] -- Any color except red at the request/demand of UsefulNotes/TheRedCross.

* ''Series/TopGear'' has The Stig, who has a bunch of cousins ranging from German (only a mullet), to teenage (visible undies and always listening to headphones), to hippie (all green and wearing sandals), and it's implied that they raise Stigs ''on farms''. All of them wear the helmet and don't speak, of course.

* In ‘ ‘Series/Thefreshprinceofbelair’ ‘: episode ‘a night at the Oprah’ the family encounter Alexis who is Trevor’s ex girlfriend. She and Hilary are of one mind. When they meet briefly the both have the exact same hairstyle, they both have expensive clothes, a hat, and a dislike for each other. When they come face to face, they both look each other up and down distastefully and then
Alexis: “you have beautiful hair”
Hilary: “I know”
As they say this they both do identical body movements and then simultaneously judge each other by turning to the person behind them, turning back, and the giving a fake laugh and walking away. Neither of them noticed the similarities between them

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'':

** ''Best Wishes'' shows that Unova has somewhat different Jennys and Joys. Both have different uniforms compared to the other regions, and Jenny's hair is a lot shorter. Later series would redesign them and give them different standard starting Pokémon.
** In one episode of ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'', two young Nurse Joys were shown, giving them first names and establishing Joy as a family name. [[GenderEqualsBreed Their mother was also a Joy, but their father was a normal man]]. Another episode has a young Jenny who also has a unique name, implying (though unlike with the young Joys, not outright stating) that Jenny is also a family name.
** ''Best Wishes'' also introduces the various Don Georges, all of them being the managers of the Battle Clubs who look exactly the same. Unlike Joy and Jenny, each Don George has a different sub-color.

** Outside of rare exceptions, Pokemon look the same as the rest of their species. Many of the distinct ones shown are Pikachu, for [[{{Mascot}} obvious reasons]]. Pikachu's girlfriend in an Alola episode, and her...[[PerplexingPlurals pack(?), clan(?)]] of Pikachu take this to a extreme. Many of them have ridiculous anime hair, and one male (with a giant ''pompadour'') is even shiny on top of that, and she herself also has eyelashes and a second stylized blush on her cheek.
* ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'' plays this trope for drama when it's noted that all the Galactic Grunts not only look identical, they all move and act like they have a HiveMind, hinting that they have no free will of their own. As does ''Manga/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAdventure'', where [[spoiler:Mitsumi]]'s eyes go from brown to green when she's a part of Galactic. The grunts themselves have quite a bit of personality though. As a matter of fact, almost all the evil team grunts tend to look similar to each other in ''Pokemon Adventures'', however, the Team Plasma grunts have a [[CastOfSnowflakes wide variety of faces and body types]].

--->'''[[spoiler:Laurens and Philip]]''': Me? I died for him.

** Katrina Devine played Marah in ''Ninja Storm'' and Cassidy in ''Dino Thunder''. This was lampshaded in a crossover episode where the two briefly walked past each other and commented on how eye-catchingly beautiful the other was.

* In ‘ ‘Series/Thefreshprinceofbelair’’: episode ‘a night at the Oprah’ the family encounter Alexis who is Trevor’s ex girlfriend. She and Hilary are of one mind. When they meet briefly the both have the exact same hairstyle, they both have expensive clothes, a hat, and a dislike for each other. When they come face to face, they both look each other up and down distastefully and then