History Main / ScaledUp

* An unintentional example in the [[RunningGag otherwise forgettable]] ''BartokTheMagnificent'': the villainess is turned into a dragon after downing a potion.

* In ''ThePrydainChronicles'', when EvilOverlord Arawn, (based on the Celtic God of the Dead, who shares the name), master of terrible armies and incomprehensible BlackMagic is finally confronted face to face, he promptly turns into a serpent and dies within a paragraph or two, managing only to kill the slightly less evil queen before falling to everyone's favorite assistant pig keeper. Lame.

* In ''TheDeathGateCycle'', the ultimate evil beings are {{shape shift|ing}}ers that like to take the form of [[OurDragonsAreDifferent giant dragon-snakes]], probably meant to resemble wingless Chinese dragons with a more snakelike head. In a final confrontation with the heroes one of them reverts into this shape, growing too large, and his head hits the roof of the room they're in, which is inscribed with death runes, thus killing him. ''Uber'' Lame.

* There's a ''MagicTheGathering'' card for everything: [[http://ww2.wizards.com/Gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?name=Form%20of%20the%20Dragon Form of the Dragon]]. The card has found a home in at least one successful combo deck (Enduring Ideal) as a powerful finisher.

* The MacGuffin in ''TombRaider 2'' was a magical dagger that would turn those who stabbed themselves through the heart with it into a dragon. Having said dagger removed would kill them. In the intro, the ancient emperor who originally owned the dagger is killed when he gets too close to a wounded monk, while the BigBad of the game is killed when Lara shoots him a bunch of times, then pulls out the dagger.

* At first, Thulsa Doom of the first ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'' movie seems to be doing this for no reason at all, but then subverts the expectations of the audience by fleeing through a hole in the wall made for a snake and getting to safety. (It's also in keeping with his character so far as he seems to have a thing for snakes: his religion worships them, he has a pet snake that Conan kills, he has ''[[TrickArrow snake arrows]]''... no, really.) Thus, not lame.

* In the final battle of the ''[[KamenRiderRyuki Ryuki]]'' arc of ''KamenRiderDecade'', Decade uses the Final Form Ride to force Ryuki into changing into a leaner version of his own contract monster, Dragredder. Ryuki as Dragredder tears the enemy's shark contract monster to pieces before they use Ryuki's finisher, [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome with Decade taking Ryuki's part and Ryuki-as-Dragredder taking Dragredder's part]], to temporarily blow up the enemy himself. Naturally what makes it work in this instance is that the good guys did it.
** KamenRiderKiva had his own heroic example one year earlier - [[SuperMode Emperor Form]]: Flight Style turns him into a winged dragon with an impressive BreathWeapon. There are two accounts of how he got it - in the NonSerialMovie, it's forced on him by the villain, and he's unable to control it until he gets a cooldown-hug from Otoya. He reverts to normal until the villain uses his ''own'' OneWingedAngel form. In the actual series, it's just an extension of Emperor Form that he unlocks late in the series and has no problem controlling.

* The Lady of the Green Kirtle does this in [[{{Narnia}} The Chronicles Of Narnia]]: ''The Silver Chair''. Lewis was definitely being symbolic in this case, but it's still a dumb move, especially when confronted by a [[LawfulStupidChaoticStupid Stupid Good]] hero who WouldntHitAGirl but has no problem cutting a giant serpent in half. Lame.
** Although the same villainess apparently used her serpent form to assassinate the queen of Narnia, some years previously, and had pulled it off without a hitch.
*** The fact that the villainess killed the queen in that very form [[YouKilledMyFather made it even easier for the hero to kill her back]].
*** It should be noted that she doesn't exactly use it lightly and tries to avoid confrontation, much preferring to use MoreThanMindControl instead. She only uses her serpent form after she flies into a rage when it turns out our heroes are able to resist said MoreThanMindControl.
** In another incident in the same series, a ''protagonist'' is turned into a dragon for being greedy (again, symbolic). For some reason, a teenage boy treats this like it's a bad thing.
*** To be fair, he was apparently an old-style gangly ugly dragon. And he had a metal ring digging painfully into his arm the entire time due to his increase in size.
*** The various practical problems of dragonhood are thoroughly expounded on in his situation (the complete inability to talk, just to begin with), and anyway, it had already been established that Eustace wasn't into that scene, "having read none of the right books."
*** He ''does'' consider the advantages of dragonhood as well for a moment, just before the aforementioned practical problems hit him.
*** And yet he manages to make himself useful by fetching a tree big enough to replace the Dawn Treader's mast...
*** Biggest practical problem? Said Dragon cannot ride along with the ship.

*** To be fair, Aqua was a master of the weapon, whereas Sora didn't have nearly as much experience. Not only that, Maleficent was kind of mad with power at the time of her fight with Sora, so she probably thought she could get away with it. She was mistaken.

** Major antagonists in the series usually have a similar power: Emperor Zod in the first game, Teepo in the second, and Fou-lu in the third all fight the party in their dragon forms, the last [[SequentialBoss more than once]].

->''"I will not turn into a snake. It never helps."'' \
-- '''EvilOverlordList''', 'Rule 34' [[hottip:*:No, not [[RuleThirtyFour THAT one]]

* In Disney's ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'', [[BigBad Jafar]] transforms into a humongous snake after gaining sorcerer powers from the Genie. He actually has Aladdin and company on the ropes for quite a while until Al tricks him into trying to gain even more power by using his last wish to become a Genie. In hindsight, Jafar should have stuck to the reptile form.
** Averted in ''The Return of Jafar'', the ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts'' games, and in some of the storybooks however, where he is instead either fought as a human, or immediately goes straight to becoming a genie.

* Inverted in ''Series/{{Stargate SG-1}}'': The Goa'uld are actually snakes that turn into humanoids (sort of).

* This is the main character's signature ability in the BreathOfFire series. He usually starts out as a human from a LostTribe that once had the power, and he gains the ability to turn into different forms throughout each game.
* In ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'', [[EnemyWithout Fou-lu]] transforms in dragon twice: one extremely bulky and powerful and other latter slimmer but who could [[HpToOne turn the whole party HP to one]] - and he would ALWAYS use on the FIRST turn. Made even harder because that was a SequentialBoss, since you spend most of your healing resources on the first dragon. ThatOneBoss for many indeed.
** And in the BadEnd, Fou-lu is invincible when he transforms at the battle.

* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'': The FinalBoss first fights you as human. This is probably the hardest fight you're [[BonusBoss required]] [[HopelessBossFight to win]] in the game. Then the turns into a snake. This is very easy. Then he turns into dragon, which is at least something of a challenge.

* The Dagger of Xian in ''Tomb Raider II'' is a mystical artifact that grants the user the power of a dragon if they plunge the dagger directly into their heart. The BigBad manages to do this by the end of the game and he becomes a dragon, forcing you to fight him in his new form.

* In the 1973 thriller b-movie Sssssss, mad scientist Dr. Carl Stoner (Strother Martin) turns his lab assistants into king cobras.

* Averted, [[spoiler:as well as inverted]], in the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' series. In a world where wizards can, with hard work, learn to [[{{Animorphism}} transform into an animal]] that (arguably) fits their personality, Voldemort is: the last descendant of a man known for [[SpeaksFluentAnimal talking to snakes]], an [[InTheBlood inheritor of this ability]], member of a House whose symbol is a snake, commander of a giant serpent, owner of the pet snake Nagini, and wearer of a face repeatedly described as "snakelike". At no point does he turn into a snake. (Although events in [[spoiler:''OrderOfThePhoenix'']] may confuse one into thinking so.) [[spoiler:However, in ''DeathlyHallows'', Nagini is at one point disguised as a human.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}}'', [[TheDragon Cedric's]] snake-man form is initially very effective; however, as the heroines become increasingly proficient in using their powers (and in battle in general]] [[VillainForgotToLevelGrind he's increasingly left in the dust]].

* Chuubo, the titular character of ChuubosMagicalWishGrantingEngine, has the ability to turn into a giant 108-meter snake at will. The name of that power? "It Probably Wouldn't Help." Sure enough, there is an actual law of physics in that game (backed by the rules) which states that turning into a snake cannot help you.

->''"I will not turn into a snake. It never helps."'' \\