Line #167 Main/DoppelgangerSpin


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4	[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/FlameOfRecca https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/genjutsuwakemi2_5925.png]]]]
5
6	->''"Don't you hate it when you've drawn a bead on that pesky Ninjamek, and you're just about to blow him into scrap, when he starts appearing all around you, and you can't be sure which one is real and he's everywhere and you can't possibly get them all in time and you keep shooting and shooting but they keep coming and aaaAAARRGH!!!!"''
7	-->-- ''TabletopGame/{{Mekton}} Zeta Plus'', "Shadow Imager" entry
8
9	Common "attack" used in {{anime}}, usually by the opponent of the main character. They will create (or clone) multiple copies of themself, frequently encircling the target.
10
11	One of these copies is the real one, while the rest are just harmless illusions to distract their target; said target must find a way to "sense" which one is the correct one and attack it before the entire group closes in to strike.
12
13	In video games, finding the "real" one usually boils down to a game of "one of these isn't like the others", by noticing subtle details like whether they use the same attacks, have the same HP or defense power, or [[CastsNoShadow cast a shadow on the ground]]. Another common way of implementing this into a game is having the illusory clones disappear the instant they take a hit, or when the real one takes a hit. Alternatively, one might have to access the ability of TrueSight.
14
15	A common diversionary tactic with {{Ninja}}.
16
17	A common subversion is that ''none'' of the clones is the real adversary, who is secretly hiding somewhere nearby instead. See DisposableDecoyDoppelganger for cases such as this, as well other usages of expendable clones for distraction or diversion tactics.
18
19	If the copies are tangible enough to be a threat on their own, independent of whichever is the "real" one, it's a DoppelgangerAttack. For the use of tangible doppelgangers outside of combat, see MesACrowd.
20
21	The practice of seeing through the illusions to attack the "real" one can be thought of as a type of ShellGame. SpottingTheThread, SpotTheImposter and especially ImposterForgotOneDetail are related tropes, playing with the idea of spotting small differences in a way often very similar to this trope.
22
23	----
24	!!Examples:
25
26	[[foldercontrol]]
27
28	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
29	* Played straight by a ninja in ''Manga/{{Airmaster}}'' and then parodied by his [[IdiotHero dim-witted opponent]] who solves the problem in unorthodox fashion by attacking each image until they hit the right one.
30	* ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom'': Koro-sensei, being a creature [[SuperSpeed that has a top speed of Mach 20]], can make clones by moving at high speeds. More often than not, he uses this ability [[MundaneUtility to teach his students individually to prepare them for exams]]. It gets weirder. Destroying one of his tentacles makes his clones somehow get ''smaller'', almost child-sized. And the clones are pretty unstable, too, being able to form into freaky shapes when threatened.
31	* In the ''[[Anime/MarvelAnimeBlade Blade]]'' anime, Blade gets this in the form of "Deadly Sword Technique #1: Residual Moon". The illusory copy even looks like it takes damage. This confuses the enemy long enough for the real Blade to attack from behind.
32	* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
33	** Unusually, this ability is given to one of its heroes; [[spoiler:Ichigo, with his new Bankai, pulls this off during his fight with Byakuya]].
34	** Also used in almost the exact same way with Yourichi and Byakuya himself. The doppelgangers are actually so realistic that they show damage before fading away. Yourichi gets slashed by Byakuya, Byakuya by Zomari [=LeRoux=]. Both times, the doppelgangers fade away, after which the real one reveals him/herself.
35	** Zomari himself is also quite skilled at creating afterimages, to the point he can initiate a DoppelgangerAttack with them. Fellow Espada Starrk is also able to create multiple afterimages of himself.
36	** Used by the assassin Kuzuryū, who attacks Uryu in anime episode 176. He creates a mist that generates illusory images of himself.
37	** Soifon can do this as well.
38	** Used by the {{villain\|s}} Kouga during anime episode 252. He fools Byakuya Kuchiki's senses so that he sees multiple false image of Kouga, preventing him from attacking the real one.
39	* Parodied in ''Anime/BoboboboBobobo'' episode 11, where Gasser is matched up against an old lady who uses an attack called "Nose Hair Split Ends" to duplicate herself into six old ladies and one old man. They run around Gasser at high speeds, creating a dust cloud that blinds him, and after the dust settles, they've turned into bottles of soda. According to Bo-bobo, this is a sign that she has surrendered. However, the one old man is still there, and he battles Bo-bobo, creating another dust cloud, and after that one settles, the two are shown playing croquet together.
40	* ''Literature/DemonCityShinjuku''. In the 1988 OVA, while fighting the demon underwater Kyouya Izayoi realizes that only one of the demons he can see is real: the rest are illusions. He uses his Nempo ability to strike the correct one.
41	* A Ninjamon does this in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02''.
42	** [[AWizardDidIt A Wizardmon does]] [[{{Pun}} this]] in an early episode of ''Anime/DigimonFrontier''; Tommy saw through it by identifying that only one cast a shadow on the ground.
43	* ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasThreeVisionarySwordsmen'' have the villain, Lord Odorom, displaying the ability to create copies of himself while spinning circles around Nobitania (an AlternateSelf of Nobita). Nobitania was told to "close his eyes, and concentrate" in order to flush out the real Odorom, so he does and actually succeeds... but it turns out the villain he stabs is ActuallyADoombot.
44	* A semi-common technique in ''Manga/DragonBall''. It's called the "After-Image Technique" and lets the user leave an image of themselves behind while they attack from a different angle. Major fights will usually include instances of an attack passing harmlessly through an afterimage, followed up by a sneak attack on the momentarily distracted opponent. Sometimes with said sneak attack being thwarted by the opponent's own afterimage. The technique falls out of use as the story transitions into ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', as almost every character by that point is able to [[TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne sense ki]], thus rendering it useless.
45	** ''Anime/DragonBallSuper''. In episode 113, while Goku is fighting Caulifla, he uses this technique to create multiple images of himself to fool her.
46	** Also subverted by Agent Purple/Ninja Murasaki; he has the ability to appear in five different places at once... because he's one of a set of identical quintuplets.
47	* In ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', someone tries this on Kenshiro. Kenshiro spins around while punching and hits the guy hundreds of times.
48	** Ryuuken uses a Big Dipper shaped one against Raou. Possibly Ryuuken's SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome.
49	* In ''Manga/FlameOfRecca'', the Genjutsu Wakemi is a technique [[spoiler:created by Genjuro and passed on to Kurei]] that does exactly this for the user. Problem? You can't copy items held in your hands, only your body and clothing.
50	* The Getter-2 line of ''Manga/GetterRobo'' has this with their "Getter Vision" ability, moving so fast that it creates after-images of itself.
51	* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
52	** The idea behind dummy balloons that some Mobile Suits (e.g. Amuro Ray's [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack RX-93 Nu Gundam]]) are equipped with is based on this. Since [[MinovskyPhysics Minovsky Particles]] interfere with traditional sensors, launching a dummy balloon that quickly expands into the rough shape of the MS can trick an enemy's cameras into thinking the dummy is the real machine and project it as such to the pilot. It isn't as effective against Newtypes who [[CombatClairvoyance can sense]] [[TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne which one is real]], but against regular pilots it's a reasonable tactic.
53	** In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamF91'', the titular mecha has an interesting ability known as Metal Peel-Off Effect or "MEPE". This is caused by the machine generating so much heat that the outer layers of the suit will "peel off", leaving behind an afterimage that appears real to most sensors (since MinovskyPhysics are in effect, sensors are a lot more limited in than in real life despite the otherwise far more advanced technology). This does, however, straddle the line between Doppleganger Spin and SpeedEchoes. Seabook uses this to confuse the Raffelesa and destroy it by confusing its weapons and having them attack the mobile armor's cockpit.
54	** ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'' has God Gundam's "God Shadow" technique, in which Domon creates copies of the God Gundam at will... just to catch Chibodee's ultimate attack.
55	*** In one episode, Master Gundam appears to pull this trick, until it's revealed that it's actually a group of specialised Death Army drones designed to resemble Master Gundam in order to act as a distraction.
56	* Killua Zaoldyeck from ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' has this ability as part of his assassin's training since birth.
57	** In a later arc, a pair of Hunters (Morau and Knuckle) work together to produce a variation of this. Morau controls smoke, which he forms into multiple smoke clones of Knuckle to hide amongst.
58	* In Part 3 of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', Polnareff's Stand, Silver Chariot, displays this ability after it sheds its armor during his fight with Avdol (and he only uses it during this fight). He explains that he doesn't actually have multiple Stands, Silver Chariot simply moves with such speed that the human eye only thinks it sees multiple copies of it.
59	** In Part 1, Dire has this ability, and he uses it in his fight with Dio... and then promptly stops using it in favor of his Thunder Cross Split Attack gambit.
60	* Robin Mask does this during his fight against Junkman in ''Manga/{{Kinnikuman}}''; the Devil Choujin has a second face growing out of the back of his head, so Robin tosses his armor off to increase his speed and run around him, making the villain dizzy. Then Robin gives him the Tower Bridge.
61	* This is a favorite trick of ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'''s illusionists. The more skilled practitioners, like Teana and Quattro, are capable of creating duplicates that can fool even radars and sensors.
62	* Used by a rather ghostly opponent in ''VideoGame/{{Medabots}}'', until someone started shining a light on all the projected images.
63	* This is one of the basic ninja skills in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. All ninjas learn how to make illusionary copies of themselves with the "Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Jutsu)". Despite being illusions, the Clone Jutsu is considered ninjutsu rather than genjutsu, implying that they're akin to holograms whereas genjutsu are a form of limited mind control.
64	** Naruto cannot perform the normal Bunshin no Jutsu, which should only make up to three illusory clones. He instead does Kage-Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu) which are far more solid (as in they can actually hit things), are only limited in number by the amount of chakra available, and have the added advantage of [[spoiler:whatever they learn before being dispelled, Naruto will learn once they are]].
65	* Kaede Nagase and Kotaro Inugami of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi''. By choice of [[KiManipulation Ki-use]], [[DoppelgangerAttack they may become physical]].
66	* Shijima pulls this off in ''Anime/NinjaScroll''. [[spoiler:Jubei cuts through all of them at once, severing Shijima's lower leg.]]
67	* Nami from ''Manga/OnePiece'' is capable of manipulating weather conditions with her weapon. This includes creating mirages to confuse enemies. They don't exactly look identical, but don't go assuming that the one that looks like the real deal ''is'' her.
68	* This is what the "Double Team" move does in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries''.
69	** Played straight as an arrow during Suicune's testing of Janine in ''Manga/PokemonAdventures''. Janine and her Crobat fly into the air, split into a ring of Double Team clones, and dare Suicune to find the right one. After being beaten, the ninja Leader realizes that Suicune identified the real Crobat by the darker shadow underneath it.
70	** Fun fact: Double Team's Japanese name is "Kage Bunshin", or "Shadow Clone/Divide".
71	* One of the HumongousMecha that B-ko designs in ''Anime/ProjectAKo'' is said to have this.
72	* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': The ''Farewell Story'' Drama CD and its [[ComicBookAdaptation manga adaptation]] ''The Different Story'' both reveal that this is Kyouko's special ability (on top of creating illusions generally). It's never seen in the anime itself because [[spoiler:she lost her magic following the PaterFamilicide; she stopped believing in her own wish, hence the magic born from it stopped working]].
73	* Cologne from ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' executes this maneuver against Ranma in one of their first battles, called the "Splitting Cat Hairs". Since she was so hungry Ranma made the real one jump out when he threw a piece of chicken in the air.
74	* Shinomori Aoshi uses something like this in ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' as a psych-out lead-in to his Kaiten Kenbu attack: several images of Aoshi begin circling his opponent until the real one attacks. Used mainly for intimidation (since the apparent copies don't do anything threatening).
75	** Since the technique is described as depending on constant, minute shifts in speed, it seems that maybe the afterimages are not supposed to be taken literally, but are a visual representation for the viewer/reader's benefit of the fact that he's moving quickly, but too unreliably to intercept. (If he were actually moving fast enough to leave afterimages, he would be faster than Kenshin or Soujirou.)
76	** Kenshin has, arguably, something similar with the Kuzu Ryuu Sen attack. The wielder doesn't actually appear in more than one place, but their sword does, since the technique hits nine different spots at almost the same time, making it impossible to block or dodge. [[spoiler:Naturally it's been dodged once (by Soujirou), blocked once (by Enishi), and stopped in mid-execution (Enishi again).]]
77	* Used by one of the Snow Dancers in the ''Anime/SailorMoonSTheMovie''. Sailor Moon attempts to single out the real one and, unsurprisingly, chooses wrong.
78	* Parodied in an episode of ''Anime/SamuraiPizzaCats''. Guru Lou develops a machine designed to do this, but when Guido tries to use it, the clones turn out to be a series of folding panels that clumsily extend from the sides of the machine, not to mention that the pictures produced are of ''Speedy'', not Guido.
79	* One of Margery Daw's favorite attacks in ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana''.
80	* In Reika's first fight as Cure Beauty in ''Anime/SmilePrecure'', she's able to find the real MonsterOfTheWeek by attacking the one that's a "mirror image" of what the others look like (the other four girls just aimed randomly, not realizing that bit.)
81	* Done with a fairly ridiculous justification in ''Manga/SoulEater'', where Black Star moving fast enough somehow left his shadow behind ''[[ItRunsOnNonsensoleum giving his afterimage mass.]]'' He can also increase the effect even more by having Tsubaki transform into him.
82	* Ryoko's done this in the ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' manga a few times in a hostile vein. She's also capable of creating physical clones, at least in the OVA continuity.
83	* ''Anime/TransformersTheHeadmasters'': Decepticon Ninja Officer Sixshot has the ability to create 5 simultaneous copies of himself. Problem is, each copy can hit as hard as the real one. This is the key to his Six Forms of Death technique, whereby each copy transforms into one of his six modes (robot, gun, starfighter, armoured car, tank and wolf) and then they all simultaneously attack from all angles.
84	* In ''Anime/WorldConquestZvezdaPlot'', White Falcon uses this against General Pepel during their fight. All of the images circling around General Pepel turn out to be fakes, the real White Robin performing an aerial attack from above while he's distracted.
85	* ''Manga/{{Yaiba}}'' uses such a trick in the first volume against Sayaka's grandmother. After a brief beat, she knock him down with a single well-aimed hit on the head. She comments though that it wasn't very easy.
86	* In the ''Naruto'' parody reaction episode of ''Manga/YakitateJapan'', Suwabara Kai also uses several Spring Onions to do this trick.
87	* Yugi's "Magical Hats" card is like this in ''Anime/YuGiOh''.
88	** This is Demoness Knight's special power in ''Anime/YuGiOhCapsuleMonsters''.
89	* Hiei from ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' uses something similar to the ''Dragon Ball'' example above, using extreme speed to leave an afterimage. It's only one at a time though, and only used as a defensive technique to escape injury.
90	[[/folder]]
91
92	[[folder:Comic Books]]
93	* ''Franchise/TheDCU'':
94	** ''ComicBook/FirestormDCComics'' villain Multiplex.
95	** ''ComicBook/TheFlash'' villain Mirror Master practically made this trope in comics; it's one of his favorite tricks. In fact, the various Flashes have mimicked this ability many, many times.
96	** In ''ComicBook/Supergirl1984'', evil sorceress Selena creates magically a bunch of copies of herself to surround Characters/{{Supergirl\|TheCharacter}} and prevent her from saving Ethan.
97	** ComicBook/WonderWoman has been using her speed to create after images/speed clones since her earliest appearances.
98	* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'':
99	** ComicBook/DoctorStrange, an ''actual magician'', has been doing [[https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRIRvPPWTHxt6u9Pmla1XcZn6_-H-nZ2kmkaaTTWm8p5POSpSeWO0Fv9vpLsQ this]] since the 1960s; he's even able to trick other magic users like Loki with the technique.
100	** ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' villain [[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Doctor Doom]] has an Image Projector that can create a lifelike projection of himself nearby. He uses it as a decoy.
101	** ComicBook/IronMan used this trick a lot in the old days, courtesy of his suit's built-in image inducer. Nowadays Tony can control machines with his brain, so he likes to use ''real'' Iron Man suits as the "dummies". Then there were the few times when he was using remote-controlled suits or simply having his friends put on extra suits to give him some back-up.
102	** ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'' character [[Characters/MarvelComicsLoki Loki]] had this power since the first ''[[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]]'' story, though he uses it more frequently in the movies.
103	** ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' villain [[Characters/SpiderManCentralRoguesGallery Mysterio]] is fond of this tactic, although he uses [[MasterOfIllusion holographic projectors]] and other technological means rather than any natural ability.
104	** Multiple Man from ''ComicBook/XFactor'' is another one who can manage this trope.
105	* ''ComicBook/Ratman1989'': In his younger days fighting manga characters in an arena, Rat-Man used this ability. We see it twice: the first against a [[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar Kenshiro]] {{Expy}}, who sees through the illusion and punches the real deal before starting a NoHoldsBarredBeatDown, and then against The Dragon, an invincible [[Franchise/DragonBall Goku]] {{Expy}}.
106	%% * In ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', Sonic tends to use this from time to time, using his SuperSpeed to confuse his opponents.
107	* In the British 1980s comic ''ComicBook/{{Starblazer}}'', the Clone Burst device created multiple holographic copies of the user as a decoy.
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
111	* ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' does this with a rifle-toting hunter, a devious duck and a HallOfMirrors (with one mirror already shot through):
112	-->''"Ah, yes, Mr. Frischberg, I thought you'd come... but which of us is the ''real'' duck, Mr. Frischberg, and not just an illusion?"''
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Fan Works]]
116	* Trixie Lulamoon really likes this trope in ''Fanfic/RainbowDoubleDashsLunaverse''.
117	* In ''Fanfic/FateBlackReflection'', Rider criticizes this technique when she sees Ichigo's memories of using it. She calls it a waste of time and energy, because if you are fast enough to run circles around your enemies and make afterimages, you should be fast enough to just kill them right away.
118	* In ''Fanfic/{{FREAKINGENSOKYO}}'', this technique is added to Remilia Scarlet's repertoire.
119	[[/folder]]
120
121	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
122	* In ''Film/TheEmperorAndHisBrother'', when Chen Chia-lo reveals his ''chi'' ability to his fullest extent, it allows him to conjure one to two translucent copies of himself to fight alongside himself, so he can fight multiple opponents ''at the precise same time''.
123	* In ''Film/HighlanderIIITheSorcerer'', Nakano creates two illusions of himself to fend off Kane and his two sidekicks so Connor can escape.
124	* In ''Film/LadyNinjaKaede'', Kaede demonstrates a ninja technique that allows her to split into three copies. As with so many of Kaede's techniques, [[TheNudifier the third copy comes out nude]].
125	* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
126	** Loki does this a couple of times in ''Film/{{Thor}}.'' He does it again in ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', prompting Loki to mock Thor when he doesn't realize that they're copies.
127	--->''"Are you ever not going to fall for that?"''
128	** Invoked by Dormammu in ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'' -- in the first round of the Final Battle, Dormammu blasts a version of Doctor Strange and then sees another one appear. He immediately suspects this trope and asks if it's an illusion, and upon hearing the new Strange say "this is real", he says "good" and blasts him again. [[spoiler:In fact, there are no illusions; it's a time loop, and it's real every time.]]
129	** Utilized by Doctor Strange in the fight against Thanos in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar''. He creates dozens of duplicates which use magical whips to restrain the Mad Titan. Unfortunately, Thanos uses the soul stone to pick out which Strange is the real one, and the power stone to obliterate the rest.
130	** Early in ''Film/{{Eternals}}'', Sprite hides herself and Sersi from a Deviant by creating a crowd of illusory duplicates of themselves that start walking back and forth.
131	* In ''Film/MyNameIsNobody'', [[PunnyName Nobody]] uses mirrors to scare his opponents.
132	* ''Film/SupermanII'': Superman generates duplicates of himself to baffle his enemies ([[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands and the audience]]) in the climax, the same battle where we learn that his S-shield can be torn off and used as a poorly-animated weapon.
133	* ''Film/TangoAndCash'' has the villain Jack Palance in a HallOfMirrors near the end.
134	* ''Film/TotalRecall1990'': Quaid's wrist {{hologram}} device gives him a single image version, which he and Melina use to distract and kill Cohaagen's guards.
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Gamebooks]]
138	* ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' have a few of these:
139	** A sly illusionist is a compulsory fight in the adventure ''Literature/CavernsOfTheSnowWitch''. He will attempt to trick the player by creating three mirror images of himself, and the player must choose which image to strike. [[note]] It's the one on the right. [[/note]] Pick the wrong image and the player will be stabbed by the ''real'' illusionist, lose some of their Stamina and Luck, and be told to repeat the process.
140	** Senyakhaz the Sorceress from ''Literature/BeneathNightmareCastle'' will create projections of herself to fool the heroes. A clue provided earlier can have the player strike her down [[note]] This time it's on the left. [[/note]] , but missing Senyakhaz twice and she will successfully put the player under her control, resulting in an instant Game Over.
141	** ''Literature/{{Sorcery}}'': One of the many spells available for players choosing the Sorcerer path is the SIX spell, which creates five duplicates of the player that moves like images reflected on a mirror.
142	[[/folder]]
143
144	[[folder:Literature]]
145	* Both Jair Ohmsford and Walker Boh liked this trick in Terry Brooks' ''Literature/{{Shannara}}'' series. Jair used it in particular during his battle with his sister in ''Wishsong'', and Walker used it as a distraction in the climactic confrontation with the Stone King in ''Druid''. Walker uses it again in ''Talismans'' to face off against the Four HorsemenOfTheApocalypse. The trick is [[spoiler:that the Walker they're fighting isn't real at all, just an image he's projecting to make them kill each other. Death sees through the illusion, however, and almost kills Walker]].
146	* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' Molly does this in ''Literature/GhostStory''. This makes Harry's incorporeal jaw drop, as she creates 6 perfect copies of herself and veils herself at the same time.
147	* Creator/RobinMcKinley's ''Spindle's End'', a reworked version of Sleeping Beauty, has the heroine and a group rescue her friend, and mirror images that can attack are used (including an overly-friendly dog that licks the enemy into submission).
148	* In the ''Literature/ZacharyNixonJohnson'' series, Zach is able to employ this technique when fighting in his apartment by having his A.I. assistant HARV project hologram copies of him to confuse the enemy.
149	[[/folder]]
150
151	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
152	* By far one of the most famous users of this trope are the Baltans from ''Series/{{Ultraman}}''. One of the main abilities of this alien race, the doppelgangers created by this technique not only move in the same way as their creator, but they can ''hit their foes just as hard, too.''
153	** Basical from ''[[Series/UltramanCosmos Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact]]'' and Dark Baltan from ''Series/UltramanMax'' take this trope up to eleven, with Basical's copies all sharing his Neo Baltan form's upgraded weapons, and Dark Baltan able to create ''actually physical'' doppelgangers that number in their thousands, should the original be blown into pieces, who then reforms. In order to continue to fight the original and keep this army of doppelgangers at bay, Max is forced to create afterimage-esque duplicates of himself to fight them all!
154	* ''Series/KungFuTheLegendContinues'': In "Dragon's Daughter", Caine uses this (Called the 4 winds) to confuse his enemy.
155	* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', "Collateral", [[spoiler:in order to confuse Clark and keep him in the world of the LotusEaterMachine, a bad guy created at least six copies of his best friend, Chloe Sullivan]].
156	* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'''s Captain Jean-Luc Picard is credited with the creation of the eponymous "Picard Maneuver," as seen in ''[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E8TheBattle The Battle]]'' a starship makes a short-distance warp jump, effectively outrunning light and thus creating an "afterimage" of the ship in its former location. Later justified in the ''Literature/StarTrekTheLostEra'' book "The Buried Age": It was an unexpected maneuver because it would divert power from the weapons and shields; the enemy was relying primarily on short-range, light-speed-limited Tactical sensors in the heat of the battle; but above all, they needed to do something drastic, and they wouldn't get a second shot.
157	* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' later managed to pull off their own version by installing hologram projectors on the outside of the ship. Although in this instance, they didn't create exact copies (since their attackers know they're the only ship in the quadrant), and instead create several generic ships as if part of an allied fleet.
158	* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'':
159	** In "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1", Narek rigs his cloak to project a false image of his ship having taken damage, along with a faint life signature to convince ''La Sirena'' that he's seriously wounded. When the heroes drop their shields to beam him aboard, he reveals the ruse by opening fire on them.
160	** In "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2", Picard and Jurati create fake sensor duplicates of ''La Sirena'' to distract the Romulan fleet and to buy time before the Starfleet squadron arrives.
161	* Shows up in various seasons of Franchise/PowerRangers from time to time.
162	* Shinji from ''Series/TowerPrep'' can create at least one duplicate by spinning.
163	* Invoked, but not seen during a Halloween episode of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', when the guys all dress up as ComicBook/TheFlash.
164	-->'''Raj:''' We could walk right behind each other all night, it'll look like one person going really fast!
165	* ''Series/{{Community}}'': In "G.I. Jeff", an AffectionateParody of ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'', the villain Overkill does this with holograms. The heroes nonchalantly say he must be the one in the middle and shoot him in the leg.
166	* ''Series/GameOfThrones''. A wizard tries this with Daenerys Targaryen -- fortunately her dragons are capable of sensing who the real one is. Cue ManOnFire.
167	* ''Series/{{The Flash\|2014}}'': Speedsters are able to do this by moving fast enough to appear to be in multiple places at once. It essentially involves moving back and forth between two locations to create two afterimages. Barry tries this trick during his first fight with Despero, but he doesn't realize that Despero has PsychicPowers and is able to sense which Flash is the real one.
168	[[/folder]]
169
170	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
171	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
172	** This is exactly what the spell ''Mirror Image'' does. Using ''Mirror Image'' is a standard defense mechanism for mages in all ''Dungeons & Dragons''-based games.
173	** It got even better with higher-level versions from ''[[Magazine/{{Dragon}} Dragon Magazine]]''. "Image Trap" is much the same with a melee-range Color Spray from each shattered decoy. "Crew of Phantoms" creates twice more duplicates for up to 30 people at once, i.e. up to 150 phantoms in average if you aren't low on originals.
174	** The cloaker monster could manipulate shadows to create images of itself to fool opponents, thus acting like a ''Mirror Image'' spell.
175	** A natural version occurs in the "Revenge of the Mountain Clan" segment of the Basic D&D module [=CM1=] ''Test of the Warlords''. The crystal stalactites lining a room create 11 false images of a gargantuan troll in the room, which means that each time a {{P\|layerCharacter}}C hits a troll there's only a 1 in 12 chance that it's the real troll.
176	** Trickery clerics in 5e can make illusory doubles that move independently from them. Apart from being a useful confusion tactic, they can use their doubles to cast spells at a distance.
177	* ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' supplement ''Gadgets!''. One of the title items was the Multiple Image Projector, which created four images of the wearer in a group around him.
178	* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}''. The Double Image spell in ''Magic in the Shadows'' creates a single illusory double.
179	* ''TabletopGame/VictorianaRPG'' supplement ''Faulkner's Millinery and Miscellanea''. The magical Mirrorcane can create three illusionary images of its wielder to distract opponents.
180	* ''TabletopGame/StarFrontiers'', Dragon magazine #88 article "The Battle at Ebony Eyes". A natural version of this occurs in the Ebony Eyes star system. A pair of black holes orbit each other 160,000 kilometers apart, resulting in severe disruptions in the local space-time continuum. This causes the appearance of one, two or three illusionary duplicates of any objects in the area, such as starships.
181	* ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'' has this as a high-end Space Arcanum spell. "Co-Location" creates a number of doppelganger images and the caster can reflexively teleport between them, acting as a limited form of TeleportSpam.
182	* ''TabletopGame/LejendaryAdventures'':
183	** Some Goblins can create 2-5 illusionary duplicates of themselves that mimic their every action.
184	** Leprechauns can do the same thing, but have complete control over the illusions' actions.
185	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
186	** The [[TheFairFolk Drukhari]] have access to an ancient piece of technomagical equipment called a Clone Field, which produces this very effect. The Master [[MadScientist Haemonculus]] Urien Rakarth is known to have one.
187	** The Prismatic Staff, a relic of the [[AnimatedArmor Thousand Sons]] Heretic [[SuperSoldier Astartes]], is able to create illusionary doubles of its wielder to confuse and misdirect the enemy. The confusion this causes is represented in the 8th Edition rules by allowing the Staff's wielder to Fall Back from combat and attack again in the same turn.
188	* ''Courtesans'' supplement ''The Weird and the Wonderful''. The "Courtesans 20,000" section has Space Elf Diversion Projector armor, which creates realistic {{hologram}}s of the wearer to distract attackers.
189	* ''TabletopGame/{{Arduin}}''
190	** ''The Compleat TabletopGame/{{Arduin}}'', ''Book 2: Resources''. Landular's Multiple Image Spell allows the caster to create up to three illusory images of themselves. They move with the caster, doing everything the caster does.
191	** ''Arduin Grimoire Volume 5: Dark Dreams''. Kazul-Khar (dune wolves) can create one to five illusions of themselves that do everything the wolf itself does. This means that when an opponent tries to strike it, he will probably hit one of its images instead.
192	* ''TabletopGame/ChainsawWarror'', ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf'' magazine article "Life & Death & an American Chainsaw". One of the new cards in the article is the "Holographic Imagizer". It creates six identical images of the character wearing it, which allows the character to either escape from their enemies or get a +1 bonus to making a lucky shot.
193	* ''TabletopGame/{{Earthdawn}}''. In ''Arcane Mysteries of Barsaive'', the Phantom Warrior spell causes the appearance of three images that look identical to the target of the spell. They distract the target's enemies and give the target defensive and offensive bonuses.
194	* ''TabletopGame/{{Battlelords Of The 23rd Century}}'' supplement ''Lock-N-Load: The Battlelord's War Manual''. The Holographic Generator can create up to four three-dimensional images of the wearer that appear up to 5 meters away from them.
195	[[/folder]]
196
197	[[folder:Video Games]]
198	* Used in the later ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' games by AWACS jammer aircraft -- enemy aircraft will be detected on radar, with 2 or 3 "shadow returns" that can be locked on to, resulting in clean misses. However, this doesn't apply to the jammer itself, making it a clear target... ''Ace Combat 2'' also has jammers, but these just [[InterfaceScrew block the radar with static]].
199	* The final boss in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'' uses an Apple of Eden to generate phantom copies of himself. The difference is that the copies ''can'' hurt you. Inverted at the end of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', where ''you'' are the one generating copies to confuse the final boss using a different Apple.
200	* A boss in ''VideoGame/BadDudes'' makes copies of himself to do battle with you; the difference is, the real one stays away.
201	* Klungo in ''VideoGame/BanjoTooie'', when he uses the blue potion.
202	* The Target Dummy plasmid in ''VideoGame/BioShock'' creates an illusion to distract and draw enemy fire. The Decoy plasmid in ''VideoGame/BioShock2'' works the same way, and can be upgraded to deal damage back to the enemy and later hurt your foes even more while healing you for the damage.
203	* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsIII'' has Reaper and its Specialist Ability, Psychosis. It disguises Reaper as one of several clones of itself that then rush forward to distract enemies. The clones can't hurt enemies, but they can mock-fire at them to alert the real Reaper to their presence.
204	* In ''VideoGame/CannonSpike'', the boss Psychiccer Sting will create three illusions of himself, only one of which can be hurt.
205	* In ''VideoGame/CaptainAmericaAndTheAvengers'', the Mandarin can create duplicates of himself, though they are easily identifiable (darker than Mandarin himself) and block your path to Mandarin rather than try to confuse you.
206	* The Succubus in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'' does this as part of her attack chain, filling up the top of the screen with duplicates. They all do the same choreographed moves, and there's no real way to play "One of these things..." other than to attack each one in turn until the real one doesn't vanish after one hit (or you 'cheat' and use an item/spell that hits everything on the screen at once). Death has a similar tactic in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'', and Dracula appears to do a 2D version of this in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIISimonsQuest''.
207	* When you go to capture Vanessa [=DeVore=] in the Praetor Tilman Loyalist arc in the ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' "Going Rogue" supplement, this is how you face her.
208	* The Mad Monk in ''VideoGame/ConquestsOfCamelot'' summons several illusionary doppelgangers when attacking to try and confuse the player.
209	* In ''VideoGame/CrusaderOfCenty'', Shuffler splits into eight pieces, which all spread out four times before you can attack the real one.
210	* In ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'', Catacombs boss Pinwheel generates a clone of themselves every time they jump away from you to reposition themselves. The clones will immediately shatter in one hit from any weapon, and Pinwheel isn't a very fast boss, but they do this every time they jump, and there's no limit to how many clones they can make. Couple that with the fact that there is no way to differentiate Pinwheel from their clones aside from memorization and this comparatively easy boss can be a nightmare for slow or cocky players. The only mercy you get is that only the original makes clones and [[BreatherBoss Pinwheel has abysmally low health]].
211	* ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'': The Crystal Sage begins pulling this at half health: three or four identical copies will pop up around the arena and start attacking you all at once. The copies die in a single hit, but it's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of projectiles while you're attacking the wrong one. The trick is that the false Sages can only use two attacks, and the attacks they use are blue: the real one has purple-colored magic.
212	* This trick, executed through use of holograms is one of the two active abilities of the Tau Ethereals in ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'', except they can use it to clone ''anyone'' on their side. Clones do absolutely no damage but draw fire, serving as useful decoys.
213	* In one of the instances in ''VideoGame/DCUniverseOnline'', you face an entire ''room'' full of Doctor Psycho mind-clones.
214	* ''VideoGame/DeadRising3'' has a boss fight against an [[OrganTheft organ-stealing]] [[DeadlyDoctor surgeon]] named Albert Contiello. Nick Ramos must defeat Albert as he scurries by several duplicates. In a twist, Nick has been drugged and merely ''hallucinates'' innocent bystanders as Albert clones. The giveaway is simple: the real Albert spends most of his time [[AxCrazy slicing up his hapless "doppelgangers"]] for their organs. Yeah, Creator/{{Capcom}} likes this one.
215	* In ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'', the Fool's Idol creates duplicates of herself as her HP are depleted. The fakes only shoot weak Soul Arrows at you, but the real one uses the upgraded Soul Ray.
216	* ''VideoGame/DensetsuNoStafy4'': During his boss battle, Akureima will create multiple copies of Ruby or Moe which spin in a circle around the arena, hiding himself among them. One of the copies will occasionally experience ShapeshiftingFailure by gaining Akureima's blue eyelids and green antennae, that one being the real Akureima that you have to attack to make him reveal himself.
217	* Baal from the ''VideoGame/DiabloII'' expansion pack Lord of Destruction does this when you face him. His clone dies much faster than he does. The only visual difference between the real him and the clone is the clone's type listing is slightly offset instead of centered, which allows players to know to target him first. Or they can attack the copy, who is worth just as much [=XP=] as the real Baal.
218	* The Wizard of ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' has a spell that summons 2 (sometimes 5) duplicates to run around the enemies casting spells (for 0 damage) from her current build. When she starts the spell, she even moves into a random position. There is also a monster trait that enables a similar attack, often flooding the field with clones.
219	* One of the last bosses in ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'', Asura Ravana, uses a variant of this trope. He turns himself completely and utterly invisible, and you are then presented with a total of 6 identical, empty-air targets. Also, area-effect attacks don't work. Fortunately, you have a WaifProphet on your side, or this battle would have been completely impossible...
220	** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' does this twice: the first time is a boss battle where the enemy, Ongyo-ki, splits himself into four. Again, area attacks don't work, and if you hit the wrong one, you lose your turn. Only the real one has a shadow, '''but''' said shadow only shows up [[spoiler:during a full moon]]. Later, another boss, Mot, disguises itself amongst six identical statues. Before you can fight him, you have to first locate the real one, and fortunately for you, the reflective surface of the floor shows his true form.
221	* One of the archer class's special attacks in ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' is something like this, aptly named "Doppelganger."
222	* Azwraith the Phantom Lancer of ''VideoGame/Dota2'' has this as his main strength. While any hero can create illusions of themself (only a handful can do so with a built-in ability, most require a rune or item), only Phantom Lancer can reliably hide his real self among them, partly because he can quickly create a massive number of them, but mostly because by using his appropriately named skill Doppelganger, he can shuffle himself among them. Anyone who can't clear out the mass of illusions quickly will die a very fast DeathOfAThousandCuts.
223	* During the InevitableTournament in the second chapter of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'', Alena faces off against a monster known as the Abominable Showman (Linguar in the NES localization) in the final round, who splits itself into four identical-looking copies. If Alena hits one of the clones, it disappears while the real one sticks its tongue out at her. Only the real one will attack her, but this is usually ''after'' she's selected her target, so she only has a [[LuckBasedMission 25% chance]] of inflicting damage. Thankfully, the Showman's HP is lower than that of Sampson Knight from the previous round, so two or three direct hits will KO the monster in short order.
224	* [[AWizardDidIt A wizard does this]] against you in ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'' when you investigate some ruins the Cult of the Watchers left behind in the forest of the seal.
225	* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', the Lust demon possessing Connor does this in the Fade, not as an attack, but to stall for time while healing. Apparently it takes all her concentration to maintain the duplicates, as she does nothing else when they appear.
226	* This is one of the "ninja powers" used by Ken in the "Canned Heat" stage of ''VideoGame/EliteBeatAgents''; if the player is failing when that cutscene comes up, Ken and all of his doppelgangers fall over dizzy afterwards.
227	* In ''VideoGame/EmperorBattleForDune'', the Ixian projector tank could produce copies that would disappear as soon as they were shot or came into contact with an enemy, but allowed for feints and other distractions. Unfortunately, their ability to do damage was not removed, making the unit somewhat of a GameBreaker, as you swamped the enemy with massive hordes of free units, their rate of production limited only by how quickly the previous projection could get out of the way.
228	* Quince from ''VideoGame/FantasyStrike'' specializes in "attacking" his opponents with illusory clones of himself. Most of the time these are used to confuse opponents and bait them into dropping their guard, but if an opponent gets hit with Quince's "Patriot Mirror" ground special, the clones [[DoppelgangerAttack become solid for about 15 seconds and are capable of dealing direct damage]].
229	* This appears as an ability in several ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games, alternately called RUSE, Image, or Utsusemi. Originally something that white mages specialized in, but it's more frequently pulled off by ninjas in later games. In practice, it generally guarantees that a certain number of melee attacks against the target are automatic misses.
230	* An optional encounter in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' does this, but each of the clones is as strong as a regular enemy and the real one is always the one who dies last.
231	* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' it is shortly used out of a real battle just as a test of the main characters strength by Wolfking Kelgar.
232	* ''VideoGame/FreedomForce'' villain Deja Vu can clone himself at will. The key to defeating him is realizing that his clones all have shorter health bars and focusing on the original.
233	* A variation of the basic human {{Mook\|s}} in ''VideoGame/{{Ghostrunner}}'' will teleport and create five illusory copies of itself. The copies' gunshots are harmless, but the real one's aren't, and killing the real one will dismiss all of the copies.
234	* In ''VideoGame/GodHand'', [[ThatOneBoss the Sensei]] uses a multiform technique to attack Gene. The upside: the multiforms can't take more than a few hits each, and oftentimes one God Roulette super-move or one release of the God Hand's Tension can clear out all the multiforms. The downside: if you don't have either one of those ready to go when he does it, you're probably dead, because the clones all attack as aggressively and with the same moves as Sensei himself, they're solid enough to stab you, and they'll never go away until you do kill them off.
235	* The ''player's'' ability to do this is one of the defining features of the ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' series; the option for triggering it is occasionally marked "Multiple", but is usually simply marked "Option". The term "option" is thus occasionally seen to mean one of the spun doppelgangers.
236	* In ''VideoGame/IcewindDale'', the last [[TheDragon dragon]] has an '''enhanced''' ''mirror image'' spell ("Simulacrum"), where all the images move independently. High level Wizards in ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' can learn it as well, but it's significantly ''less'' useful.
237	* In ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'', Komato Assassin Asha does this in your second fight with him. Fortunately, they're all faded out and hence obviously not him. Unfortunately, Asha's MO is a very fast TeleportSpam and hence it can confuse you for the moment necessary to screw you over.
238	* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
239	** The original ''VideoGame/{{Kingdom Hearts\|I}}'' has [[EvilKnockoff Anti-Sora]], who periodically splits himself into three. The trick is that the real deal has a large HP bar, while the clones only have 1 HP. (There's an ability available in the early game that lets you see the enemy's HP.) Alternatively, you can identify which one is the real deal by how they fight, as the clones only have one attack.
240	** The [[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Magic Mirror]] does this in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep''. Look very carefully at the different faces' expressions, however...
241	** This is also Vanitas's signature move, combined with the usual "story bosses teleporting out of your combos", leaving a static image in his place. If Vanitas ever stops moving when attacked, run.
242	* [[spoiler:Dark Meta Knight]] in ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'' generates two clones of himself in the second phase of the fight. You're given a chance to see which is the real deal before they rapidly shuffle places, then attack you. Hitting a fake destroys it but produces a projectile counterattack, and it'll be regenerated before the next attack is carried out.
243	* In ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}} 2: Lunatea's Veil,'' the boss Leptio breaks into four copies. The real one spins at a different speed.
244	* In the ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' GameMod ''Brotherhood of Shadow,'' your PlayerCharacter is attacked from all sides by duplicates of Akirakon Sin, the trapped spirit inside a Sith Artifact.
245	* The Micro Stag-beetle in ''VideoGame/KouchuuOujaMushiking'' has this as its super finishing attack, it also has an enhanced version.
246	* A rare [=PS1=] game called ''VideoGame/KrazyIvan'' had a boss called Reflex, which can split into 3 copies, of which the fake ones are easily destroyed.
247	* ''VideoGame/LaMulana'' has the enemy Hundun, whose habit of projecting copies of itself around the screen is only made more annoying by its {{Teleport Spam}}ming.
248	* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDragoon'', an early miniboss splits into three duplicates a couple of times during his fight. In a light subversion/twist compared to the "hit the fake and they vanish" routine, the copies take either absolutely no damage and/or have vast amounts of health, and hit just as hard as the real thing. Hitting the ''real'' one makes the duplicates disappear. Attack magic that hits the entire enemy field will out the real one, and you are able to stock up on such magic prior to this fight.
249	* The mutated General Shun, the [[spoiler:second-to-last]] boss of ''VideoGame/LegendOfKay'', splits into four copies when he's not attacking. The one with [[spoiler:a slightly darker red light coming from his amulet]] is the real one. Not that it really matters; [[spoiler:the false ones [[OneHitWonder disappear with one hit]], there's enough time to hit all four of them, and it's really tricky to get more than one hit on the real one before he starts attacking again]].
250	* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
251	** The Poe spirits in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'' do this, as do the Wizzrobes in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]''. The Poes take the trope's name literally; the real one ''spins''.
252	** A form of this trope also appeared in the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI first game]] in the series. In the graveyard, touching the tombstones releases ghosts known as Ghini, all of which are unkillable except for the "lead" Ghini, which will already be present onscreen; killing the lead Ghini defeated all of them at once. It is fairly easy to identify the lead Ghini, as it is more opaque than the others, but it is vexing in that while you can't hurt the other Ghini, ''they'' can most definitely hurt ''you''. The original Ghini also moves differently than the others, only moving in the cardinal directions as opposed to the "clones" and their free-floating more akin to Keese and the like.
253	** Phantom Ganon does this too in his first two appearances, in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Wind Waker]]''. In ''Ocarina of Time'', he [[PortalPicture disappears into]] a [[SpookyPainting painting of a spooky road]] in his boss room, and several of him ride back (he rides a horse here); the real one creates a portal and come out, while the rest turn back at the last second. In ''Wind Waker'', he gets simple and only surrounds you, and the real one is always the one behind you.
254	** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'': [[spoiler:Maz Koshia]], the {{Superboss}} of the ''Champions Ballad'' DLC, has this as one of his many techniques that he uses during the second phase of combat. He has no obvious tell, except that his real self usually stays in the same location while his clones fan out; however, they can easily become so thickly clustered that it's nigh-impossible to find the real target. This strategy is especially daunting in Master Mode, where attacking a clone gives the real opponent a chance to regenerate his health.
255	* In ''VideoGame/{{Magicka}}'', when confronting the [[spoiler:Death]], he sometimes multiplies itself and circles you; then gangers appear to come at you, but they do nothing, except for the real one, who [[spoiler:kills you in one hit]] unless you [[spoiler:counter him with a life spell]].
256	* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'':
257	** Cackletta does this. The trick is that the two duplicates can only attack one brother at a time, while the real one can attack both.
258	** Done by [[RunTheGauntlet two of the Koopalings]] in the endgame. The easiest way to find out which is the real one is by using [[ShockAndAwe Thunder Bros.]], though the game and its remakes do include other tells.
259	* This is also one of the minigames in one of the ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' games where the player is surrounded by a circle of Boos and have to pick the right one based on the shadows they are casting.
260	* The Decoy tech ability in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' creates a holographic image of the caster to distract enemies.
261	* A recurring element in post-Classic ''Franchise/MegaMan'' games:
262	** Split Mushroom uses this against X or Zero in ''VideoGame/MegaManX4''. Not only that, but he also has an attack that spawns a large number of copies and sends them out as projectiles. This becomes a ''plot point'' in ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX5 X5]]''.
263	** Infinity Mijinion in ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX6 X6]]'' lives up to his name, spawning unlimited copies of himself.
264	** Flame Hyenard in ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX7 X7]]'' creates two additional copies, and all of them want you to burn.
265	** The ninja-themed Hidden Phantom in ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' does this, splitting himself into four. The fake ones are slightly transparent, but if you hit them instead of the real Phantom (or just don’t get him in time), they all vanish and he drops on you from above.
266	** And ''again'' with [=ShadowMan=].EXE in the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' series.
267	** Siarnaq does this to perform his TeleportSpam in ''VideoGame/MegaManZX Advent'', leaving behind multiple fading afterimages, which makes sense since he's using Model P, which is based on Phantom's data.
268	** In ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'', Gemini Spark comes in two forms, White and Black, that you face at the same time. Both of them can hurt you, but you can only hurt the one with the HP under him. Until the sequel, where both White Gemini and Black Gemini each get their own set of HP.
269	* The final boss of ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' does this often. [[spoiler:Figuring out which of the Dark Samus clones are fake is easy with the X-Ray Visor, but if you don't kill them quick enough, the original can re-absorb them and regain health.]]
270	* ''VideoGame/MissionImpossible1990'': The third level boss would spin and teleport around the [[TemporaryPlatform crumbling floor]] of the arena while creating transparent doubles of himself. The doubles are intangible and cannot be hurt, but still throw very real shuriken at you.
271	* In ''VideoGame/MonsterInMyPocket'' for NES, Medusa appears with four other duplicates. Hitting the fakes will do nothing; you have to attack the real one who soon fires and then flies straight towards you.
272	* ''VideoGame/Nightshade2003'' has this as well as a [[LimitBreak special attack]] which enables the heroine to summon a gang of clones and send them at an enemy.
273	* The NES version of ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden 2'' also provides the player with a powerup with this effect, with up to two copies of the ninja trailing the player's movements and mimicking their attacks.
274	* In ''VideoGame/PanzerPaladin'', Lilith, the boss of the USA level, sometimes splits into four copies of herself. The real one [[spoiler:gives herself away right away, as she's the only one that throws daggers at you]].
275	* ''VideoGame/PaperMario'':
276	** The varieties of Magikoopa sometimes do this.
277	** The Crystal King does it late in the battle.
278	** Wizzerds are capable of this in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor''. You either have to use an item, attack, or special move that hits them all guaranteed, or just guess. The latter of the two gets separate attacks for each clone, which predictably makes them very dangerous.
279	** In ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'', Dimentio [[PlayingWithATrope plays with this]] in that the copies are [[MirrorMonster Mirror Monsters]].
280	* ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline'' had Sinow Beats which projected holograms and circled you. The trick to finding the fakes? The one with the red shoulder lights are real: all the holograms have yellow lights. They return in ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2'', though the tell for them is more subtle, instead having the fakes periodically crackle with electricity. They're also all equally capable of hurting you, which makes getting rid of the real deal quickly rather important.
281	* In ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' it's implied that Double Team does this just like in the anime; its effect is to raise evasion and all of its animations involve briefly and rapidly splitting in two, but duplicates aren't actually seen to be created and remain once the animation's finished.
282	* Subverted in ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia2008''. A villain breaks up the heroine into multiple clones, and you're told to find the real one. [[spoiler:None of them are.]]
283	* ''VideoGame/PunchOut'''s [[MysticalIndia Great Tiger]] has a number of attacks like this, especially his upgraded Tiger Punch in the Wii Title defense version. '''''[[{{Kiai}} SALZARAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!]]'''''
284	* The recurring boss Pesanta in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4Remake'''s version of the [[AnotherSideAnotherStory "Separate Ways" campaign]] summons multiple illusory copies of herself during encounters. Thankfully, the real Pesanta has a tell (her eyes glow a bright orange), [[DoppelgangerAttack but the "illusions" are still capable of harming Ada]] even as her attacks pass cleanly through them.
285	* ''VideoGame/{{Riot}}'' has a DualBoss being a pair of hooded wizards who transforms into somewhere between eight to twelve copies of themselves, two which are real and the rest being illusions. The copies don't have the ability to attack, but for most of the battle you'll need to spot the ''real'' bosses and shoot them as they prepare to blast you from afar.
286	* Nomad of ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' summons three copies of himself in his stable combat sequence. Hit the incorrect one, it disappears. Hit the correct one, all copies disappear. All four can attack, with the real one attacking at a slightly different time.
287	* A few moves in ''VideoGame/SagaFrontier'' - "Mirror Shade" allows you to create up to 5 illusory dummies, while the "Magician" Arcane spell combines this with Doppelganger attack - while you can only make one dummy per turn, if attacked it's an instant death for the attacker.
288	* Ninjas Hanzo and Galford from ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' have this ability. Earthquake has this as well.
289	* Each ninja character in the ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'' series displays this ability at one point when fought.
290	* ''VideoGame/SepterraCore'' has the final boss perform this, but you already have an attack that hits all three targets. Rather, this move signals he is about to use a super attack.
291	* The Platform/PlayStation2 ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi\|2002}}'' enables you to "stealth dash" to move quickly, leaving behind a stationary image of yourself which can confuse some enemies into attacking it. Dashing many times can leave many images.
292	* [[DualBoss Sho and Kane]] in ''VideoGame/SilentScope 2'' do this. Only the real Sho and Kane can damage you or be damaged.
293	%% * Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog has done it a lot, especially in the comics.
294	* ''Franchise/StarCraft'' and ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' both play this one. In ''[=StarCraft=]'', the High Templars can create several illusions out of any unit, while in ''Warcraft III'', the Blade Masters can create several illusions of themselves.
295	** It also found its way in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' eventually as a mage spell. It's different in that the Mirror Images attack on their own but are fairly easy to tell apart from the original since they have much less health (The blademaster illusions had the same amount as the original but took more damage). Some bosses also use variations of this.
296	** In both the original and update versions of Scholomance, the boss Jandice Barov periodically vanishes only to reappear alongside dozens of illusions of herself. The original was a DoppelgangerAttack as the fakes could attack the players, while the updated images launch fake attacks to distract players from finding the real one.
297	** The first boss in the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj periodically disappears before reappearing along two mirror images of himself.
298	* Automated Simulations' ''Star Warrior''. Your character's armor could have the Decoys option. When activated (up to 3 times per game) it would release an insubstantial image of your suit which would draw enemy fire for a couple of turns.
299	* Recurring PsychoForHire Yuber from the ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' Series has this ability, with the twist that they're ALL real. As shown in the ''VideoGame/SuikodenIII'' manga, this means the attack can be rather deadly.
300	* This is how the 'Double Image' ability is portrayed in the various ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' games. The mech spawns a number of illusory doubles, causing the enemy's attack to miss.
301	* Agent Tatsuo in the ''VideoGame/{{Syndicate}}'' remake does this, combining it with TeleportSpam to annoying effect.
302	* In ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTheArcadeGame'', Shredder will do this, splitting into a duplicate and the player being forced to find which one's the real one. While the NES port is restricted to one doppelganger at a time, the arcade original will have Shredder field as many copies as there are players. However, each copy has far lower health than the original, and Shredder can ''run out'' of copies. Also, when Shredder himself gets low enough in health, he will stop creating them.
303	* ''VideoGame/{{Terranigma}}'' has one of the creepiest applications of this trope where, before you fight [[ThatOneBoss Bloody Mary]] you have to play two 'games' with her evil dolls. While the second game is clearly 'Red Light, Green Light', the first game is based on a Japanese rhyming children's game where 4 dolls do a doppleganger spin and you have to guess the right one. This was particularly hard because the translated poem the dolls chant doesn't convey the main point of the Japanese original - [[spoiler:you have to attack the one that stops behind you]].
304	* ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'':
305	** The Lunatic Cultist will occasionally summon copies that, if struck, will cause an extra minion to be summoned. Certain visual cues allow you to pick out the real one.
306	** In Expert mode, Brain of Cthulhu will create three illusionary copies of itself in its second phase to confuse the player as it charges. They start out transparent to make them easy to tell apart, but as its health gets lower, the copies become solid and harder to distinguish from the real one.
307	* Flandre Scarlet, an Extra boss in ''VideoGame/TouhouKoumakyouTheEmbodimentOfScarletDevil'', is able to pull off this at you as of her "Taboo: Four of a Kind" spellcard, which summons three clones. It's purely for the sake of MoreDakka, though, as it's extremely easy to identify the real deal from the others (the one with a spell circle around her).
308	* ''VideoGame/{{Transistor}}'': Jaunt(), when upgraded with Help(), will spawn a Copy as a decoy when FlashStep-ing away.
309	* Tau characters in the ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''-derived tabletop game Inquisitor may use holograms to do this.
310	* Sun Wukong in ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi 2'' does it on some levels.
311	* [[TheSmartGuy Taion's]] Interlink form can do this in ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'', mostly in cutscenes but also forming the basis for some of his Arts.
312	* In ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'', Goro Majima as a boss has the ability to summon shadow clones to attack the player solely by doing a backflip, which stands out in a game that's otherwise mostly grounded in a sort-of heightened realism (though it's also likely meant to be a representation of his agility, as well as part of [[MrImagination the protagonist's imagination]]).
313	* The penultimate boss of ''VideoGame/YsIAncientYsVanishedOmen'', Yogleks & Omulgun, consists of a pair of red and blue demon heads surrounded by [[OrbitingParticleShield orbiting objects]]. Only the red head can be damaged, and the two switch places after Adol scores a hit.
314	[[/folder]]
315
316	[[folder:Web Animation]]
317	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'':
318	** When Yang tries to enter the Vault of the Spring Maiden, Emerald and Mercury attack her. Emerald makes Yang hallucinate dozens of copies of Mercury which allows him to launch surprise attacks. However, since Emerald can really only effect one person at a time, and needs to focus to use her Semblance, all it takes is a hit from Ruby to disperse the illusions.
319	** Blake's Semblance lets her create clones of herself that disappear when hit. It seems that she can only create one at a time, however.
320	** When Cinder attacks Penny in the episode "Amity", Emerald makes Penny hallucinate multiple copies of Cinder. Penny is able to find the real person by using an infrared camera, as the clones have no heat signature.
321	[[/folder]]
322
323	[[folder:Webcomics]]
324	* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'':
325	** Nanase Kitsune
326	*** [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=85 She creates two images of herself while in a demonstration martial arts match with her boyfriend Elliott]]. Each of the images she creates has different colored hair (green and blue). She uses them to distract him so she can make a sneak attack from the rear. Elliot complains that he hates "these trendy 'which one is real?' illusion attacks".
327	*** She uses a variation on this early on while fighting a giant blob of goo. In a subversion, ''none'' of the ones fighting the goo are the real Nanase; the real Nanase is rescuing Ellen while the goo is distracted by the duplicates.
328	** Magus, while "powerless", later [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2005-06-13 used this]] to run away from more or less godlike beings.
329	* Luna uses this trick against the Infernomancer in ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan''. When she then challenged him to find the real one, he laughed at her and attacked ''Dominic'' ("The real target is the one that will hurt you most!"), forcing her to drop the spell and rush to save him.
330	* The Prestidigitator did this with The Raccoon in ''Webcomic/TheIncredibleAndAweInspiringSerialAdventureOfTheAmazingPlasmaMan'', but it was revealed that all three versions of him were, in fact, illusions.
331	[[/folder]]
332
333	[[folder:Western Animation]]
334	* Mirror Master ''(again)'' can do this in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold.''
335	* Prowl's holographic duplicate in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'', generally used as a decoy so the real Prowl can make a sneak attack from behind.
336	** So does Sixshot in ''Anime/TransformersHeadmasters''.
337	** In the original series, Hound (whose power is [[MasterOfIllusion projecting holograms]]) did this once as a distraction. It worked pretty well, too.
338	* CanonForeigner Luminus from ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' liked to do this, but never had the good sense to get away while the getting was good. In the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode "[[Recap/JusticeLeagueS2E5And6OnlyADream Only a Dream]]", Luminus had improved his duplicates into HardLight [[DoppelgangerAttack combat-capable]] versions, as ComicBook/TheFlash discovered the hard way. Just two little problems: [[spoiler:holograms don't have skeletons, and taking down the real Luminus also disposed of the duplicates]].
339	* ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'': Ulrich's "Triangulate" technique combines SuperSpeed with his "Triplicate" power to confuse monsters. Note, though, that his two clones are physical (although OneHitPointWonder) and thus this overlaps with DoppelgangerAttack.
340	* ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'': Darcy of the Trix can do this with her illusion powers. During a fight in an episode of season three, she tried this trick on Nabu, only for him to dispose of the illusions with a DoppelgangerAttack.
341	* In the first ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'' cartoon, [[BigBad Shredder]] uses holograms to pull this off in his first fight against Splinter.
342	* ''WesternAnimation/FantasticVoyage'':
343	** In the episode "The Menace from Space", Guru causes TheMole to see multiple images of Jonathon Kidd so he can't ram Kidd with the Voyager.
344	** In "The Perfect Crime", Guru uses his mystic powers to create multiple images of the Voyager so the criminals they're fighting don't know what to shoot at.
345	* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'', where the opponent of a ''stick hockey match'' pulls this on Benson; three of the clones (who each have their own stick hockey table) vanish when Benson tries to engage them, and he eventually pulls two together into one to continue the match.
346	* ''WesternAnimation/MastersOfTheUniverseRevelation'': In "Reason and Blood", Skeletor uses this trick, only for He-Man to punch him and get the right one on the first try.
347	* WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty: Rick's laughing clones do cartwheels around the President until he fires all his ammunition.
348	[[/folder]]
349
350	[[folder:Real Life]]
351	* While cephalopod ink is best known for clouding predators' vision, some creatures can mix ink with mucus to release blobs shaped and colored similarly to the real cephalopod in question. Predators have been documented mistakenly attacking these "pseudomorphs".
352	[[/folder]]

Context Main / DoppelgangerSpin