History Main / UsingYouAllAlong

* The calling card of any plot by the [[SpaceElves Eldar]], [[TheTrickster Tzeentch]][[TreacherousAdvisor ians]], and the [[{{Trickster}} Deceiver]] in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''.

* The calling card of any plot by the [[SpaceElves Eldar]], [[{{Trickster}} Tzeentch]][[TreacherousAdvisor ians]], and the [[{{Trickster}} Deceiver]] in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''.

* ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'': Taken to it's logical extreme. [[spoiler: Your master, who raised you from a child, trained you as part of an elaborate plot to kill the current Emperor. He planned everything perfectly so that you would think you are merely saving your master when instead you are clearing the way for him to become Emperor. [[MagnificentBastard Glorious Strategist indeed!]]]]

* One of the storylines in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' involves someone hiring the protagonists to solve a crime. [[spoiler:This person turns out to be Eggman.]] Subverted though, he really did need their help.

Compare DetectivePatsy, the crime/mystery equivalent. May overlap with MacGuffinDeliveryService or KansasCityShuffle. If the hero ''knew'' he was being played this may be a case of OutGambitted. If not, then the hero is an UnwittingPawn. The realization that the heroes were being used will often lead, not entirely justifiably, to NiceJobBreakingItHero. Then again, when/if the hero overcomes the resulting HeroicBSOD and saves the day, it can become NiceJobFixingItVillain

* In ''[[VideoGame/MysteryCaseFiles Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull]], you have to investigate on the disappearance of the family-man Marcus Lawson in Louisiana. [[spoiler:In turns out the Lawson family made up the entire story to have the Master Detective investigate on Phineas Crown's treasure and figure out all the riddles that he couldn't. They planned to get rid of the Detective as soon as the booty was found. Hopefully, it backfires at the last second]].

* The calling card of any plot by the [[SpaceElves Eldar]], [[{{Trickster}} Tzeentch]][[TreacherousAdvisor ians]], and the [[{{Trickster}} Deceiver]] in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40K''.

* Very common in {{Japanese RPG}}s

* ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}} 64'' [[spoiler: Sirius, it turns out, is using you to get to Altair.]]

So you're TheHero, and a mysterious figure gives you TheCall to adventure! Naturally, you're going to [[JumpedAtTheCall jump at it]]. So, you go out on your adventure to defeat the BigBad, possibly gaining [[FiveManBand four friends]] along the way, of whom [[TheChick only one is female]]. Finally, your quest is nearing its close, you confront the BigBad. But wait, why is he [[EvilLaugh laughing]]? [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech You most definitely do not suck]]! You just went through all of those trials and hardships to fight the BigBad. You fought [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Mutant Robot Gorillas]] who were guarding the [[MacGuffin Ancient Artifact of Doom]] in order to use its power to defeat the BigBad! Wait a second, ''what''? You mean that the mysterious figure who gave you TheCall was the BigBad? The BigBad sent you on a quest to destroy him? [[EvilPlan Why would he do that]]? You mean your entire quest was [[JustAsPlanned all part of his plan]]? [[MacGuffinDeliveryService All this time you were bringing him]] the MacGuffin?

* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarIII'' does this twice. [[spoiler: First, the Narrator of the first two games turns out to be Gaia, a Titan who was using Kratos in the their war against Zeus. She decides to [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness betray and leave him for dead]] at the beginning of the game. Then during the climax, it's revealed that [[ManBehindTheMan Athena was using Kratos]] to overthrow both Aries and Zeus so that she could rule uncontested. Zeus believed that Kratos fulfilled the prophecy of one of his children betraying him, but it was Athena who was the betrayer all along. Kratos was set off by her actions.]]

* In ''Film/DeathWish 4: The Crackdown'', Kersey finds out the rich man who offered him assistance to take out the drug dealers, [[spoiler: wasn't a corporate executive, the person he impersonated was out of the country for several months, the man he dealt with was really the rival of the other dealers, and was basically using Kersey to eliminate the competition. Please note that this plot twist appeared earlier in The Saint in New York and The Saint Meets a Phantom]].

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheManCalledFlintstone'': Fred finds out that The Green Goose, nefarious James Bond villain he's been after is actually Agent XXX (not to be confused with Vin Diesel or Ice Cube).
[[/folder]]

* WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones: In ''Film/TheManCalledFlintstone'' [[spoiler: Fred finds out that The Green Goose, nefarious James Bond villain he's been after is actually Agent XXX (not to be confused with Vin Diesel or Ice Cube)]].

* As Jack is bargaining with Barbossa for Will's life in the fantasy film ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'', and to destroy the men of the ''Dauntless'' (more or less), plus getting to sail the ''Pearl'' again as captain, Will bursts out "You've been planning this from the beginning!"

* In the seventh season of ''Series/TwentyFour'' [[spoiler: Tony turns out to be playing everyone at the end of the season. Everything he was doing with Jack, Chloe, and the FBI was all to obtain a bio-engineered virus that the terrorist cell he was working with wanted obtain, but then it turns out at the very end that everything he was doing for them was to get in good graces with and meet their ringleader so he could kill him.]]

Compare DetectivePatsy, the crime/mystery equivalent. May overlap with MacGuffinDeliveryService or KansasCityShuffle. If the hero ''knew'' he was being played this may be a case of OutGambitted. If not, then the hero is an UnwittingPawn. The realization that the heroes were being used will often lead, not entirely justifiably, to NiceJobBreakingItHero.

* WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones: In ''The Man Called Flintstone'' [[spoiler: Fred finds out that the nefarious James Bond villain he's been after is actually Agent XXX (not to be confused with Vin Diesel or Ice Cube)]].

* In ''Film/DeathWish 4: The Crackdown''', Kersey finds out the rich man who offered him assistance to take out the drug dealers, [[spoiler: wasn't a corporate executive, the person he impersonated was out of the country for several months, the man he dealt with was really the rival of the other dealers, and was basically using Kersey to eliminate the competition. Please note that this plot twist appeared earlier in The Saint in New York and The Saint Meets a Phantom]].

* '''VideoGame/BatenKaitos'', specifically the second game of the series. [[spoiler: You work for the person who is THE {{Magnificent Bastard}} of the entire game, although he stealthed his way out of being seen as one.]]

* The final boss of ''Milky Way Wishes'' in '''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'': [[spoiler: Marx, who asked you to summon the wish-granting comet Nova so he could wish to control Popstar.]]
** Again in '''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamland'': [[spoiler:Magolor manipulated Kirby and his friends into rebuilding the Lor Starcutter and fighting Landia in order to steal the wish-granting Master Crown.]]
* '''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'': Taken to it's logical extreme. [[spoiler: Your master, who raised you from a child, trained you as part of an elaborate plot to kill the current Emperor. He planned everything perfectly so that you would think you are merely saving your master when instead you are clearing the way for him to become Emperor. [[MagnificentBastard Glorious Strategist indeed!]]]]

* In '''VideoGame/RuneFactory'', the LaserGuidedAmnesia protagonist was put there as a deliberate plot to [[spoiler:awaken Terrable-a powerful dragon]]. All goes nicely according to plan until [[spoiler:Terrable is defeated and later disables the attacking 100 tanks]].

This kind of gambit is one of the trademarks of a [[TheChessmaster [=Chessmaster=]]] or MagnificentBastard and will often include said person playing the EvilMentor. At one point the hero or one of his allies may notice something is somewhat off and go running straight to the boss to sort things out. Expect them to run straight into HaveYouToldAnyoneElse like a brick wall. This is also the usual MO of the DecoyDamsel.

* ''MagicKnightRayearth''. [[spoiler:Emeraude summons the Magic Knights to Cephiro to kill her]].
* ''ObanStarRacers'', in which, yup, the whole thing is an EvilPlan (more like a GambitRoulette really) by the BigBad, Canaletto.

* In ''SupermanAndBatmanGenerations'', Bruce Wayne Junior as Batman investigates Ra's Al Ghul's organization, and when confronting the head finds out it's not Ra's but [[spoiler: Bruce Senior, who beat Ra's once and for all ten years before and has found a way to overcome the Lazarus Pit's limitations. He has turned the organization to the good while maintaining a criminal front. He then makes Junior its new CEO, and resumes his life as the Batman]].

* In ''DeathWish4TheCrackdown''', Kersey finds out the rich man who offered him assistance to take out the drug dealers, [[spoiler: wasn't a corporate executive, the person he impersonated was out of the country for several months, the man he dealt with was really the rival of the other dealers, and was basically using Kersey to eliminate the competition. Please note that this plot twist appeared earlier in The Saint in New York and The Saint Meets a Phantom]].
* ''Film/SeasonOfTheWitch'' actually is about this sort of plot--[[spoiler: the BigBad tricked not only the main character, but the entire branch of the Catholic Church backing an expedition to remove her power and its effects by taking her to an ancient monastery where a ritual can be performed to do so. Unbeknownst to them, the monks are all dead and the monastery desecrated, and the demon actually wanted to be taken there so that the usual restrictions against demons entering churches didn't apply, and she could use the particular book of rituals to destroy humanity. ]]
** [[spoiler: In doing this, she even makes them think they've figured out her tricks (and made the audience think she was entirely ineffectual) in her obvious displays of witchcraft while she was talking about being innocent. When all along, she wanted them to think her guilty.]]

* In ''TheManWhoWasThursday'', Sunday does this to the entire police force/anarchy council. Unusually in this case, Sunday is a good guy, using other good guys.
* In the ''MemorySorrowAndThorn'' series by Tad Williams, it is revealed at the end that the titular three magic swords that the heroes were gathering to stop [[BigBad Ineluki]] were actually the three talismans necessary to ''free'' [[SealedEvilInACan Ineluki]]. What makes this especially appalling is that the heroes found out about the swords in the first place from a mystical dream, but they also knew that mystical dreams were under the control of Ineluki.
* Played with in ''TheFirstLaw''; the revelation is that Bayaz is actually a villain, but he doesn't hide the fact that the MacGuffin he's after- the Seed- is a terrible destructive weapon, and the enemies he plans on using it on really are as insane and dangerous as they appear to be and need to be stopped, even if Bayaz is probably more evil. Plus, the quest to find it fails (though it turned out to be closer than anyone thought), and the RagtagBunchOfMisfits he assembles aren't actually very nice people. Ferro, the one who actually finds the Seed, discovers what a treacherous backstabbing bastard Bayaz is as soon as she gets it...but decides to let him have it ''anyway'', since they happen to have the same enemies and she hates them even more than he does. Ferro regrets it, but that regret becomes an IgnoredEpiphany.

* In ''{{CSI}}'', we're led to believe season 8's BigBad is Lou Gedda, until the finale when [[spoiler: Undersheriff [=McKeen=] shows his TrueColors by murdering Warrick]].

* Series/DoctorWho and [[spoiler: the entire 16th season, also known as ''The Key to Time'', where the White Guardian asks [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]] to find the six segments of the Key to Time, because the Black Guardian is planning to unravel the universe with it. Well, the White Guardian was the Black Guardian all along...]]

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' adventure ''[[http://www.rpg.net/news_reviews/reviews/rev_3253.html The Apocalypse Stone]]''. A high level wizard tricks a party of {{PC}}'s into stealing a stealing a powerful magic item for him by pretending to be a divine messenger.

* The calling card of any plot by the [[SpaceElves Eldar]], [[{{Trickster}} Tzeentch]][[TreacherousAdvisor ians]], and the [[{{Trickster}} Deceiver]] in ''Warhammer40K''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}} 64'' [[spoiler: Sirius, it turns out, is using you to get to Altair.]]
* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia'' did this. Just saying the title's probably spoiling it, as there's really only one person who you report to in this game.
* ''VideoGame/{{Crackdown}}'': [[spoiler: The Agency]] turns out to be one of these.

* ''BatenKaitos'', specifically the second game of the series. [[spoiler: You work for the person who is THE {{Magnificent Bastard}} of the entire game, although he stealthed his way out of being seen as one.]]
* One of the storylines in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' involves someone hiring the protagonists to solve a crime. [[spoiler:This person turns out to be Eggman.]] Subverted though, he really did need their help.
* The final boss of ''Milky Way Wishes'' in ''KirbySuperStar'': [[spoiler: Marx, who asked you to summon the wish-granting comet Nova so he could wish to control Popstar.]]
** Again in ''KirbysReturnToDreamland'': [[spoiler:Magolor manipulated Kirby and his friends into rebuilding the Lor Starcutter and fighting Landia in order to steal the wish-granting Master Crown.]]
* ''JadeEmpire'': Taken to it's logical extreme. [[spoiler: Your master, who raised you from a child, trained you as part of an elaborate plot to kill the current Emperor. He planned everything perfectly so that you would think you are merely saving your master when instead you are clearing the way for him to become Emperor. [[MagnificentBastard Glorious Strategist indeed!]]]]
* Very common in {{Japanese RPG}}s
* This is the storyline of Konquest mode of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception''.

* ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}'': [[spoiler: You've been bioengineered, programmed, mailed to the outside world and called back to Rapture all so Frank Fontaine could use you to take over the city- given that you're the only other person in Rapture who can use the Vita-Chambers and fog the security systems. And who is Fontaine? Why he's the friendly Irish rebel who's been helping you for most of the game!]]
* In ''VideoGame/MegaManXCommandMission'', [[spoiler: Colonel Redips, both as himself and party member [[SdrawkcabAlias Spider]], commands X and Zero to take out Epsilon's Rebellion Army so he can get their Supra-Force Metal for himself.]]
* [[{{Wet}} Wet's]] first mission [[spoiler: has Rubi retrieving a stolen heart that is needed for the father of her client Trevor Ackers. One year later, Trevor's father, William Ackers, hires her to bring Trevor back from Hong Kong because he doesn't want his son mixed up in the criminal element. Only when she brings him back, William then proceeds to have Trevor's head chopped off, then leaves Rubi to die at the hands of Ze Kollecktor. Turns out that the man who Rubi got the heart for and the person who hired her for the second job weren't the same person. Kidnapping Trevor was a set up for Rubi so that Rupert Pelham could eliminate the Syndicate and it's monopoly on the Asian Drug Market]].
* ''VideoGame/WarioLand 3'': "A hidden figure" is actually Rudy the giant [[MonsterClown evil clown]], taking advantage of Wario's greed in order to unseal himself.

* In ''RuneFactory'', the LaserGuidedAmnesia protagonist was put there as a deliberate plot to [[spoiler:awaken Terrable-a powerful dragon]]. All goes nicely according to plan until [[spoiler:Terrable is defeated and later disables the attacking 100 tanks]].
* The entire quest-line involving the [[spoiler:Black Soulstone]] from ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'', which takes up the majority of the second and third acts and involves the killing of the final two Great Evils...so that [[spoiler:Adria, who it turns out is a servant of Diablo, can use it to resurrect her master as the embodiment of all seven Great Evils in one being, in accordance with his centuries-in-the-making EvilPlan to destroy the High Heavens and end the war between HeavenAndHell once and for all]].

* TheFlintstones: In ''The Man Called Flintstone'' [[spoiler: Fred finds out that the nefarious James Bond villain he's been after is actually Agent XXX (not to be confused with Vin Diesel or Ice Cube)]].

* ''[[{{Castlevania}} Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia]]'' did this. Just saying the title's probably spoiling it, as there's really only one person who you report to in this game.
* ''{{Crackdown}}'': [[spoiler: The Agency]] turns out to be one of these.

* ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' supplement ''Curse of the Chthonians'', adventure "The Curse of Chaugnar Faugn". The investigators are manipulated into helping a mad professor bring the statue of a powerful Mythos deity to life.

** [[spoiler:The true BigBad Juno]] used ''everyone'', Assassins and Templars alike, throughout the entire series to [[spoiler:escape her prison and give her another chance to rule humanity]]. TheHero learns this only after he has no choice but to go along with the villain's plan, since the alternative is [[spoiler:letting the world be burned by a solar flare. Twisting the knife even further, the method he uses to save the world an free Juno also kills him so he won't be around to oppose her.]]

** [[spoiler:AbusivePrecursor Juno]] used ''everyone'', Assassins and Templars alike, throughout the entire series to [[spoiler:escape her prison and give her another chance to rule humanity]]. TheHero learns this only after he has no choice but to go along with the villain's plan, since the alternative is [[spoiler:letting the world be burned by a solar flare. Twisting the knife even further, the method he uses to save the world an free Juno also kills him so he won't be around to oppose her.]]