Line #14 Main/CharacteristicTrope


1	{{Trope}}s can become {{discredited\|Trope}} in a number of ways. Usually this involves overuse or changes in social values. But sometimes it doesn't even take that.
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3	When a trope which may have been perfectly ordinary on its own is used ''so'' famously by one particular work, its meaning gets changed. Instead of what the trope had meant before, it now means it's an {{homage}}, parody or, if you're less lucky, blatant rip-off of the work which used it famously. This can get annoying for writers, since the trope may be a useful screen-metaphor in its own right, but they can't use it without creating unwanted associations.
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5	Some tropes may be more characteristic in some circles than others. For example, while the iconic PlayboyBunny suit is too characteristic of the Magazine/{{Playboy}} franchise to be seen in Western works, it's ubiquitous in {{anime}}. FanMyopia can also play a part for works that are well-known within a specific niche, but are virtually unknown outside of that niche. A fan of YouTubePoop will immediately think of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames King Harkinian]] upon seeing an AdiposeRex in another work, but anyone who isn't familiar with either YouTubePoop or VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDIGames won't think anything of it. This page mainly concerns tropes that are universally characteristic to a well-known work.
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7	The {{dead horse\|Trope}} counterpart to this trope would be StockParodies. See also FountainOfExpies for character-specific examples, JustForFun/OneMarioLimit for name-specific examples, StockShoutOuts, and WholePlotReference. Compare TropeCodifier and TropeNamers, which both identify a work for becoming well known for a trope, but not necessarily laying such claims on future use of it. Contrast UrExample, which is when a work uses what will eventually become a trope, but wasn't actually one at the time. See also FollowTheLeader for intentional trope invocation based off of that one particular work.
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9	!!Examples
10	* {{Animated Shock Comedy}} shows are often compared to ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', to the point where the trope's former name was All Adult Animation is South Park.
11	* For some people, ''the entire medium of animation'' is inextricably tied to Creator/{{Disney}}, to the point where [[AllAnimationIsDisney non-Disney animated films are often mistakenly attributed to the company]]. The reverse is also true; even though the modern Disney is a huge media conglomerate with a diverse portfolio of assets, people still think of it as the Mickey Mouse and Princess company, to the point where their purchases of Marvel Comics and Franchise/StarWars were regarded with bemusement and trepidation, with many people thinking that they were going to turn them into cartoons.
12	* Creator/{{DC Comics}}
13	** It's hard to see TheCape without thinking of ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}''. The same is true of TheCowl and ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}''. It's rare to see these tropes played entirely straight unless they're a deliberate homage, parody, or {{Expy}}.
14	** {{Kryptonite Factor}} is also heavily associated with Superman, to the point where it's common for other works to namedrop it when using it.
15	* BuildingSwing is heavily associated with ''ComicBook/SpiderMan''.
16	* The EarthAllAlong reveal is cliche for many reasons, but it's also so characteristic of ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'' that you can't "unexpectedly" reveal a planet to be Earth without the audience flashing back to Charlton Heston.
17	* There are particular styles of TechnoBabble that are distinctly ''Franchise/StarTrek'', and a related but looser and more comedic style that is distinct to ''Series/DoctorWho''.
18	* The KarmicTwistEnding was used so famously by ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone\|1959}}'' that viewers can't help but think of it whenever they see one elsewhere.
19	* On that note: modern fantasy is so inextricably connected to Creator/JRRTolkien that--to quote fantasy author Creator/TerryPratchett--"even if [the author/writer] has said 'Bugger me, I'm not going to write like Tolkien'", audiences usually associated some part of it with his writings.
20	* ''Series/FamilyMatters'': Though there are earlier famous examples, a character as flamboyantly nerdish as Steve Urkel, a StereotypicalNerd character, often sparked comparisons to ''Family Matters'' for some time after the show.
21	* ItsAWonderfulPlot -- The trope is indistinguishable from [[Film/ItsAWonderfulLife the movie]].
22	* Any time you pitch a show as JustForFun/XMeetsY, you're going to be compared to both X ''and'' Y.
23	* Since 1954, you can't make a {{Kaiju}} movie without ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' being brought to mind.
24	* ''Franchise/StarWars''
25	** LaserBlade weapons.
26	** Any scene where a villain reveals that [[LukeIAmYourFather he is the hero's father]].
27	** The OpeningScroll.
28	** VaderBreath; many examples listed on the trope page are clearly deliberate {{Shout Out}}s to the original.
29	* WholeEpisodeFlashback, ''Series/{{Lost}}'', as a result of expressing usually intriguing flashbacks of various points of various characters' backgrounds in just about every consecutive episode.
30	* For American and Canadian audiences, TransformingMecha will nearly always take the audience's mind to ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''.
31	* Any use of a [[SingleBiomePlanet desert planet]] is going to bring ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' to mind. Or at least [[Franchise/StarWars Tatooine]].
32	* People getting powers as a genetic trait? ''Franchise/XMen''. Also, AllOfTheOtherReindeer applied to said empowered individuals.
33	* Any work in the {{Mons}} genre will inevitably get compared to ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''.
34	* WizardingSchool ([[Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians or any place where magical children go to train]]) will be invariably compared to ''Literature/HarryPotter''.
35	* If there's a PlatformGame where the GoombaStomp is the primary method of dispensing with enemies, it will inevitably have links to ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', whether intentional or assumed. It's become even stronger nowadays, as ''Super Mario Bros.'' is one of the few platformers to use this mechanic anymore.
36	* For a while in TheNewTens, Any NintendoHard video game drew comparisons to ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' to the point where it's become cliche to refer to something as "X meets ''Dark Souls''" or "The ''Dark Souls'' of X" when a franchise entry spikes in difficulty. However, there's been [[DiscreditedMeme pushback against this]], with many pointing out that ''Dark Souls'' was far from the first difficult video game; after all, the trope gets its name from the Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem. Still, many credit ''Dark Souls'' with demonstrating that demand did exist for more difficult games after roughly two decades of games becoming steadily easier, which led to other developers catering to players seeking more of a challenge.
37	* Any time two extremely different characters, usually one good and one evil, [[JekyllAndHyde turn out to be the same person]], people will think of ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'', or ''Film/FightClub'' for more modern audiences.
38	* Any work that has a SuperMode -- specifically a GoldenSuperMode [[PowerCrystal powered by a finite number of artifacts]] -- will undoubtedly be compared to ''Franchise/DragonBall''. ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' is no stranger to this.
39	* Almost all ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' {{Dark Fic}}s are in some way connected to ''Fanfic/CupcakesSergeantSprinkles'', be it through the use of the same tropes ([[RunningGag a favorite]] being [[VasquezAlwaysDies Rainbow Dash as the victim]]) or even through the use of a ShoutOut or TakeThat. Even a reference to Pinkie Pie having straight hair or acting crazier than usual will do it.
40	** Any BadFuture fic will face inevitable comparisons to ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria''.
41	* In a darker example, many tropes associated with UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler or [[ThoseWackyNazis the Nazis]] have become this due to the two's infamy, even if such tropes dated before them and originally had benign connotations. For example, the swastika was originally [[UsefulNotes/NonNaziSwastika a symbol of good luck]] (and was created independently in several cultures) before it became specifically associated with the Nazi party, whereas the Bellamy salute was discontinued in the United States to avoid replicating the similar Nazi salute.
42	* In the UK, any show using the BBCQuarry will be compared to ''Series/DoctorWho'', even though the series hardly uses it anymore. [[TheNthDoctor Actor replacement]] will also be referred to as 'regeneration'.
43	* ''Franchise/IndianaJones'':
44	** As the trope name implies, the IndyEscape. If it isn't a ShoutOut in and of itself, audiences will start humming the ''Indiana Jones'' theme to themselves as they see the boulder rolling towards the character on the screen.
45	** Any post-1981 use of the AdventurerArchaeologist trope will be immediately understood as an {{Expy}} of Indiana Jones.
46	* Literature/TheBible is one of the most influential works in Western civilization, making [[BiblicalMotifs every notable trope it uses]] characteristic to it. This even happens to [[HijackedByJesus mythologies, religions, and works that have been developed independently from it]].
47	* AlliterativeTitle: In Flanders at least, this sort of title is considered to be a staple in ''ComicBook/SuskeEnWiske'' comics. Putting one unironically makes people think that you are ripping them off. Still crops up in parodies of the comic (such as in the short comic ''Kinky en Cosy'' with ''De Gegaste Gasten'').
48	* The GibberingGenius trope is inextricably linked to the career of Creator/JeffGoldblum, who played the TropeCodifier Seth Brundle in ''Film/TheFly1986'' and the most famous example of the trope (Dr. Ian Malcolm) in the ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' franchise. The role of David Levinson in ''Film/IndependenceDay'' was specifically written with Goldblum in mind, ''and'' he's played similar characters in several other films. The trope page originally had a folder for actors who specialize in such characters, but it's since been retitled "The Actor Everyone Associates with This Trope" since the only example listed was Goldblum.
49	* As the name suggests, the GroundhogDayLoop trope is inextricably tied to the 1993 film ''Film/GroundhogDay'' which popularized the concept. Nearly 30 years at the time of writing, any work (especially in film) which uses the trope will inevitably attract comparisons to ''Groundhog Day''.
50	* Franchise/JamesBond is the foremost example of TuxedoAndMartini, with most other works in the genre living in its shadow.
51	* ''Franchise/DieHard'' is naturally associated with the DieHardOnAnX trope.
52	* {{Metroidvania}} is heavily associated with the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' and post-''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight Symphony of the Night]] Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' series.
53	* Any MascotRacer will be compared to ''VideoGame/MarioKart''.
54	* Any PlatformFighter will be compared to ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'', especially if it is also a MascotFighter or MassiveMultiplayerCrossover.
55	* When you see a SongParody, you probably immediately think of Music/WeirdAlYankovic. It's why so many of them are [[MisattributedSong misattributed to him]].
56	* Literature/SherlockHolmes is the quintessential GreatDetective. If you take any other fictional detective, odds are they'll be compared to Holmes at least once not only out-of-universe, but in-universe as well.
57	* Literature/ArseneLupin ''is'' the PhantomThief, to the point where most other works that use the trope will contain a {{Shout Out}} to him.
58	* ''VideoGame/{{Crysis}}'' is best known for being a TechDemoGame, the the point where it was used as a benchmark for gaming hardware years after its release, and any subsequent game that pushes the boundaries of what can be achieved with contemporary gaming hardware will be compared to ''Crysis''.
59	* In TheNineties, FirstPersonShooter games were often compared to ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', with the term "Doom clone" often used to refer to the genre as a whole. This died out after after shooters diversified in design enough to avoid immediate comparisons to ''Doom'', and the term "First-Person Shooter" was coined in order to give a name to the genre without needing to invoke ''Doom''.
60	* Any BlobMonster will draw comparisons to the original ''Film/{{The Blob\|1958}}'' and its amorphous, voracious space amoeba.
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62	For that matter, most of the {{trope}}s in this catalogue which are actually [[TropeNamers named for a particular show]] are probably so characteristic of those shows that it's dangerous to use them if you can't handle the association. Sorry if you're disappointed about it, but you want the truth? [[Film/AfewGoodMen You can't handle the truth!]]
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64	See also OlderThanTheyThink.
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Context Main / CharacteristicTrope