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5[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/ZeroPercentDiscount https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_mya7q0zm671rgonebo2_500.png]]]]
6[[caption-width-right:350:Satan, you MagnificentBastard!]]
7->'''Mr. Ping:''' The secret ingredient is... nothing! You heard me. Nothing! There is no secret ingredient.\
8'''Po:''' Wait, wait... it's just plain old noodle soup? You don't add some kind of special sauce or something?\
9'''Mr. Ping:''' Don't have to. To make something special, you just have to believe it's special.
10-->-- ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1''
11
12Alice is given a supposed magic item that will give her special/exceptional abilities. She does amazingly well, but then she loses the item. She goes back to her {{mentors}}, only to learn that it was just a useless placebo, and "[[ItWasWithYouAllAlong the magic was inside you all along!]]" Sometimes the audience knows, or at least suspects, that Alice's abilities were her own, but other times TheReveal is just as much a surprise to them as to her.
13
14In comic books, a retooled SuperHeroOrigin sometimes shifts a character's gimmicky power from artifact-dependent to innate, with the revelation that the famous prop or incantation [[PowerCrutch was simply a focus]].
15
16Supertrope to PlacebotinumEffect, and of course this ''is'' the PlaceboEffect. It's also a neat way to subvert the AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome. Somewhat of a DeadHorseTrope in newer works (a common subversion is that the character throws away her 'feather,' only to discover that she needed it after all).
17
18The key to this trope is in The Reveal, so examples where the feather is never shown to be bogus do not count. If the character (or the audience) believes the feather does nothing, but this is never put to the test, see MaybeMagicMaybeMundane.
19
20Sister trope of AllThatGlitters, MotivationalLie, ThePresentsWereNeverFromSanta, and sometimes WaxOnWaxOff. Compare ItsTheJourneyThatCounts. Not to be confused with [[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld Mario's flying cape item]].
21
22'''Warning: As a Reveal Trope, spoilers will be unmarked. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.'''
23
24----
25!!Examples:
26[[foldercontrol]]
27
28[[folder:Advertising]]
29* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=govyq9f2djo this]] ''VideoGame/{{SSX}} 2012'' commercial, a jaded snowboarder is given a sacred amulet that takes him on a crazy adventure. Afterwards:
30-->'''Shaman:''' Bro, what are you talking about, man? I was just messing with you. I got this for like 35 cents at a garage sale. The real adventure -- was in your heart all along.
31* Back in the '90s, Creator/{{PBS}} ran fake ads for a product named Solvo, one version of which apparently gave you self-confidence (basketball player isn't sure he can make a game-winning basket); the other version helped you do research (student needs to know how many moons Jupiter has). The person uses Solvo as instructed and solves their problem, then asks:
32-->'''Person:''' But what does Solvo do?\
33'''Narrator:''' Absolutely nothing. Solvo: the product you ''don't'' need to succeed.
34* A '90s UsefulNotes/McDonalds campaign featured a boy given a magic soccer ball by Ronald [=McDonald=]. After learning to play well, he is surprised when the ball vanishes at the actual game. Ronald tells him "you can make your own magic."
35[[/folder]]
36
37[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
38* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'':
39** In a first-season episode, Nabiki gives aspirin to Ryōga in the middle of his first on-screen challenge fight with Ranma, and tells him that they're basically instant steroids. Ryōga, who is not the sharpest spoon in the drawer, believes her and upon taking them gets a psychosomatic boost to his already monstrous strength, allowing him to pull telephone poles from the ground simply because he thinks he is on steroids (which don't even work that way).
40** In a much later episode, Happōsai, ticked off at Ranma interfering with his [[PantyThief undie raids]], takes Kunō and offers him "Speed of Light elixir", which he claims will make him super fast. It turns him into a LethalJokeCharacter, even upgrading his RazorWind attacks, but it's implicitly at least as much due to the TrainingFromHell Happōsai put him through (running into ''occupied'' women's bathing areas, locker rooms, and other places where they were nude, while trying to evade their attacks and survive being beaten to a pulp). Said "elixir" is revealed to actually be tap water and [[{{Squick}} the scrapings from under Happosai's fingernails]].
41* Subverted in the ''Manga/VampirePrincessMiyu'' episode "The Red Shoes". The titular shoes are given to Miyu's classmate Miho (a ShrinkingViolet and aspiring IdolSinger) by her manager, and stated to magically make her an unparalleled singer. And they actually ''do just that''. [[spoiler:But they do so by sucking her LifeEnergy, and worse yet, once Miyu has defeated the Shinma who gave them to poor Miho, they can never be removed again. Miyu has to bite her friend and exchange blood with her in order to save her life. When last seen, Miho is physically better, but she's confined in an hospital.]][[note]]This episode is in reference to a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, ''[[http://hca.gilead.org.il/red_shoe.html The Red Shoes]]'', which is a semi-common reference in Japanese culture. The titular shoes are cursed and force the wearer to continue dancing forever, and cannot be removed -- the dancer only stops dancing once she has a friendly knight chop off her feet -- and the shoes, with the rotting feet, go dancing off into the wilderness on their own.[[/note]]
42* At the end of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' when the Crests are destroyed by the final BigBad, the kids need to figure out that the traits which powered their Digimon were part of them all along and they didn't need the Crests in the first place.
43* Pretty much the most awesome example ever: in ''Manga/OnePiece'', for the Luffy vs. Foxy duel, Usopp hands Luffy a ''giant afro'' to give him strength... and then the entire crowd goes wild when he appears sporting it. And when he starts to show his HeroicResolve, it is apparently because "THE AFRO POWER MADE HIM GO BERSERK!". In short, the Magic Feather that ''everybody'' (except [[OnlySaneMan Nami]], but ''including [[TheStoic Robin]]'') believe. Even more confusing is that he effectively wins ''because'' of the afro! [[spoiler:Not because it is special, but just because it happens to catch a shard of a mirror that Luffy pulls out later.]]
44* In ''Manga/GAGeijutsukaArtDesignClass'', innocent protagonist Kisaragi was conned into buying what she believed was "God's pencil" from an old lady at a stationary store. Using the pencil on her exams did help her get into the school, but that may have been more due to her practising like hell (enough to completely use up ''20'' of them) the day before. Either way she was still conned into buying old excess stock. Even after this fact is revealed, she still buys them, at least for sentimental value (since the granny died).
45* The stuffed penguin used by Nodoka in ''Manga/{{Saki}}'' is obviously nothing but a psychological crutch to help her focus on her TabletopGame/{{Mahjong}} playing.
46* It's revealed towards the end of ''Manga/FruitsBasket'' that the head maid of the Sohma household tried to do this for [[spoiler:Akito]] when [[spoiler:her father died]]. She [[spoiler:gave Akito a box]] and said that [[spoiler:[[BlatantLies it held her father's soul]]]]. She only did it to console her (since [[spoiler:Akito was extremely close to her father]]), figuring that [[spoiler:Akito]] would eventually "grow up" and realize that the whole idea was silly. Instead, [[spoiler:Akito]] clings to it for a decade, even if it's only because she ''hopes'' it's true; considering that she grew up surrounded by people who are possessed by Zodiac spirits, it wouldn't be that big of a stretch for her to believe in something like that, anyway. It turns into a regular {{Macguffin}} before the maid finally comes out and tells the truth. [[VillainousBreakdown She doesn't take it]] [[AxCrazy too well]].
47* The lucky crystal necklace Chieri uses in ''Manga/TheCherryProject'' turns out to be this.
48* Luke in ''Anime/MonColleKnights'' once went to find an axe of bravery that would remedy his shyness around his crush. He found it and got his courage during a desperate moment, then lost it the moment the crisis was over and he learned the axe was fake, and he returned to bumbling. In the end, he instead gets over his shyness by confessing, which required a crisis as big as the world ending.
49* ''Manga/InuYasha'': [[spoiler: Meidou Zangetsuha]]. Able to [[MasterSwordsman master]] any sword with a single swing or even without touching the blade, Sesshoumaru is finally stumped by [[spoiler: [[HealingShiv Tenseiga]]'s [[CruelAndUnusualDeath Meidou Zangetsuha]] which requires a [[ThePowerOfLove compassionate heart]] to [[PowerAtAPrice master]] instead of skill.]] Upon mastering it, he learns he's actually [[spoiler:not allowed to keep it which sets up the revelation that he's [[ItWasWithYouAllAlong possessed a sword of his very own all along,]] sleeping within his very soul waiting for the day when he was strong enough and compassionate enough to [[TakeALevelInBadass manifest]] it,]] a revelation that helps [[FridgeBrilliance explain]] why he had such skill with a blade to begin with.
50* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' anime:
51** Episode "The Fortune Hunters": When a fortune telling book says James is like Moltres, James' confidence skyrockets and he becomes a total badass. When he is informed that fortune telling is just a scam, he turns into a loser again.
52** Episode "True Blue Swablu": Max tricks an injured Swablu into thinking that the "magic powder" sprinkled on the Pokémon would help it to fly, except that the powder was actually just ''flour''. Later turns into hilarity when Ash and Pikachu start believing in the stuff!
53** Episode "Oh Do You Know the Poffin Plan!" Forsythia's shy Roserade can only fight when dressed as a superhero (with its face covered by a scarf). Meowth removes its scarf and it's captured by Team Rocket. Forsythia gives it a rousing speech, it realizes it doesn't need the scarf to be a hero and beats up Team Rocket.
54* In the ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' OVA, Sakura Shingouji attempts to figure out the secret of her father's super special technique and refuses to join the special team she's been recruited to until she learns it. She goes through every possible way to read the scroll it's said to be on before realizing that there ''is'' no secret - everyone knows it and it is brought out in their own way.
55* In ''Manga/SoulEater'', a medicine that supposedly suppresses madness is given to all the good guys. Lord Death privately admits that there is no such medicine; it was to make everyone brave enough to confront the Kishin, who infects others with madness.
56* In ''Animation/GuardianFairyMichel'', the people of a certain village believe that a floating golden feather in a glass orb helps the people of their village become great runners, and when the feather falls, the people begin to run out of energy and lose their ability to run. While the feather falling and the people failing to run are connected, it's a third, external force causing it: The manipulation of gravity. The feather is implicitly magic, but it was gravity's fault.
57* In ''Anime/GundamBuildFightersTry'', EvilFormerFriend Junya is convinced that there is a secret behind the Jigen Haoh martial arts style and, somehow, Sekai had learned it when their master refused to teach him it. During their match, Junya tries ''beating it'' out of Sekai and, despite that, Sekai ends up besting Junya, realizing that there was more to this than what he knew. After the match, Sekai's sister, Mirai, tells Junya there ''is'' no secret, just inner mysteries towards yourself.
58* In ''Anime/ConcreteRevolutioChoujinGensou'', Kikko gives the RobotGirl Earth-chan magic candy that she says allows machines to dream. When Earth-chan asks Kikko to lift the spell, Kikko reveals that she was lying about the candy being magical.
59* Played with in ''Mahou Gyoushonin Roma''; a boy buys a ticket from Roma that, if given to a girl, will make her fall in love with him. After passing it to her, Roma reveals he didn't need it because she was in love with him anyway. But how did Roma - who is just a trader - know that? Because that same girl also bought a ticket and gave it to him in the past, and ''that's why he was in love with her''! Also, the tickets absolutely do work, so the two are now unnecessarily magically bound to each other for life.
60* ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' comes with [[DeconstructorFleet enough Magic Feathers to stuff a sofa]]. Most of the central characters hold unhealthy obsessions with (re)capturing a cherished person, ideal and/or time in their pasts. Yet while this monomania pushes them to achieve [[TheAce great success]] [[TheBeautifulElite and popularity]], they are nevertheless grasping for something that ''[[LovingAShadow never existed]]'', a fact that leads them [[FatalFlaw wide open]] to [[DysfunctionJunction disaster]].
61* In ''Manga/MonthlyGirlsNozakiKun'', Wakamatsu tries acting to become more confident. Kashima gives him an eyepatch to help him get into character as a villain and overcome his stage fright. He immediately becomes more confident, acting cool and aloof, and tries wearing the eyepatch around school. Of course, limited depth perception is a problem in basketball, causing him to trip.
62* ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'': Commander Amarao claims that his fake BigOlEyebrows are actually [[RestrainingBolt special devices that block N.O. usage]], but between their continual failure to do anything at anytime and the way he never shuts up about how manly they supposedly make him look, it's painfully obvious that they're just something he wears to feel confident and ease [[FakeUltimateHero his massive insecurities/anxieties]].
63* In the first chapter of ''Manga/DrStone'', Taiju is planning to confess his feelings to friend Yuzuriha after five years of knowing her. Senku offers his a love potion to help win her over, [[AvertedTrope Taiju declines and states he will tell her without any tricks]]. After he leaves, Senku tells his classmates that the "love potion" was actually gasoline. He states he only presented it that way knowing that Taiju wouldn't want to use it.
64* In ''Manga/TheSummerYouWereThere'', Shizuku wears the dress Kaori gave her when she, accompanied by Kaori, goes to apologize to Ruri for bullying her in elementary school. She outwardly says that she feels that her ordinary clothes would be too casual for the situation, but inwardly feels as though the clothes make her stronger.
65* In ''Anime/ScottPilgrimTakesOff'', Matthew Patel seemingly defeats Scott Pilgrim in his debut fight as opposed to getting his own behind kicked to death. Once he realizes that this effectively achieves nothing, though, he decides to fight Gideon Graves to take over the League of Evil Exes and, despite being considered the weakest Evil Ex, his magical capabilities outmatch Gideon's swordsmanship enough to win the fight, boosted by the confidence he got from "killing" Scott. Later on, though, Ramona reveals that Scott wasn't killed but [[ItMakesSenseInContext kidnapped via vegan portal]], which brings him down a bit. Despite this, he's still confident enough to [[spoiler:have immensely improved his singing ability for his Broadway show and strengthened his magic skills, although they aren't enough to take on [[BigBad Even Older]] [[TheJuggernaut Scott]].]]
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:Comic Books]]
69* In ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}} in Britain'', after losing their supplies of magic potion, Asterix finds some herbs that Getafix had given him earlier, and declares that he can make magic potion from them. He boils them up and gives a cup to each of the British fighters, and of course they defeat the Romans. The chief of the Britons reveals that he had guessed that it wasn't proper magic potion, but declares that he will make it their national drink anyway. It later emerges that [[BritsLoveTea the herbs were tea-leaves]].
70* A ''ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse'' story called "Topolino e la spada invincibile" ("Mickey and the Invincible Sword") stars WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse as the son of a famous swordsmith, who is tasked with forging the perfect sword for the king's nephew, Prince Pete. Pete imprisons the swordsmith in a tower in his castle, but unbeknownst to him Mickey has smuggled himself into the tower. Once the sword is finished, Pete reveals that he never intended to release the swordsmith, and Mickey, furious, swears to defeat Pete and rescue his father. His father claims that this would require an even more formidable sword, which would take at least two years to create and must then be dipped in a magic spring. Mickey spends two years practicing his skills, then escapes the tower with the newly forged sword. Taking up apprenticeship with the aging swordsman [[TricksterMentor Ben Longo]] (Goofy), he passes several difficult tests and finally finds the magic spring. Returning to the city, he easily defeats Pete and is knighted. Upon protesting that it was all thanks to the invincible sword, his father and Ben reveal that the sword and spring are wholly mundane--Mickey just needed the time to grow, both physically and mentally.
71* The Molecule Man in Creator/MarvelComics fits the super-power version; he was originally said to be able to control molecules with a wand, but was later said to have the power innately. Which fits his character, as Molecule Man's one weakness is he is a high school dropout with the power to rearrange atoms on the sub-atomic level. He has absolutely no clue as to how his powers work, because he doesn't know any of the science behind it. He also has major self-confidence issues and a variety of neuroses. He used to see a therapist. And this is [[RealityWarper one of the most powerful humans in the universe]], folks...
72* The Marvel UK character ComicBook/CaptainBritain used a costume and staff which he believed was the source of his powers, but merely focused his innate powers (his daddy was from AnotherDimension, so powers kinda [[SuperPowerfulGenetics run in the family]]). Later, he was able to do without.
73* We've [[{{Retcon}} recently learned]] in ''ComicBook/TheFlash'' that the Weather Wizard's powers are also innate, a fact which he himself didn't know (he thought his Weather Wand had the power -- and so did the last five decades worth of writers, apparently). Though, in Weather Wizard's case, it is at least implied that his power wasn't ''originally'' innate. Rather, repeated use of his Weather Wand caused him to internalize its power years ago. He never realized this because he actually ''did'' need the thing originally and therefore never tried to use the powers without it until more or less forced to.
74* Large swathes of the Creator/DCComics universe were {{retcon}}ned with the [[MetaOrigin metagene]]. Basically, random chemical spills or a radiation zap or looking into the core of an alien warp engine ''doesn't'' give you superpowers. The metagene, present in most humans, instead does an Instant Evolution bit to save you from the dangers. In short, most people do get crispyfried when zapped with the experimental magic ray.
75* In an '80s ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' story, DD's mentor Stick reveals that the radiation that gave Matt Murdock his superhumanly acute senses (and also blinded him) had a temporary effect -- but that temporary boost taught Murdock to use his normal human senses to their full potential. (Alas, the blindness wasn't temporary. Sorry!)
76* Minor Franchise/MarvelUniverse hero Blue Shield originally needed a micro-circuitry belt to power his super-strength, stamina, and force field projection powers. Eventually the belt altered his genetic structure so he no longer required it.
77* ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'': In ''The Olympic Smurfs'', Papa Smurf gives to the puny Weakly Smurf a reddish doping jelly to put on his nose, in order to help him compete in the Olympic Games. When he eventually wins, he is about to confess his cheating, but it turns out that the substance was only raspberry jelly, and that Weakly smurf owes his victory only to his newly-acquired self-confidence.
78* DependingOnTheWriter Johnny and Jesse Quick. They recite a formula that describes a 4 dimensional construct while trying to picture said construct in order to trigger their super speed. Turns out it's just a crutch to access the Speed Force.
79* In ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'', Archie once requested for Jughead to use the latter's old stopwatch to record his time, to rehearse for the track-and-field tryouts later. During Archie's practice, Jughead tells Archie that he actually broke the world record for his sprint. Archie gets a huge confidence boost that he actually wins the tryout race. However, a skeptical Coach Kleats (he lost his own stopwatch, and Jughead volunteered to time the events in his stead; Kleats wonders why all the runners in the tryouts have excellent times) asked to have a closer inspection of Jughead's watch, and figures out that Jughead's watch is actually running slow. So Archie, never mind that he made the team, realizes he's been fooled, and decides to take out all his anger on Jughead.
80* Havan the Fire Maker of ''ComicBook/RedSonja'' lost his magic and sought out other magic users to find what he was missing. Sonja fixes him by claiming to be a witch princess and commanding him to restore his own power.
81* ComicBook/BlackLightning is another superhero who started out using a gadget, only to eventually realise it had unlocked his own powers.
82* The [[ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse Donald Duck]] comic [[https://inducks.org/story.php?c=I+TL+3347-1 "Bum Bum e il cappello fortunato"]] deconstructs the trope. In order to boost the self esteem of their common friend Bum Bum Ghigno, Donald Duck and Gyro Gearloose give him a top hat patterned like a ladybug with a (presumably fake) four-leaf clover on it, telling him it's an ancient wizard's magical hat that gives instant good luck to anyone who wears it. To their surprise, the lucky hat ''is actually working'' and makes Bum Bum as lucky as Gladstone Gander in the span of a few days. Donald immediately goes crazy and tries to get the hat back. At the end, the hat is lost and they tell Bum Bum the classic "the luck was all inside you all along" stuff... except we then see a street artist picking up the lost hat and immediately getting the luck.
83* The Danny Ketch version of ComicBook/GhostRider initially believed he transformed into the titular character by touching his [[CoolBike mystical motorcycle]]. In ''Hearts of Darkness'' (a {{Crossover}} featauring Ghost Rider, ComicBook/{{Punisher}} and ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}), the villain Blackheart stole Danny's bike. Believing himself unable to transform, he decided to steal an ordinary bike to reach the villain's location, only to discover that he could transform on his own, also changing the ordinary bike into a mystical one.
84* ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'': After joining the Lost Light, Megatron is put on fool's energon, energon tainted with substances to weaken Megatron, in order to keep him in line. Eventually however, Megatron grows to appreciate the stuff, having come to the conclusion that he's a better bot under its influence (given that he outright renounces violence after a few months on it, he's certainly justified in thinking that). Then in a pivotal moment in issue 54, [[spoiler: Ratchet reveals that fool's energon is nothing more than unfiltered, garden variety energon; Megatron's internals were such a disaster after what Shockwave did to him, Ratchet and Optimus couldn't give him anything else, so they came up with fool's energon as a sort of SecretTestOfCharacter. The revelation that everything he did up to that point was of his own volition as opposed to any sort of brainwashing, compounded with the sight of Tarn [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe tearing Ravage in half]] is enough to convince Megatron to take up his fusion cannon one last time.]]
85[[/folder]]
86
87[[folder:Fan Works]]
88* A dark variant in ''Fanfic/NoAntidote'', Bulbasaur doesn't realize until it's too late that his trainer has been [[spoiler: brain-dead]] and their successes were due to him and the other Pokemon alone. [[DespairEventHorizon Bulbasaur doesn't take it well.]]
89* In ''Fanfic/TheBridge'', when Blade Dancer is evacuating citizens during the Gyaos attack on Canterlot, she encounters a young colt who is too scared to move. She has to let him wear her helmet to make him brave enough.
90* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10286919/1/Recoil Recoil]]'', Taylor requires a cassette tape with soothing music for her to go into the self-hypnotic trance that she needs to contact her dead best friend, Lisa. Until it's destroyed in a fight, and she finds that she doesn't need it after all. Subverted in that she had needed the tape at first, but after months of using it, didn't actually require it to put herself into a trance any more.
91* In ''Fanfic/ThisBites'', when Luffy, [[SuperDrowningSkills a Devil Fruit user]], [[ItMakesSenseInContext has to win a surfing competition against an octopus]], Boss gives him what he describes as Dugong Surfing Elixir that would enable Luffy to surf with the best of them. In actual fact, it was Boss's fermented seaweed juice. ''[[ItRunsOnNonsensoleum It still works.]]''
92* In ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'' sequel ''Webcomic/AkiChansLife'', it's the titular character's first day of kindergarten, and she's upset about being forced to wear an uniform. So Touji gives Aki his old school hat, which's "empowered by the spirit of freedom", and whose "magic" will make her feel comfortable no matter what. It helps Aki get through her first day until she realizes she doesn't really need it.
93* Izuku's baseball bat is the focus of his SuperStrength in ''Fanfic/ProHeroMetalBat''. Without it, he performs at a normal human level in a Quirk assessment test by UA. Wielding it, he can hit a baseball 2.5 kilometers. His first bat was literally fished out of the garbage of Daigaboh beach and the one he uses in the test is a replacement. By the USJ, he realizes his own strength, as shown when he headbutts a villain into submission.
94* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': Played for laughs; Walburt originally protested leaving his bear totem at home because he claimed it was the only way he could cast his few spells. Then, after hours of tough fights where they would have been useful, he spontaneously casts ''speak with animals'' and excitedly realizes the magic was inside him all along. Haara is not amused.
95[[/folder]]
96
97[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
98* The TropeNamer is ''WesternAnimation/{{Dumbo}}'', and, of course, its magic crow feather which is claimed that it can make Dumbo fly. Naturally, during the climax, Dumbo discovers that he is able to fly even without the feather.
99* ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeTheMeltdown'': Diego, the saber-toothed tiger, has a fear of water, but he needs to swim to save his friend. Said friend told him earlier that "Most animals can swim as babies," and he uses this to go after him. Once saved, the friend tells him baby tigers can't swim; he left that part out.
100* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1'':
101** The Dragon Scroll is stated to grant infinite strength and wisdom to the reader, but turns out to be blank and covered with a golden-colored, reflective material to show the reader that they already have all that's needed to become the Dragon Warrior.
102** Po's father has a special soup with a secret ingredient. He later reveals to Po, there is no secret ingredient. People think there is, so it tastes extra special to them. This is what allows Po to understand what the Dragon Scroll means.
103** In addition to his other flaws, Tai Lung could not become the Dragon Warrior because of his InferioritySuperiorityComplex. He needed outside validation. As a result, Tai Lung could not grasp the Scroll's message even after Po told him what it meant.
104* The [[CowardlyLion Lion's]] medal in ''WesternAnimation/LionOfOz'' is one of these. Without it, he doesn't feel he can be brave.
105* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'', Princess Mindy turns [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick into "men" with seaweed mustaches with her "mermaid magic", or so she claims, which are then ripped off later by the villain. In typical manner, they still manage to make it through.
106* The Challenge Coin in ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOnTheRun'', which was said to give [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick courage. When they lose it, they realize they were couragous the whole time.
107* The WesternAnimation/BugsBunny and Michael Jordan movie ''Film/SpaceJam'', where Bugs offers his team-mates a bottle filled with "Michael's Secret Stuff" (really just tap water) to help them win the big game. Even after learning it was fake, the toons still ask for more. Of course, considering that ItRunsOnNonsensoleum, the confidence boost was probably all they needed.
108* Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'', where Elsa is given a pair of gloves to help her control her ice powers. It's made clear that the gloves don't do anything, they provide a placebo effect and help her calm down. She's shown producing ice from her feet, changing her outfit with magic and she breaks an enormous pair of shackles.
109[[/folder]]
110
111[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
112* ''Film/AngelsInTheOutfield'': Both versions of the film have a Downplayed version of the trope as for most of their stories there really ''was'' divine intervention earlier in the season -- it just wasn't there in the final games of the season.
113** The original film had the angels who were providing supernatural help in baseball games throughout the season quit because Duffy's angry outburst violates the terms of the agreement. They reveal that they had gradually been helping less as the team's morale improved, so they should be okay on their own in the playoffs.
114** The 1994 remake has a couple of instances of the angels (the heavenly beings) not helping the Angels (the professional baseball team):
115*** During the quick-cut montage of games showcasing the Angels' miraculous comeback from last place in the league all the way up to the top of the standings after the All-Star break, there is one instance of a game against the Yankees where George Knox (the Angels' bench manager), after seeing another outstanding defensive play, excitedly waves his arms to indicate the "angels are here" sign, only to turn and see Roger (the only one who can actually see said angels) just shake his head to say "no, there weren't angels there". Knox gives an understandably shocked, "No?!" of disbelief.
116*** The last game of the season against the White Sox which would decide the American League pennant because of a celestial rule -- only Roger and Knox know this, though. The Angels' starting pitcher Mel Clark has been pitching the whole game and, with the Angels up 3-2 but the White Sox having the bases loaded and their massive slugger at the plate with a full count, is clearly exhausted after throwing around 160 pitches[[note]]this is already an incredibly high pitch count by early-1990's standards; with the modern-day sabermetrics emphasis on not overworking pitchers' arms throughout his career a pitcher reaching even half of that in a game almost never happens now[[/note]]. Knox comes out to talk to Clark and has Roger give the arm-flapping gesture he used throughout the season to signal Knox of an angel's presence. Soon, his friend JP, the rest of the Angels' team, and the whole home crowd start doing the same, convincing Clark to give it one more go. [[spoiler:He does and gets the White Sox batter to line out to him on a diving catch for the final out, and the Angels win the pennant. It isn't until the team is in the middle of celebrating on the field that Knox tells Clark the truth -- there was no angel that time, Knox having told Roger before coming onto the field to [[MotivationalLie give a false "angel" signal]].]]
117* During the climactic battle between Dark Helmet and Lone Starr in ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'', Helmet manages to steal Lone Starr's magic [[ParodyNames Schwartz]] ring and throw it down a vent. Fortunately, Starr's mentor Yogurt reveals in a telepathic message, "The ring was bupkis! I found it in a Crackerjack box! The Schwartz is in you, Lone Starr, [[ItWasWithYouAllAlong it's in you!]]"
118* In the over-the-top {{blaxploitation}}''/''{{martial arts|Movie}} parody film ''Film/TheLastDragon'', the "magic amulet" that Bruce Leroy's TricksterMentor gave him when he began his "great quest" turns out to be a belt buckle. It's more than that, when Leroy discovers that [[spoiler: the master Sum Dum Goy doesn't even ''exist,'' and that The Master he's been searching for is Leroy himself.]]
119* Jack Putter (played by Martin Short) in the film ''Film/{{Innerspace}}'' believes that Tuck Pendleton (who has been [[FantasticVoyagePlot shrunk and is inside Putter's body]] -- long story) can increase the power of his muscles during a confrontation with an evil henchman. He can't, but that doesn't stop Jack kicking his ass.
120* Slight variation in the film ''Film/{{Hitch}}'', where the title character eventually comes to realize that he himself is a Magic Feather -- he gave clients advice on how to woo their dream girls, and his success rate is very high, but ultimately his advice didn't matter and the ladies all fell for the guys because of things they did naturally, in some cases completely contrary to Hitch's advice. All Hitch really gave them was the confidence to make the first move by believing that with Hitch's help, they actually had a chance.
121* ''Film/PootieTang'': [[spoiler: Pootie's magical belt is eventually revealed to be a completely non-magical item purchased from a Piggly Wiggly for 95 cents.]]
122* When Austin's mojo is stolen in ''Film/AustinPowers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'', he is rendered impotent. Aside from his erectile dysfunction, he also believes he cannot defeat Dr. Evil without it. However, in the end, he saves the world, defeats Dr. Evil, and wins Felicity's love without his mojo. In the end credits, Austin is confirmed to have his mojo back when he sees his past self shagging Felicity.
123* In the Creator/HaroldLloyd film ''Film/GrandmasBoy1922'', his grandmother gives him an artifact of great power (complete with a flashback of his grandfather using it to become a OneManArmy during the Civil War). Using the artifact, he single handedly captures the big scary guy who had been terrorizing the town. Then his grandmother reveals that it was actually the handle off her umbrella.
124* Played with at the end of ''Film/TenaciousDInThePickOfDestiny'', when the club owner gives his "the Devil is in all of us" speech, convincing Kage and JB not to worry about [[spoiler: the pick breaking. Of course, immediately after we discover the club owner is actually Satan, and just wanted the pick to complete himself.]]
125* Used on a large scale in ''Film/KingdomOfHeaven'', where, in response to the Patriarch of Jerusalem asking him how he plans on defending the city with no knights, Balian of Ibilin immediately knights every peasant and commoner within the sound of his voice.
126-->'''Patriarch of Jerusalem:''' ''[almost crying]'' Who do you think you are? Will you alter the world? Does making a man a knight make him a better fighter?\
127'''Balian of Ibelin:''' ''[looks around him and notes the new determination and pride in faces of the brand new knights]'' Yes.
128* In ''Film/TheLuckOfTheIrish'', the protagonist's grandfather ([[spoiler:a leprechaun]]) is watching the protagonist and his TokenBlackFriend play basketball against an evil leprechaun. A large part of the plot involves the protagonist losing his lucky coin (stolen by the BigBad), with his family suffering bad luck since then. At the game, the grandfather sees that their team is losing and throws his grandson's friend a coin, claiming it's lucky. The guy's game immediately improves. The protagonist confronts his grandfather, as he knows the coin is fake. The grandfather invokes this trope, causing the protagonist to realize that he can make his own luck without relying on some coin. Subverted in that the stolen coin is really magical (part of its powers include maintaining TheMasquerade), as, before, Ryan's life was a chain of good luck, and he never had to work for anything (e.g. his basketball plays are full of Hail Marys, and his good grades are a result of him guessing on tests).
129* Inverted in ''Film/InspectorGadget1999'', in which Gadget requires a computer chip in order for his cyborg body to function. However, after the chip is taken out and smashed by Claw, it turns out that he can still operate without it.
130* Jax's enhanced arms prove to be this in ''Film/MortalKombatAnnihilation'', and Sonya even tells him straight out that he has a confidence problem. Only by regaining his confidence and ditching the arms is he able to defeat Motaro and help Sonya against the others in the final battle.
131* Played dangerously straight in ''Film/{{Crash}}'' when a character gives his daughter (who is afraid of bullets after a stray one found its way through her bedroom window) an "impenetrable cloak given to him by a fairy". She believes it so much that she runs into his arms to shield him from a man who has him at gunpoint. But [[spoiler: in an ironic and heart-touching parallel placebo-effect situation, the shooter's daughter has loaded the gun with blanks (she was afraid he'd accidentally shoot himself).]]
132* A similarly depressing version can be found in ''Film/BloodDiamond'', as Dia's identity as a {{Child Soldier|s}}, "See-Me-No-More", is tied up in a cap given to him by Captain Poison after getting promoted. [[spoiler: The cap getting knocked off in the climax causes him to revert for a short time, until he sees someone killed in front of him.]]
133* In ''[[Film/TetsuoTheIronMan Tetsuo II: Body Hammer]]'', the protagonist's transformation into a metal monster is shown to have been caused by an injection with a serum. It's later revealed that an object in his pocket prevented the serum from being injected into him. His transformation was caused by his own anger.
134* Spider-Man uses this trick to save a kid in ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan''. He needs the kid to climb up out of a burning car so he can get him to safety, but the kid is too scared. So Spidey unmasks and gives it to the kid, claiming it will "make him strong". It works.
135* In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest'', Tia Dalma gives Jack an artifact after learning that the Kraken is after him. It is heavily implied that this jar of dirt does absolutely nothing, and is just a placebo for Jack to feel safer. Fridge Brilliance kicks in that the jar of dirt would also be a measure to keep Davy Jones away, since he couldn't set foot on dry land for at least another decade.
136-->'''Jack:''' Is the jar of dirt going to... help?\
137'''Tia Dalma:''' If you don't want it, give it back.\
138'''Jack:''' No! ''[clutches the jar tighter]''\
139'''Tia Dalma:''' Then it helps.
140* In ''Film/DaysOfThunder'', Cole is angry after a fouled pit stop places him in poor track position. Harry tells him that during that stop they put perfectly matched and balanced tires on his race car and that it will help him overtake the leader. Cole wins the race. Then during the post-race interview Harry admits that there wasn't anything different about the tires, but he had to tell Cole something to get him to calm down and focus on driving.
141* In ''Film/BullDurham'', there's Annie encouraging Nuke to wear garters to help him play better. Discussed by Crash later in the movie:
142--> '''Crash:''' If you think you're winning because you're getting laid, or because you're not getting laid, or because you're wearing women's underwear, ''then you are!''
143* In ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', the chest blaster device helps Havok control his energy blasts, but eventually it gets damaged. He eventually gains enough control over it to aim his uncontrolled blasts effectively, clipping Angel's wings with them.
144* Happens in the film ''Uchenik Lekarya'' (''The Doctor's Apprentice'') and the Bulgarian fairytale it was based on. The hero pretends to be deaf and mute in order to get hired as a servant by a doctor who refuses to take on pupils (he wants to become a doctor to heal the mother of the girl he loves). He is forced to speak when his master is about to make a medical mistake that could kill the King's bride [[spoiler:(who happens to be the hero's beloved)]]. The furious doctor demands that the King execute his servant. The hero offers a duel instead: the doctor may give him any poison he wants. If he survives, he can give the doctor a poison of his own. Having somehow survived, the hero comes to the palace the next day and pours a cup of something for the doctor, who drinks it and promptly dies. [[spoiler:The cup contained pure water, since the young man didn't want his teacher to die. The doctor died because he thought it was a poison he couldn't identify and because he couldn't bear the thought of someone besting him. The poison (his own hatred and jealousy) was inside him all along.]]
145* In ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', Thor's trusty hammer Mjölnir is destroyed. Eventually, he learns from [[spoiler:Odin's spirit]] that while the hammer is indeed a mighty weapon, it was not the source of his lightning powers. It came from within him, and the hammer was actually a PowerLimiter to help him focus his powers.
146** A [[https://io9.gizmodo.com/this-thor-ragnarok-deleted-scene-is-a-master-class-in-1822871962 deleted scene]] invokes this directly with Bruce Banner explaining Dumbo and the Magic Feather to Thor in a dinner scene after they escape on the Grandmaster's ship.
147* In ''Film/WonderWoman2017'', [[spoiler:Ares destroys Diana's God-killer sword with his hand, revealing that the actual God-killer is Diana herself.]]
148[[/folder]]
149
150[[folder:Literature]]
151* ''Literature/TheBelgariad'': In her prequel novel, Polgara the Sorceress teaches her seneschal {{Telepathy}} by telling him that she enchanted a particular closet to transmit his thoughts to her when he stands in it. Once he gets used to the ability, she reveals that it was his own [[AchievementsInIgnorance Achievement in Ignorance]].
152* Creator/LenDeighton's novel ''Bomber'' demonstrates the fine line between GoodLuckCharm and Magic Feather. After a hairy landing in a damaged Lancaster, one of the pilots notices that his good luck charm (a walking stick) was broken by an enemy bullet. He realizes that, had he noticed before the landing, he would have been much more frightened and more likely to make a mistake.
153* In Creator/GeneWolfe's ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'', the Claw of the Conciliator. The trope is subverted, however, in that it is likely that all Severian's 'miracles' were orchestrated by the Hierogrammates to make him ''think'' he has divine powers. The Claw may even be more of a TrackingDevice.
154-->"I cannot escape the thought that the power manifested in both Claws is drawn from myself... I reject and fear [this thought] because I desire so fervently that it be true; and I feel that if there were the least echo of truth in it, I would detect it within myself. ''I do not.''"
155* In ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman'', even though Captain Underpants' powers came from [[SuperSerum alien super power juice]] (ItMakesSenseInContext), he's convinced they come from cottony soft underpants. When Captain Underpants is depowered by spray-on starch, the boys have to come up with a magical feather, so they {{Retcon}} a powerful crystal he swallowed as a child on his home planet (even though Captain Underpants is actually the boys' principal, while Captain Underpants he believes he has the fictional character's backstory).
156* In ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'', Awaki Musujime can teleport by pointing a flashlight at her intended destination. Misaki Shokuhou has mental manipulation abilities and points a TV remote at her intended target. Neither of them actually need these items to use their powers, but they help them concentrate.
157* In the second Literature/CircleOfMagic book, Niko doesn't have time to teach Tris how to see magic, so he puts a spell on her glasses to help her see it. When she asks how long it will last, he says "As long as you have those lenses." Two books later, he casually reveals that wasn't true: the spell only lasted a week. Ever since, she's been seeing magic on her own.
158* Creator/TerryPratchett uses several of these in his ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels.
159** Headology, the main branch of Witch magic, relies mostly on the application of common sense with a light sprinkling of Magic Feathers, once handily supplied by the patient himself.
160** In ''Literature/{{Hogfather}}'', [=HEX=], Unseen University's [[{{Magitek}} thinking machine]] becomes a TalkativeLoon after prolongued exposure to [[CloudCuckoolander the Bursar.]] Ridcully, who normally doesn't understand technology, solves the problem by typing DRYD FORG PILLS into the keyboard, (Dried Frog Pills being the medicine that keeps the Bursar halfway sane) reasoning: "If it can get the idea of being sick, it can get the idea of being cured." It works.
161** In ''Literature/ThiefOfTime'', Lobsang is wearing a portable procrastinator to enable him to continue walking around after time has been stopped. [[spoiler:He panics after Susan tells him it stopped a while ago.]] Not a standard magic feather as the device would work as described, it just turns out that [[spoiler:Lobsang doesn't need it, as he's the son of (or rather [[SplitAtBirth half of the son of]]) the anthropomorphic personification of Time.]]
162** In ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'' Magrat finds the ancient armor of Queen Ynci the Short-Tempered, and believes that her spirit is with her and gives her an extra capacity for violence and determination. As it turns out, Ynci was completely made up, and her armor had been made a few decades ago to give the royal house a little more color.
163** In ''Literature/GoingPostal'', Moist is given a dangerous test to get into [[ItMakesSenseInContext a secret society of postmen]]; vicious guard dogs. However, Moist recognizes these are Lipwigzers; a rare breed from his own homeland, who are all taught various commands from birth, and of whom only the males are exported, to prevent breeding and keep the prices high. Realizing this, he simply shouts commands at the dogs, pacifying them and passing the test. However, it is then revealed to him that they aren't purebreds at all; they are mixed breeds, and were never taught the commands. Apparently the dogs were just shocked to have an unfrightened human shout at them.
164* In Sylvia Louise Engdahl's SF novel ''Literature/EnchantressFromTheStars'', Elana gives Georyn a stone that she says will give him magical powers. It's intended to give him enough confidence to use his innate [[PsychicPowers psionic abilities]].
165* A theme from the ancient Sumerian tale ''Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh'' can be seen as a predecessor to this trope. Gilgamesh goes on this elaborate quest for immortality, eventually laying hands on a magical coral flower with the power to extend his life. A snake steals the flower when he's not looking and Gilgamesh is crushed, but [[spoiler:in the end he realizes he had immortality all along -- through the legacy of his contributions to the enduring power of his city, Uruk. He was also made a god some time after he died.]]
166* ''Literature/IncarnationsOfImmortality'':
167** In ''Literature/OnAPaleHorse'', while fighting {{Satan}}, [[TheGrimReaper Death]] realizes that he doesn't actually need his scythe and cloak to use his powers, reasoning that if that had been true, Satan would have attacked him earlier while he was off duty. (The course of the series suggests his reasoning was actually wrong about that but his intuition was correct--while the scythe and cloak are in fact highly enchanted objects that would permit almost anyone to carry out the minimum of job performance as Death, it's the actual officeholder's adjustment to the office and intent to fill it which really matters.)
168** In ''Literature/UnderAVelvetCloak'', Karena finds from Morgan Le Fae that the velvet cloak has magical properties. Morgan teaches Karena how to use the invisibility, phase through the ground, protect the wearer from attack, and finally the spell Karena wanted -- "Locate a person", to find her lost lover. Later in the story, Karena finds the most important quality of the cloak: the cloak is not magical; Karena did this all with her innate magical abilities.
169* ''Literature/LegendsAndLattes'': It's implied that Viv's attempt to use the Scalvert's Stone to induce luck for her new coffee shop is pointless--indeed, when the [[spoiler:stone is stolen and the shop burned down and rebuilt]], it remains successful. Though the actual truth is more complicated. [[spoiler:The stone doesn't draw luck, but like-minded people, and Viv's new companions are still there to help her.]]
170* In ''Literature/TheLostWorld1912'' by Creator/ArthurConanDoyle the white explorers encounter a Native American tribe menaced by ape people. The Native Americans ask the explorers to use their modern weaponry to help fight the ape people. The explorers agree, but when the actual battle comes around they barely get to fire a shot. The extra confidence their presence gave the Native Americans allowed them to defeat the ape people on their own.
171* In Creator/JackVance's novel ''Literature/{{Lyonesse}}'', the boy Dhrun is given a talisman to avert fear, which in fact means that whenever he feels afraid, he misinterprets the emotion as anger and is able to be brave. In a crisis, he often reflects on how fortunate it is that he can't feel fear, because he should be terrified at that moment. The talisman eventually gets broken and replaced with a regular stone, but it continues to work until he realizes the replacement.
172* Subverted in ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'', where the Magic Feather given to Yeden's army by Kelsier (a promise that his mistborn abilities could be channeled into others) [[spoiler:leads Yeden to send out his still unprepared army prematurely out on a raid because of overconfidence, killing them all]]. Kelsier gets a serious WhatTheHellHero by his entire crew for his efforts.
173* The ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'' has Blend, a soldier who's exceptionally good at hiding or remaining unnoticed. She thinks that it somes from a "don't-notice-me" charm she once purchased from a street vendor, but when High Mage Quick Ben takes a good look at the stone in question, he claims that it's just junk. Turns out Blend just has an innate talent that was brought out by her intense belief in the stone's potency.
174* In ''Literature/QualiaThePurple'', Hatou's ability to communicate with infinite parallel universes was there all along. It was just that [[spoiler: Yukari rebuilding her arm with a cellphone]] awakened said power.
175* In ''Literature/RangersApprentice: The Siege of Macindaw'', Sir Karel uses a [[HypnoTrinket blue gemstone]] to hypnotize and interrogate his prisoner Alyss. The healer Malcolm sends her a '[[MagicMeteor stellatite]]' stone, along with instructions for using it to defeat the hypnosis, and she manages to [[FeedTheMole trick him]]. When she goes to give it back to Malcolm, he revealed that it was an ordinary rock all along.
176* Played straight in the novel ''Literature/{{Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince}}'', wherein Harry tricks Ron Weasley into thinking that he (Harry) has just poured some "Felix Felicis" luck potion into Ron's drink to improve his Quidditch game (which had been suffering due to an extreme case of nerves). Hermione saw Harry do it, and warned Ron not to drink it, as it would be cheating to use a potion in a Quiddich game. Ron drinks it anyway, and his game improves hugely. Then, when Hermione confronts Harry again afterward (once Gryffindor has won with over 200 points), Harry shows both of them that he hadn't poured a drop--in fact, the bottle was still sealed. This causes additional problems for Ron and Hermione's already-strained friendship (as she appeared to imply that he couldn't have done it without the aid of the potion), but it also helps Ron realize that he actually ''is'' a good player, which helps him through the rest of the season.
177* This is also seen in ''Literature/TheTalesOfBeedleTheBard'' during the story "The Fountain of Fair Fortune". [[spoiler:In the end, it turns out that the fountain is just an ordinary fountain, but the three witches and the {{Muggle}} knight who traveled to reach it have all had their lives changed for the better.]]
178* ''Literature/TheTalisman'', written jointly by Creator/StephenKing and Peter Straub, has the novel's resident MagicalNegro give the main character a drink that allows him to flip between worlds. After he consumes it all, it turns out that he always had the power; the stuff was just sour wine. It's hard to fault the main character not recognizing it for what it was, seeing as he was just a ''ten-year-old boy'' (talk about negligent spiritual guardians...)
179* In ''Literature/WizardOfThePigeons'', all wizards have to follow certain rules to [[ConditionalPowers keep their magic working]]. The titular [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Wizard]] must care for pigeons, answer questions for those who ask him, never abuse his strength on others, never have more than a dollar on his person, remain celibate, and help those who come to him for help. However, late in the story it's revealed that [[spoiler: half the rules are ones he had made up himself and forgotten, and have no real impact on his magic except that he [[PlaceboEffect thought they did]]]].
180* In the short story "[[http://www.bartleby.com/237/33.html The Fifty-First Dragon]]," Gawaine, the nervous dragon slayer, was told he would be invincible to dragons upon the utterance of the word "Rumplesnitz." He was quickly able to shed his fear and became remarkably efficient at slaying dragons, but also cocky. After a night of heavy drinking, he faced his fiftieth dragon, and couldn't remember the word when the time came to use it, but was still able to kill the dragon, much to his confusion. When he was told by his headmaster that the word was just a placebo, he fell back into his old nervous ways, and died trying to kill his fifty-first dragon.
181* In the ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' book ''The Blob That Ate Everything'', Zackie thought that his reality altering powers came from a magical typewriter, only to find when he couldn't get the typewriter to work they were actually within himself.
182* In the book ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'', Dorothy's friends possess the qualities that they seek, but insist on getting a Magic Feather from the Wizard anyway.
183** The [[Film/TheWizardOfOz film version]] provides a variation in that the Wizard instead gives Dorothy's friends various symbols of what they've achieved--a diploma that signifies the Scarecrow getting his brain, a ticking heart watch that reflects the Tin Man's kindness, and a war medal that testifies to the Cowardly Lion's courage.
184** And of course, Dorothy had the slippers to get home the ENTIRE time. To invert the previous examples though, the wizard offered her... a ride home.
185* In ''You can do it Desmond Dragon'', an educational children's book about an asthmatic young dragon, Desmond is given a 'magic' satchel to wear during a smoke-blowing contest. Of course, when he opens it after the contest it just holds a note saying he could do it all along if he believed in himself. And used his inhalers...
186* The Lenses used by the ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' are usually your average AppliedPhlebotinum, but for the more advanced characters (Kimball Kinnison and his children, among others) they become little more than a Magic Feather.
187** They seem to have some function beyond that, as the children know they have the power innately, but they actually ''create'' Lenses at one point to help them in particularly high-powered work.
188* A large number of ''Literature/WildCards'' characters require a "psychological focus" to use their powers, most notably The Great And Powerful Turtle's armored Shells, to the point where he eventually becomes so cripplingly dependent on them that he loses his powers entirely when outside them.
189* In Creator/EvaIbbotson's book ''Literature/WhichWitch'', there's an interesting variant and in the end even subversion: Belladonna is a white witch, so good, kind and beautiful that she borders on a ParodySue, but longs to be a black witch and do evil deeds -- partly because that means the other witches might accept her as one of their own, and partly because she's in love with a dark wizard. However, she's utterly incapable of doing even the slightest dark magic, until she meets a young, orphaned boy with a pet earthworm that both of them think is magical. As long as the boy and his earthworm are present, Belladonna is capable of doing black magic stronger than anyone else. When the worm, unknowingly to Belladonna, disappears, she still manages to perform black magic -- but instead of the normal "all you needed was confidence" story, it turns out that while the earthworm ''is'' a completely normal, unmagical earthworn, the ''boy'' is without knowing it a powerful dark wizard, and it was ''his'' presence that gave Belladonna the dark powers, not the worm's.
190* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'':
191** Thaylen religion, based around "the Passions," involves carved charms representing an emotion such as bravery. The charms are not magical and the Thaylens do not think that they are; the intent is for the charm to remind you to keep the emotion in mind when you need it.
192** In ''Literature/TheWayOfKings2010'', Shallan's overarching goal is to steal her teacher Jasnah's Soulcaster and learn how to use it to work magic, as the one owned by her family had stopped working. [[spoiler: She eventually successfully steals it and replaces Jasnah's with her broken one, but for a long time, is unable to figure out how to use it. Finally, in a climactic moment, she figures out the secret, using it to save her own life... and then discovers that Jasnah's Soulcaster was a fake: Jasnah was Soulcasting without needing a Soulcaster (widely believed to be impossible), and Shallan just did the same thing.]]
193** In the second book, ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'', Shallan discovers that she can't use her [[MasterOfIllusion Lightweaving]] powers without drawing a picture of it first. When she's disguising herself as people, this makes sense due to how complicated they are, but she needs to do it even for something as simple as an illusion of a plain wall. Her [[BondCreatures spren]], Pattern, notes that this shouldn't be necessary, implying she'll grow out of it eventually.
194** The fourth book, ''Literature/RhythmOfWar'', makes it clear that this is common for Lightweavers. One of Shallan's apprentices uses paint to activate his powers, another has to focus on the general colors, and another can only use illusions on himself when he adjusts his mind to become his illusion (the others are baffled by him explaining how he made an illusion of a rock by "thinking like a rock"). Likewise, one of the apprentices has a lot more success with Soulcasting when she has a sample of the material she is trying to transform, as a "seed" to "show" the thing what it should be. This is entirely different from how Elsecallers, the other Order with Soulcasting, work.
195* In ''The Valor of Cappen Varra'' by Creator/PoulAnderson the eponymous hero is able to face down a troll because he has a charm that negates magic and so renders him immune to her super strength. At the end he is told that trolls are just naturally very strong so the charm was worthless.
196* In the children's book ''The Good Luck Pony'', the main character is nervous about her horse-back riding lessons until her mother gives her a horse necklace that she says will bring her good luck while riding. The girl is told at the end that the necklace just gave her confidence, and that was all she needed to succeed.
197* In Teresa Frohock's ''Literature/MiserereAnAutumnTale'', Lucian tells Lindsey that the Psalter is magical; later, when he says it helped her focus and the power was hers, she was annoyed.
198* Used in the Creator/JTEdson short story "Dusty Fog's Gun" when Waco gives a young deputy a gun and tells him it once belonged to Dusty Fog, giving him the confidence to win an upcoming gunfight.
199* In the ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' ''Time Spiral'' trilogy, the artificer [[http://magiccards.info/fut/en/46.html Venser]] builds a machine that lets him teleport all over the Dominaria. He's the only one who can use it, making him indespensible to the heroes who are trying to save the world. Turns out, however, that he was unknowingly a [[http://magiccards.info/som/en/135.html planeswalker]] (dimension-hopping super-wizard) and it was ''him' and his "spark," not the machine, doing the teleporting. Even after he found this out, it took him a while to learn how to teleport and planeswalk without using the gizmo.
200* An evil version in Donald Hamilton's short story "The Guns of William Longley". A young cowboy's buddy sells him a pair of guns that once belonged to ruthless gunfighter Wild Bill Longley. The cowboy feels as though the guns want to kill again, and lets himself be drawn into a duel with one of the town's upstanding citizens. [[spoiler:His buddy knew he would swagger about with the guns, which were never Longley's but just found in a pawn shop, and eventually shoot someone, thus making it easy to recruit him into an outlaw gang, his real goal.]]
201* In the ''[[Literature/TheBerenstainBears Berenstain Bears]]'' book "The Bad Dream", Sister goes to see a movie called "The Magic Toeshoes". It's about a girl who has trouble with ballet dancing, and is given "magic" ballet slippers by her ballet teacher, which improve her dancing. On the night of the big ballet, she accidentally leaves her slippers on the bus. Her teacher tells her that the slippers were just ordinary shoes, and that the skill was in her all along, so she performs the ballet successfully without the "magic" slippers.
202* Geoph Essex's ''Jackrabbit Messiah'': Jackrabbit's bunny suit isn't the source of his powers (he's [[spoiler: a god]], and has them regardless of whether he's wearing the suit), but its presence is the only thing that keeps him sane (and in touch with [[spoiler: God, the [[HelpfulHallucination hallucination]] that helps him stay grounded]]). Luckily, the [[{{Deuteragonist}} other protagonist]] of the book, Amity, is a psychiatrist, and figures this out in time to [[SavingTheWorld save the day]].
203* Paulo Coelho's ''Veronika Decides to Die'' gives the Magic Feather in the form of ''[[YourDaysAreNumbered an uncurable heart disease.]]'' The protagonist Voronika decides to kill herself because she has nothing to do, and is put into a mental hospital because of it. To cure her mental illness, Dr. Igor, her psychiatrist, tricks her into thinking that she will die very soon, invoking Veronika to spend her life a lot more carefully. He plans to let the woman acknowledge his Magic Feather by herself as she is discharged from his care a few days before she "dies".
204* Smash Ogre finds one in the ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'' novel ''Ogre Ogre''. He is affected by an "Eye Queue" vine that renders him intelligent and articulate, in contrast to most ogres, who are dimwitted and can only speak in rhyme. Eventually it turns out that Eye Queue vines do no such thing, they merely make the user ''think'' they have become more intelligent. Smash has human ancestry, and the belief that he could think and talk like a human just allowed him to realize he could always do so.
205** In general, visits to the Good Magician Humphrey are this. He'll answer any question in return for a year of service (or equivalent quest, if you are a protagonist). This answer is the {{MacGuffin}} that's supposed to solve the character's problem, but most times the quest reveals that the answer was inside the character all along.
206* In ''Literature/DoraWilkSeries'', Witkacy's shamanism teacher told him before the story starts that for all the ceremony, drugs and gadgets that surround shamanistic practices, it's all simply to help him use power that comes from him.
207* In ''Literature/TheLastOfTheReallyGreatWhangdoodles'', the EccentricMentor gives each of the children a special hat that will help them travel to the magical world of Whangdoodleland, and warns them never to take the hats off while they're there, or they may not be able to return home. Near the end of the book, he admits to the Prock that the hats are just hats, a ploy to help the children channel their imaginations. It's then played with, as it's suggested that the hats might, unknown to the Professor, have actual power.
208* In ''Literature/TheSouthernReachTrilogy'', each expedition member is given a black box with the instruction to immediately evacuate should the light bulb on it turn red. The biologist later learns that it doesn't actually measure anything; it's just intended to make them feel safer.
209* In ''Literature/MissEllicottsSchoolForTheMagicallyMinded'', the walls encircling [[CitadelCity the kingdom of Lightening Pass]] is strengthened by sorceresses performing an annual spell called "the Buttoning." Chantel and her friends eventually deduce the walls are impenetrable without magic, and the real annual enchantment is a [[GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul contentedness spell cast over the citizens]].
210* After spending all of Book 4 of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain'' in a quest to find himself, Taran discovers the legendary magical Mirror of Llunet. After gazing into it, he's asked what he learned, and he responds:
211-->"In the time I watched, I saw strength – and frailty. Pride and vanity, courage and fear. Of wisdom, a little. Of folly, much. Of intentions, many good ones; but many more left undone. In this, alas, I saw myself a man like any other. But this, too, I saw. Alike as men may seem, each is different as flakes of snow, no two the same. You told me you had no need to seek the Mirror, knowing you were Annlaw Clay-Shaper. Now I know who I am: myself and none other. '''I am Taran.'''"
212** He then adds that it wasn't magical at all; the Mirror was no more than a pretty puddle of water. (Although he does raise the theory that perhaps it was enchanted and he just didn't notice anything, [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane which is possible as well.]])
213* The ''Literature/DoctorWhoNovelisations'' version of ''[[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor The Day of the Doctor]]'' reveals that, in the "Make me a warrior" scene in "[[Recap/DoctorWho50thPrequelTheNightOfTheDoctor The Night of the Doctor]]", the potion the Sisterhood of Karn gave Eighth was actually lemonade and dry ice.
214-->'''Ohila''': The Idiot Child was a warrior his entire life. The universe needed him to be a little more honest on the subject, so I provided a moment of theatre that facilitated his change of hearts.
215* ''Literature/LegendsAndLattes'': Viv takes a Scalvert Stone, reputed to bring the owner good luck, and buries it under the floor of her new café, which gradually becomes prosperous. It's left unresolved for most of the book whether this actually had an effect. [[spoiler:It did, but not what she thought: Scalvert Stones don't bring the owner ''luck'', they bring them like-minded people. So Viv, who wanted to make people happy with coffee and food, gets surrounded by people who want ''her'' to be happy, while Fennus, who steals the Stone at the climax, gets [[KarmicDeath what's coming to him]].]]
216[[/folder]]
217
218[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
219* This often happens with sports-themed stories on ''Series/FantasyIsland''. A guest will be given an item from ice skates to a riding crop that gives them a boost to live out being the star they always wanted to be. After they win the big competition, Roarke will reveal these were just random items he had lying around with no magical powers and all they did was allow the guest to believe in their own talents.
220%%* Unsurprisingly for the series, ''Series/PowerRangersSPD'' has an example in "Samurai".
221* ''Series/{{MASH}}'':
222** Hawkeye and B.J. give placebos to a shy, nebbish soldier, telling him they're Confidence Pills. They also give the same pills to Klinger, telling him they're a new drug that will help keep him cool -- later, during a boiling hot day, he walks around in a long-sleeved shirt and long pants, seemingly unaffected by the heat.
223** More seriously, when the camp runs out of morphine, they pass sugar pills off as painkillers via psychology, telling the current batch of wounded soldiers they can only have one each of these "super-powerful" new wonder drugs. The scene is subverted as at least one soldier seems not to be responding to it.
224* Played with in ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'': When Charles tries to reinvent himself, he puts on Rosa's leather jacket and suddenly seems to become a cool, suave badass who people respect. His friends are quick to suggest that the ''real'' change is that he's more confident, but he brushes them off, insisting that the jacket is magic and confidence has nothing to do with it.... which is apparently true, as the effect completely wears off as soon as he gives another man the jacket.
225* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'':
226** Played relatively straight with Hiro, who believes he needs a particular sword to recover his abilities. Of course, it turns out (and the viewing public finds out long before Hiro does) he never lost his abilities in the first place.
227** A rather darker example is Isaac, who thinks he can't paint the future without heroin.
228** Also, Niki, who believes that she can't use her SuperStrength unless her SuperpoweredEvilSide is in control.
229* In the "Grandpa Pyle's Good Luck Charm" episode of ''Series/GomerPyleUSMC'', Gomer is feeling a bit nervous about tryouts to see if any of the troops would be capable of becoming future non-com officers, and his grandpa Otis Pyle is in town. When Gomer tells his grandpa of his dilemma after failing the first try, Grandpa Otis gives him a chrome plate "Excelsior" to help boost his confidence. After Otis remarks that Sgt. Carter has been looking a little flabby and out of shape, Sgt. Carter decides to give Pyle another chance, and he's more successful the second time around. Later in Grandpa Otis's trailer, he reveals that the chrome "Excelsior" plate came from his fridge, and Pyle's confidence came from within his heart after a little encouragement.
230* In an episode of ''Series/MythBusters'' where the team is testing cures to seasickness, Grant, one of the guinea pigs, is given a supposed "wonder drug" that helps to combat seasickness greatly. It works outstandingly, and after the experiment the "wonder drug" is revealed to be a vitamin B12 pill. Which might be a subversion, as B12 might actually help with sea-sickness. But it was meant as a placebo. And when Adam took that pill, it did not help ''him'' at all.
231* ''Series/SmartGuy'':
232** TJ gives his idiot friend, Mo, sugar pills to make him smarter. When he finds out that it is a placebo, Mo gets his own sugar pills to continue replicating the effect.
233** When TJ [[CrossOver crossed over]] to ''Series/SisterSister'', he entices a high-strung Tia with his super-secret technique to get a 1600 on her [=SAT's=]... if she'd take him to Chuck E. Ch--er, [[SuckECheeses Buck E. Duck]]. Turns out she just needed to relax.
234* Inverted in ''Series/NewsRadio'', which showed Matthew being given a homemade "Smart Drink" by Joe and becoming super intelligent. Smatthew (for "Smart Matthew") later begins to lose his intelligence, but upon being urged to consume more of Joe's smart drink, concludes that the drink was a placebo and only worked because stupid Matthew was so dumb he believed it would. He loses his newfound intelligence permanently.
235* Parodied hilariously in the live-action version of ''Series/TheTick2001'', when the The Tick walks up to a stranger, hands him a hub cap and tells him "Remember, it was not a magic hub cap. The magic was within you all along."
236* In one episode of ''Series/MyWifeAndKids'', Michael pulls this on his son Junior, using grandson Junior Jr. as the "magic baby" and saying that holding him will make Junior smarter. Eventually, when Junior drifts into annoying territory, Mike lets him in on the truth, saying that his own father pulled the "magic baby" trick on him, using Junior.
237* ''Series/FlightOfTheConchords'' did this with hair gel which supposedly made the boys look cool. When the hair gel is all used up, they can't bear to even leave the house, and Murray, their manager, tells them that the gel didn't make them cool, it just gave them the confidence to show everyone how cool they really were. Inspired by his words, they go to perform their gig sans gel, only for the entire crowd to walk away once they start playing. Murray concedes that yes, it really ''was'' the hair gel that made them cool.
238* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E6MuddsWomen Mudd's Women]]", three women are supposedly given a "Venus drug" which made them irresistibly beautiful, but it revealed at the end that they didn't need the drug to make themselves beautiful -- it was self-confidence all along. The on-screen moral being: apparently self-confidence can [[BrokenAesop give you an actual makeover]] -- complete with makeup and a new hairdo!
239* In the big crossover between ''Series/HannahMontana'' and ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOnDeck'', Hannah's anklet acts like this. It's a keepsake of her mother's, and when she loses it everything goes wrong until Robbie Ray tells her that her mother is always with her, regardless of the anklet.
240* This was [[DiscussedTrope brought up]] by Ruby in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' [[spoiler: when she tells Sam that his powers are not the result of the demon blood he'd been drinking, but they'd just been a tool to addict him and alienate him from the people who told him hanging out with Ruby was a bad idea. Then it turned out [[SubvertedTrope that no, he really did need the blood because a) it actually was the source of his abilities (which is why Azazel force-fed it to him as a baby) and b) it was the only way to host Lucifer without literally exploding]].]]. Ruby is a dick.
241* Played completely straight in ''Series/{{Glee}}'' when [[TheDitz Brittany]] gets "paralyzed with fear" at the thought of having to dance prominently at sectionals. Artie gives her his magic comb and tells her if she combs her hair with it she can't lose. She loses it and causes Artie think she's cheating on him (''ItMakesSenseInContext''). Artie finally revealed that he picked the comb off the floor and was on his way to throw it out when he ran into her.
242-->'''Brittany:''' And you let me comb my hair with it?
243* ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOnDeck'': Bailey uses a placebo to raise London's intelligence. Subverted in that [[StatusQuoIsGod after realizing that it's a placebo]], London [[FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome returns to normal]]. Then she [[TooDumbToLive takes]] ''[[TooDumbToLive another]]'' [[TooDumbToLive placebo]].
244* ''Series/ModernFamily'': In "Treehouse," Mitchell gives Jay a little pill that supposedly will loosen him up and help him dance. That pill? Turns out to be chewable baby aspirin.
245* Creator/DerrenBrown:
246** In one episode of ''The Experiments'', the magician starts a rumor that a statue of a dog in a village park is lucky. Over time, a lot of people in the village come to believe the rumor and start reporting cases of good luck that came after they stroked the dog (some of it planned out in secret by Derren, some just coincidental). The main point of the show is that people who think they are lucky will seize more opportunities, and therefore some of those opportunities will work out for them.
247** In one episode of ''Trick or Treat'', he arranges for a woman to do a piano recital, and both she and the audience are led to believe that this will be the first time she would ever perform and that she was being given a hypnosis-aided crash course in how to play at a professional level. It turns out that she had been hypnotized to forget that she'd been playing for years, and the point was to give her more confidence in her existing ability.
248* Played with in ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' when Uncle Arthur helps Darrin stand up to Endora - he teaches Darrin an incantation to defeat her and gives him a talisman that is simply a lamp finial. It turns out the incantation is useless gibberish - Arthur is just messing with Darrin for laughs. (However, it works both in the sense that Darrin does successfully banish Endora with the ritual - and because working to counter-prank Arthur gets Darrin a tiny bit closer to the acceptance from Endora he actually needs.)
249** Played straight in another episode; after being belittled by Mr. Tate one time too many, Darren began to lose his confidence and considered quitting. The next morning, Samantha offered him a "magic potion" (actually just a glass of orange juice) that she said would increase his self-confidence. At a meeting with their new client, Darren showed him the ad campaign that Tate had previously dismissed as unprofessional, and the client liked the new campaign. Samantha later admitted to Darren that she didn't use any magic on him.
250* ''Series/PunkyBrewster'' once got a "magic coin" from Henry.
251* ''Series/NinjaTurtlesTheNextMutation'' gives us one used by the ''villains''. Wick creates an alleged magic amulet for the Rank that reportedly increases their strength, but when the turtles get one neither Don nor Venus can find anything unusual about it. Near the end, the Dragon Lord's taunt on how fear is an excellent distraction causes them to realize that the 'magic' is just a placebo effect- the Rank puts them on thinking it'll make them invincible, and fight with more confidence.
252* ''Series/QuantumLeap'' features a variation of this in "Pool Hall Blues" where Sam did need the ‘feather’ at least at first. For this Leap, Sam needs to win a game of pool when he doesn’t actually have any experience in the game and less than a day to learn. Al is able to adapt the holographic system of the Imaging Chamber to project a series of laser lines on the table (visible only to himself and Sam) to demonstrate where Sam should hit the ball and where he wants to ricochet it off the sides of the table, helping Sam get a better feel for the game. During the final shot of the game, [[spoiler:the Imaging Chamber runs out of power to project the lasers, but by this point Sam appears to have gained enough experience at the game to make the final shot on his own, despite it being an exceptionally tricky one involving him ricocheting the white off three sides of the table before hitting the final ball]].
253* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' episode ''Lost Girl'' In the enchanted forest, Charming takes Snow up on a hilltop and finds ''Excalibur''. He is unable to draw it, but she can which he says shows she is the true ruler of these lands. This gives her the courage to stand up to Evil Queen. [[spoiler:Turns out, it was a regular sword that Charming placed there, and he faked being unable to remove it from the stone. Rumplestiltskin explains this to her, mocks her for believing it (pointing out Excalibur is naturally in Camelot), and vaporizes the blade.]]
254* ''Series/Bluestone42'' gives us Captain Medhurst and his Fisherman's Friends. When deprived of them, he devours an entire bag of Mint Imperials as a stop-gap, and when that is also denied him, he very nearly resorts to sun-dried rabbit droppings soaked in cough medicine.
255* In the ''Series/Charmed1998'' episode "That Old Black Magic", the girls use a courage potion on the chosen one, which turns out to actually be plain water. The evil witch they're facing knows the potion is fake, but the chosen one believes it and finds the strength to defeat her.
256* Raj from ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' CannotTalkToWomen unless he's been drinking. It's eventually revealed that this isn't due to inebriation but for this trope, as he was able to flirt pretty well with Creator/SummerGlau until he learned he was drinking ''non-alcoholic'' beer.
257* In season 2 of ''Series/HeroCorp'', Vanur gives Burt a special tea to help him recover his power as Acid-Man (which has degenerated from squirting acid to squirting non-stinging shampoo). When out of tea, however, Vanur reveals that there were no "special ingredient" in it, it was just a matter of confidence.
258* In ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'''s Hyper Battle DVD, a [[MonsterOfTheWeek Roidmude]] manages to become a duplicate of Drive and starts smearing his good name. After it gets the better of Shinnosuke, Mr. Belt has Drive's Type Speed upgraded into the luxury car-inspired Type High Speed, which gives him an edge. At the end of the special Mr. Belt reveals that Shinnosuke lost at first because he was psyched out by the duplicate, and the confidence boost he got from High Speed (which was nothing but a cosmetic change) let him get back into the right mindset to win.
259* Parodied in the ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' episode "Flowers for Charlie," where Charlie takes part in an experiment to increase intelligence. As the name suggests, it starts out looking like FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome, but at the end of the episode, it's revealed that the pills Charlie was taking were a placebo. The other twist: [[spoiler:Charlie didn't actually become smarter; he just became more arrogant and pretentious]].
260* ''Series/RaisingDion'': In episode 3, Dion is already aware that he has superpowers, but has trouble controling them leading to several cases of PowerIncontinence. At the suggestion of Pat (who even mentions the trope by name here), Dion's mom Nicole gives Dion his late father's watch and convinces him it helps the wearer stay focussed. It works, and Dion gains much more control over his powers.
261* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': When Barney is incredibly hungover on his wedding day the rest of the gang gather the ingredients to the [[HideousHangoverCure "Stinson Hangover Fixer Elixir"]] which has previously cured them of their hangovers in key moments. They're able to revive Barney enough to ask him for the secret ingredient only for him to reveal that there ''isn't'' one. The "Elixir" doesn't actually do anything and the gang were cured because they believed it was working.
262* ''Series/CobraKai'': [[TheWoobie Eli Moskowitz]], after getting a mohawk and tattoos, TookALevelInBadass (and unfortunately, one in [[TookALevelInJerkass jerkass]] as well), taking on the moniker "Hawk". In the fourth season, he suffers a TraumaticHaircut at the hands of [[spoiler:the Cobra Kai students]], losing most of his confidence with the mohawk. However, Demetri helps him realize that his incresed confidence came from himself, not his hairstyle, and [[spoiler:he ends up winning the boys' division of the All-Valley tournament with a crew cut.]]
263* ''Series/YoungSheldon'': In "A Slump, a Cross and Roadside Gravel", Missy starts getting better at batting after praying and wearing Mary's old crucifix. Then Mary finds out Missy thinks she can just pray for whatever she wants as if God were a magic genie and takes the cross away. George, being a sports coach, is sympathetic to Missy and steals the cross away to give it back during her next game. Missy rejects it, claiming that she now has the confidence to do better without it, but as soon as she gets a strike, she calls for George.
264* In ''Series/GoGoSentaiBoukenger'' [[HalfHumanHybrid Eiji Takaoka]] depended on his father's shakujo to keep his Ashu heritage in check. After the Questors destroyed it, [[TheLeader Satoru Akashi]] gave Eiji the [[TransformationTrinket GoGo Changer]] and [[SwissArmyWeapon Sagasniper]], telling him that the latter was made by analyzing the shakujo. After Eiji successfully suppressed his Ashu blood and fought off the Questors, Satoru revealed that the Sagasniper didn't play a role in suppressing Eiji's Ashu blood at all. Eiji's heart was more than strong enough to do the work.
265* Parodied on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' in a sketch for a trailer for the fictional film ''White Men Can Trump'' with the plot of a man with no luck in life receiving a pair of "magical golden sneakers"[[note]]Based upon actual Trump-branded golden sneakers announced in February 2024[[/note]] that did not make him any more successful but that seemingly gave him the ability to ''claim'' to have succeeded at any task until people started believing him. At the end, Donald Trump himself shows up to explain that the power was really inside him all along -- only for the man to insist that, [[SubvertedTrope no, it was the sneakers]].
266[[/folder]]
267
268[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
269* In one ''Gil Thorp'' storyline, one of the basketball players was pressuring the team's ADHD student manager to give him Adderall to improve his game. His focus improved, but when Gil got wind of it and called them into his office, the student manager admitted they were actually aspirin.
270* ''ComicStrip/PhoebeAndHerUnicorn'': While Phoebe is preparing for a talent show, Marigold tells her she'll cast a talent spell so she can play the piano perfectly without practicing. Later, when Phoebe is about to go perform, Marigold reveals she made the spell up to give her confidence...only for Phoebe to tell her that only works ''after'' she's done the performance.
271[[/folder]]
272
273[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
274* In "Bravehat" from ''Series/TheBookOfPooh'', the titular hat is one of these. When Piglet ends up discovering and wearing a stylish black hat, he ends up scaring off some bees that are bothering Pooh while flailing about because hat is covering his eyes. Pooh declares it to be a "bravehat" and afterwards, Piglet commits some brave acts while wearing it, including sleeping without his nightlight. In the end, he goes into the Scary Woods to rescue Eeyore, only for the hat to snag on a branch just as he's entering without him noticing. When he returns with Eeyore, he at first faints about discovering he left the hat behind, but then everyone realizes it was really Piglet who was brave.
275* ''Series/WimziesHouse'' has an episode called "The Lucky Pin" in which Rousso gives Jonas a special star pin to celebrate his dedication in practicing basketball. Afterwards, Jonas completes a tricky shot for the first time and is convinced that he's been given a "lucky pin." He then experiences a crisis of self-confidence after losing it, until Wimzie gives him another pin that she made herself, but tells him that it's the one he lost. He makes five basketball shots in a row, but another of the characters tells him it's not the original pin. He loses his self-confidence again until Wimzie points out that he made the shots even ''without'' his lucky pin. He realizes that his "luck" is all due to practice and he doesn't need a lucky pin.
276[[/folder]]
277
278[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
279* In ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'', characters need to focus their magick through various means, but sufficiently high-level characters will realize that the magick comes from them and can cast spells without foci with no penalty. At this point, the mage starts becoming obscenely powerful and even Werewolves and centuries-old Vampires keep their distance.
280* ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'' has a villainous version: [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Dr Stratos]] thought he needed his big fancy device to control the weather, until he learned it had been junk all along. He immediately went AGodAmI.
281[[/folder]]
282
283[[folder:Theater]]
284* The titular LovePotion in ''Theatre/LElisirDAmore'' -- but when the DoggedNiceGuy gets the girl, ''and'' inherits his uncle's money, the SnakeOilSalesman subverts the reveal aspect by telling the townspeople, "My LovePotion not only does that, it can make a poor man rich!"
285[[/folder]]
286
287[[folder:Video Games]]
288* The spirit monk amulet in ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'' is just a tool to focus the main character's innate powers. This, though, is probably just a HandWave as to how you can still use its functions, even though the plot requires it to be stolen. It does have some magic of its own though, since it allows [[spoiler:Sun Li to grab more of the Water Dragon's power in a few days than his brother managed to drain in decades.]] It's because [[spoiler:he isn't a Spirit Monk, and the amulet acts for him as it did for you early on, as a magical focus.]] But since your power and focus have grown so much, you no longer need it. It would be like using a flamethrower until you learned how shoot fire from your hands, yeah the flamethrower still works, but you don't really need it anymore do you?
289* ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'':
290** Inverted in ''VideoGame/FableII'' and ''VideoGame/FableIII''. While the protagonist of ''Fable III'' needs gauntlets to use magic, his father, the protagonist of ''Fable II'', did not need gauntlets.
291** There's also an in-game book in ''Fable III'' about a magician who created [[OurHomunculiAreDifferent a homunculus]] to protect himself from disease and the ravages of age. At the end of the story, the homunculus is accidentally destroyed, but luckily for the magician nothing happens; turns out he just had a naturally strong constitution all along.
292* In Episode 4 of Season 3 of ''Franchise/SamAndMax'', Max has to fight the BigBad but has no Toys of Power. Then [[EldritchAbomination Dr. Norington]] tells him that he doesn't really need the toys. Max suddenly starts glowing and takes to the sky, now able to use his powers without the aid of the Toys.
293* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarIII'' has Kratos questing to open PandorasBox a second time in order to obtain the power of Hope and destroy Zeus. When he finally opens the Box, it's empty; Kratos has had Hope within him since opening the box in the first game, without realising it.[[note]]There is a reason why the Ancient Greek believed Hope to be among the calamities of the world in Pandora's Box; they thought it was a delusion. Many modern depictions of Pandora's Box fail to mention/ignore this point.[[/note]]
294* Parodied by the original ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' blog, [[http://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=7072 showering the players with gifts]] for "Australian Christmas":
295--> BUT THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL... ''was inside you all along''. It's blood! Turns out you can sell it! See you at the plasma center!
296* Much of the early campaign in ''VideoGame/BattleRealms'' involves Kenji trying to hunt down his family heirloom, the [[MacGuffin Serpent's Orb]], because of its 'magic power'. In the Dragon campaign, the Dragon eventually reveals to him that the orb itself is little more than a focus and an ancestor of Kenji's who used it to break the world was only able to do so because he (unwittingly) channeled his own ki power through it [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve because he believed it had power.]]
297* Some stones in ''VideoGame/TheGameOfTheAges'' are magical, but focus stones are magic feathers to boost your confidence.
298* In ''VideoGame/ManaKhemiaAlchemistsOfAlRevis'', one of the characters' familiar spirits doesn't actually do anything and isn't actually magical at all; they're just a psychological crutch for the character, who is magically quite powerful and not human, but doesn't know it.
299* In ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'', the characters go through a lot of trouble trying to obtain the ring Titrel, which grants power over the Cauldron. Unfortunately for everybody, while the ring itself ''is'' the only thing that can allow most anyone to use the Cauldron, it turns out [[BigBad King Valentine]] doesn't need Titrel to control it because he created it, and the Cauldron is loyal to its master. Supposedly, the only reason he himself was after the ring was to ensure that no one could stop his plan once it started, [[OmnicidalManiac along with being utterly insane]], but by the end of the game he's decided to just go on ahead with [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Armageddon]] regardless.
300* In ''VideoGame/UmJammerLammy'', Lammy is clumsy and hopeless until she gets her guitar, at which point she's confident, brilliant and unstoppable. Fortunately for her, in the first stage of the game she ends up DreamingTheTruth about how her guitar is in her mind (like how Chop Chop Master Onion's destroyed casino still exists in his mind), giving her full control over her magic feather abilities so long as she [[TriggerPhrase hears the word "casino"]]. Later on even this trigger word is no longer needed as she gains more confidence.
301* In ''VideoGame/SilentHillHomecoming'', it's eventually revealed that [[spoiler: Alex only ''acts'' like a bad ass ex-soldier because he ''believed'' he was one; reality isn't so pleasant]].
302* In ''VideoGame/HometownStory'', most of the PlayableEpilogue consists of the collection of fragments from a wish-granting item (which happens to be feather-shaped when complete), then using it to help various {{Non Player Character}}s. Granting the wish makes the item vanish. During one of such events, someone needs the item to become stronger to be able to fight a bully. At the end of the fight that was won by the wish-maker, it turns out that the feather-shaped item didn't vanish.
303* Implied in ''VideoGame/CrusaderKingsII'' with the [[HermeticMagic Hermetic Society]]. Their rituals give a character and ([[GenerationalSaga just as importantly]]) their offspring useful buffs, but nothing that can't be replicated through definitely non-magical means, and they work fine even with supernatural events turned off.
304* The ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'' games occasionally put a dark twist on this trope.
305** In the first game, the driver of Yellow Jacket, Charlie Kane, entered the Twisted Metal contest in the hopes of finding his long-lost son. Upon winning the contest, Calypso simply informs him that his son, Needles Kane, was the driver of Sweet Tooth in the contest -- meaning that he had already run across the person he was looking for, and ''killed him'' along the way. A despondent Charlie thinks about re-entering the competition next year so that Calypso can take away his suffering.
306** In ''Twisted Metal: Black'', the driver of Brimstone, a preacher who's suffering from DemonicPossession ever since a failed exorcism that resulted in his congregation getting killed, enters the contest hoping that Calypso can exorcise the demon. Calypso grants his wish... by revealing that there was no demon at all. The preacher was just insane, and ''he'' had killed his congregation, so Calypso couldn't do anything to help him. The preacher kills himself once he realizes that he can't run away from his sin.
307* ''VideoGame/LilGatorGame'': When you buy the last stamina bracelet, you're told that the bracelets do nothing and the stamina was within you all along. [[spoiler:Which means your stamina is no longer constrained by how many bracelets you have, giving you unlimited climbing!]]
308* Leila’s costume story in ''VideoGame/MagiaRecordPuellaMagiMadokaMagicaSideStory'' has Yozuru pretend to alter Leila’s memories so she’ll forget about her lack of confidence and be able to cook well, only to reveal after the food is finished that she never used her powers and Leila kept her cool on her own.
309[[/folder]]
310
311[[folder:Visual Novels]]
312* One of the characters from ''VisualNovel/TearsToTiara'' seduces TheHero using a magical RedStringOfFate she bought from the far east. While it did in fact have a functional, working LovePotion power, she tied the string to the wrong finger, meaning the two of them actually made out without its spell in effect.
313* In ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'', it is implied early on that Apollo's ability to Perceive tension and nervous tics in his witnesses is thanks to his bracelet. Later on, it is clarified that [[spoiler:the descendents of Magnifi Gramarye]], including Apollo [[spoiler:and Trucy]], have inherent powers of perception, and the bracelet is a [[spoiler:keepsake from Thalassa Gramarye]] which seems to tighten when the wearer detects tension and thus tenses themselves, creating the illusion that it is the source of the ability. This is [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-Zagged]], however, due to the fact that the tightening of the bracelet itself acts as a cue to begin intentionally using the ability. Without it, the increased tension in the body would be much harder to notice, and thus it would be far more difficult for Apollo to know when to begin using the ability in earnest. This gives the bracelet more importance than the standard Magic Feather, even after the above is revealed.
314[[/folder]]
315
316[[folder:Web Animation]]
317* In ''WebAnimation/BamanPiderman'', the Happy Winter Friends' wish was inside him all along! (Like, literally, inside him. He had a drawer in his chest.)
318* In the ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' review of ''VideoGame/{{Gris}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Ashen}}'', after going over the latter's online co-op feature, Yahtzee muses on the idea of a game claiming to have such a feature, but actually partnering up the player with [=AIs=] instead, as an inversion of this trope.
319-->''"Maybe I could've beaten that dungeon if the other guy hadn't been such a fuck-up."\
320"Haha! Don't you see? There was no other guy! The fuck-up was in you all along!"''
321[[/folder]]
322
323[[folder:Webcomics]]
324%%* [[http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=293 Strip 293]] from ''Webcomic/DinosaurComics'' has it all go wrong.
325* ''Webcomic/CheshireCrossing'' plays this straight with Dorothy's ruby slippers: The teleportation power was all hers. However, the slippers do possess some intrinsic power: the power to mimic the abilities of the last person to wear them.
326* Parodied in the ''Bandwidth Theater'' internet short entitled ''[[http://badgods.com/view/magicfeather/ Kevin Smith and his Magic Feather]]''. When Creator/KevinSmith bemoans losing his magic feather to his friend Helpful Rat, he assures him that the feather wasn't magic at all, it just helped him to believe in himself. When Kevin then goes on to contemplate shaving his magic beard, Helpful Rat quickly assures him that the beard actually ''is'' magic: it makes his wife love him, and keeps the moon from falling. (But it doesn't help with movies; it's just the wife and moon thing.)
327* ''Webcomic/PvP'':
328** Brent Sienna gives up coffee for health reasons. When the magazine is in crisis and desperately needs help, he insists on going back to coffee to give him his "edge." After his all-nighter, his girlfriend reveals that she has been bringing him [[http://www.pvponline.com/comic/2005/03/19/sat-mar-19/ decaf]].
329** Francis claimed that Skull's [[http://www.pvponline.com/comic/2005/04/13/wed-apr-13 gaming fez]] was one.
330* In ''Webcomic/AngelMoxie'', when Alex's staff is broken, she seemingly lost her magic. Miya tells that the staff only acts like a focus to get her started, [[LampshadeHanging while saying how cliched it is]].
331* Parodied in ''Webcomic/TheNonAdventuresOfWonderella''. [[http://nonadventures.com/2009/04/04/a-broken-pumice/ "See, this is why I don't do pep talks."]]
332* ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'': At least for Marten initially, the [[http://questionablecontent.net./view.php?comic=1203 Worry Hat]]. It gets passed on to Hannelore later on.
333* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
334** A sinister variant: when Vaarsuvius makes a DealWithTheDevil, the fiends tell them that the Soul Splice may cause some "feedback" related to their CharacterAlignment. After V casts Familicide, the fiends admit to Qarr that they were completely lying about that, and only made the claim because they knew it would lower V's inhibitions.
335** Enor gives Gannji "[[BlatantLies an authentic piece of lizardfolk Victory String]]" in response to the latter's fears of gladiatorial combat. Belkar and Roy immediately lampshade and parody the trope.
336* It's unclear whether the jester outfit that Maytag wears in ''Webcomic/{{Flipside}}'' actually [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman causes her]] to become incredibly outgoing and self-confident, but if it doesn't, it's likely to be this trope. Events seem to be heading this way, with [[CharacterDevelopment Maytag able to go on with her comedy act]] despite being magically stripped by a rival at the start of it. After a moment's hesitation, she even manages to joke about her situation.
337* [[http://www.erfworld.com/book-1-archive/?px=%2F148.jpg This]] ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'' page heavily implies that Thinkamancy, and to an extent Foolamancy work this way
338%%* [[http://www.explosm.net/comics/1801/ Another parody]], this time by ''Webcomic/CyanideAndHappiness''.
339* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''
340** The players use various focusing devices before they can fully control their powers. This isn't outrightly stated, but by comparing [[spoiler: Aradia's shift from using time-controlling music boxes to freezing Bec Noir in place with her mind]], it becomes obvious. Some characters just jump this hurdle entirely though. It's heavily implied that John was supposed to obtain a flute to teach him how to use [[BlowYouAway his windy thing]], and that Rose had a similar sidequest involving "learning how to play the rain", a statement which never gets defined.
341** [[spoiler:A slightly more sinister example is Rose's wands. Doc Scratch suggests that the real power was given directly to Rose by the horrorterrors and that the wands are a way to make her think she's working alone while actually doing their bidding.]]
342** [[spoiler: Another theory is that Rose wasn't given the power directly from the Horrorterrors, but instead inverted her Aspect, Light, which usually symbolizes knowledge. Sburb being Sburb, deviating from your fate doesn't tend to end too well for you, as showcased by Rose.]]
343* ''Webcomic/AmazingSuperPowers'' shows a [[http://www.amazingsuperpowers.com/2009/11/all-on-your-own/ case]] of overdoing this.
344* Inverted in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius''. Gil isn't convinced that his super-awesome perpetually-flaming hat (made for him by the Jagermonsters, who are ''[[SeriousBusiness very]]'' invested in hats) gives him any divine authority whatsoever. The rest of the crowd treat it like he's wearing a giant king's crown on fire (which it sort of is). Except one guy, who gets filed for promotion by Gil for having common sense. Basically, the hat makes him think less of himself (why is everyone willing to bow down and worship a [[spoiler:prince]] who wears a jester's crown -- OH WAIT), but almost all the non-regular cast are awed by it.
345* ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal''
346** Inverted in [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=3386#comic this]] comic. "The failure was in you all along!"
347** Subverted: [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?id=3942 No, it really is an evil artifact that now owns you.]]
348** Parodied: [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/all-along Why sociologists shouldn't be allowed to make movies:]] "It wasn't that ring that made you successful! It was the confidence it gave you -- in addition to being an able-bodied young person in history's richest country -- all along!"
349* Satan provides this aesop in [[http://zeropercentdiscountcomic.tumblr.com/post/70942350753 this]] strip from ''Webcomic/ZeroPercentDiscount''.
350* [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in ''Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFoxhound''. In one page, Liquid explains to Berthold that Psycho Mantis needs his mask in order to control his PowerIncontinence (if he wears the mask, he can read minds voluntarily. If the mask is removed, then the thoughts of every human within ten miles force their way into his head). Liquid comments that he doesn't know if the mask itself is magic, or if it's just a placebo that Mantis is dependent on to control his powers.
351* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Variant when Captain Murtaugh orders Kath to "be brilliant" and figure out the enemy's moves.
352-->'''Sorlie:''' You can order people to be brilliant?\
353'''Murtaugh:''' Shh... as long as ''they'' think I can, I get pretty good results.
354* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': Tedd created a glove that lets him enchant watches so they can cast spells. Pandora [[http://egscomics.com/comic/2017-07-03 reveals to him]] he's doing it under his own power.[[note]]Pandora does reveal the glove does make it easier for Tedd to customise spells for said wands so it does do something but given the incredible rarity of Seers like Tedd it's not nearly as useful as he hoped.[[/note]]
355-->'''Tedd:''' So this doesn't actually work. I put weeks into planning this thing. I was really proud of myself. I should have known something was wrong when it worked on the first try.
356[[/folder]]
357
358[[folder:Web Original]]
359* Website/{{Cracked}}.com article on PoesLaw: "[[http://www.cracked.com/blog/i-cant-tell-if-movies-are-being-serious-anymore You didn't even need those cars, Vin.]] The violence was inside you ''the whole time.''"
360* Website/TheOnion: [[https://www.theonion.com/viagra-announces-real-medicine-that-gave-customers-erec-1831776553 Viagra Announces Real Medicine That Gave Customers Erections Was Confidence All Along]]
361[[/folder]]
362
363[[folder:Web Videos]]
364* The ''WebVideo/{{Oxventure}}'' Dungeons and Dragons campaign pulls a parody of this when the guild is trying to sell an obviously haunted house that tries to kill and/or horribly maim the prospective buyers.
365-->'''Prudence''': It's your family home, it's the ancestral home of the Milquetoasts. Maybe it wants you to stay here, Corazón.\
366'''Corazón''': But it's horrible and keeps murdering people!\
367'''Prudence''': I mean, ''we're'' horrible, and ''we'' keep murdering people. Maybe we're the perfect match.\
368'''Corazón''': Oh my God, I've learned such a valuable lesson.\
369'''Prudence''': The house was inside us all along.\
370'''Corazón''': "I've learned such a valuable lesson," I say, as I spread kerosene around the room and search through my pack for some matches.
371[[/folder]]
372
373[[folder:Western Animation]]
374* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'': The same "doping jelly" plot as in ''The Olympic Smurfs'' was carried over in an episode of the Creator/HannaBarbera animated series, where it is used on Weakly Smurf to make him stop thinking he really is weak. He ends up saving the village from a collapsing bridge during a storm and being crowned a hero as a result.
375* Played straight in the most recent ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'' series, where one episode had Hadji's ruby (the one in his turban, which was supposedly a magic charm from his mentor in mysticism) turn out to be red glass.
376* Subverted in ''three'' different episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'':
377** "[[Recap/FuturamaS2E1ISecondThatEmotion I Second That Emotion]]", in which Bender is given the emotion chip, so that he feels what Leela feels. At the end of the episode, after Bender saves Nibbler due to his feeling compassion for him, the Professor removes the chip and says, "The chip shorted out! That emotion you felt was your own... no, wait, I'm wrong. It was actually running at triple capacity." Bender responds, "And I still barely felt anything! Good night, losers!"
378** "[[Recap/FuturamaS3E22The30PercentIronChef The 30% Iron Chef]]": After Bender wins a cooking competition using drops from a crystal flask filled with "the essence of pure flavor", Professor Farnsworth runs a chemical analysis and announces the mystery liquid is "''Water!'' Ordinary ''water''!" Immediately after Fry concludes that all Bender needed to cook well was confidence, the professor adds, "Yes, ordinary water, [[spoiler:laced with nothing more than a few spoonfuls of LSD]]."
379** "[[Recap/FuturamaS4E18TheDevilsHandsAreIdlePlaythings The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings]]": Fry loses the robot hands that allowed him to play the holophoner so well. Dr. Zoidberg shouts, "The beauty was in your heart, not your hands!" Fry attempts to continue playing, but does horribly. Dr. Zoidberg shouts, "Your music is bad, and you should feel bad!" Played with in that when Fry turns to leave, Leela (the only remaining audience member) asks him to play anyway. Though he needed the robot hands to play well, he still has the ability to win the affection of Leela (which is what he wanted in the first place) even without them.
380* In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS9E14BloodyMary Bloody Mary]]", Randy Marsh is diagnosed as an alcoholic, and is convinced it is a disease that only God can cure. He hears about a miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary which suddenly started bleeding from its ass, and goes to it hoping it can cure him, and it actually does. However, when the Pope examines the statue to verify the miracle, he determines the statue is actually bleeding from its vagina, and is therefore not miraculous, because women are supposed to do that ([[InsaneTrollLogic ignoring the fact that statues of women aren't supposed to bleed from anywhere]]). After hearing the news, Randy immediately falls back into alcoholism until his son points out that these events show he has what it takes to beat the addiction himself.
381* This seems to be the case with the Super Sauce that Super Chicken (who appeared in the ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeOfTheJungle'' cartoon) supposedly used to fuel his powers; it was highly implied that the sauce, which his assistant Fred made, was just a placebo that helped the hero use his natural powers.
382* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
383** {{Subverted}} in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E20LastTapDanceInSpringfield Last Tap Dance in Springfield]]". In it, Lisa is part of a Shirley Temple {{Expy}}'s tap dancing class, but is [[TheKlutz extremely clumsy]]. Professor Frink offers to help out by putting the motors from a sound-activated dancing toy in her shoes. At the recital, she does dance well, but the tremendous applause causes her to do things like WallRun and even outdance her teacher. After the recital:
384--> '''Frink:''' [looking at shoes] Jesus, Mary and glavin! These shoes are in the Off position!\
385'''Lisa:''' You mean I danced all by myself?\
386'''Marge:''' See, honey? All you needed was to believe--\
387'''Homer:''' [[SubvertedTrope [taking the shoes] What are you talking about, Professor Frink? They're clearly in the On position. [showing them to ''Lisa''] See? "On".]]\
388'''Frink:''' I was merely trying to spare the girl's feelings, you insensitive clod.\
389'''Homer:''' Oh - OH! [[VerbalBackspace Well, now that I look even CLOSER-]]
390** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS24E19WhiskeyBusiness Whiskey Business]]", Moe gets a new suit, which causes others to treat him better and directly leads to his whiskey going public. When he loses the suit, Marge tells him the magic was inside him all along, even referencing ''WesternAnimation/{{Dumbo}}'', the TropeNamer itself. Subverted when Moe goes to the public stock presentation without the suit, his appearance causing the company to collapse immediately.
391* ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' subverts this trope. Mordecai and Rigby, trying to form a rock band, are visited by their future selves who promise to make them successful. Their future selves teach their present selves about dancing and fashion, but neglect to teach them how to actually play their instruments. Right before it's time for the present M&R to play their first gig, the future M&R show up with magic guitar picks, and miraculously, the gig begins successfully. In the middle of the song, however, present Mordecai realizes that, while it wasn't the magic guitar picks, it wasn't their natural talent either; the microphones and electric guitars were unplugged, and the pre-recorded song was playing in the background.
392* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'':
393** In one episode, Kim is unable to pass her driving test. By coincidence, she has to team up for a mission with a self-driving car, and uses it to pass the test. While on her mission something goes wrong and the computer can't control the car anymore, and Kim needs to drive the car she and Ron are in out of the villain's lair, she protests she can't drive, and the computer tells her that it never did anything - it was her all along. Kim, inspired, drives the car out of the collapsing lair. Subverted when the computer reveals that it lied - the computer had been doing the driving before, but needed to inspire her.
394** Done a second time when Kim feels like she's lost her mojo when her signature costume gets shredded and is discontinued. However it was subverted in that it was less those specific clothes as having a distinct set of mission clothes, and with the help of some criminal fashion designers she's soon back to her ass-kicking ways.
395* Played straight in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' episode "Cover Up" with [[ActionGirl Buttercup]] and a security blanket. Buttercup needs to be thoroughly convinced she can fight without the blankie after it's misplaced. Once she is, she gives it up and the girls' father Professor Utonium snatches it up claiming it had recently helped him create his newest invention.
396* Played straight in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983''. After Adam is taken hostage by Skeletor, leaving only Orko and Cringer able to get his sword to him, Cringer seems the best one to try (seeing that, if he manages, he would have the best benefit, being able to become Battle-Cat when Adam turns into He-Man. In order to get the well-known LovableCoward to even try, Orko gives him a supposed magical amulet that he claims gives the wearer bravery, and it actually works, letting Cringer even get past a ghost in a dark part of the dungeons of Snake Mountain. At the end of the story, after Cringer's mission succeeds, he finds he lost the amulet, but Orko tells him it was just a piece of junk anyway.
397* Used in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985'', when the mind-controlling villain Alluro acquires an amulet in a box that is supposed to ramp up powers. He then proceeds to easily mesmerize all the heroes except for Snarf, who manages to get the box away from him, and then defeat him, even using the powers of the [[EmpathicWeapon Sword of Omens]], which had previously only activated for its proper wielder. At the end, naturally, Snarf realizes he never bothered to open the box to see what the amulet looked like, and when he ''does'' open it, it's revealed that the amulet inside has been broken for some time. Probably a good thing nobody told the bad guy.
398* In the ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' episode "The Duelist and the Drifter", MasterSwordsman The duelist challenges TheHero Lion-O to a SwordFight, [[TheBet wagering their swords]] and Lion-O loses. The UltimateBlacksmith that made the Duelist's sword makes another one for Lion-O and a rematch takes place. The Duelist loses despite Lion-O's new sword being [[WreckedWeapon broken in half]] and ends up being humiliated by the blacksmith. The blacksmith explains that the duelist's sword took years to be forged and the new one took just a few hours, so Lion-O had it in himself to defeat the Duelist the whole time.
399* Happens in ''WesternAnimation/GeneratorRex'' with the titular characters' Goggles. Back when Rex started working for Providence [[PowerIncontinence he had little control over his powers]], so Agent Six presented him with the Goggles which he said came from a master craftsman that Six had defeated in the past; claiming that with these goggles Rex would be able to get control of his powers. Zigzagged in that Rex had figured out that [[TheGogglesDoNothing the Goggles didn't even do anything]], but he still wore them [[ParentalSubstitute because he looked up to Six as a Father.]]
400* Used several times in episodes of the children's animation ''WesternAnimation/DragonTales''.
401** [[LovableCoward Ord]] believes that he can only do aerial tricks with a lucky stone, but, upon unknowingly losing said stone, still is able to do the tricks. It turns out [[{{Anvilicious}} as expected]].
402** In a slight variation on the trope, Ord is afraid of a thunder storm until given a cape, which he uses to pretend he's a super hero, causing him to no longer be afraid of the thunder.
403** In another slight variation of this trope, Cassie goes to the wishing well to wish for a talent for the talent show. In order to convince the jaded wishing well to help, Cassie helps the wishing well and promises to be her friend. Then Cassie realizes that she already has a talent; helping people. A bit Anvilicious, but still cute.
404* In a fourth season story of ''WesternAnimation/{{Franklin}}'', Bear is having trouble at basketball, so Franklin gives him a clover that he tells him is a "lucky" four-leaf clover. Not only do Bear's basketball skills improve, but other lucky things happen to him and he think it's all due to the clover, not knowing that it's really just a regular clover with an extra leaf taped to it. As Bear's luck starts to go to his head, he starts making risky moves and Franklin decides he has to tell him the truth. As soon as he does, Bear experiences a crippling lack of confidence, until Franklin reminds him that it wasn't really a real clover, so all of his luck was his own.
405* In a first season story of ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', Arthur believes that he has a "lucky pencil" that helps him do well on tests. He seems to realize eventually that he did well because he studied, though that doesn't stop him from whining loudly when D.W. tries to claim the pencil for her own. The story of the pencil became the basis for a song on the original ''Arthur'' music album, ''Arthur And Friends: The First Almost Real Not Live CD''.
406* ''WesternAnimation/{{Shelldon}}''
407** An episode featured a series of flashbacks showing Mayor Yoko giving members of the community trinkets that he claimed were magic, but were really just Magic Feathers. When the community was threatened by an impending catastrophe, Shelldon and his friends traveled to his office to try to get some of his magic, and discovered the truth.
408** So nice, it was used twice. In "Magic Mojo," Shelldon becomes the mascot of the school finball team and comes to believe his mascot costume is magic after he ends up being subbed into the team and scores a game-winning goal. When the costume ends up getting shrunk in the wash, he despairs. He ends up seeking help from Doctor Shell, but when he doesn't believe Doctor Shell's advice that the mojo comes from him, Doctor Shell gives him what he claims to be a powerful mojo charm. After winning the big game, Shelldon returns it to him and he ''eats'' it. It turns out it was a peanut butter candy.
409* In "Follow Your Nose," a VerySpecialEpisode of ''WesternAnimation/PBAndJOtter'', Jelly's "Super Jellina Cape of Fearlessness" helped her to be less afraid of the dark.
410* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' had Christopher Robin give Piglet a pair of "magical earmuffs" so that he could ice skate. Piglet loses the earmuffs, and believes that he cannot skate without them...until his friends are in danger. Naturally, Piglet saves the day, even without the "magic."
411* On ''Series/WonderShowzen'', Chauncey chugs a vial of pure liquid imagination and becomes addicted. Later, the revelation that it was regular tap water all along instantly cures him.
412* On ''WesternAnimation/XavierRenegadeAngel'', when Xavier's mother demands he bring her pills and alcohol, he gives her placebos and apple juice. Years later, her life has spiraled into ruin and she laments her addictions, so Xavier reveals that she'd been using harmless substances all along. She promptly [[GoMadFromTheRevelation loses her mind]].
413* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
414** In "Free Samples" when the customers begin to riot against the Krusty Krab after Plankton gave them chum-shaped krabby patties, [=SpongeBob=] wins them back by making new patties. When questioned by Mr. Krabs over how he did such a thing, [=SpongeBob=] explains he just sold the regular run-of-the-mill patties, but passed them off under a new name with a different taste.
415** In "Life Insurance", a misunderstanding from a life insurance commercial causes [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick that signing said contract would protect them from all sorts of danger, to the point of having Squidward do such as well. But they soon find out the awful truth that life insurance is really an amount of money one will receive from someone when they die, and it's not protective at all.
416* ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'' plays with this concept using Junko's [[PowerFist Knuckle Busters]], which were given to him when he was younger by his aunt to make him stronger. Being a Wallop, he's actually [[SuperStrength plenty strong already]] but he suffered a bad case of doubting his own strength due to bullying in his youth. However, the episode shows that one would build up muscle using them anyways, anyway (since the item in question is really heavy) and that they stop your wrists from hurting after punching metal, meaning they were always meant to be a ''complement'' to his natural strength rather than the source like he imagined.
417* A unique version was used in ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'' when XR's BlackSheep brother XL attacked him and stole a component from him called an AFD, which was the only difference between them he could find in their schematics. Naturally, XR felt that without it, he was useless. In the end, it was revealed that the AFD was merely an Air Freshening Device and that what XR had in him that made him great was not in a robotic sense.
418* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'', Splinter performs an impressive feat of magic with three tiny white spheres, shrinking three inflated turtles back to normal. He explains the spheres were given to him by a wise Sensei for use in an emergency, but they aren't made of anything magical:
419-->'''Michelangelo:''' Oh, that's awesome stuff! What ''are'' those things, Sensei?\
420'''Splinter:''' I believe they are commonly called... mothballs.\
421'''Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael:''' Mothballs?!\
422'''Splinter:''' You were expecting diamonds?\
423'''Donatello:''' But how could they shrink us back to normal?\
424'''Splinter:''' If someone believes in something strongly enough, it just might happen.\
425'''Donatello:''' Yeah, but... with mothballs?\
426'''Raphael:''' Hey! Don't look a gift moth in the mouth!
427* In ''WesternAnimation/RekkitRabbit'', Rekkit gives Jake some magical help that makes him a genius (with a [[MyBrainIsBig giant head]]) to win a competition. He then loses the effects of the magic, but Rekkit says there WAS no magic and he really IS that smart. So he goes on with the competition... [[SubvertedTrope and basically just drools and blabs incoherently]]. After failing, Rekkit says that unfortunately there really was magic.
428* The 'magic' boardshorts in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Stoked}}!'' episode "Boardy Brotherhood".
429* ''Franchise/{{Rugrats}}'':
430** In the [[WesternAnimation/Rugrats1991 1991 series]] epsiode, "[[Recap/RugratsS2E11SuperheroChuckieTheDogBroomer Superhero Chuckie]]", Chuckie is outfitted with a super hero "costume" by the other babies, including a towel-for-a-cape, saying that it would give him super powers and be a real hero. However, when he loses the cape and ''still'' defeats Angelica, who had stolen away his globe beach ball, the babies realize it was all in him.
431** In the [[WesternAnimation/Rugrats2021 2021 reboot]] episode, "Lucky Smudge", Angelica wins all the games at her school carnival when she has Tommy, who has a smudge on his belly, by her side. Near the end of the episode, she spins a special wheel in the hopes of winning a Cynthia Shimmering Diva Disco Playset. When Didi wipes the smudge off of Tommy's belly, Angelica ends up winning a set of Colby Clay instead. Even though Tommy had his smudge wiped off, the babies realize that she still won those games due to her own skills, and her winning the Colby Clay was good luck for them, since it's what they like to play with.
432** In "Bottles Away", another episode from the 2021 reboot, Tommy is unsure about giving up his bottle after a wave washes it away, so he and his friends go on an adventure where they pretend to be pirates to get it back. Tommy spends much of the episode determined to get his bottle back despite his friends sharing their stories of when they started drinking from sippy cups. He eventually gets into a battle with a sea monster (really Stu's octopus-shaped kite), and when he finally gets his bottle back from it, he realizes that he was brave enough to fight the sea monster without it, so he decides to hand it down to his new baby brother.
433* Subverted in the ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'' episode "Cow's Magic Blanket". Cow had a security blanket until she grew tired of the taunts and threw it away. She later told Chicken that blanket was Supercow's cape and source of power. Overhearing this, Red Guy started hurting the other kids under the belief no superhero would stop him. Chicken then recovered the blanket and tried to use it on himself and become "Wonder Wattle" but Red easily defeated him. Chicken tried to convince Cow it meant she had the power all along but she points out he just has the cape backwards and flips it making Chicken become Wonder Wattle for real.
434* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower'': [[LovableCoward Sorrowful]] the Dragon (in the episode "The Laughing Dragon") is given a necklace of roses that She-Ra tells him will give him courage. He then proceeds to open a can of whoopass on the Horde. When he finds out that the flowers aren't really magical, he faints.
435* ''WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost'' was given one from Dr. Harvey for a school play.
436* ''WesternAnimation/CareBearsAdventuresInCareALot'': In "Luck o' the Oopsy", Oopsy is afraid of participating in the Care-a-lot Grand Prix because of his constant oopsys, so Good Luck gives him a four-leaf clover to give him some luck. Oopsy puts the clover under his helmet and practices flawlessly, but when the race begins, the clover falls out but he is still able to win, because of his hard work and not giving up.
437* The Creator/{{Terrytoons}} Dinky Duck cartoon ''Sink or Swim'' (1952) has an owl give Dinky a "skyhook" (a stick with a hooked branchlet) to help him swim.
438* ''WesternAnimation/AngelinaBallerina'': In "The Lucky Penny", Angelina is practicing for an upcoming audition but her moves aren't as good; when she finds the eponymous penny, she somehow improves at her dancing and feels like she doesn't need to practice. After losing the penny during a movie, Angelina realizes it wasn't the penny that improved her dancing, it was her time, patience, and hard work, all of which she uses to perform her audition perfectly and passes.
439* ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'': In the episode ''Dumber Days'', Meatwad discovers what he thought was his brain is only a cat toy. Frylock tells Meatwad he is giving him a new brain, and after the brain is implanted Meatwad gains an interest in science and can do incredible feats of telekinesis. Later, Frylock reveals that the "brain" he put into Meatwad is the same cat toy with macaroni and glitter glued to it, and Meatwad subsequently reverts to his old "dumb" self.
440* In the ''WesternAnimation/HelloKittysFurryTaleTheater'' episode "Cat Wars", a spoof of ''Franchise/StarWars'', the Luke Skywalker expy is given a fur coat he believes allows him to access his powers. Naturally, he loses the coat, but realizes he doesn't need it and defeats the Darth Vader expy.
441* ''WesternAnimation/CliffordTheBigRedDog'' did this in "Lucky Charm", where Emily Elizabeth had a lucky stone to help her skate, but losing her confidence after losing it and feels like she can't accomplish anything. Her friends, Charley and Vaz decided to help her by making another lucky stone and pretend that they "found it". They revealed to Emily that it wasn't her real stone, but tell her that she doesn't need a luck charm.
442* ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'': In "[[SuperheroEpisode Power Squid and Spaghetti Beezy]]", Heloise gives Jimmy a "squid-based muscle enhancer" to put on his head for superpowers. When the squid is stolen by Lucius in the middle of a fight with the [[VillainousHarlequin Rodeo Clowns]], leaving Jimmy defenseless, a hologram of Heloise tells Jimmy "it was never the squid - the power was always deep within you". She [[SubvertedTrope might have been lying]] since her tiny assistant Dorkus had been able to lift a bull while wearing it earlier, but Jimmy does manage to drive off the clowns in the end while Lucius has no luck using the stolen squid for evil.
443** Parodied in the same scene. When Heloise tells Jimmy the above line, Beezy asks if the same applies with his garlic breath superpower and the spaghetti and cooking pot he wears on his head. Heloise responds with "No, you just have really bad breath."
444* Season 5 of ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' has Krieger inject a "mind control chip" into Cheryl's brain, so that she can overcome her stage fright and become country singing sensation Cherlene like she wanted all along. At the end of the season, Krieger reveals it was just the sticker off of a Lego spaceman... that he still injected into her brain.
445--> '''Cheryl''': So you mean all this time, all I had to do was believe in myself? And get a sticker in my brain?
446* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "Leap of Faith", the [[SnakeOilSalesman Flim-Flam Brothers]] sell a supposedly miracle cure-all tonic that is really just ordinary juice. The elderly Granny Smith takes it and surprisingly becomes agile and energetic again. Applejack exposes the con and saves Granny from killing herself doing a reckless stunt because she thought the tonic made her invincible. They realize Granny's belief in herself was what gave her strength, allowing her to still play with the others without having to take the tonic.
447* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'': Invoked, but subverted in one of the Choose Your Own Ending shorts. Should Rainbow Dash choose to accept Bulk Biceps' help, he gives her his lucky sock to help her win a soccer game. When she does win, Bulk explains that the sock was just an ordinary sock, and that Rainbow Dash didn't need luck to win the game. The subversion comes from the fact that [[ThePigPen Bulk hasn't washed his socks in years]], and the sock he gave to Rainbow Dash was smelly enough to knock out the opposing team.
448* In the "Royal Pain" episode of ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness'', Po vows to train Lu Kang, the emperor's grandson and potential heir, under pain of death, in the ways of Kung Fu. Po makes little headway until he tricks Lu Kang into believing that an ordinary bean pod, which he promotes as the "Sacred Bean Pod of Kensu", will give him Kung Fu powers. It works, until the week's villain, [[spoiler: his adviser and caretaker]], destroys it. Of course, Lu Kang gains his confidence back when Po reveals the deception.
449* There's a moment in the original ''WesternAnimation/RainbowBrite'' episode "Peril in the Pits". Murky Dismal steals Rainbow's magic belt and traps our heroes in a dark cave, thinking they'll get depressed. They're trying to figure out how to escape without using the belt, and she blurts out "But we still have hope! And hope doesn't come from a belt. It comes from inside us!"
450* In "Puddle's Lucky Clover" from ''WesternAnimation/TootAndPuddle'', Puddle upturns his and Toot's house looking for his lucky clover, then searches for a near one when he can't find it. He wants it because he feels it helped him win last year's beanbag toss, and he wants to win this year's one. Toot tells him from the start that what he needs it to practice. Otto tells him as much too, but he's still not convinced. Dr. Ha Song agrees to let him borrow his favorite coin. After Puddle wins that years beanbag toss, Dr. Ha Song tells him that he never said the coin was "lucky." It also turns out he lost it anyway, which leads him to realize he never needed it.
451* ''WesternAnimation/TuffPuppy'': In "Thunder Dog" when Dudley is spooked one too many times by Bird Brain's Thunderbird because of his fear of thunder, Kitty gives him the collar she was wearing to boost his confidence, saying Keswick made it for her to enhance her bravery. In the end she tells him the collar has no special effects, and he believed in himself to conquer his fear.
452* On ''WesternAnimation/SheriffCalliesWildWest'', Sparky's lucky scarf in the story "Sparky's Lucky Day" is this. If you believe the story's song, "Amazing Lucky Scarf," then with it, Sparky can "''...hop that fence! Fly just like the birds / And beat 'em to the barn!''" It's certainly stylish enough, but it doesn't actually have any special properties.
453* Inverted in the ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' episode "Look Who's Purging Now", when the normally meek Morty goes on a bloodthirsty warpath during the Purge. At the end of the episode, Morty is worried that he has several demons to work out within himself, only to be told by Rick that a candy bar he had eaten earlier contained Purgenol, which increases aggression. Cue the shot showing [[spoiler:that the candy bar is "Now Purgenol-Free".]]
454* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'':
455** The series did this with Season 17's "[[Recap/ThomasAndFriendsS17E14PercysLuckyDay Percy's Lucky Day]]", where Stephen gives Percy his lucky horseshoe. The twist is that Percy accidentally left the shoe at the castle, and Stephen told him that he did all the things after he left without any help from the horseshoe.
456** The concept is revisited in Season 23's "[[Recap/ThomasAndFriendsS23E2CrowningAround Crowning Around]]", where Rajiv loses his crown when it gets knocked off his funnel by a crane and taken by the monkeys. He believes that he can't be useful without it, and Shankar has to do his work for him. Near the end of the episode, when Noor Jehan can't stop due to her brakes being jammed and is heading towards Shankar, Rajiv pushes Shankar out of the way just in time, which gets him to realize that he can still be useful without his crown.
457* A story arc with ''WesternAnimation/TomTerrific'' has Tom helping a ragtag bunch of little kids compete in a series of athletic events against a team of bullies. Tom kits the kids out with plain tennis shoes but tells them that they're magic shoes that will help them win. The confidence boost soon kicks in as the kids defeat the bullies. Tom lets on that the shoes were just regular shoes afterwards,
458* In the ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies2018'' episode, "No Laughing Matter", when Fozzie loses his Great-Uncle Schnozzie's lucky joke book, he thinks he can't be funny without it. The other babies get Bunsen and Beaker to make a new lucky joke book for Fozzie, and when Fozzie sees that Rizzo borrowed the real lucky joke book, he realizes that he doesn't need it, as he still performed his funny joke show without it.
459* In the ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'' episode "Curses!", Rapunzel angers a gypsy by refusing to give up the telescope given to her by her father. The gypsy then declares that Rapunzel will be cursed with misfortune. After experincing all kinds of bad luck, Rapunzel is about to give up her telescope to end the curse until Eugene gives her a moose tooth that is supposed to be a good luck charm to counteract the curse. After this, Rapunzel then gains the confidence to cross a dangerous ravine. But halfway through, the tooth is revealed to have come from Shorty's mouth, and she starts to worry that the curse will prevent them from getting to safety, until Eugene tells her that luck only exists if you believe in it.
460* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'', the title character gets a new adrenal gland from whom he ''thinks'' is a world famous stuntman who recently died in a freak accident. This leads to him believing he can do all sorts of monumental stunts and acts of derring-do. And it works...until his partner informs him that the gland came from a dyslexic accountant (and a new adrenal gland wouldn't give one increased strength, balance or flexibility, either). He calls off his latest daring stunt and everything is back to normal.
461* In the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "The Scarlett Getter" Steve believes wearing a pair of Hayley's panties gives him good luck. After Snot steals them, Hayley explains to Steve using the episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'' as an example, that it was really his confidence that gave him luck, not the panties. This trope is subverted when it is revealed Hayley does believe they're magic and beats up Snot and takes back the panties from him.
462** In a later episode, Stan does not feel comfortable in his non-suit clothes so Roger utilizes a fashion designer persona to help only to then reveal that he can't design clothes and Stan's newly gained confidence was within himself all along namedropping the TropeNamer.
463---> '''Roger:''' That's right Stan! This is a motherfucking ''WesternAnimation/{{Dumbo}}'' type deal!
464* The ''WesternAnimation/SevenLittleMonsters'' episode "The Winning Streak" has Mama give Six a ring she calls a Zimplooky and telling her it will improve her skill at bowling. When Six ends up losing the Zimplooky after a couple of strikes, Mama reveals to her daughter that the Zimplooky was a mere trinket and that Six had the confident to bowl well within her the whole time.
465* ''WesternAnimation/MovilleMysteries'': In one episode, a slacker believes he's gained talent playing the guitar by inadvertently selling his soul to the Devil, disguised as an old musician. He becomes increasingly paranoid from various supernatural happenings that [[YourSoulIsMine Satan is coming to collect on his debt]], with his sister trying to help him. In the end, it's revealed he actually gained his skill through practice and hard work; [[spoiler:his sister, however, sold ''her'' soul and [[CainAndAbel has been trying to set him up]] [[SiblingMurder so the Devil will claim him instead.]]]]
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