History Main / LikeADuckTakesToWater

A character, usually a somewhat unassuming one, is inserted into an unusual situation or world. But rather than having difficulty adjusting, the character possesses knowledge, a personality type or physical prowess that allows him to leap up the social ladder to a far higher station than the one he had back home.

* Ash Ketchum regularly zigzags with this in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoon''. While he often acts like an accident-prone FishOutOfWater adapting to Alola's different Pokémon and conventions, his experience built up across other regions makes him the most battle competent of his companions, and he adapts to the Z Ring mechanic even quicker than the native trainers do.

* ''Adèle Blanc-Sec'': The adventure "Le Savant Fou" has an especially weird example: the (literal) unfrozen caveman turns out to be fluent in French and immediately asks the scientists who unfroze him for clothes, a stiff drink and -if it wouldn't be asking too much- a cigar. The drop-jawed scientists comment that "We'll have to revise our understanding of the Prehistoric ages."

* ''ComicBook/{{Metamorpho}}'': Java, the unfrozen caveman butler of Simon Stagg. Subverted in ''ComicBook/TheTerrifics'', which reveals that he hates the modern world and feels entirely out of place in it -- it's just nobody ever asked him.

* In his first day within Artemisia's Natural Philosophy class, Hiccup in ''Fanfic/ProdigalSon'' was able to comprehend concepts that baffle students that have been there for weeks. Within months, he surpassed concepts that students that have been there for years have been struggling with.

* In ''Film/Red2010'', Sarah crosses this with UnfazedEveryman when thrust into the life of espionage. She is surrounded by old and young spies, assassins and government agents who are fighting over her life all the time. She is kidnapped, drugged, shot at, almost blown up, and kidnapped again. What does she say when she is confronted with the death sentence or life in prison if she is caught? "Awesome." And when she is? That her boyfriend will kick the interrogator's ass.

* With Creator/BrendanFraser again, in ''Film/BlastFromThePast'' he plays a guy raised in a fallout shelter by parents who were sealed in it during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Upon emerging in TheNineties, he finds;

** Despite being considered a [[MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold crazy, dangerous nut]] in his own time, Doc Brown's love of the Old West made him fit in perfectly with Hill Valley in 1885. Throughout the third film, he's shown to be well-liked and on first name terms with many local townspeople, including even the Mayor and until he learned that Marty came back to prevent Buford Tannen from shooting him, Doc was quite content to simply live out the rest of his life in the past.

* A variant in one of the special Literature/{{Animorphs}} book ''The Hork-Bajir Chronicles'': A character, an alien Alien named [[spoiler:Dak Hamee]] is known as a seer, possessing greater intelligence than most of his species. His kind are shown to be born once a while. He quickly learns and adapts to another alien's culture from an Andalite by the name of Aldrea and in turn he teaches her about his culture. As time goes by he quickly learns of a malicious race of parasite-infesting aliens called the [[spoiler:Yeerks]] and he along with Aldrea join together along with a couple of his kind to fight them.

* Tom Billings, the hero of Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs ''Literature/ThePeopleThatTimeForgot'', who adapts to life very easily in the primeval LostWorld of Caspak and elects to stay there with the woman he loves. Possibly crosses over into BornInTheWrongCentury.

* There is a Frommer Files story where Erich Brunner, a disaffected aristocrat living in the late 21st Century, develops time travel and sends himself back to 1919 in an attempt to (of course) stop Hitler. He fails miserably, but winds up as a medievalist historian at Cambridge and works there happily for the rest of his life.

* Lampshaded in ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms''. Cao Cao is referred to by a man known for evaluating people thus: "You would be a capable minister in peaceful times and an unscrupulous hero in chaotic times." Cao Cao bears it out: before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he's a loyal, if minor, magistrate. As the land descends to chaos, he comes out on top of the feudal lords of central and northern China. His line would eventually supplant the Han. This is fairly common in the book. The civil war offered opportunity to minor nobility to go far farther than they would have normally, assuming they had the talent to survive the turmoil. Of the other two emperors of the titular Three Kingdoms, one was the son of a merchant. The other was distantly related to the emperor, and starts the novel selling shoes and weaving straw mats.

* Waldo Butters from ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' lacks any major talent in magical abilities in a world of gods, angels, demons, necromancers, TheFairFolk, and a whole slew of other things in the FantasyKitchenSink. However, his analytical mind and understanding of proper theory is beyond the hero Harry Dresden, who is a very powerful and dangerous wizard. So, with the right aide in magical theory and proper battery he goes from one trying to deny magic exists despite being attacked by a necromancer who revived his coworker as a zombie, to a [[{{Muggle}} curious coroner]] who studied Harry for some biological answers to making some minor Magitek, to [[spoiler:dressing like Batman to fight evil when Harry was out of commission]], to becoming a [[spoiler:[[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Jewish]] [[Franchise/StarWars Jedi]] [[ChurchMilitant Knight]] [[ThePaladin of the]] [[EmpoweredBadassNormal frikking]] [[DivineIntervention Cross]]]] complete with [[spoiler:a holy blade in the form of a lightsaber]].
* Jerin Whistler of ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'' is a country bumpkin, and when he receives an invitation to spend some time at the royal palace, he is bored at first, because there is absolutely nothing to do. Then, as tends to happen in novels, he finds out about an intrigue against the royal family, and puts to use his hobbies, which include code-breaking and [[spoiler:lockpicking]], as some of his ancestors were spies and the family upholds traditions.

** Lorne is a demon from the dimension Pylea who stranded in the Earth dimension via a porta. As Lorne actually always hated his own life in his homeworld, he fits in into Earth quite well, [[AlienArtsAreAppreciated finding a real interest in human music]].
** Daniel Holtz is a vampire hunter from the 18th century who was brought into present day to get his revenge on Angel and Darla. As he knew he would pass 200 years in process he never seems to have any difficulties to accept the changes in the world since his absence, fully focussing on his revenge.

* ''Series/LoisAndClark'': A time-traveler from the 30th century, a time with no war, crime or poverty, visits the 20th century. He's so enthralled by the violence and vice of the era that he decides not only to stay but to try and take it over.

* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', despite most potential Wardens having fairly humble origins, they have the potential to become a better Grey Warden than the more experienced and Templar-trained Alistair. For example, the City Elf and Dwarf Commoner Wardens are self-taught fighters with no formal combat training, the Dalish Warden have little knowledge of the world outside of their clan and the Human/Elf Mage Warden is simply a BadassBookworm who probably hasn't been outside the MageTower in years. Justified as most Grey Wardens recruits are often picked precisely for this reason, having unique qualities that can be honed to make them excellent at fighting Darkspawn.

* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', the entire human race comes across as this to the other alien races, who are a little perturbed how quickly humanity is adapting, integrating and rising to prominence within the galactic community. Especially since humanity went from discovering mass effect technology and unsealing their Mass Relay, to making first contact, to gaining a seat on the [[TheFederation Citadel Council]] in just under [[HumansAdvanceSwiftly forty years]].

** The three joinable [[OurElvesAreDifferent Dunmeri (Dark Elf)]] [[TheClan Great Houses]] in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' are a particularly prominent example, crossing over with MightyWhitey. The [[PlayerCharacter Nerevarine]] is explictly an outlander (even if played as a Dunmer) who arrives in one of the most alien settings in Tamriel. Despite this, they can join any of the Great Houses and rise in rank as easily as any of the Imperial factions. In many cases, the other high ranking members have been active in the house for decades (or ''[[WizardsLiveLonger centuries]]'' in the case of the [[TheMagocracy Telvanni]]) but will easily be jumped. Helping matters is that each house has a councilor who serves as a mentor to the Nerevarine[[note]]Crassus Curio for the [[ProudMerchantRace Hlaalu]], Athyn Sarethi for the [[ProudWarriorRace Redoran]], and Master Aryon for the Telvanni[[/note]], helping them to navigate the tricky politics, red tape, blackmail, and even outright ''murder'' that tends to slow down progress. That same mentor will also gladly [[TheCreon step aside]] when the Nerevarine reaches the highest ranks, gladly serving as a "#2".
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife'': Gordon Freeman was by all accounts an ordinary theoretical physicist whose only claim to notoriety is being trained to use a [[PoweredArmor particularly high-tech piece of PPE]], which itself is in no way unique. Then the Black Mesa Incident happened, and he became a OneManArmy capable of plowing through aliens, monsters, and U.S. Marines to get to the source of the chaos and blow it up. ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' plops him down decades later in a VichyEarth ruled by an interdimensional empire called the Combine and told, more or less, to just do what comes natural. A few weeks later, their Citadel explodes, their forces are in retreat, and the Rebellion is well on its way to reclaiming Earth.

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckDodgers'' is a pastiche of Buck Rogers, and is made a captain because IQ High is WrongGenreSavvy, who expects him to be better at everything because he's from the past. He and everyone wise up pretty quick to Dodgers' incompetence, but the duck still has his uses as [[NoOneElseIsThatDumb no one else in the 2250s is stupid enough]] to attempt some of the crazy things he does. And [[CrazyEnoughToWork some of those stunts actually work]]. ''[[LoserProtagonist Some.]]''
* PlayedForLaughs in the ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' episode ''[[Recap/DuckTales2017S2E21Timephoon Timephoon!]]'', where after being excited that a real caveduck came into the present giving him the chance to deduct his abilities and life, Huey is driven crazy by the fact that said caveduck has no problem to adapt to everything he is confronted with, succesfully riding a skateboard and later a similar time displaced dinosaur with ease. [[spoiler:It helps that he is revealed to be an ancestor of [[TheAce Scrooge McDuck]], implying he might be way smarter than his contemporaries]].
* The Falcone's crime history in ''WesternAnimation/FuggetAboutIt'' start with their ancestor Giuseppe, a cobbler, mistakenly thought to have killed the don. He adapt to the life of crime and violence fast because making shoes for people gave him a lot of pent up aggression.

* The animated series ''WesternAnimation/MartinMystery'' has a character named Java, a caveman that was frozen in ice for 200,000 years. He works at the titular Martin's high school as a cook and janitor and helps him and his stepsister Diana solve supernatural mysteries for The Center. He's rather wary of technology and has terrible hygiene and grammar, but otherwise has adapted to 20th-century life quite well.

** In "Go God Go", Cartman has great trouble adjusting to life 500 years in the future. In "Go God Go XII" ([[UnInstallment which is the very next episode]]), he has lived there for some time, has formed a tenuous alliance with the Otters and gets around much more confidently.

Can also be a MightyWhitey (if a European does this in a non-European society) or a case of VillainsBlendInBetter. Some forms of NewLifeInAnotherWorldBonus may also count, when the "bonus" is a skill the protagonist already had which helps them adapt to the new world. Compare InstantExpert and NeverAcceptedInHisHometown. Contrast FishOutOfWater and GracefulInTheirElement.

* ''ComicBook/TheWarlordDC'': Both Travis Morgan and later Mariah make the change to living in the LostWorld of Skataris very easily. Mariah's easy adjustment catches Morgan by surprise as he did not suspect that the archaeologist was also a champion sabre fencer.
* ComicBook/{{Superman}}, ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} and other Kryptonian characters are relatively ordinary under the light of a red sun (such as that of their home planet of Krypton). Under a yellow sun like that of Earth, they acquire powers and abilities "far beyond those of mortal men."
* ''ComicBook/WhatIf'':
** One issue featured Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian being stranded in the twentieth century, where he promptly becomes a successful gang leader. This was actually spun out of a story arc from Conan's own comic, where he was sent back to his proper time and place eventually instead.
** Conan also adapts to the present day in ''ComicBook/SavageAvengers''. The 2019 ''ComicBook/Marvel2099'' event has him become a king, with at least a working understanding of 2099 tech and culture.
** Another "What If...?" had the Hulk becoming a barbarian king; he did the same in the canonical arc ''ComicBook/PlanetHulk''.
* Harrison Oogar, the caveman of Wall Street, from the ''ComicBook/AgeOfTheSentry'' miniseries. He beat market five years straight!
* ''ComicBook/{{Metamorpho}}'': Java, the unfrozen caveman butler of Simon Stagg. Subverted in ''ComicBook/TheTerrifics'', which reveals that he hates the modern world and feels entirely out of place in it -- it's just nobody ever asked him.

* [[DoubleSubversion Double Subverted]] by ComicBook/BoosterGold. Originally a screw-up in his native 25th century, he stole some future tech and a time machine to travel back to modern times, figuring he could become a beloved hero. Instead, he gained a reputation as a screw-up. He later does manage to find his niche, but as [[TimePolice a guardian of space-time]]...which requires him to [[ObfuscatingStupidity maintain his reputation as a screw-up]] to ensure that "[[MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight kill Booster Gold back when he was still a loser]]" doesn't become the first step in every time-traveling villain's EvilPlan.
* Belgian comic ''ComicBook/SuskeEnWiske'', has Jerom, an [[ContemporaryCaveman actual caveman]] who after being unfrozen managed to become in essence a sophisticated everyman, even while retaining his prehistoric HulkSpeak and SuperStrength.
* Played with somewhat in the origin of DC villain [[Characters/DCComicsVandalSavage Vandal Savage]] - while absorbing the radiation from a meteorite has made him [[EmperorScientist intelligent and cunning enough to thrive in the modern world]], it also gave him [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld thousands of years to adapt along with it]], and he's still fondly retained some of his old brutish habits (cannibalism, for example).
* An early issue of ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' had Reed, Ben, and Johnny heading back to the 1700s. Ben had to be convinced to come home after he discovered that while he was a freak of nature back home in "civilized" New York, he made a pretty kick-ass pirate.
* The Adèle Blanc-Sec adventure "Le Savant Fou" has an especially weird example: the (literal) unfrozen caveman turns out to be fluent in French and immediately asks the scientists who unfroze him for clothes, a stiff drink and -if it wouldn't be asking too much- a cigar. The drop-jawed scientists comment that "We'll have to revise our understanding of the Prehistoric ages."

** The three joinable [[OurElvesAreDifferent Dunmeri (Dark Elf)]] [[TheClan Great Houses]] in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' are a particularly prominent example, crossing over with MightyWhitey. The [[PlayerCharacter Nerevarine]] is explictly an outlander (even if played as a Dunmer) who arrives in one of the most alien settings in Tamriel. Despite this, the they can join any of the Great Houses and rise in rank as easily as any of the Imperial factions. In many cases, the other high ranking members have been active in the house for decades (or ''[[WizardsLiveLonger centuries]]'' in the case of the [[TheMagocracy Telvanni]]) but will easily be jumped. Helping matters is that each house has a councilor who serves as a mentor to the Nerevarine[[note]]Crassus Curio for the [[ProudMerchantRace Hlaalu]], Athyn Sarethi for the [[ProudWarriorRace Redoran]], and Master Aryon for the Telvanni[[/note]], helping them to navigate the tricky politics, red tape, blackmail, and even outright ''murder'' that tends to slow down progress. That same mentor will also gladly [[TheCreon step aside]] when the Nerevarine reaches the highest ranks, gladly serving as a "#2".

* A variant in one of the special Animorphs book ''The Hork-Bajir Chronicles'': A character, an alien Alien named [[spoiler:Dak Hamee]] is known as a seer, possessing greater intelligence than most of his species. His kind are shown to be born once a while. He quickly learns and adapts to another alien's culture from an Andalite by the name of Aldrea and in turn he teaches her about his culture. As time goes by he quickly learns of a malicious race of parasite-infesting aliens called the [[spoiler:Yeerks]] and he along with Aldrea join together along with a couple of his kind to fight them.