History ObfuscatingStupidity / FanWorks

* In the fan-video ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbH5SnwNRto Archer Reveals His Secret to Shirou]]'', Archer tries to tell Shirou [[spoiler:that he's his future self from a different timeline]], but Shirou acts with confusion and disbelief, even when Archer spells it out with a chalkboard. After Gilgamesh kills Archer, Shirou laments that they'll never know what Archer was going to say... until Rin calls him out for knowing [[spoiler:Archer is his future self]] the entire time. Shirou admits that he did that [[TheGadfly to get back at Archer for being an asshole]].

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/44785984 Stabilization]]'', Paolo Albiani pretends to have become a case of StupidEvil, to give the political parties of Genoa a [[EnemyMine vile enemy they can unite against]] but at the same time to make sure his defeat is swift and crushing.

* In of [[Chapter 5 https://archiveofourown.org/works/30758684/chapters/76557851]] of ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/30758Fan684/chapters/76557851 Solidarity Among Students, Class 1-A Edition]]'', Izuku (who has just invited [[LoveInterest Ochako]] to his house so they can work on their homework) tells Tenya that he's terrified and nearly peeing himself. Tenya replies that, if Izuku's having incontinence troubles, he should consult a professional. [[LampshadeHanging Izuku fires back by pointing out he knows Tenya's doing it on purpose.]]

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/30758Fan684/chapters/76557851 Solidarity Among Students, Class 1-A Edition]]''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/30758684/chapters/76557851, chapter 5]], Izuku (who has just invited [[LoveInterest Ochako]] to his house so they can work on their homework) tells Tenya that he's terrified and nearly peeing himself. Tenya replies that, if Izuku's having incontinence troubles, he should consult a professional. [[LampshadeHanging Izuku fires back by pointing out he knows Tenya's doing it on purpose.]]

[[AC: ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'']]

* In ''FanFic/FirstTrySeries'' Sasuke ''[[InvokedTrope thinks]]'' Naruto was doing this during all his time at the Academy. In ''Team 7'', he recalls how many of Naruto's pranks and failures at the Academy would take out Chunin and that Naruto would say [[IWasJustJoking he was "joking"]]. He recalls that after Itachi, there was an age limit for early graduation put in place and recalls from historical precedent that bored ninja not allowed to promote were often very destructive like Naruto. [[WrongGenreSavvy He is]] [[DefiedTrope very wrong.]]

* Naruto learns the hard way in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3665921/51/Black-Flames-Dance-In-The-Wind-Rise-of-Naruto Black Flames Dance in the Wind: Rise of Naruto]]'' that the ''Council'' has been doing this. Besides noting that of course they're not trying to keep him weak and helpless, comparing it to keeping a sword dull and chipped, the crimes they frame him for are identical to crimes he's actually committed. For example, beating a weapon shop owner then stealing a good deal of his merchandise; while Naruto didn't attack or rob that shopkeeper, he did attack and rob another one the previous week and stole exactly what he was framed for later. Furthermore, the "assassins" sent after him are actually the village's way of getting rid of potential and actual traitors: offer them money to kill a comrade then tip off said comrade and provide backup.

[[AC:{{Crossover}}]]
* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'':
** Darcy Lewis. No one expects someone that looks like her and talks like her (informally, casually, and usually semi-sober) to be smart, perceptive and armed with a taser that she knows very well how to use. She's also an accomplished card cheat, pickpocket, social expert, and utterly unfazed by whatever weirdness life throws her way. But because she acts like a lazy student focused on getting drunk and getting laid, no one sees it coming. There is a good deal of evidence that she uses it to her advantage.
** Sirius Black splits the difference between this and ObfuscatingInsanity, which Odin points out. Even after the (at least partially genuine) instability and mental regression vanishes, he acts the part of a mischievous and faintly ridiculous overgrown teenager, the wise guy to Lupin's straight man. He's also exceptionally intelligent, a generational talent at transfiguration (one of the most difficult branches of magic), a brilliant duellist tapped by Fury for his Shadow Initiative of back-up Avengers, and mentally resilient enough to go mind to mind with a minor-league EldritchAbomination that eats the souls of gods for breakfast.
** Jean-Paul generally maintains a harmless CampGay demeanour. He's also capable of almost absently pulling a SherlockScan on someone he barely knows and when he gets angry, he gets cold and calm, and all the GratuitousFrench disappears. Harry notices this, and in the sequel describes him as a SpearCounterpart of the ComicBook/BlackWidow with added superpowers.
** Harry himself is frequently underestimated. No one exactly thinks that he's stupid, but even his family and friends tend to think that he's impulsive, temperamental, and thinks with his heart more than his head. He is all of those things. He is also alarmingly perceptive, with a very sharp deductive mind, and has a knack for thinking outside the box. This allows him to deduce the existence and likely origin of Clark Kent just from Jean-Paul being in Kansas when he shouldn't be and a very ambiguous bit of prophecy, to neatly sketch a thorough profile of the person who's draining power from Clark in the space of a couple of hours based on observations alone, and run rings around some of the most dangerous schemers in the story.
** Gambit. He seems like a louche, self-centred charmer and incorrigible flirt, interested in nothing but his own amusement and preservation. Even people who know how powerful he is tend to underestimate him. After ''Forever Red'', the main cast does nothing of the kind. Why? Well, let's just say that when the story's [[TheChessmaster Chess Grandmaster]], Doctor Strange, had his Sight crippled by [[spoiler: Sinister]], a powerful {{Telepath}} controlling [[spoiler: Maddie Pryor a.k.a. Rachel Grey, Jean's stolen-at-birth twin]] and allied with [[TheDreaded the Red Room]] - yes, ''that'' [[ComicBook/BlackWidow Red]] [[ComicBook/WinterSoldier Room]] - he responded by steering Gambit into their path, knowing they'd snap him up. The resultant domino effect leaves [[spoiler:Sinister]] at Strange's utter lack of mercy, the Red Room in smoking ruins, and after a lot of [[DefusingTheTykeBomb effort]], [[spoiler:Maddie]] embracing [[spoiler:her]] [[IAmNotAGun own agency]] and a HeelFaceTurn.
*** It's worth mentioning that he manages all this when both [[spoiler:Sinister]] and the Red Room ''know'' that they can't trust him and are keeping a close eye on him. Consequently, it comes as no great surprise that in the second book's side-story, ''Unfinished Business'', he's comfortably holding off half the New Orleans underworld with one hand, and a new, vicious superpowered gang with the other.
* [[VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair Ibuki Mioda]] in ''Fanfic/DuelingTriggerFinger''. She may act carefree and [[TheDitz ditzy]], but she's one heck of a duelist. Even [[Anime/YuGiOh Yugi's Grandpa]] notes her skill.
* Kakashi in ''Fanfic/FromHisExcerpts'' by Phoenyxx. Kakashi speaks fluent English, but hides it from the professors, resulting in little gems like these:
-->"Squid…Like…No magic."\\
Oh. Professor Flitwick chuckled lightly, "I believe the correct term is squib."\\
"Yes, squid. It is what I say."
* Many characters in ''Fanfic/TheInfiniteLoops'' act like this, pretending that they aren't aware of the time loops going on, either as a prank, or because their loop needs them to act the way they do normally at the start so they can derail things later.
* Kyon, in ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero''. He is shown to be highly fluent in English, easily beating the brigade in Scrabble, very skilled in chess[[note]]Asakura's best against him was a single stalemate[[/note]], and invokes GratuitousEnglish. He also learns German from Tsuruya extremely quickly. Aside from language skills, Kyon also managed to convince a renegade time traveler to pull off a StableTimeLoop for him, or risk being killed, because Kyon can go back in time to take his place, thus rendering his ContractualImmortality moot.
* [[spoiler:Princess Peach]], of all people, in ''Link's New Look''.
* In ''FanFic/OriginStory'', several members of ComicBook/TheAvengers finally notice that the entire point of ComicBook/SpiderMan's generally immature attitude is to make people underestimate him. After he makes one particularly insightful observation about the situation, he reminds ComicBook/TheAvengers (who are all sitting there staring at him in stunned surprise) that he has two Master's degrees and is close to earning his [=PhD=].
* ''Fanfic/TheSecretReturnOfAlexMack'': With no demons or Slayers in the local universe, their version of Buffy Summers became an ice skater and an apparently brainless reality TV star, stringing along a boyfriend who thinks that she's just eye candy. She's actually [[spoiler: one of the genetically enhanced Breslynn Orphans]], though, and when a four-man snatch squad comes for her, she lures them onto an ice rink and curb-stomps them all with her superior command of the terrain.
* In ''Fanfic/StormwolfAdventures'', [[Fanfic/FriendshipIsFailure Talon Ted]] seems to be an idiotic actor who is ruining his own life for his own narcissistic ego and it's implied his acting skills aren't so real. [[spoiler:They are real. He tricked everyone in a kingdom he is harmless and his true agenda is becoming its public face by following the king's insane ideals. He is also a serious threat to even the protagonists.]]
* [[spoiler:Cruise Control]] in ''WebAnimation/TurnaboutStorm''. This particular case is more PlayedForDrama than usual, as they had seen themselves more or less forced into it [[spoiler:thanks in part to Ace Swift blackmailing Cruise into losing to him. Cruise thought the whole act would be more believable if he thought and acted like a general loser as well]].

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/30758684/chapters/76557851 Solidarity Among Students, Class 1-A Edition]]''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/30758684/chapters/76557851, chapter 5]], Izuku (who has just invited [[LoveInterest Ochako]] to his house so they can work on their homework) tells Tenya that he's terrified and nearly peeing himself. Tenya replies that, if Izuku's having incontinence troubles, he should consult a professional. [[LampshadeHanging Izuku fires back by pointing out he knows Tenya's doing it on purpose.]]

* In ''Fanfic/StormwolfAdventures'', [[''Fanfic/FriendshipIsFailure Talon Ted'']] seems to be an idiotic actor who is ruining his own life for his own narcissistic ego and it's implied his acting skills aren't so real. [[spoiler:They are real. He tricked everyone in a kingdom he is harmless and his true agenda is becoming its public face by following the king's insane ideals.]]

* In ''Fanfic/StormwolfAdventures'', [[''Fanfic/FriendshipIsFailure'' Talon Ted]] seems to be an idiotic actor who is ruining his own life for his own narcissistic ego and it's implied his acting skills aren't so real. [[spoiler:They are real. He tricked everyone in a kingdom he is harmless and his true agenda is becoming its public face by following the king's insane ideals.]]

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/series/2042995 Stormwolf Adventures]]'', Talon Ted seems to be an idiotic actor who is ruining his own life for his own narcissistic ego and it's implied his acting skills aren't so real. [[spoiler:They are real. He tricked everyone in a kingdom he is harmless and his true agenda is becoming its public face by following the king's insane ideals.]]

* ''Fanfic/LXGTempestRewrite'': Turns out, [[Franchise/JamesBond Jimmy]] was faking his incompetence in ''Black Dossier''.

[[AC: ''Series/TheATeam'']]

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}}'']]

[[AC: ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'']]

[[AC: ''Manga/CaseClosed'']]

[[AC: ''Anime/CodeGeass'']]

[[AC: {{Crossover}}]]
* Kyon, in ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero''. He is shown to be highly fluent in English, easily beating the brigade in Scrabble, very skilled in chess[[note]]Asakura's best against him was a single stalemate[[/note]], and invokes GratuitousEnglish. He also learns German from Tsuruya extremely quickly. Aside from language skills, Kyon also managed to convince a renegade time traveler to pull off a StableTimeLoop for him, or risk being killed, because Kyon can go back in time to take his place, thus rendering his ContractualImmortality moot.
* [[spoiler:Cruise Control]] in ''WebAnimation/TurnaboutStorm''. This particular case is more PlayedForDrama than usual, as they had seen themself more or less forced into it [[spoiler:thanks in part to Ace Swift blackmailing Cruise into losing to him. Cruise thought the whole act would be more believable if he thought and acted like a general loser as well]].
* [[spoiler: Princess Peach]], of all people, in ''Link's New Look''

** Gambit. He seems like a louche, self-centred charmer and incorrigible flirt, interested in nothing but his own amusement and preservation. Even people who know how powerful he is tend to underestimate him. After ''Forever Red'', the main cast does nothing of the kind. Why? Well, let's just say that when the story's [[TheChessmaster Chess Grandmaster]], Doctor Strange, had his Sight crippled by [[spoiler: Sinister]], a powerful {{Telepath}} controlling [[spoiler: Maddie Pryor a.k.a. Rachel Grey, Jean's stolen-at-birth twin]] and allied with [[TheDreaded the Red Room]] - yes, ''that'' [[ComicBook/BlackWidow Red]] [[ComicBook/WinterSoldier Room]] - he responded by steering Gambit into their path, knowing they'd snap him up. The resultant domino effect leaves [[spoiler: Sinister]] at Strange's utter lack of mercy, the Red Room in smoking ruins, and after a lot of [[DefusingTheTykeBomb effort]], [[spoiler: Maddie]] embracing [[spoiler: her]] [[IAmNotAGun own agency]] and a HeelFaceTurn.
*** It's worth mentioning that he manages all this when both [[spoiler: Sinister]] and the Red Room ''know'' that they can't trust him and are keeping a close eye on him. Consequently, it comes as no great surprise that in the second book's side-story, ''Unfinished Business'', he's comfortably holding off half the New Orleans underworld with one hand, and a new, vicious superpowered gang with the other.
* In ''FanFic/OriginStory'', several members of ComicBook/TheAvengers finally notice that the entire point of ComicBook/SpiderMan's generally immature attitude is to make people underestimate him. After he makes one particularly insightful observation about the situation, he reminds ComicBook/TheAvengers (who are all sitting there staring at him in stunned surprise) that he has two Master's degrees and is close to earning his [=PhD=].

--> "Squid…Like…No magic."\\

* [[VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair Ibuki Mioda]] in ''Fanfic/DuelingTriggerFinger''. She may act carefree and [[TheDitz ditzy]], but she's one heck of a duelist. Even [[Anime/YuGiOh Yugi's Grandpa]] notes her skill.

* Many characters in ''Fanfic/TheInfiniteLoops'' act like this, pretending that they aren't aware of the time loops going on, either as a prank, or because their loop needs them to act the way they do normally at the start so they can derail things later.

[[AC: ''Manga/DeathNote'']]

[[AC: ''Franchise/DragonBall'']]

[[AC: ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'']]

[[AC: ''Franchise/HarryPotter'']]

[[AC: ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'']]

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'']]

* ''Fanfic/EquestriaGirlsMarvelUniverse'': Downplayed with Flash Sentry, who changed his image before High School to avoid being bullied for being a TeenGenius, and avoids drawing attention to himself by asking his teachers not to mention his intelligence. He doesn't act like a complete idiot like most examples though, and still manages to study and complete his homework.
* ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'': In chapter 11 of the third story, ''Diplomacy Through Schooling'', Sonata self-admits to being BookDumb, but she's smarter than she acts a lot of the time. She acted dumb so Adagio would underestimate her, and also so Aria would get mad at her, because she thinks the faces Aria made then were funny.

[[AC: ''ComicBook/LeagueOfExtraOrdinaryGentlemen'']]
* ''Fanfic/LXGTempestRewrite'': Turns out, [[Franchise/JamesBond Jimmy]] was faking his incompetence in ''Black Dossier''

[[AC: ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'']]

* In ''Blind'' the Hyuuga train their kids at the age of 3 (according to this fic that's the youngest you can mold charka). Naruto just so happens to be Hyuuga Hiashi's adopted guest/son and he and Hinata can pass the Genin Exam with flying colours. The problem however is that Hinata is blind so her clones and henges come out black and white so she can't pass thusly her class and villagers (except Hiashi. He's is a [[GoodParents good father here]]) brand her a dope. Naruto keeps failing (Hiashi himself has been teaching Naruto to be a hyper-competent ninja) to stay with her while developing a jutsu to help her see. It should be noted that Hinata knows one of the Second Hokages jutsus and Naruto knows Kage Bushin and the Hiraishin.
* In ''Legacy of the Rasengan'' Naruto is a creator of simple-to-use yet effective jutsus (simple as in easy to activate and tweak), thinks before he acts, is very observant but acts like his canon self to hide it. The only ones who know (at first) he is playing dumb are Kakashi (due to Naruto outwitting him during the bell test and carefully observing Naruto "Take in information, process it instantly, then act in a manner expected of his buffoon self." ), Hinata ([[ShipTease he doesn't put up the charade when they're alone together]]) and Shikamaru (connected the dots like Kakashi). As is common with the trope they call it dumb luck if he pwns with wits/acts unusually perceptive and jaw-drop when he shows jutsu. Everyone eventually figures it out during the Chunnin Exams after he displays a jutsu that works like Jyuuken and cleaves through Neju's rotation!

* Fu in ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'' is a downplayed example, since she is genuinely BookDumb and a bit of a CloudCuckoolander, but tends to act much dumber than she really is, [[{{Troll}} often just for kicks.]]
* ''Fanfic/GenderConfusion'': Played straight, subverted and double subverted depending on who you are and where you are in the Akatsuki. For the first few chapters, Kakuzu and Kisame have no idea it's an act; Kakuzu, Itachi, Konan, and Nagato know it's an act; Deidara, Hidan and Zetsu are aware he is faking it, but want him to continue the act because it makes him more fun and pleasant to be around.

[[AC: ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'']]

[[AC: ''Manga/OnePiece'']]

[[AC: ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'']]

[[AC: RealPersonFic]]

[[AC: ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'']]

[[AC: ''LightNovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'']]

[[AC: ''Series/RizzoliAndIsles'']]

[[AC: ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'']]

[[AC: ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'']]

[[AC: ''Literature/TheWickedYears'']]

[[AC: ''Franchise/XMen'']]

* Darcy Lewis in ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm''. No one expects someone that looks like her and talks like her to be smart, perceptive and armed with a taser, and there is a good deal of evidence that she uses it to her advantage.

[[AC: ''Manga/DetectiveConan'']]
* A few fanfic authors like to play with the idea that Kogoro Mouri is aware of what Conan is doing, or faking being asleep. Has a basis in the simple fact that being injected countless times with the same sleeping drug will eventually result in the body resisting it.

* In ''Fanfic/ThisBites'', this is implied to be the case, at least to an extent, with Mr. 4. Miss Merry Christmas objects to his decision of [[spoiler:giving Lassoo to]] Cross, saying that Cross had helped stop them and save the kingdom. 4 uses that as his own reasoning, and in response to a surprised Christmas considering aloud how she wondered sometimes how moronic he ''actually'' was, he smiles.

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/30758684/chapters/76557851#workskin Solidarity Among Students, Class 1-A Edition, chapter 5]], Izuku (who has just invited [[LoveInterest Ochako]] to his house so they can work on their homework) tells Tenya that he's terrified and nearly peeing himself. Tenya replies that, if Izuku's having incontinence troubles, he should consult a professional. [[LampshadeHanging Izuku fires back by pointing out he knows Tenya's doing it on purpose.]]

* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eRMqYllUic this]] ''Underswap'' video, Temmie (who has Flowey's role, and vice versa) plays dumb in an effort to lower the player character's guard so he can more easily kill them.

[[[AC: ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'']]

[AC:''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'']]

[[AC: ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'']]
* Italy did this in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]''. [[spoiler:He was fully aware of Germany's and Japan's feelings toward him all along. [[InsecureLoveInterest He didn't think he was worthy though]].]]
* [[spoiler: Italy]], of all people, in ''VideoGame/HetaOni''.
* In ''Fanfic/HumanCuriosity'', America pretends to be tactless and unaware that he's pissing off Arthur Kirkland, in order to pull off Arthur's sunglasses and [[ItMakesSenseInContext see if he really is England]]. It's noted that one of the good things about America tending to be TheDitz is that no one notices the rare instances when he's only ''pretending'' to be stupid for his advantage.

[[AC:''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'']]

[[AC: CrossOver]]