History OneWingedAngel / LiveActionTV

** Every Orphnoch in ''Series/KamenRiderFaiz'' is a former human, and they still disguise themselves in human form when not in battle. Some Orphenochs can also take on advanced forms, although unlike later giant monster forms, they're usually fought on foot.

* ''Series/SweetHome'': Hyun-su provides a rare heroic example when he turns into a monster and attacks Ui-myeong. Bonus points for his monster form being literally one-winged.

** The Zodiarts in ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'' are humans that turn into monsters using a drug metaphor, much like Dopants. While they can transform freely at first, eventually they reach their Last One state and get stuck that way. This sometimes causes them to gain a more dangerous appearance as well, although not all do. A rarer few still can surpass Last One and evolve into one of the twelve Horoscopes, earning them an immediate promotion to CoDragons status. [[UpToEleven The Horoscopes, in turn]], can do this ''again'' by using their Supernova forms, which run the risk of ExplosiveOverclocking.

** In ''Series/UltramanCosmos'', Chaos Header takes on no less than ''five'' super-powerful physical forms to destroy Ultraman Cosmos throughout the series. His first two forms, Iblis and Mebut, proved to be Cosmos' most challenging foes up to that point in the series (he had to gain [[SuperMode Eclipse Mode]] to defeat Mebut), while his third and fourth forms, Chaos Ultraman and Ultraman Calamity, were simply {{Evil Knockoff}}s created by stealing some of Cosmos' light. However, he finally switches to "true form" mode in the final battle as Chaos Darkness, a humanoid creature resembling a shadowy fallen angel, who has all the powers of the previous forms taken UpToEleven.

** The Another Riders in ''Series/KamenRiderZiO'' are humans using bootleg transformation trinkets, much like Dopants or Zodiarts, although the drug metaphor is downplayed this time. Of the Another Riders, only Another Zi-O pulls off this trope again, evolving into the more powerful Another Zi-O II.

** All of the vamps are examples to a degree. They just need to put their "GameFace" on.
** Whistler can take after his demonic parent too, if he feels like it...

** All Dopants in ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'' are humans using a GRatedDrug to achieve their monster forms. Some of them have additional transformations into big monster forms used to show off Double's/Accel's new bike extensions, all in ConspicuousCG.

* ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'' and ''Series/KamenRiderKiva'' had monsters occasionally assuming gigantic monster forms (dubbed Gigandeaths and Sabbats, respectively). This typically only happened when they needed to show off the newest Den-O form's CoolTrain car or Castle Dran. CG costs are expensive.
** ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'' also does this, usually to show off Double's/Accel's new bike extensions, all in ConspicuousCG.
** Series/KamenRiderBlack: The High Priests [[spoiler:sacrifice the stones keeping them alive to]] complete Nobuhiko's transformation into Shadow Moon. [[spoiler:He then rewards them by powering them up into Great Mutant forms and making them his lieutenants.]]
** Some Orphenochs in ''[[Series/KamenRiderFaiz Kamen Rider 555]]'' can also take on advanced forms. There are ''no'' giant-sized vehicles to deal with them (though the vehicles they ''do'' have are quite weapon-laden and sometimes extend/expand. However, these are not typically used for giant monster-busting; more for faster or more numerous enemies, or for when you really, ''really'' want a rival Rider dead.)
** Throughout ''Franchise/KamenRider'', there are many monsters who are humans/former humans who can power up, or are monsters hiding as humans (still this trope; hence its alternate title "Behold My True Form"). Every [[Series/KamenRiderFaiz Orphenoch]], [[Series/KamenRiderKiva Fangire]], [[Series/KamenRiderKabuto Worm]], [[Series/KamenRiderDouble Dopant]], [[Series/KamenRiderOOO Greeed]], and so forth is this.

** It ''is'' a tradition for the more recent ''Rider'' series (''Den-O'', ''Kiva'', ''Double'', and ''[[Series/KamenRiderOOO Oz]]'') to have the monsters do this. The only one to break the sequence was ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'' (released between ''Kiva'' and ''Double''), which makes up for it by having the ''good guys'' do it -- [[GratuitousEnglish FINAL FORM RIDE]].
** Kiva himself was able to do this by transforming into his dragon-like Flight Style form, which did give him a huge boost in power.
** A few main human villains eventually do this in order to reach their goals. [[spoiler:[[BigBad Tennoji]] in ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'' fuses himself with the artifical Category Ace Kerberos in order to try and win the Battle Fight himself. In ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'', Dr. Maki absorbs five Purple Core Medals to mutate himself into a Greeed, completing his transformation in episode 42.]]
** Invoked in ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'' but on 2 different levels - the MonsterOfTheWeek Zodiarts can go into a "Last One" state, which involves adding some weapons or other bling to the existing monster suit, while the Horoscopes (Zodiarts evolved and promoted to CoDragons) have a "Supernova" form much closer to this trope, a hideous and always massive CG-rendered monstrous form. Also [[spoiler:[[BigBad Gamou]] spends most of the series human until its finally revealed that he's the Sagittarius Zodiarts, assuming that form in Episode 42.]]
** An interesting example in '''Series/KamenRiderWizard''. The Phantoms ''start'' as giant monsters ripping apart their Gate's Underworld, but become humanoid upon freeing themselves. [[spoiler:Sora, a human SerialKiller, ended up doing this trope ''accidentally'' when he was used in the Eclipse Ritual; instead of being replaced by the Gremlin Phantom, he ''became'' the Gremlin Phantom.]]
** In the VideoGame-themed ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'', [[BigBad Masamune Dan]], who had already claimed the power of ''[[ShowWithinAShow Kamen Rider Chronicle]]''[='s=] ultimate PlayerCharacter Kamen Rider Chronus, gets even stronger by absorbing and merging with ''Chronicle''[='s=] FinalBoss Gemdeus. When the heroes still manage to defeat him in this form, he laughs and gloriously [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this trope before changing into his own OWA form:
--->"None of you knows anything about VideoGames...let me show you. [...] After you beat the TrueFinalBoss once, they achieve their ultimate evolution! That's how video games work!"

* Without their encounter suits, the Vorlons of ''Series/BabylonFive'' look like holy creatures from the observer's mythologies. But when angered, they look... different.

** In ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace,'' the Psycho Rangers didn't have Zords, instead transforming into giant monsters, which were hideous even when compared to the typical MonsterOfTheWeek. This is the same series with Ecliptor's four forms, and Darkonda's three: standard Darkonda, Darkliptor after absorbing Ecliptor, and a powerful but insane form he mutated into after taking a strength enhancer that had been poisoned by Ecliptor for the Darkliptor incident [[spoiler: (and separating from Ecliptor and using him as a shield once the fight went bad.) The poison seems to count as CursedWithAwesome, though: after seemingly being taken out by, but soon recovering from, the Megazords' first finishing move, he's suddenly much saner and still ultra-powerful.]]

* ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'' and ''Series/KamenRiderKiva'' had monsters occasionally assuming gigantic monster forms (dubbed Gigandeaths and Sabbats, respectively). This typically only happened when they needed to show off the newest Den-O form's CoolTrain car or Castle Dran. CG costs are expensive.
** ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'' also does this, usually to show off Double's/Accel's new bike extensions, all in ConspicuousCG.
** Series/KamenRiderBlack: The High Priests [[spoiler:sacrifice the stones keeping them alive to]] complete Nobuhiko's transformation into Shadow Moon. [[spoiler:He then rewards them by powering them up into Great Mutant forms and making them his lieutenants.]]
** Some Orphenochs in ''[[Series/KamenRiderFaiz Kamen Rider 555]]'' can also take on advanced forms. There are ''no'' giant-sized vehicles to deal with them (though the vehicles they ''do'' have are quite weapon-laden and sometimes extend/expand. However, these are not typically used for giant monster-busting; more for faster or more numerous enemies, or for when you really, ''really'' want a rival Rider dead.)
** Throughout ''Franchise/KamenRider,'' there are many monsters who are humans/former humans who can power up, or are monsters hiding as humans (still this trope; hence its alternate title "Behold My True Form.") Every [[Series/KamenRiderFaiz Orphenoch]], [[Series/KamenRiderKiva Fangire]], [[Series/KamenRiderKabuto Worm]], [[Series/KamenRiderDouble Dopant]], [[Series/KamenRiderOOO Greeed]], and so forth is this.
** As with ''Super Sentai'' and ''Power Rangers'' above, the human commandants of the terrorist organization Shocker in [[Series/KamenRider the original series]] had monster forms.
** In ''Series/KamenRiderDragonKnight,'' the ''{{Mooks}}'' did this. It didn't do them much good. A flashback reveals that the ''advanced'' {{Mooks}} can become ''more-advanced, flight-capable ones.'' It...still didn't do them any good, but hey, what matters is that [[RuleOfCool it looked awesome]]. The last two or three episodes give us ''all three types'' of cannon fodder as well as various monsters in an all-out war against the Riders.
** It ''is'' a tradition for the more recent ''Rider'' series (''Den-O'', ''Kiva'', ''Double'', and ''[[Series/KamenRiderOOO Oz]]'') to have the monsters do this. The only one to break the sequence was ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'' (released between ''Kiva'' and ''Double''), which makes up for it by having the ''good guys'' do it -- [[GratuitousEnglish FINAL FORM RIDE]].
** Kiva himself was able to do this by transforming into his dragon-like Flight Style form, which did give him a huge boost in power.
** A few main human villains eventually do this in order to reach their goals. [[spoiler:[[BigBad Tennoji]] in ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'' fuses himself with the artifical Category Ace Kerberos in order to try and win the Battle Fight himself. In ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'', Dr. Maki absorbs five Purple Core Medals to mutate himself into a Greeed, completing his transformation in episode 42.]]
** Invoked in ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'' but on 2 different levels - the MonsterOfTheWeek Zodiarts can go into a "Last One" state, which involves adding some weapons or other bling to the existing monster suit, while the Horoscopes (Zodiarts evolved and promoted to CoDragons) have a "Supernova" form much closer to this trope, a hideous and always massive CG-rendered monstrous form. Also [[spoiler:[[BigBad Gamou]] spends most of the series human until its finally revealed that he's the Sagittarius Zodiarts, assuming that form in Episode 42.]]
** An interesting example in '''Series/KamenRiderWizard''. The Phantoms ''start'' as giant monsters ripping apart their Gate's Underworld, but become humanoid upon freeing themselves. [[spoiler:Sora, a human SerialKiller, ended up doing this trope ''accidentally'' when he was used in the Eclipse Ritual; instead of being replaced by the Gremlin Phantom, he ''became'' the Gremlin Phantom.]]
** In the VideoGame-themed ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'', [[BigBad Masamune Dan]], who had already claimed the power of ''[[ShowWithinAShow Kamen Rider Chronicle]]''[='s=] ultimate PlayerCharacter Kamen Rider Chronus, gets even stronger by absorbing and merging with ''Chronicle''[='s=] FinalBoss Gemdeus. When the heroes still manage to defeat him in this form, he laughs and gloriously [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this trope before changing into his own OWA form:
-->"None of you knows anything about VideoGames...let me show you. [...] After you beat the TrueFinalBoss once, they achieve their ultimate evolution! That's how video games work!"
* ''Series/DoctorWho''
** Subverted in ''The Satan Pit'', where the Doctor finally encounters TheDevil, a monstrous horned creature the size of a skyscraper, only to discover that [[spoiler:it is only a shell, as the Beast's essence is now in a regular human]].
** Played straight by the ProfessorGuineaPig in "The Lazarus Experiment", who winds up as a freaky scorpion thing.
** [[spoiler:Rev. Golightly]] in "The Unicorn and the Wasp takes the form of [[spoiler:a giant wasp-like alien]] when angered.
** [[spoiler:Ganger!Jennifer]] from "The Rebel Flesh"/"The Almost People", who goes from seemingly human to a loping, four-legged monster.
** In ''The Brain of Morbius", a renegade Time Lord survived execution only as a BrainInAJar, and then was transplanted into a body that was a monstrous patchwork of alien parts.
* ''Series/{{Beetleborgs}}'' has had its share of transforming baddies. Kind of odd, given that many of the good guys were already monsters.
** Noxic in the first season had a super form called Hurt-Ulyles, in one episode Fangula the resident vampire became Super Fang and in Metalix- The Crustaceons themselves have this.
** In the episode ''Buggin Out'' which is a satire of the 80's remake of ''The Fly'' Flabber sees a drawing of a matter transporter, brings it to life and tests it out- but unfortunately much like in the movie a fly monster called Kombat Gnat gets in the machine with him- and when he arrives at Zoom Comics he's merged with the creature and [[TransformationTrauma gradually evolves into Kombat Gnat]] and the kids have to fight him in order to get him back to normal.
* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] on ''Series/{{Lost}}'': The Man in Black/Jacob's Enemy can turn into [[spoiler:the Smoke Monster anytime he wants, ''except'' during the final battle, since he has become mortal again]].
* The Wraith from the Franchise/StargateVerse have very versatile organic technology. Even their ships are alive but are restricted by their power generation capabilities. In the final episode, one Wraith got the right idea and wired the most potent energy source in the known universe into a Hiveship (Wraith equivalent of TheBattlestar). It used the extra energy to grow more armor and guns, resulting in a '''HUGE''' (3200+ meter long) monster of a ship armed with dozens of cannons. Asgard plasma beam weapons which could easily neutralize a normal hive in about half-a-dozen shots ''barely even scratched'' the Superhive. Plus, the increased sensor sensitivity...

* ''Series/ToddAndTheBookOfPureEvil'': Just before the FinalBattle, Atticus uses the Book to turn himself into a demonic "man goat".

* ''Franchise/PowerRangers''[=/=]''Franchise/SuperSentai'':

** A rare heroic example in ''Series/PowerRangersMysticForce'' (and the sentai ''[[Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger Magiranger]]'') the FiveManBand have OneWingedAngel forms instead of the traditional HumongousMecha.

*** Kamdor...can open his faceplate to show a ''different'' faceplate. Kind of a letdown after Miratrix's transformation.

* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'':

** A similar thing happens in ''Series/PowerRangersJungleFury''. The Zords are actually manifestations of primal spirits unlocked through martial arts.

** Series/KamenRiderBlack: The High Priests [[spoiler: sacrifice the stones keeping them alive to complete]] Nobuhiko's transformation into Shadow Moon. He then [[spoiler: rewards them by powering them up into Great Mutant forms and making them his lieutenants.]]

* Zogu, the BigBad of ''Series/UltramanGaia'' first appears as an angelic entity to trick Gaia and Agul, then defeat them. When round two comes around, they're ready for his tricks and beat the tar out of him. In response, Zogu undergoes the ''reveal your true form'' version of this trope and turns into an absolutely massive, centaur-like beast that can crush skyscrapers under his feet. After a lengthy fight, he's finally killed by a combined beam attack but Gaia and Agul were supercharged with the power of Earth's monsters and at their strongest at the time.

* ''{{Beetleborgs}}'' has had its share of transforming baddies. Kind of odd, given that many of the good guys were already monsters.