History Main / ThoroughlyMistakenIdentity

* Enrico La Talpa, from the Italian comic strip ''ComicStrip/LupocAlberto'', [[BlindMistake has addressed the eponymous protagonist as "Beppe"]] ever since his first appearance. As years went by, Alberto went from his initial bemusement to desperate frustration and eventually to wry resignation. The real "Beppe" (supposedly a friend of Enrico's) has never actually appeared in the strip, while Enrico eventually admitted he now ''knows'' that Alberto isn't Beppe, he's just using it as a nickname.

* In an early episode of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', a random woman mistakes Ash for her missing son and calls him "Arnold."

* The above ''LightNovel/FateZero'' example comes up again in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder''. Gilles de Rais and a few other characters (all of whom are violently insane) will autonomously prioritize attacking [[InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals Saber-face characters]] in combat, apparently due to being fixated on a certain Saber-face and unable to tell them apart.

* Caster of ''LightNovel/FateZero'', Gille de Rais, cannot be convinced that Saber isn't Joan of Arc. Also counts as something of a FandomNod since that's often readers' first guess as to her true identity too.

* ''VideoGame/AVeryLongRopeToTheTopOfTheSky'': When storming Avishun Castle, the first Avishun Guard thinks that Yvette, a member of the royal family, is pretty convinced that she's both named Yvonne, and is a redhead. Since Yvette is actually blonde, he doesn't recognize her at all.

* ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'': The Desert Princess stage has the senile adviser mistake Shantae (And then Sky, Risky Boots and Rottytops), all svelte attractive women (Not to mention the last two are purple and a zombie) for the rotund, fish-faced actual princess. According to her, this happens a lot.

* The film ''Film/{{Spider}}'' is told [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness from the perspective of its protagonist, a paranoid schizophrenic]] who has been released from a mental hospital. We see him reliving his childhood where it's revealed that [[spoiler:he killed a woman who he was convinced had replaced his mother, who murdered her in conjunction with his father. He is, of course, [[SelfMadeOrphan wrong]].]]

** When UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli visited a nursing home, one man confused him with Joe Louis. When one of Ali's handlers started to protest, Ali insisted on going along with it because it made the man so happy.

* In ''Manga/BlazerDrive'', this happens to the protagonist when an [[IllGirl ill mom]] mistakes him for her dead son. The protagonist, being an orphan who recently lost his older brother, goes along with it. [[spoiler: just before she dies, the mom reveals that she knew he wasn't her son, but because it made the both of them so happy she didn't want the "reunion" to end.]]

* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'''s [[FatIdiot Rufus]] does this [[UpToEleven so often]] that it's practically a character trait. He mistakes anyone blond or wearing a gi for his [[UnknownRival assumed nemesis]] Ken Masters, who is both blond ''and'' wears a gi. If the character's female, Rufus simply assumes Ken is cross-dressing or somehow making himself look smaller to fool him.

* The ''Literature/FiveFindOuters'' (well, minus Fatty) once mistook Ernest Goon for Fatty, thinking he was in a clever disguise, and his repeated claims that he didn't know them and wasn't their friend just was a part of the disguise.
* In Creator/DanAbnett's TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Literature/GauntsGhosts novel ''Straight Silver'', some Ghosts find an old woman in the [[LostWoods woods]], and a deserter that she apparently thinks is her son.
* Professor Binns in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' is constantly mistaking everyone for the students of centuries past. It's implied that he's so out of it, he doesn't even realize he died.
* In a ''Literature/{{Hoka}}'' story by Creator/PoulAnderson and Creator/GordonRDickson, the Hoka Franchise/SherlockHolmes persists in calling Alex Jones "Watson" -- the real, which is to say Hoka, Watson is not there, and he can't avoid the pattern. This is a particular variation on this trope. The basic premise of the ''Hoka'' stories is that the Hokas (a highly intelligent race that just happen to resemble teddy bears) have trouble distinguishing fact from fiction, so whenever they come across a human novel they end up acting it out and HilarityEnsues. It's never entirely clear when they do so whether they are conscious of the fact that it's just a re-enactment.

“But wait,” replied the stranger, “I’m—”
“Never mind that,” said Yossel. “I can’t get over how much you’ve changed. You used to be such a big man, built like an ox. And now you’re smaller than I am. Have you been sick?”
“But wait,” replied the stranger, “I’m—”
“Never mind that,” said Yossel. “And what happened to your hair? You used to have a fine head of black hair, and now you’re completely bald. And your mustache, so black and dapper. What happened to it? You know, I don’t see how I ever recognized you. Zalman, what has become of you?”
“I’ve been trying to tell you,” the man replied. “I’m not Zalman.”
“Oy,” replied Yossel. “You’ve gone and changed your name as well!”

* There's an old Yiddish joke set in Chelm, the legendary city of fools. It ends:
-->"You know, I don't know how I ever recognized you. Yankel, what has become of you?"\\
"I've been trying to tell you. I'm not Yankel."\\
"Oy, you've gone and changed your name as well!"

* In the ''Literature/BlandingsCastle[=/=]Literature/{{Psmith}}'' crossover, Emsworth, [[BlindWithoutEm sans glasses]], is meeting with a poet named Ralston [=McTodd=] in a club. He [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny gets distracted]], runs off, and Psmith sits down just before [=McTodd=] storms away in a huff. When Emsworth comes back, now with his glasses, he assumes that Psmith is [=McTodd=]. Psmith goes along with it, partly to spare the old man some embarrassment and mostly because [[ItsAmusedMe he finds this hilarious]].