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| 3 | %% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks! |
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| 7 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1345383135046180100 |
| 8 | %% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread. |
| 9 | %% |
| 10 | [[quoteright:319:[[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1d01b217_c22b_4a68_98bc_d7ea635a5233.png]]]] |
| 11 | [[caption-width-right:319:[-It could be worse; at least they're [[VisualPun bright and punctual.]]-] ]] |
| 12 | %% |
| 13 | ->''"The chieftain had been turned into a pumpkin although, in accordance with the rules of universal humour, he still had his hat on."'' |
| 14 | -->-- '''Creator/TerryPratchett''', ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'' |
| 15 | |
| 16 | In fiction, when people turn into things, often times, the things will... [[ShapedLikeItself look like themselves]]. Characters will often retain specific traits between physical forms. In some cases, this is as easy as hair and [[EyesAreMental eye color]], which makes sense to a degree. Things get a little [[FridgeLogic confusing]], though, when characters end up keeping a color scheme or markings based on, say, [[MagicPants the clothes they were wearing]]. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | It's done, of course, so the viewer/audience/reader can tell them apart from [[RuleOfPerception other animals]] or other people wearing the same outfit, if they're infiltrating and pretending to be someone else. It can also extend to the shapeshifter's voice, retaining their identifying vocal range, regional accent, and personal inflections regardless of whether their current body should be able to speak in that manner or not (sort of a non-malicious version of VoicesAreMental). |
| 19 | |
| 20 | If these identifying cues become relevant to the plot, it will probably become a GlamourFailure. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Named after a not-so-popular hypothesis by biologist Rupert Sheldrake, in which the forms of organisms are imprinted upon "morphic fields", which in turn influence the forms of subsequent organisms (at least, before science-fiction authors hijacked the term to name this trope's concept), and for that see LamarckWasRight. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | Compare TransformationConventions, the object or being a character transforms into fits their personality. May be brought upon by being subject to a ForcedTransformation. If the retained traits are indicative of an evil nature, see also RedRightHand. See also ShapeshifterDefaultForm, and ShapeshiftingExcludesClothing. Contrast FisherKingdom. If the eyes are a major or sole link between a character's forms, it can overlap with EyeDentityGiveaway. |
| 25 | ---- |
| 26 | !!Examples Subpages: |
| 27 | |
| 28 | [[index]] |
| 29 | * MorphicResonance/AnimeAndManga |
| 30 | * [[MorphicResonance/AnimatedFilms Films — Animated]] |
| 31 | * MorphicResonance/VideoGames |
| 32 | * MorphicResonance/{{Webcomics}} |
| 33 | * MorphicResonance/WesternAnimation |
| 34 | [[/index]] |
| 35 | |
| 36 | !!Other Examples: |
| 37 | |
| 38 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 39 | |
| 40 | [[folder:Animation]] |
| 41 | * ''Animation/KungFuWa'': When Tee Yang transforms into Kung-Fu Girl, she gains [[ForcedTransformation Kung Fu Sock's]] physical traits from when he had a body, which includes flowing hair, and although her hair is pink instead of his hair color (mint green), one of her socks is mint green. |
| 42 | * ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'': Wolffy retains his EarNotch and RuggedScar when he turns into a dog in ''Mighty Little Defenders''. |
| 43 | [[/folder]] |
| 44 | |
| 45 | [[folder:Card Games]] |
| 46 | * ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': |
| 47 | ** (Almost) every creature card with the Morph ability from Onslaught block has a "morph spider", either the creature itself or in the form of a subtler object, hidden in its artwork. It was only occasionally heeded to when it returned in the Time Spiral block, but was largely ignored. When Morph returned in Khans of Tarkir, though, a new clue in some artworks was shown: a yellow ball of energy with a bunch of swirling "tails" that kind of look like dragon tails. For the second block in the set, Fate Reforged, a similar mechanic, Manifest, had a similar signifier: blueish-white versions of these energy balls. |
| 48 | ** There are streaks of brown fur just above Arlinn Kord's right eye in her werewolf form that mirror a pair of scars in the same location in her human form. Her fur is also the same ginger-tawny color as her hair. |
| 49 | * ''TabletopGame/PokemonTradingCardGame'': One of the expansions includes cards of Ditto mimicking various Pokémon: they all have in common Ditto's wide mouth and dotty eyes. |
| 50 | [[/folder]] |
| 51 | |
| 52 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 53 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'': In one comic, the genie switches Aladdin and Jasmine's bodies to teach them a lesson, and their clothes change colors to reflect their normal colors. (Aladdin as Jasmine's top and pants are purple and white, and Jasmine as Aladdin's vest and pants are blue.) |
| 54 | %%* ''ComicBook/AlphaFlight'': Snowbird is always albino. |
| 55 | * ''ComicBook/AstroCity'': The Spirit of Counterculture has taken many forms over the years, every one of them being some stripe of FadSuper (Bouncing Beatnik, Jazzbaby, Mr. Cakewalk, Halcyon Hippie, Glamorax, Zootsuit), and frequently changing in age, gender, and ethnicity. However, all of them have black hair and gold skin, their outfit is always some mix of black, white, gold, and red, and many of the ones we see have a prominent diamond shape in their design. |
| 56 | * ''Franchise/TheDCU'': |
| 57 | ** ''ComicBook/PlasticMan'': Plastic Man can become almost anything, but keeps his colors. Whether or not he has to keep his goggles and other facial features depends on the writer and/or medium. His power is actually being semi-fluid and he is therefore able to stretch/contort into the shape of anything. He does not actually turn into the thing. There is a JLA comic where Plastic Man turned into an aeroplane that could actually fly. And, with tremendous effort, he once turned the tip of his nose blue. Of course, this particular trait has gotten him caught out a few times, such as when he [[http://comiccoverage.typepad.com/comic_coverage/images/2007/05/21/jla_33_2.jpg disguised himself as a dress to be worn by Big Barda.]] Averted in ''ComicBook/JLA1997'' when Plastic Man managed to successfully disguise himself as the Joker, turning his skin white, his hair green and his costume purple. |
| 58 | ** ''ComicBook/SupermansPalJimmyOlsen2019'': Due to a mix-up with a DNA injection, Jimmy gets turned into a human-sized turtle. Despite losing all other human characteristics, he keeps his red hair. |
| 59 | ** In ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' story "ComicBook/TheUnknownLegionnaire", shape-shifting Proteans taken human shapes to stalk the Legionnaires. When they turn back into their original forms, the Proteans keep the heads of whoever they were impersonating sticking out of the top of their lumpy, blob-like bodies. |
| 60 | ** ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'': Changeling (a.k.a. Beast Boy) is always green in his various animal forms. ''ComicBook/New52'' made him always red instead (as they'd tied him into The Red, the metaphysical manifestation of the Animal Kingdom which ComicBook/AnimalMan draws power from, and the animal equivalent to Swamp Thing's The Green), though it only lasted a couple years. |
| 61 | * ''ComicBook/EightBillionGenies'': A variation. When everybody on Earth is assigned a genie to grant them a wish, the genie will look a little like their person -- they'll look about the same age and have markings similar to their hair, facial hair, and glasses (if any). |
| 62 | * ''ComicBook/{{Hound|2014}}'': Morrigan is a hooded crow in animal form and a dark-haired beautiful woman in human form. Her unique font and speech balloon style also extend to her Fomorian guise of Calatin at times. |
| 63 | * ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'': |
| 64 | ** ''ComicBook/AvengersTheInitiative'': The secret Skrull spy Crusader has a flashback to a combat training exercise on his homeworld where his opponent K'rtem gave him a scar. Crusader vowed to keep the scar no matter what form he took in tribute to K'rtem's might. |
| 65 | ** Dirtnap's forms always kept the smiley-face (classic yellow-circle smiley thing) on the stomach. |
| 66 | ** Impossible Man -and all the other Popuppians- can shapechange into different forms but always keeps his green and purple coloration. This is, in fact, how he lost a ShapeshifterShowdown once. After trying to impress each other with a wide variety of assumed shapes for the entire issue, his opponent [[ComicBook/NewMutants Warlock]] (with a little help from his teammates, who felt the whole thing was getting out of hand) hit upon the idea of ''changing color'', which he could do and Impy couldn't. |
| 67 | ** ''ComicBook/Marvel2099'': In ''X-Nation 2099'', the mutant Willow always has a particular marking around her left eye, even though her shapeshifting powers are otherwise so precise that she can duplicate another person's form right down to their DNA. |
| 68 | ** ''ComicBook/NewMutants'': Warlock at one time was only able to shapeshift into black things with yellow circuitry. But he got better at shapeshifting and that quality went away. |
| 69 | * ''ComicBook/{{Melusine}}'': The eponymous witch is once seen [[{{Animorphism}} turned into a cat]]. A black-and-green stripped cat, which are the colors of her usual clothes. |
| 70 | * ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW'': Though Mimic the Octopus' VoluntaryShapeshifting is powerful, there are a few things he can't change: the suckers on his hands and feet (even when he mimics gloves and shoes) and his [[EyesAreMental brown eyes]]. |
| 71 | * ''ComicBook/ZatannaEverydayMagic'': Nimue's past lovers that she [[ForcedTransformation magically turned]] into [[BewitchedAmphibians frogs]] retain some of their human characteristics, mostly their hairstyles. When Zatanna also transforms Nimue into a sloth the same thing occurs, with sloth-Nimue still keeping her red hair and a chin piercing. |
| 72 | [[/folder]] |
| 73 | |
| 74 | [[folder:Fairy Tales]] |
| 75 | * ''Literature/BrotherAndSister'': The villains are a WickedWitch [[WickedStepmother Stepmother]] and a wicked stepsister [[EvilCripple with only one eye]]. The two kill the Sister, who is now the queen, and transform Wicked Stepsister to take her place, but cannot fix the missing eye, forcing her to hide it. |
| 76 | [[/folder]] |
| 77 | |
| 78 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 79 | * ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': In this ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' Franchise/MonsterVerse fanfiction, the TwoBeingsOneBody [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonMonsterX Monster X]] has some of this after each {{Metamorphosis}}. From Vivienne Graham, Monster X retains her hands' distinct shape from when she was human and her facial lines (initially), and from San, Monster X retains an overall draconic look and head-shape (particularly in the second form, where San's head outright looks like a scale-less and recolored Ghidorah head). [[spoiler:In Monster X's single-headed final form with differently colored eyes, the eye that retains San's eye color is the left eye, just like how San was originally the left head of Ghidorah]]. |
| 80 | * ''Fanfic/AmazingFantasy'': The Bakugou of Earth-2018.688 modified the Venom costume to suit his tastes, retaining his spiky hair and having the features of the Hero costume he wanted to wear if he managed to attend U.A. |
| 81 | * In ''Fanfic/TheMythOfLinkAndZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', a fanmade novelization of the [[Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild namesake videogame]], Link has recurring dreams of the Hero's Shade, who is accompanied by different wolves in a SpiritWorld. [[spoiler: They're all different Heroes of Hyrule, and each one has unique features that reference different Links in different games]]. Here are the four described, two of which Link gives a nickname. |
| 82 | ** The Crimson Wolf has a white face with a body of deep red fur and a collar of bright red feathers. [[spoiler: This is the [[Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Hero of the Skies]]]]. |
| 83 | ** The Dark Wolf has black fur with a grey face and grey streaks down the body, with blue earrings, blue human eyes, and a shackle on the left foreleg. [[spoiler: This is the [[Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Hero of Twilight]]]]. |
| 84 | ** One wolf carries a strange baton in its mouth. [[spoiler: This is the [[Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Hero of Winds]]]]. |
| 85 | ** One wolf has a hat with a beak on it. [[spoiler: This is the [[Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap Hero of Men]]]]. |
| 86 | * ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11989539/1/Hakkōna Hakkōna]]'': [[spoiler:No matter what form Kiku takes on, his eyes retain their piercing ebon color. Feliciano figured out he was the Last Obake due to this.]] |
| 87 | * ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12023508/1/Kaitō-Kokoro Kaitō Kokoro]]'': Feliciano noticed a ''strong'' resemblance between Kiku's and Nihon's eyes. [[spoiler:It's because they are one and the same.]] |
| 88 | -->A jovial laugh rang out. "Well, I highly doubt there are any other Clouded Leopards that are black all over and have bodies five feet long." Piercing ebon orbs widened as his cheeks were cupped, brought close to hazel. "But his most memorable feature is his black eyes... which look so much like yours." Realization dawned on him. "They look exactly like yours! I wonder why?"\ |
| 89 | "M-Maybe it's just a coincidence?!" This is not good! Not good at all! |
| 90 | * ''Fanfic/TheBridge'': Upon entering the Equestrian realms, the kaiju retain some of their original traits such as coloration and key features. For example, in the human subrealm from the ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls Equestria Girls]]'' movies, Monster X comes out wearing a long scarf that hangs down and resembles his true form's twin tails. |
| 91 | * This is inverted in some ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' stories such as ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6046016/5/Crossroads-to-Ravines Crossroads to Ravines]]'', where spending too much time in animal form causes Druids to resemble said animal. Shamar a.k.a. Fuzzik spent months as a Hunter's pet and, even afterwards, bears a distinct resemblance to a bear. |
| 92 | * ''Fanfic/TheScalyRaptor'' has this for both humans and dinosaurs when in their alternate forms. Owen and Claire's dinosaur forms have markings resembling their facial hair and hair respectively while Blue's human form has tattoos resembling her markings. |
| 93 | %%* A number of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' fics involve the characters being turned into some kind of animals, usually via witch or some other magic. Dogs are popular, although cats and other animals occur, too. Eyes are often emphasized as identifying characteristics, particularly Castiel's if he's involved. One fic had Castiel turn into a horse, and not only were his eyes notable, but the horse was the color of his trenchcoat! %%examples must be cited |
| 94 | * ''Fanfic/TheHeartTrilogy'': |
| 95 | ** The great dragon Smaug is in his human form seven feet tall and toned like a warrior, and he retains his eye color of golden fire as well as the [[spoiler:scar inflicted on his chest by Bard's Black Arrow]]. Kathryn is also able to notice in his face subtle resemblances to his draconic face, such as the distorted nostrils and slightly sharp-looking teeth. |
| 96 | ** When Kathryn transforms into a dragon, she retains her purple eye color, and she has some ruby red scales just behind her horns as a substitute for her red hair. |
| 97 | * ''Fanfic/TriptychContinuum'': |
| 98 | ** {{Inverted}} for the stting's iteration of [[FriendToAllLivingThings Fluttershy]]. She theorizes that her talent works in part by causing animals to see her as a somewhat-oddly-shaped-and-behaving member of their species... which unfortunately means that they have a tendency to ''treat'' her as a member of their species. |
| 99 | ** Sizzler has the once-a-generation talent of being an intuitive master chef in the art of preparing and cooking meat, with a secondary power that means meat ''never'' spoils in his presence. His fur is a deep, black-tinted crimson hue with an unusual glossiness that reminds the viewer of raw, bloody meat, which is contrasted by his bleached bone-white mane and tail, and he also has a personal scent that is reminiscent of blood. It's noted that this makes him look creepy for ponies. |
| 100 | * In [[https://www.deviantart.com/misakiyu misakiyu]]'s illustrations of [[https://www.deviantart.com/slifofinadragon SlifofinaDragon]]'s ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' fanfics, Date Masamune and Katakura Kojuro change into a horse and a wolf respectively from [[MagicPotion potions]] brewed by [[HotWitch Kyogoku Maria]], they retain some of their human features (such as their eyebrows) with Masamune's hairstyle as a mane and Kojuro keeping his scar. |
| 101 | * ''Fanfic/NoHiddenContractsTaxesOrFees'': Spouxls G. Kaardton has both of his components' hair colors, Rouxls's blue skin, Spamton's eyes, glasses, and BlushStickers, and an outfit, nose, and hair style that combine traits of both characters. |
| 102 | * ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': Very prevalent in any illustrations of Spectra shapeshifted. We've seen her as many different races and genders, but they're all still recognizably her thanks to her hairstyle, body/eye shape, LuminescentBlush, and meek/nervous personality being maintained. |
| 103 | [[/folder]] |
| 104 | |
| 105 | [[folder:Films — Live-Action]] |
| 106 | * ''[[Film/SiebenZwerge 7 Zwerge — Der Wald ist nicht genug]]'': Rumplestilkin retains his prominent facial mole while shapeshifting. Strangely, no-one is able to recognize him while shapeshifted, despite it being the DistinguishingMark of his normal form. |
| 107 | * ''Film/TheAdventuresOfPinocchio'': After turning into a whale, [[spoiler: Lorenzini]] still retains some of his former features, primarily his evil eyes and his human teeth, making him a very uncanny looking MonsterWhale. Near the end, Pinocchio (now a real boy) tricks Volpe and Felinet (two humans) into drinking a water charm to win many gold coins, [[spoiler:and as a result Volpe and Felinet become [[MythologyGag a Fox and a Cat]]]]. |
| 108 | * ''Film/{{Cinderella|2015}}'': The animals that the Fairy Godmother transforms into humans all retain some animal-like attributes (green skin and pointy teeth on the lizards, for example), with their clothing also reflecting said animal's colors. |
| 109 | * ''Film/{{Disenchanted|2022}}'': Pip the chipmunk is turned into a large cat, but he keeps his coloration and typical chipmunk stripes. |
| 110 | * ''Film/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem'': [[BigBad Gellert Grindelwald]] has a distinctive undercut (a hairstyle later appropriated by the Nazis and other fascists) that he shares with [[spoiler:Percival Graves]], foreshadowing his later reveal. |
| 111 | * ''Film/Godzilla2000'': The Millennian spacecraft has a distinct beetle-like shape and a laser cannon on its left-front side. When the Millennians absorb some of Godzilla's DNA, they turn into the {{Kaiju}} Orga, whose upper half has the same rough shape as the spacecraft as well as a similar laser cannon in its shoulder. |
| 112 | * ''Film/JumanjiWelcomeToTheJungle'': The Jumanji board game shapeshifts into a video game console in order to get people to keep playing it, because board games were becoming passe. Just as the original board game had an old-fashioned appearance in contrast to more modern games of its type, being a wooden box that opened up to reveal the game inside, the console it takes the form of resembles a [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames second-generation]] machine, ''a la'' the Platform/Atari2600 or the Platform/{{Intellivision}}, with wood paneling and cartridges in contrast to the [[ProductPlacement contemporary PlayStation machines]] of both [[Platform/PlayStation 1996]] and [[Platform/PlayStation4 2017]]. |
| 113 | * ''Film/TheLobster'': People who can't find a romantic partner are turned into an animal of their choice. Nosebleed Woman's best friend is proud of her long blond hair. She doesn't say what she wants to become, but when we see a pony with a long blond mane, it's probably her. |
| 114 | * In ''Film/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolfILoveWolffy'' and its [[Film/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolfILoveWolffy2 sequel]], when Wolffy is a human, he wears a gray coat that resembles his fur when he's a wolf. In the first film, he has hair dye that causes some of his hair to look like the beret he usually wears; in the second one, he's just wearing the beret. |
| 115 | * ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu'': Howard's [[spoiler:Ditto retains its black beady eyes, so it wears SinisterShades to hide them when in human forms]]. |
| 116 | * ''Film/{{Sky High|2005}}'': Magenta has black hair and wears purple clothing in human form. Her guinea pig form is black with purple streaks, and a high, squeaky voice. |
| 117 | * ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'': Maleficent's pet raven Diaval is usually changed into a normal-looking human (albeit later wearing black clothes resembling his feathers). Other times, he becomes a wolf, a horse [[spoiler:and a dragon]], all retaining some raven-like features. |
| 118 | * ''Film/Pinocchio2019'': Lampwick retains the [[ScarsAreForever scars]] on his head after being transformed into a donkey. The RepulsiveRingmaster rejects buying Lampwick stating that the scars make him sad to look at, and purchases Pinocchio instead. |
| 119 | * ''Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry'': The shapeshifting Martia has the same eye color and the same voice, whether she looks like an attractive woman or a hulking apeman. However when she disguises herself as [[spoiler:Kirk]] the appearance is much more perfect, including perfectly mimicking their voice. |
| 120 | * ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'': The actors all used a specific mannerism, [[KubrickStare looking upward at the camera in a sinister fashion]], to indicate it was the T-1000 using its mimetic abilities. |
| 121 | * ''Film/VanHelsing'': When Van Helsing [[spoiler: becomes a werewolf]], the fur around his head is meant to evoke the long hair of his regular form. |
| 122 | * ''Film/{{The Witches|1990}}'': When Bruno and Luke are turned into mice, their colours vaguely resemble their hair in human form. Bruno is dark-haired, and becomes a dark mouse; Luke's mouse form is pale ginger, like his human hair. |
| 123 | * ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'': Mystique's eyes occasionally flash yellow when she's shapeshifted into someone else as an indication that it's her. She also keeps the scars Wolverine gave her in the [[Film/XMen1 first movie]] no matter what form she takes. |
| 124 | [[/folder]] |
| 125 | |
| 126 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 127 | * ''Literature/TheBelgariad'': Polgara the Sorceress keeps her skunk stripe in any animal form she assumes. Justified in that the mark is supernatural and she can't remove or dye it as a human either. |
| 128 | * ''Literature/CastleHangnail'': Molly finds a spell for turning a cow into a dragon for one minute, and tries it out on several other animals, resulting in a donkey dragon that's grey with long ears, a bat dragon that's small and agile, and a goldfish dragon that's a foot long golden sea serpent. It may be that the transformations are incomplete because she's not using the spell for its intended purpose, in which case a cow would be completely transformed, but there aren't any cows around so she never gets to find out. |
| 129 | * ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': |
| 130 | ** On the Discworld in general, nothing, not even a ''god'', can change the nature of his or her (or its) eyes. Pterry even refers to "morphic resonance" several times in the series, implying it's a real phenomenon on the Disc. [[RunningGag It's probably quantum.]] |
| 131 | ** In ''Literature/TheLastContinent'', the Librarian gets a magical illness that makes him turn into all kinds of things, ''all'' of which have shaggy red fur. This includes a book, various pieces of furniture, and [[spoiler:a ''dolphin.'']] For added hilarity, his orangutan form isn't even his original shape (he was once human). Apparently he's been an orangutan for so long that it's permanently imprinted on his morphic resonance field. Paul Kidby's drawings of the Librarian in his original [[spoiler: Horace Worblehat]] form, and the TV adaption of ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic'', apply this trope in reverse, giving him prominent cheeks and thick auburn hair. He really does look like he's ''waiting'' to turn into an orangutan (and indeed, it's repeatedly stated he's much happier that way). |
| 132 | ** And Angua, a werewolf with long blond hair, turns into a wolf with long blond fur. |
| 133 | * ''Literature/FelineTherapy'': Transformations have the animal's fur match their original hair, with grey-haired Izzy becoming a grey kitty. [[spoiler:Their friend Sasha, who has a streak of green dyed hair, is shown with green tufts on their head and tail.]] |
| 134 | * ''Literature/GoodOmens'': Crowley, who was ''the'' Serpent, but has now taken human form, has slitted pupils, a tongue that isn't ''quite'' forked but definitely looks weird, and "was wearing snakeskin shoes, or at least, he was presumably wearing shoes". |
| 135 | * ''Literature/HarryPotter'': The Animagi, particularly [=McGonagall=] and Rita Skeeter. Their animal forms both have their "glasses", in that the characters "wear" glasses-like patterns on their animal faces. This is at first hinted to be deliberate, as Animagi have to register and have distinguishing marks, but then Rita's an unregistered Animagus and she has such markings, so it's apparently intrinsic to the process. This even extends into their personality in some cases (though it's a "chicken-and-egg" question as to whether their animal transformation affects their personality or the other way around). Sirius is often described as having "a bark-like laugh" and shaggy black hair. He transforms into a large, shaggy black dog. |
| 136 | * ''Literature/TheHeartstrikers'': Dragons almost always have the same color eyes in both human and draconic form. |
| 137 | * ''Literature/HeckedyPeg'', a children's picture book by Audrey and Don Wood, features a unique take on this that's critical to the plot: A witch turns seven children into seven different inanimate food items, and their mother has to guess which child is which in order to rescue them. While each child's food form is otherwise indiscernible from real food, it turns out that [[spoiler:they had each turned into a type of food that matched the present they had asked their mother to buy for them earlier in the story (the child who turned into bread had asked for butter, the child who turned into cheese had asked for crackers, etc.)]]. |
| 138 | * When the werewolves transform from human to wolf in ''Literature/TheHowling1977'', their fur is a similar colour to their hair and their eyes are the same colour. They also have a similar build in terms of size and muscle (e.g. a lean man becomes a lean wolf). [[spoiler:Marcia]] is black-haired with green eyes, with her wolf form having black fur and bright green eyes; when she attacks and bites [[spoiler:Roy]], he recognises her [[EyeDentityGiveaway by her eyes]]. [[spoiler:Roy]] is a blonde and his wolf form has pale yellow fur, with Karyn eventually recognising him. |
| 139 | * ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'': Sun Wukong, the Stone Monkey, can use Taoist arts to perfectly change into many different animals -- but if he tries to become a human, he can only change his ''head'' and must conceal everything else. |
| 140 | * ''Literature/{{Krabat}}'': The evil sorcerer can turn into different animals, but they will always have only a left eye. The same counts for his students, whose animal forms always mirror their appearances as humans. |
| 141 | * ''Literature/TheLongDarkTeatimeOfTheSoul'': The eagle which harasses the characters throughout the book has concentric rings faintly visible on its wings -- [[spoiler:a reminder of its origin as a RAF military plane]]. |
| 142 | * ''Franchise/MagicTheGathering'': In ''Literature/TimeStreams'', Gorig is repeatedly described as having eyes so yellow that they resemble wedges of lemon. When Gorig reveals his true form as a Phyrexian demon at the climax of the book, his lemon-wedge eyes are carried over from his human disguise, allowing Barrin -- who had never met Gorig -- to recognize him from Urza's description of the man. |
| 143 | * ''Literature/TheMermaid'' has Amelia, who can transform between a mermaid and a human woman. As a mermaid, her face is shaped differently, she has sharp teeth and claws, and her whole body is covered in scales. But her grey eyes always look the same, whichever form she's in. |
| 144 | * ''Literature/ModernFaerieTales'': Faeries keep a trait when they transform. The troll Ravus, for example, turns into a human with golden eyes. |
| 145 | * ''Literature/OddAndTheFrostGiants'': Odin is missing an eye. This carries over to [[spoiler:his eagle form]]. |
| 146 | * ''Literature/OldKingdom'': In ''Lirael'', when Lirael is exploring the Great Library, she uses various shapeshifting spells to turn into animals. For one of her later explorations, she's using an otter-form and notices that the fur seems darker than normal. As otters are colourblind, it's not until her friend, the Disreputable Dog, tells her that "otters shouldn't have red bellies" that Lirael realises that she has subconsciously changed the fur to match her promotion within the Library to a red waistcoat. |
| 147 | * ''Literature/{{Pact}}'': [[TheFairFolk Faerie glamour]] has this as an explicit requirement -- something of the original creature must remain constant in spite of the change in appearance and shape. When Blake Thorburn gains the ability to use glamour that he won in battle against a fae swordswoman, his [[AnimalMotifs tattoos of birds and branches]] remain constant no matter what form he takes. |
| 148 | * ''Literature/{{Rose}}'': When [[CatsAreMagic Mr. Fountain's familiar Gus]] turns into a human, he will have white hair, one yellow eye and one blue, and a thin tongue, and his clothes will be white and fur-lined. |
| 149 | * In ''Literature/SkinOfTheSea'', Esu's island is guarded by a pack of bultungin, people who can turn into hyenas. In their human forms, their hair is in braids that resemble their hyena ears. |
| 150 | * ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': Whenever a Fused [[DemonicPossession takes a new body]], it imposes its own marbling patterns on the body. |
| 151 | * ''Literature/WhichWitch'': Before confronting Madame Olympia over her theft of Rover, Arriman transforms himself and Lester into a fox and a rabbit, respectively. Arriman's fox form is described as "unusually handsome... with a great bushy autumn-colored tail", while Lester as a rabbit still has one eye. |
| 152 | * ''Literature/TheWitchesOfEileanan'': People transformed by [[spoiler:Maya's]] ForcedTransformation occasionally retain some of their physical traits: [[spoiler:Lachlan]] kept his [[spoiler:hereditary skunk stripe]] as a blackbird, and [[spoiler:Khan'gharad still had his red hair as a horse]]. |
| 153 | [[/folder]] |
| 154 | |
| 155 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 156 | * ''Series/{{Beastmaster}}'': King Zadd is turned into a donkey with the same tattoos. Although one character finds them familiar, it doesn't become GlamourFailure in time to be meaningful. |
| 157 | * ''Series/DoctorWho'': It's implied that the [[Characters/DoctorWhoAliensAndMonsters Krillitanes]]' skin colors in their human disguises and true forms correspond -- their disguises are mostly white plus one black teacher, with the latter once the Krillitane transform having a dark gray true form compared to the others' peach-skinned true forms. |
| 158 | * ''Series/{{Good Omens|2019}}'': When the demon Crowley transforms from a snake into human form, he still has [[AnimalEyes slitted pupils]] and his red hair and black clothes mirror his snake form's red and black coloring. |
| 159 | * ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'': Since Kamen Rider, who has the power to transform into his predecessors, needs to access the [[TransformationTrinket DecaDriver]] to use his own abilities, the Driver appears on all his forms. |
| 160 | * ''Series/{{Raven}}'': The titular character can shapeshift between human and bird form as seen in the title sequence and some episodes of the 3 spinoff shows. As a human, he has some feathers on his cloak and in his hair and a talon over one finger on his right hand as a reminder of his other form. |
| 161 | * ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': The [[Characters/SupernaturalMonstersAndSupernaturalBeings familiars]]' animal forms resemble their human ones. |
| 162 | * ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'': Raven and Chelsea are turned into cows in the Halloween episode, but to distinguish them, they still have their hair. |
| 163 | [[/folder]] |
| 164 | |
| 165 | [[folder:Myths & Religion]] |
| 166 | * According to tradition, {{Satan}} can transform into any creature, every part of him -- other than his feet (either cloven hooves or chicken feet). FridgeBrilliance: This must be why he prefers snakes. Nothing would give him away in that form. |
| 167 | * Myth/NorseMythology: |
| 168 | ** OlderThanPrint: Odin can also turn into various animals (his favorites are ravens and wolves), but, like him, they always have only [[EyepatchOfPower one eye]]. |
| 169 | ** Loki has the same limitation: his transformations would always have scarred lips (from having his mouth once sewn shut by an angry dwarf). |
| 170 | * The ''alp'', a nightmare-inducing, blood (and breast milk)-sucking creature from German folklore, derives its shapeshifting abilities from its magic hat, which it always wears, and which is always visible in some form no matter what it shapeshifts into. |
| 171 | * Myth/JapaneseMythology: [[AsianFoxSpirit Kitsune]] can shapeshift but will retain their tails and sometimes their ears and/or paws (like the examples from ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'' and ''Dungeons & Dragons''). Therefore, they must cover up their tails in a more conventional manner to hide their true nature. The Korean kumiho works similarly, with some interpretations of the fox demon being unable to transform without retaining at least some visual characteristics of their natural form, be it body parts, shapes, or having a general foxlike appearance. |
| 172 | * Myth/BrazilianFolklore: The Boto cor-de-rosa (the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_river_dolphin amazon river dolphin]] in portuguese) from the North region of the country is said to be an enchanted being capable of turning into a handsome man at night so he can go to parties and [[ShapeshiftingSeducer seduce women]]. However, he will always retain his blowhole at the top of his head, so he must cover it with a hat he wears all the time. |
| 173 | [[/folder]] |
| 174 | |
| 175 | [[folder:Podcasts]] |
| 176 | * ''Podcast/InterstitialActualPlay'': After morphing into RPM Series Black, Edith's gun changes to look like... ''herself''. It's a shotgun shaped like her unmorphed body where the bullets fire from her mouth. It's terrifying! |
| 177 | [[/folder]] |
| 178 | |
| 179 | [[folder:Puppet Shows]] |
| 180 | * ''Series/KingdomAdventure'': Dagger has two forms: a flying [[RogerRabbitEffect cartoon]] vulture form, and a live-action puppet humanoid form. In his humanoid form, his nose is long and hooked, like a vulture's beak. He also has a small helmet in both forms. |
| 181 | * ''Series/TheMuppetShow'': On the Roger Miller episode, an outbreak of cluckitis, a disease which nearly-instantaneously turns the afflicted into chickens after they sneeze, sweeps the cast. The Swedish Chef retains his mustache and eye-covering eyebrows. Lew Zealand, Rowlf, Miss Piggy, and Janice keep their respective eyes; Kermit does, as well, and even has his pointy collar. Only the main cast retains Morphic Resonance, however, and some don't even get that: extras and even some of the main cast turn into indistinguishable chickens. Maybe they'll have a hat or necklace, which they keep. |
| 182 | [[/folder]] |
| 183 | |
| 184 | [[folder:Roleplay]] |
| 185 | * ''Roleplay/DCNation'': Fauna maintains her blonde hair, bipedal form, and cannot change her height. |
| 186 | * ''Roleplay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers'': |
| 187 | ** Some of the Trainers tend to retain some physical traits when they transform into Pokémon. DS, for example, keeps her glasses as an Eevee, then her green eyes when evolves into an Espeon. Tagg keeps a mole under his left gill when he turns into a Mudkip (later Swampert). |
| 188 | ** Similarly, Diane -- who had spent most of her life as a Staraptor -- retains qualities such as her black-and-red hair resembling a Staraptor's crest. |
| 189 | [[/folder]] |
| 190 | |
| 191 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 192 | * ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheDreaming'': Pookah tend to resemble the animals they change into in their human forms, both in their Fae Kith and human Seemings. |
| 193 | * ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': |
| 194 | ** The hengeyokai race in the 1[[superscript:st]] Edition supplement ''Oriental Adventures''. When they shapechange into human form, they always have a distinctive feature from their animal form, such as a sparrow hengeyokai with a long nose like a bird's beak. |
| 195 | ** ''Magazine/{{Dungeon}}'' Magazine #21, adventure "The Chest of the Aloeids". The goddess Athena is noted as always having grey eyes, no matter what form she assumes. |
| 196 | ** Steel dragons use their ''polymorph'' ability to live in humanoid cities in the guise of a wealthy intellectual or wizard, but they'll always have a tell-tale feature hinting at their true nature, whether steel-gray eyes, hair or fingernails, or a steel ring or other worn ornament. |
| 197 | ** ''TabletopGame/{{Planebreaker}}'': When a chimeran takes on a new form they may gain the gross physical attributes of a new species, but anyone who knows the chimeran can see the resemblance between their forms. If a given chimeran has certain features when embodied as a human, they also have something of those features as another species, translated accordingly. |
| 198 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': Lunars each have a unique body feature called a Tell, which is retained regardless of what they transform into. Their magic makes their Tell difficult for normal people to notice, but, once you do, you'll always be able to identify that Lunar at a glance, regardless of form. |
| 199 | * ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'': One of the sample archetypes is an Indian woman with a blue costume and a bindi dot on her forehead. She transforms into blue animals with little red dots on their foreheads. |
| 200 | * ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': When Chaos Lords and Sorcerers transform into Daemon Princes, there's a good chance that they'll still be clad in the remnants of their old power armor. That being said, not much else is recognizable... |
| 201 | * ''TabletopGame/TheWitcherGameOfImagination'': |
| 202 | ** If ''Artifact compression'' is used in its standard version, the subject of the spell turns into a tiny, crude figurine made of the material used for compression. |
| 203 | ** Lamias can hide their snake-like body with ease. What will always reveal them is their forked tongue, fangs instead of teeth, and their inability to make sounds other than hissing. |
| 204 | [[/folder]] |
| 205 | |
| 206 | [[folder:Theme Parks]] |
| 207 | * ''[[Ride/JourneyIntoImagination Journey into Imagination with Figment]]'': Figment changes from a dragon to a skunk during the scene in the smell lab, but retains his wings and horns. |
| 208 | [[/folder]] |
| 209 | |
| 210 | [[folder:Toys]] |
| 211 | * ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'': WordOfGod says that Kanohi Masks generally retain their basic shape if their wearers willingly shapeshift, but there's not much in the merchandise and media to suggest this. |
| 212 | [[/folder]] |
| 213 | |
| 214 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 215 | * ''VisualNovel/DraKoi'': When the dragon takes human form, her eyes stay slitted and reptilian and she keeps her fangs, though mostly in cute form. |
| 216 | * ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'': |
| 217 | ** When Maya or Pearl channels someone in the games, they change their size and faces to the channeled, but they retain their hair style, color, and their clothes. This is arguably because hair and clothes are "dead" and can't be affected by living tissue. Their full bodies change completely into the channeled person. |
| 218 | ** A strange, non-supernatural example: when [[spoiler:de Killer]] testifies in court in the second game, the transceiver he's using to communicate with the court has a button resembling his [[HighClassGlass monocle]]. |
| 219 | [[/folder]] |
| 220 | |
| 221 | [[folder:Web Videos]] |
| 222 | * ''WebVideo/AcquisitionsIncorporated'': Kthriss Drow'b of ''The C-Team'' sharing [[Creator/KrisStraub his player's]] trademark goatee would just be an amusing subversion of [[{{Elfeminate}} elven stereotypes]], but the fact that he canonically retains the beard even when magically disguised as all manner of other races -- including a [[BeePeople beetle-man]] -- is where it runs into this trope. |
| 223 | * ''WebVideo/SuburbanKnights'': The cast maintain their identifying articles despite being in costume for the majority of the movie, i.e. WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic and [[WebVideo/TheGameHeroes 8-Bit Mickey]] wear their neckties, WebVideo/PawDugan wears his headphones, WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows keeps his mask on, [[spoiler:WebVideo/ThatDudeInTheSuede wears his vest]], etc. It works out perfectly for Todd, since he's cosplaying as [[Literature/ThePrincessBride the Dread Pirate Roberts]]. |
| 224 | * ''WebVideo/VaguelyRecallingJoJo'': |
| 225 | ** High Priestess/Blossom always kept her hair ribbon in all of her forms. |
| 226 | ** Oingo always keeps a shirt labelled Oingo no matter what form he takes, which gets him spotted by Polnareff. |
| 227 | [[/folder]] |
| 228 |
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