History Main / LegendaryImpostor

* The first episode of ''Manga/FairyTail'' has someone pose as Salamander, offering to bring Lucy to the titular guild. He's actually a human trafficker, and is stopped with the help of the real Dragon Salamander, Natsu

* In ''MetalGearSolid 2'', the leader of the terrorists is impersonating Solid Snake, to take advantage of his fame.

* The first episode of FairyTail has someone pose as Salamander, offering to bring Lucy to the titular guild. He's actually a human trafficker, and is stopped with the help of the real Dragon Salamander, Natsu

* Backfires on the protagonist in Creator/{{Saki}}'s "The Hounds of Fate" when he finds out just ''why'' the man he's impersonating left town. [[Nothing like being on the wrong side of a vendetta...]]

* ''StarTrekVoyager'', episode "Live Fast and Prosper"

* "The Oracle at Delphi" by AgathaChristie: An American tourist's son is kidnapped, but fortunately the famous problem-solver Parker Pyne is holidaying at the same hotel, and offers his assistance. Even more fortunately, the ''real'' Parker Pyne is also holidaying at the same hotel (under an assumed name to avoid people unloading their problems on him), and intervenes before the fake absconds with the ransom.

* In ''DragonQuestIV'', princess Alena and her companions encounter con artists pretending to be them, [[spoiler:and the heroes end up having to rescue their impostors]].

* Happens in ''DeathNote'' with [[spoiler:the introduction of the second Kira, Misa Amane]].

* ''TalesOfSymphonia'' has impostors of the main characters trying to con the gullible townspeople. You only have to encounter them once, but you can run into them more later on if you want.

* The ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' episode "The Other Brothers Elric"

* ''OnePiece'': A bunch of mooks have decided to cash in on the Strawhats name, complete with the appropriate costumes for each character, and get themselves an incredibly powerful crew ripe for entering the New World. Their only problem? [[spoiler: Their timing couldn't be worse with the Real Strawhats arriving back on Sabaody Archipelago after a Two Year timeskip.]]

* In the ''BlackCat'' manga, a [[BountyHunter Sweeper]] claims to be The Black Cat to get criminals to surrender without a fight and claim the rewards. He stops only when he discovers that some criminals instead [[ToBeAMaster want to show themselves the top gunman instead]], and Train saves his life. (In the anime, it's Eve who saves him.)

* ''FinalFantasyTacticsA2'': After being (mistakenly) accused of an attempt on a noble's life, [[FinalFantasyXII Vaan and Penelo]] gain no small amount of notoriety, and one storyline mission has you dealing with a pair of ([[BadBadActing really bad]]) impersonators and their lackeys, just before the real deal shows up.

* ''PhoenixWright'': In the third case of ''[[PhoenixWrightAceAttorney Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations]]'', Phoenix's reputation is tarnished when [[AceAttorney Furio Tigre]] impersnates him and [[spoiler: purposefully throws the case, in order to make sure the woman he framed gets convicted]]. Phoenix is understandably annoyed that no one recognizes the [[IdenticalStranger hardly-identical stranger]] as an impostor because he has spiky hair and a defense attorney's badge (made of cardboard).

* ''TheATeam'', episode "Showdown!"

* ''SkiesOfArcadia'' featured a BonusBoss consisting of a bunch of actors impersonating the heroes and using their reputation to rob people. When you eventually fight them, each one have approximately three times the stats of the person they're supposed to impersonate in order to provide a challenging boss fight... Which raises the question of why [[CutLexLuthorACheck they simply didn't enter the hero business and made a name for themselves on their own merits]].

* ''PhoenixWright'': In the third case of ''[[PhoenixWrightAceAttorney Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations]]'', Phoenix's reputation is tarnished when [[AceAttorney Furio Tigre]] disguised himself him and incompetently takes cases. Phoenix is understandably annoyed that no one recognizes the [[IdenticalStranger hardly-identical stranger]] as an impostor because he has spiky hair and a defense attorney's badge (made of cardboard).

** In the first chapter of Trigun Maximum, a man who looks exactly like Vash appears, terrorizing a small town. Cue OhCrap reaction when the real [[RetiredBadass Vash]], living in obscurity under an alias comes after Fake Vash. [[spoiler: The fake Vash demands that Real Vash drop his gun, and goes into a [[VillainousBreakdown monologue]] (that leaves Wolfwood rolling on the ground laughing.) about how he can put a hole through them before either of them can draw, and tells Vash to drop his gun. He does... [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome then picks it up a second after it leaves his hand, and empties the entire cylinder into the fake without hitting the hostage.]]]]

* In ''Discworld/TheAmazingMauriceAndHistEducatedRodents'', the protagonists ''are'' the imposters. Then the ''real'' [[PiedPiperOfHamlin Rat Piper]] shows up...

* In ''DragonQuestIV'', princess Alena and her companions encounter con artists pretending to be them, [[spoiler:and the heroes up having to rescue their impostors]].