Line #70 Main/SelfProclaimedLiar


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6	->'''Casanunda:''' I'm a world-famous liar.\
7	'''Nanny Ogg:''' Is that true?\
8	'''Casanunda:''' No.
9	-->-- ''Literature/WitchesAbroad''
10
11	Whether the story they tell is a complete whopper or a bending of the truth, your average liar usually has one goal in mind: Tell the lie undetected. Their attempts to deceive you are rooted in the fact that they don't want you to know they're lying. A Self-Proclaimed Liar, however, is the complete opposite: They will openly proclaim that they are lying to your face as they tell you whatever tale they're deciding to weave that day.
12
13	Paradoxically, by taking RefugeInAudacity in this way, the [[ILied outright lie]] sometimes manages to become ''more'' effective than trying to hide it. It may be because a person simply doesn't believe that someone trying to lie to them would ''tell'' them they're lying. Or perhaps the open lie is actually a way of hiding a second lie. Or it could be that their M.O. is to flood the zone with so much bullshit that no one can sort out fact from fiction. Regardless, a typical reaction to this scenario can be for the victim to go through the circular logic of "[[LiarsParadox If he was lying, then that statement was a lie, so he was telling the truth...]]" and so on. This also lays the ideal groundwork for running a KansasCityShuffle - a scam in which the victim knows they're being conned, but is deceived into guessing wrong about ''how'' they're being conned.
14
15	In any case, despite making everyone around them aware of the fact they are not to be trusted, they somehow still manage to get away with the deception. Compare SarcasticConfession, in which a character bluffs by telling the exact, if unbelievable, truth.
16	----
17	!!Examples:
18
19	[[foldercontrol]]
20
21	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
22	* Motoharu Tsuchimikado calls himself a liar in ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' right before [[spoiler:faking a HeroicSacrifice]].
23	* In ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'', one of the Tachikomas says this to one of the basic androids and causes it to malfunction, then mocks it for being disabled by such a simple LogicBomb.
24	* ''Manga/HunterXHunter'':
25	** During the Heaven's Arena arc, Hisoka gives a lot exposition about how natural Nen affinities reflect the user's personality and he caps this speech by saying that all transmuters are liars, right after saying that he himself is a transmuter type.
26	** During the Greed Island arc, Biscuit tells Gon and Killua that Hisoka was lying to them about his purpose in the game. The only proof she has of this is a hunch based on her 50 years of experience lying to others.
27	* Utsuho, the protagonist of ''Manga/{{Itsuwaribito}},'' will openly declare himself a liar and/or will proclaim that living honestly is not the way to live. He even incorporates it into his fighting, his battle in the first chapter alone has him openly admitting to lying so much it's impossible to keep track of which statements, if any, are actually true.
28	* Usopp in ''Manga/OnePiece'' uses this as a battle tactic. Usually it's not blatantly obvious that he's lying, but then he continues in his fight against his ''captain''. However, the lies are always used as a distraction. The "Uso" in Usopp's name [[PunnyName is Japanese for "lie."]], so an early joke soon after he joined the crew was for his introducing himself to sound as if he was saying "I am a liar."
29	[[/folder]]
30
31	[[folder:Comic Books]]
32	* The Jackal from ''ComicBook/TheCloneSaga'' in the ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' comics. He shamelessly piles lies on top of lies in the clone saga, at various times leading Spider-Man, the Scarlet Spider and Spidercide each to believe they are the real Peter Parker. In the end even he didn't know the truth.
33	* ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'':
34	** Loki is the self proclaimed ''god'' of Mischief and Lies. Loki admits he's an untrustworthy jerk, everyone knows he's an untrustworthy jerk, and he is ''still'' able to play them like a fiddle.
35	** In ''ComicBook/LokiAgentOfAsgard'' they redefine themselves as God of Mischief and Stories. They acknowledge that this is just a nicer and more important sounding way of saying say ''lies'' though.
36	** From ''ComicBook/VoteLoki'' while telling politicians to DoWrongRight:
37	--->America, if I were your president, I'd have the guts to lie right to your face. And you'd love it.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]
41	* Allison from ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'', who admits she's a liar, and is in Saturday detention because she "had nothing better to do." Allsion is portrayed as a CloudCuckoolander, however, so it's hard to tell what she's making up.
42	* In ''Film/{{Bedazzled 1967}}'' (at least the original version) Peter Cook's Mr Spigot (the Devil) tells Dudley Moore's character "I'm a terrible liar, believe me."
43	* ''Film/TheInventionOfLying'' revolves around the protagonist being the first person in the world to come up with the very ''concept'' of deliberately deceiving others. This is presented as an OutsideContextProblem that nobody else can wrap their heads around, and is treated as though he's developed a ''superpower'', to the point that [[spoiler:people start worshipping him]].
44	* A famous quote of Captain Jack Sparrow of the ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' movies:
45	-->"Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest."
46	* It's not really called attention to, but one of many reasons why it wasn't the best idea for Lt. Kujan to trust Verbal Kint in ''Film/TheUsualSuspects'' is the fact that Verbal is an admitted con artist. More importantly, there are several scenes where Kujan is able to challenge something Verbal claims and accuses Verbal of lying. In these instances, Verbal "confesses" and then tells the "truth" (i.e. exactly what Kujan wants to hear).
47	[[/folder]]
48
49	[[folder:Literature]]
50	* In ''Literature/AlcatrazVersusTheEvilLibrarians'', Al mentions repeatedly throughout the narrative how dishonest he is, occasionally saying [[UnreliableNarrator obviously false things to the reader]] to prove his point. Justified by the fact that he claims later that he has mostly stopped being such a liar and just lies to prove his point.
51	%%* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epimenides_paradox The Epimenides paradox]]. From Literature/TheBible, Titus 1:12 (St. Paul's letter to Titus): (Zero-Context: Entry is just a name and a quote)
52	%%-->One of Crete's own prophets has said it: 'Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons'.\
53	[[DramaticallyMissingThePoint He has surely told the truth.]]
54	* ''Literature/CatsCradle'': When Bokonon writes the books detailing his self-created religion, the very first line is "All of the true facts I am about to tell you are shameless lies."
55	* ''Litarature/{{Chime}}'' has Briony Larkin, a self-proclaimed witch who openly admits that she's deceptive. She's also the protagonist, and an UnreliableNarrator.
56	-->'''Briony:''' Don't let my face fool you; it tells the worst lies. A girl can have the face of an angel but have a horrid sort of heart.
57	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' uses this a few times.
58	** One of the best known is the dwarf Casanunda. He even has "Outrageous Liar" on his business cards.
59	** Also, Reacher Gilt, the BigBad of ''Literature/GoingPostal'', a CorruptCorporateExecutive who ''[[DevilInPlainSight advertises]]'' the fact by going around resembling a pirate, complete with a bird on his shoulder screaming "[[StealthPun Twelve and a half percent]]."
60	** Moist Von Lipwig notes in ''Literature/MakingMoney'' that if you tell the masses you want to take their money, you'll just gain a reputation as an honest man.
61	** The ''Thieves Guild Diary'' mentions a student wizard who performed an interesting psychology experiment by setting up a Find-the-Lady game in Sator Square and outridght telling the crowd that it was rigged and they couldn't possibly win. The queue stretched around the block and many people went for a second go.
62	* Adding to the Literature/{{Dragaera}} series' use of MindScrew via UnreliableNarrator, ''Literature/{{Orca}}'' is narrated by Vlad's friend Kiera as a conversation with Vlad's wife, Cawti. Kiera starts out by telling Cawti explicitly that she can't tell the whole truth, and will be altering some things for her own purposes. Then at another point in the story, Kiera describes Vlad, the narrator of most of the other books, as pretty much a pathological liar but also essentially implies the same about herself.
63	* Thomas Raith in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' tells Harry in ''Grave Peril'' that he's a liar and can't be trusted. Nevertheless, he nearly always tells him the truth. His sister Lara, on the other hand...
64	* In ''Literature/{{Illuminatus}}'', one of Hagbard Celine's advices to Geroge Dorn was "Never trust anyone who has the initials H. C." He's a TricksterMentor to George, as well as the crew of his submarine.
65	* Cadrach of ''Literature/MemorySorrowAndThorn'' is a self-admitted liar, cheat, and DirtyCoward. Unlike most examples, though, he's not trying to pull a con on anyone; he really is sunk so deep into self-loathing that he cares nothing of what people think of him. Beneath the ShellShockedVeteran exterior is a man who knows he betrayed the world to its ultimate doom, and would do so again, out of sheer terror. Miriamele tries to befriend him anyway, which ultimately leads to his redemption.
66	* Fireflyer, the fairy stand-in for Tinkerbell in the book ''Literature/PeterPanInScarlet'', is a notorious liar to whom being called a liar is the greatest compliment of all. He openly and proudly claims that he ''never'' tells the truth -- though this is revealed to be a lie.
67	%%* Petyr Baelish from ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' (Zero-Context: Entry is just a name and a quote)
68	%%-->'''Petyr Baelish:''' Distrusting me was the wisest thing you’ve done since you climbed down off your horse.
69	* ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'': Vergere, with one of the earliest lessons she imparts being "Everything I tell you is a lie." Including, apparently, [[spoiler:not being a Sith]].
70	%%** Vestara Khai has a great one as well: (Zero-Context: Entry is just a name and a quote)
71	%%--->'''Vestara''': I will only lie. That or tell the truth.
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
75	* ''Series/{{Blackadder}} II'''s title character refers to himself as a ConsummateLiar in the episode "Money", managing to convince [[TheFool Percy]] that a giant hummingbird is eating his hat and cloak.
76	* In the pilot episode of ''Series/TheBlacklist'', Liz asks Red if she's supposed to believe his story. He laughs and says, "No, of course not. I'm a criminal. Criminals are notorious liars. Everything about me is a lie."
77	* From ''Series/DoctorWho'', we have "Rule One: The Doctor lies." Initially said by River Song in the series 5 finale, we later see that she heard it from the Doctor himself.
78	%%** River herself is this: (Zero-Context: Name is just a name and a quote)
79	%%--->I lied. I lie all the time. Have to. Spoilers.
80	* From ''Series/GameOfThrones'', in the middle of his "[[ColdBloodedTorture game]]" with Theon, [[AxCrazy Ramsay]] makes Theon think that he's correctly answered the question that Ramsay wanted, meaning that the torture ends for the moment, [[HopeSpot giving Theon relief]]. After a few seconds of silence, Ramsay abruptly stands up and says this:
81	-->'''Ramsay:''' Of course, you forgot to ask one question. You forgot to ask if I'm a liar! I'm afraid I am.
82	* Jen from ''Series/TheITCrowd'' will sometimes admit to it, usually ''after'' she lied her way into a job that she is hopelessly unqualified to hold.
83	* Urataros from ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'' boasts about his ability to lie, primarily to [[ChivalrousPervert charm cute girls]]. He even says his main goal in sticking with the good guys is teaching [[TheHero Ryotaro]] to be a better liar.
84	%%* Ben Linus from ''Series/{{Lost}}''. His most effective manipulations have all taken place well after everyone knows he's a dirty, stinking liar. (Low-Context: Entry is mostly "Trope is here")
85	* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
86	** ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': Played with in the episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS2E8IMudd I, Mudd]]". When Kirk convinces Norman that everything Harry Mudd says is a lie, Harry drops a LogicBomb on him [[LiarsParadox by simply saying "I'm lying"]].
87	** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'':
88	*** Elim Garak is probably this show's most triumphant example, to such a degree that on one occasion Odo realizes that Garak is telling the truth precisely because his response to a question is a simple "I don't know" rather than a convoluted and eloquent tale of extravagance. His reputation for obfuscation is legend not just in the fandom, but in-universe as well.
89	---->'''Bashir:''' Of all the stories you told me, which ones were true and which ones weren't?\
90	'''Garak:''' My dear doctor, they're ''all'' true.\
91	'''Bashir:''' Even the lies?\
92	'''Garak:''' ''[[EspeciallyZoidberg Especially]]'' the lies.
93	*** When Bashir tells him of the fable of ''The Boy Who Cried Wolf'', what Garak takes away from it is: Never Tell the Same Lie Twice.
94	%%*** Weyoun also declares himself an expert on lies, both telling and spotting them. (Zero-Context: Entry is just a name/"Trope is here")
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Music]]
98	* A hilarious real-life example with Music/DirEnGrey's lead singer, Music/{{Kyo}}. He prides himself on being this and repeatedly admits to lying about everything he's saying during interviews. He's gone so far as to purposely sign his name as a Japanese AV director's name, causing all international fans that [[LostInTranslation didn't understand it was a joke]] to believe his birth name is Tooru Niimura or Nishimura. He's done nothing to clarify it, either.
99	%%* To state the obvious, "Liar" by [[Music/HenryRollins the Rollins Band]]. (Zero-Context: It's not obvious)
100	* In Music/{{Voltaire}}'s ''When You're Evil'', the singer seems to break his evil persona to reveal that all along, he really just wanted to be loved... before admitting,
101	-->I'm lying through my teeth\
102	Your tears are all the company I need.
103	[[/folder]]
104
105	[[folder:Radio]]
106	* Douglas Richardson in ''Radio/CabinPressure'' enjoys boasting about his skill at deception. For example, this exchange occurs in the episode "Fitton":
107	-->'''Carolyn:''' Douglas. Have you been drinking?\
108	'''Douglas:''' I cannot tell a lie. What am I saying? I'm ''terrific'' at telling lies. I mean I'm not ''going'' to tell a lie. Yes.
109	** This is, of course, a lie.
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
113	* The Scorpion Clan in ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'' all wear masks, so that the other clans know not to trust them. This works on many, many different levels. One level is that if someone falls for one of their schemes, other people are more likely to [[BlamingTheVictim blame the victim]] than the Scorpion perpetrator, because duh, you trusted a shifty-looking guy in a mask!
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Video Games]]
117	%%* Varric of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' is a self-proclaimed pathological liar. He's also [[UnreliableNarrator the game's narrator]]. (Low-Context: Entry is mainly 'trope is here')
118	* Deacon of ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' comes up with all sorts of contradictory lies about his backstory, some of them more blatantly false than others. He's also a MasterOfDisguise who frequently changes his appearance. This need to constantly reinvent himself is due to [[TheAtoner his profound shame]] over the kind of person he used to be.
119	-->'''Deacon:''' I'm a liar. Everyone knows it. I make no secret of it.
120	* On the fourth night of ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation'' Circus Baby tells you that she has learned a very important skill: She can pretend. This comes to fruition if you obey her directions on the fifth night and [[spoiler:go into the Scooping Room where the animatronic Ennard, speaking in Baby's voice, explains that they need you to escape the facility. Specifically, they need your body as a disguise and needed the Scooper to get rid of all the stuff already in there]].
121	* In ''VideoGame/NancyDrew'' ''Danger By Design'' Jing-Jing "JJ" Ling is this. She has managed to convince several people she's won the lottery despite blatantly saying she lies.
122	%% [=GLaDOS=] from ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}''.
123	%%* PlayedForLaughs in ''[[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Sam and Max: The Penal Zone]]'': (Zero-Context: Entry is just a quote)
124	%%-->'''Flint''': You wouldn't know anything about these toys, would 'ya?\
125	'''Max''': [[WillNotTellALie I can't lie]] to Flint Paper, Sam!\
126	'''Sam''': I can, little buddy. ''(To Flint)'' Nope, not a thing.
127	* Kreia of ''Franchise/StarWars: VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords''. She encourages the Exile to distrust people, even herself, you even gain [[RelationshipValues influence]] with her (that oddly works as "trust" for everyone else) if you say you don't trust her.
128	* Marisa Kirisame of ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' seems to take pride in telling the most outrageous lies she can as often as possible, but nothing can top the one in ''VideoGame/TouhouKaeidzukaPhantasmagoriaOfFlowerView'' where, confronted by the local Judge of the Dead (who, mind you, has a mirror that allows her to see the whole life of any person that she wants) about all the lies she's told, plainly states that she has ''never told a single lie in her life''.
129	[[/folder]]
130
131	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
132	* [[ConsummateLiar Kokichi Oma]] from ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'' invokes this trope from the word go, making it nearly impossible for the other DeadlyGame contestants to tell whether anything he says is true. When suspicion occasionally falls on Kokichi, he'll immediately [[BlatantLies "confess"]] to being the culprit, even ''arguing against his own innocence'' a few times. His trickery quickly reaches a point where the game's protagonist considers him the AnthropomorphicPersonification of lying itself. [[spoiler:He even inverts it in Chapter 4, where Kokichi gets fed up and announces that he's going to be [[BrutalHonesty brutally honest]] about the AwfulTruth behind the current case. As he lays things out, the other students are desperate to believe that he's lying again, leaving Shuichi to convince everyone that the evidence irrefutably proves that Kokichi is, for once, being completely honest.]]
133	* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' Beatrice doesn't care whether or not Battler thinks she's lying because he can't prove it. And because he can't find an alternate reality with which to fight with her own, she wins by default, telling fantastical stories about wild magic battles.
134	[[/folder]]
135
136	[[folder:Webcomics]]
137	%%* ''Webcomic/{{Achewood}}'' features the aptly named Liebot. (Zero-Context: Entry is just a name)
138	* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': When Susan confronts Tom for his attempts to be a ManipulativeBastard, he gets offended by her implying that he's not very ''good'' at it, shouting that he's a ''fantastic'' liar. This winds up doubling as an AccidentalPublicConfession.
139	%%* ''Webcomic/KoanOfTheDay'': The guru frequently claims he is a liar and is sometimes [[http://www.koanoftheday.com/18/ called out on it]]. (Zero-Context: Weblinks are not examples)
140	[[/folder]]
141
142	[[folder:Web Original]]
143	* ''Website/SCPFoundation's'' Dr. Alto Clef is more than happy to declare himself a compulsive liar, though [[LogicBomb he might be lying about that one]]; he also gives his name as a chord on a ukelele, making him a compulsive [[{{Pun}} lyre.]]
144	%%* ''WebVideo/TsubasaAbridged'': "Hi. My name's Fay and I'm a compulsive liar." (Zero-Context: Entry is just a name and quote)
145	* Sylvester of ''Literature/{{Twig}}'' is happily this in order to fool his enemies into thinking that that's the real threat. In fact, as TheSocialExpert, his real goal is to confound and distract them with his lies so that they react predictably.
146	[[/folder]]
147
148	[[folder:Western Animation]]
149	* In ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'', Stan frequently admits to his family that he lies to them a lot, most of the time without regret.
150	-->'''Steve:''' Dad, I can't believe you'd lie to me.\
151	'''Stan:''' Really? Huh, that's... that's kind of my whole bit.
152	%%* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': [[MagnificentBastard Azula]] is a pretty good liar. (Zero-Context: Entry is just a name and a quote)
153	%%-->'''Zuko''': You lied to me!\
154	'''Azula''': Like I've never done that before.
155	* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' has Roy state, in no uncertain terms, that he is about to lie to Wade. He even asks Wade if he understands this fact. Then he tells Wade "The bull is loose." Cue panic by Wade.
156	* Angelica from ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', especially in the ''All Grown Up'' sequel series. She even describes lying as an art.
157	* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SushiPack'', the Pack face down a villain known as the Prevaricator, who can only lie. He gets away with this because most people don't know what "prevaricate" means. However, since his method of lying is just to say the opposite of what he means, Tako is able to easily get him to surrender by [[LogicBomb asking him to tell a lie]].
158	[[/folder]]

Context Main / SelfProclaimedLiar