History Main / ZigZaggingtrope

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' zigzagged CopsNeedTheVigilant. [[Characters/DexterDexterMorgan Dexter Morgan]] is a legitimate agent of the police (albeit a lab technician, so he does not have the authority to arrest anyone) whose nighttime activities as a SerialKillerKiller are beneath notice by the rest of the department. When Dexter himself becomes a target of the FBI after a mass grave of his victims' corpses are discovered, most of his colleagues are quick to denounce the "Bay Harbor Butcher" and his one-man war on crime. Later, when Dexter was going after the Barrel Girl Gang, a group of criminals who raped and murdered numerous young women, Debra walked in on him in the middle of his kill ritual after he and Lumen, [[RapeAndRevenge one of the gang's would-be victims]], captured their leader. Dexter and Lumen were concealed behind a sheet of plastic, but Debra just said that she was going to let them get away with it because their victims were just that horrible.

* ''Webcomic/SpringtrapAndDeliah'' Zigzagged AdaptationalNiceGuy. [[spoiler: Springtrap ''is'' still the Fazbear-killer, but in this interpretation of the character he did it out of a misguided desire to be a father and is remorseful about it in the present. He's still dangerous, but he tries to keep himself under control and be a good father to Deliah, though her actual father isn't too pleased about it.]]

* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'' repeatedly goes back 'n forth with the ObliviousToLove trope, regarding Warren's crush on Max. She seems genuinely unaware of his feelings for her for most of the game. Yet, when any of her friends [[ShipperOnDeck raises the subject]], she replies that she already knows, only to then turn around and seemingly forget several scenes later. This culminates in the scene at the diner in episode 5 where Warren starts to tell Max directly, but she [[AbortedDeclarationOfLove again interjects]] that she's known all along.

* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'' repeatedly goes back 'n forth with the ObliviousToLove trope, regarding Warren'd crush on Max. She seems genuinely unaware of his feelings for her for most of the game. Yet, when any of her friends [[ShipperOnDeck raises the subject]], she replies that she already knows, only to then turn around and seemingly forget several scenes later. This culminates in the scene at the diner in episode 5 where Warren starts to tell Max directly, but she [[AbortedDeclarationOfLove again interjects]] that she's known all along.

* ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlack'' plays with the WhatMeasureIsANonCute to a somewhat confusing degree in "The Buzzard Syndrome": An alien comes to Earth hunting another alien, so it's Space Policeman hunting Dangerous Killer. Then the lies are exposed, and it seems to be Heartless Bounty Hunter hunting Cute Alien. Then it turns out that the cute alien is a killer, so it's Heartless Bounty Hunter hunting Cute Dangerous Killer. Bit hard to keep track of the lies.

* WhiteHairBlackHeart- Xtale Chara has white hair and is a complete arsehole in season 1, torturing and killing everyone around him for getting petty revenge on his abusive father, regardless of whether they deserved it or not. The X-Tale series shows this is a recent development, as he was a much more heroic and kind person before XGaster broke him.

* ''Manga/EdensZero'' does this to EvenEvilCanBeLoved. Shura is such a cruel and sadistic bastard that Ijuna, his SexySecretary and the one person in the cosmos who cares for him, is only able to do so because she experienced AMatchMadeInStockholm after countless days of ColdBloodedTorture at his hands, realizing how much neglect and loneliness he endured under his father to twist him into the monster he is now. When it turns out that she unknowingly brainwashed herself into thinking Shura is her OneTrueLove, she's promptly freed and able to return to the people who truly care for her. [[spoiler:Except she abandons them all and returns to Shura, whom she realizes made her into his secretary because her false love for him sparked genuine feelings for her. This ultimately humanizes Shura and leads Ijuna to fall in love with him for real...which would never have happened if the entire experience didn't already drive her as hopelessly insane as he is, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome even without the brainwashing]].]]

* ''Manga/EdensZero'' does this to EvenEvilCanBeLoved. Shura is such a cruel and sadistic bastard that Ijuna, his SexySecretary and the one person in the cosmos who cares for him, is only able to do so because she developed StockholmSyndrome after countless days of ColdBloodedTorture at his hands, realizing how much neglect and loneliness he endured under his father to twist him into the monster he is now. When it turns out that she unknowingly brainwashed herself into thinking Shura is her OneTrueLove, she's promptly freed and able to return to the people who truly care for her. [[spoiler:Except she abandons them all and returns to Shura, whom she realizes made her into his secretary because her false love for him sparked genuine feelings for her. This ultimately humanizes Shura and leads Ijuna to fall in love with him for real...which would never have happened if the entire experience didn't already drive her as hopelessly insane as he is, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome even without the brainwashing]].]]

* ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'': PlanetVille. A planet does not have to be a planetville. Many planets are large and complex societies and some have mini-sourcebooks about them. On the other hand [=PCs=] when travelling through the stars often don't see more than the starport. On the other hand, a whole campaign can be set on a single planet. On the other hand some planets are almost virgin worlds with no more than a small outpost on them, whose population may be that of a small town or even a villiage.

* ''Manga/GiantRobo'' does this with a BrokenPedestal. The image of Vogler keeps getting added on with new information from new character left and right, from being a vengeful MadScientist to a benevolent scientist. Eventually, [[spoiler: it ends with subversion]]. Too bad PoorCommunicationKills.

* ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'' does this with RecurringDreams: Kanae's favorite dream is kissing her [[SenpaiKohai sempai]] at the beach and magically teleporting to a shadowy wooded glade surrounded by bunnies and flowers. The dream isn't psychic or precognitive but [[ContrivedCoincidence events happen]] so her sempai is in a very similar position to the start of her dream. With Kanae sightly dazed (enough to realize the differences on her usual dream but not enough to realize she's awake, ItMakesSenseInContext) she kisses her sempai for the first time, everybody watching.

* ''Comicbook/BirdsOfPrey''

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
* [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4876578/1/I_Want_a_Refund I Want A Refund]], Kuno has forbidden anyone to date [[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Nabiki]] Tendo. Nabiki invokes an inverted "I'll do anything" offer to any boy that defeats Kuno- secure in the knowledge that he will successfully defeat all the other boys in school (since Ranma isn't fighting). Kuno [[spoiler:manages to defeat himself]], and what follows is a Triple subversion of the "I'll do anything" trope- maybe even quadruple, or quintuple depending on your perspective.

* ''Film/GalaxyQuest'' in regard to LampshadeHanging.

* [[ManicPixieDreamGirl Watching]] [[Creator/LucyLiu the]] [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan Detectives]] zigzags quite frequently between {{Deconstruction}} and {{Reconstruction}} while [[PlayingWithATrope playing tropes like a drum]]. It's better to just give up trying to analyze it and enjoy the [[Creator/CillianMurphy dreamy]] blue [[EvenTheGuysWantHim eyes]].

* TheMole is played with in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' books with Snape. As in, the main characters have thought (and therefore the reader thinks) that he was ''every single sub-trope of this'' at some point, until finally he just becomes ambiguous. It was played straight to begin with, then inverted to become TheMole for the other side, then the main characters thought he was just duping Dumbledore and can't be trusted, and then the inverse of ''that'', etc, etc. That is, up until TheReveal, where [[WordofGod it's established]] that [[spoiler: he's just doing it for [[UnrequitedLove Lily]] [[TheOneThatGotAway Potter]]]].

* Literature/TheWheelOfTime zigzags KissingCousins in ''one chapter'', when Rand is researching his family tree, trying to figure out if he is related to [[spoiler: Elayne Trakand, his lover]], and receives a lot of confusing and slightly contradictory evidence resulted in the trope going from seemingly played straight, to subverted, to "sort of true." [[spoiler: Elayne is indeed Rand's cousin, but only a very distant one. They descend from the same bloodline, but are not close enough to be considered really related.]]

** As well as this trope, ''Literature/MonstrousRegiment'' zigzags [[spoiler:SweetPollyOliver , when it starts applying to every single character. Except Blouse. Who, when they have to disguise as women, suggests that he be the one who does it, as the "boys" would clearly fail. He does get into the stronghold unhindered, while the regiment are so used to boyish mannerisms at that point that one of them has to lift her skirt in order to prove that she indeed ''is'' a girl.]]

** FriendsAreChosenFamilyArent: [[AvertedTRope averted]] with Sofia, who is Beatrice's cousin ''and'' one of her best friends, but it's played straight with with her uncle Vilhelm and her other cousin Edvard, who are just evil abusive sociopaths.

-->'''Mrs. Benson:''' You're the one who got Freddie interested in girls, and ever since then his boy chemistry's been all out of whack.

* Traveller: PlanetVille. A planet does not have to be a planetville. Many planets are large and complex societies and some have mini-sourcebooks about them. On the other hand [=PCs=] when travelling through the stars often don't see more than the starport. On the other hand, a whole campaign can be set on a single planet. On the other hand some planets are almost virgin worlds with no more than a small outpost on them, whose population may be that of a small town or even a villiage.
* ''Tabletopgame/{{Zombicide}}'': Walker, [[DeadWeight Fat]][[{{Kevlard}} tie]] [[ZombieApocalypse zombies]] and the Abomination [[ZombieGait walk slowly]]. Runner zombies are EliteZombie who, well... Run.

* ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIV'' and ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVII'' do this for StandardHeroReward. Subverted, gender inverted, played straight, subverted another two times, gender flipped again... in the end, Edgar and Rosella agree to a proper courtship. The VideoGame/TheSilverLining FanSequel and the Telltale Games sequel show that they are still together.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe'' does this to LamarckWasRight: Played straight with Lou and Ray's magical ability (inherited from Nino), Eliwood's and Hector's ability to wield Durandal and Armads, respectively; inverted with Zephiel's (and nobody else's) ability to wield Eckesachs; subverted with Hector's and Lyn's inability to wield Durandal in ''Rekka no Ken'' and with '''everybody's''' (if they have the appropriate skill in swords) ability to wield Durandal in ''Fuuin no Tsurugi''. Also subverted with Lilina's magical ability, as neither Hector nor his wife were able to use magic.

* Here is a triple subversion example of {{Throwing The Distraction}} from ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}:'' the goblins [[http://www.goblinscomic.com/11262006/ try to distract the Brassmoon City gate guards]] [[http://www.goblinscomic.com/11272006/ by throwing a rock]], but instead of going to investigate the noise, one of them shouts "Someone's throwing rocks at us from the woods!" However, the guards still go to investigate the place whence the rock was thrown, and [[IdiotBall start arguing]] there. Being distracted, they let a couple goblins enter the city (double!). But then, the distraction doesn't last long enough, and the last two goblins are spotted while trying to get in (triple!).

* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' zig-zags MyHorseIsAMotorbike. Celty's steed really ''is'' a (reanimated) horse, but to help fit in, she gives it the appearance of a motorcycle, though the illusion isn't complete, as in it still makes horse sounds and casts the shadow of a horse.

* ''LightNovel/{{Shimoneta}}'' goes back and forth with the DidYouJustHaveSex trope during the locker-room scene in chapter 10. Tanukichi mistakes Oboro for a member of Gathered Fabric and wrestles her to the floor, causing his foot to be pressed against her pelvic region. It's at that moment that Tanukichi realizes Oboro is actually [[DudeLooksLikeALady a male]], but he uses his foot [[CrotchGrabSexCheck to make certain]]. Ayame [[CaughtWithYourPantsDown walks in on them]] and sees Oboro pinned on the floor with Tanukichi holding "her" legs open. Made more incriminating since Oboro is seen blushing while his panties were soaked from having experienced his first orgasm. Ayame doesn't say a word, but clearly ''thinks'' she's interrupting, so she bolts back out of the room and slams the door behind her!

* ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIV'' and ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVII'' do this for StandardHeroReward. Subverted, gender inverted, played straight, subverted another two times, gender flipped again... in the end, Edgar and Rosella agree to a proper courtship. The VideoGame/TheSilverLining FanSequel and the Telltale Games sequel establish TheyDo.

[[folder:Film]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' zigzags AmazingTechnicolorWildlife. Most of the animals are naturally-colored, but the male lions are either bright yellow with blood red manes or dark brown with black manes. The ''I Just Can't Wait to Be King'' musical number plays this trope straight though.
* ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman'': Does this with SpiritAdvisor. Played straight with Norman's grandmother, who advises and loves him after death just as she did while alive. Subverted with most other ghosts, including Mr. Prenderghast, who are too wrapped up in their own obsessions to offer much useful guidance. Inverted with Norman and Aggie, as he is a living person trying to help guide a spirit.

* The third act of ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', zigzags ShockAndSwitchEnding. Mei makes it to the 4*Town concert, but is rejected by her friends, but then they accept her again, but then the concert is interrupted by her mother, but the band is able to continue to sing which as a bonus helps save the day.

* ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'' does this with RecurringDreams: Kanae's favorite dream is kissing her [[SempaiKohai sempai]] at the beach and magically teleporting to a shadowy wooded glade surrounded by bunnies and flowers. The dream isn't psychic or precognitive but [[ContrivedCoincidence events happen]] so her sempai is in a very similar position to the start of her dream. With Kanae sightly dazed (enough to realize the differences on her usual dream but not enough to realize she's awake, ItMakesSenseInContext) she kisses her sempai for the first time, everybody watching.

* ''Manga/HighschoolOfTheDead'' does it in episode 11, when Takashi pins Rei to the bed after she confesses her felings for him. When he doesn't go any further, she asks why he's hesitating (i.e. ArentYouGoingToRavishMe). He tells her it's because he doesn't know how he should feel about it, since he couldn't tell whether she's being sincere or not. After being assured that she is, he accepts and leans down [[SexyDiscretionShot out of frame]], soon followed by [[CoitusEnsues the sounds of their lovemaking.]] But they're forced to stop moments later, because Rei hadn't fully recovered from her back injury.

** The IBangedYourMom trope is initially averted, by having [[TheDragon the antagonist]] (Point Blank), hide it from Clara, rather than use it as an insult. But by the ''"Amazing Eighth Wonder Vol.1"'', he's revealed to be [[spoiler: her missing father]] when he reunites with Athena[[note]]Via time travel. Point Blank is 17, making him the same age as Clara. He then spends 20 years trapped outside of space-time. By the time he escapes, only two years have passed; making him 19 (physically) despite being 37 (chronologically).[[/note]] and spends every night [[CoitusEnsues making up for lost time.]] Despite their efforts to keep it down, Clara inhereted Athena's super senses, so [[RightThroughTheWall she can still hear them]] -- and [[GreenEyedMonster she doesn't take it well.]]

No relation to ''Film/ZigZag2002'', or the unrelated 2008 novel of the same name. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Alternate title has nothing to do with a]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII certain, infamous boss fight]].

* ''Literature/{{Candle}}'' by John Barnes does ''something'' to ShadesOfConflict, as one [[TheReveal reveal]] after another changes the apparent shade of the conflict. In order: BlackAndWhiteMorality ([[HiveMind One True]] is good, the last rebel raped a little girl for the fun of it), [[spoiler: BlackAndGrayMorality or EvilVersusEvil (One True is [[YouWillBeAssimilated solely concerned with propagating itself]], but the representative of it who serves as the main character is only partially controlled and is a LawfulGood WellIntentionedExtremist), WhiteAndGreyMorality or a reversed BlackAndWhiteMorality (One True lied about the rebel, and he's actually a good guy), GreyAndGreyMorality or EvilVersusEvil ''again'' (the rebel is the last survivor of a benevolent HiveMind founded to protect humanity from One True and its like, but it [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope jumped off the slippery slope]] and now what remains of it forces him to convert more people, [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie just like One True]]), and finally RousseauWasRight (the rebel himself is still an idealist, and One True is willing to learn from his example, voluntarily splitting itself into bits and becoming more of a MentalFusion.]] The sequel takes it another step: [[spoiler: One True is ''trying'' to be good, but is still driven to propagate itself, and may or may not have killed thousands of people so it could assimilate the rest into its "[[WellIntentionedExtremist benevolent]]" control.]]

* The first time Lemont Brown is alone with Saxon Kenchu in ''ComicStrip/{{Candorville}}'', the latter goes from a FlatCharacter to an apparently AxeCrazy KnifeNut. The story he tells, however, indicates that he's just ProperlyParanoid - but the fact that he put a paralytic agent in Lemont's drink leads him to admit within two panels that maybe he's just plain paranoid. Meanwhile, Lemont thinks the whole story is [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness Kenchu's hallucination]] and he really is AxeCrazy. [[spoiler: And then Kenchu shows his GameFace, meaning he's not AxeCrazy but ''is'' a {{Dhampyr}} and quite probably a KnifeNut. Then it turns out that Kenchu is [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire trying to protect Lemont]], subverting the KnifeNut trope.]]