Line #6 ObfuscatingStupidity/Fanworks


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6	ObfuscatingStupidity in FanWorks.
7	----
8	[[AC:{{Crossover}}s]]
9	* In the ''Literature/{{Worm}}''/''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' crossover ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12952969/1/Cazador Cazador]]'', Courier 6 tells Taylor that smart people and stupid people are both predictable in their own way, but the real ones to watch out for are the smart ones who want to get you to ''think'' they're stupid. Naturally, Courier 6 himself is in this boat, though in his case it's more ObfuscatingInsanity.
10	* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'':
11	** Darcy Lewis. No one expects someone that looks like her and talks like her (informally, casually, and usually semi-sober) to be smart, perceptive and armed with a taser that she knows very well how to use. She's also an accomplished card cheat, pickpocket, social expert, and utterly unfazed by whatever weirdness life throws her way. But because she acts like a lazy student focused on getting drunk and getting laid, no one sees it coming. There is a good deal of evidence that she uses it to her advantage.
12	** Sirius Black splits the difference between this and ObfuscatingInsanity, which Odin points out. Even after the (at least partially genuine) instability and mental regression vanishes, he acts the part of a mischievous and faintly ridiculous overgrown teenager, the wise guy to Lupin's straight man. He's also exceptionally intelligent, a generational talent at transfiguration (one of the most difficult branches of magic), a brilliant duellist tapped by Fury for his Shadow Initiative of back-up Avengers, and mentally resilient enough to go mind to mind with a minor-league EldritchAbomination that eats the souls of gods for breakfast.
13	** Jean-Paul generally maintains a harmless CampGay demeanour. He's also capable of almost absently pulling a SherlockScan on someone he barely knows and when he gets angry, he gets cold and calm, and all the GratuitousFrench disappears. Harry notices this, and in the sequel describes him as a SpearCounterpart of the ComicBook/BlackWidow with added superpowers.
14	** Harry himself is frequently underestimated. No one exactly thinks that he's stupid, but even his family and friends tend to think that he's impulsive, temperamental, and thinks with his heart more than his head. He is all of those things. He is also alarmingly perceptive, with a very sharp deductive mind, and has a knack for thinking outside the box. This allows him to deduce the existence and likely origin of Clark Kent just from Jean-Paul being in Kansas when he shouldn't be and a very ambiguous bit of prophecy, to neatly sketch a thorough profile of the person who's draining power from Clark in the space of a couple of hours based on observations alone, and run rings around some of the most dangerous schemers in the story.
15	** Gambit. He seems like a louche, self-centred charmer and incorrigible flirt, interested in nothing but his own amusement and preservation. Even people who know how powerful he is tend to underestimate him. After ''Forever Red'', the main cast does nothing of the kind. Why? Well, let's just say that when the story's [[TheChessmaster Chess Grandmaster]], Doctor Strange, had his Sight crippled by [[spoiler: Sinister]], a powerful {{Telepath}} controlling [[spoiler: Maddie Pryor a.k.a. Rachel Grey, Jean's stolen-at-birth twin]] and allied with [[TheDreaded the Red Room]] - yes, ''that'' [[ComicBook/BlackWidow Red]] [[ComicBook/WinterSoldier Room]] - he responded by steering Gambit into their path, knowing they'd snap him up. The resultant domino effect leaves [[spoiler:Sinister]] at Strange's utter lack of mercy, the Red Room in smoking ruins, and after a lot of [[DefusingTheTykeBomb effort]], [[spoiler:Maddie]] embracing [[spoiler:her]] [[IAmNotAGun own agency]] and a HeelFaceTurn.
16	*** It's worth mentioning that he manages all this when both [[spoiler:Sinister]] and the Red Room ''know'' that they can't trust him and are keeping a close eye on him. Consequently, it comes as no great surprise that in the second book's side-story, ''Unfinished Business'', he's comfortably holding off half the New Orleans underworld with one hand, and a new, vicious superpowered gang with the other.
17	* [[VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair Ibuki Mioda]] in ''Fanfic/DuelingTriggerFinger''. She may act carefree and [[TheDitz ditzy]], but she's one heck of a duelist. Even [[Anime/YuGiOh Yugi's Grandpa]] notes her skill.
18	* Kakashi in ''Fanfic/FromHisExcerpts'' by Phoenyxx. Kakashi speaks fluent English, but hides it from the professors, resulting in little gems like these:
19	-->"Squid…Like…No magic."\
20	Oh. Professor Flitwick chuckled lightly, "I believe the correct term is squib."\
21	"Yes, squid. It is what I say."
22	* Many characters in ''Fanfic/TheInfiniteLoops'' act like this, pretending that they aren't aware of the time loops going on, either as a prank, or because their loop needs them to act the way they do normally at the start so they can derail things later.
23	* Kyon, in ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero''. He is shown to be highly fluent in English, easily beating the brigade in Scrabble, very skilled in chess[[note]]Asakura's best against him was a single stalemate[[/note]], and invokes GratuitousEnglish. He also learns German from Tsuruya extremely quickly. Aside from language skills, Kyon also managed to convince a renegade time traveler to pull off a StableTimeLoop for him, or risk being killed, because Kyon can go back in time to take his place, thus rendering his ContractualImmortality moot.
24	* [[spoiler:Princess Peach]], of all people, in ''Link's New Look''.
25	* ''Fanfic/OperationExchange'': Unlike canon where she was an orphan [[Really17YearsOld pretending to be older than she is]] and thus has more difficulty with most courses at Eden Academy, [[Manga/SpyXFamily Anya Forger]] [[AdaptationalIntelligence is a brilliant prodigy skilled in science, mathematics, and alchemy]] as a result of being experimented on by [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist the Amestris government and the Homonculi secretly running them]]. Anya ''deliberately'' does bad on tests because she knows if she does well then the Homunculi will find and capture her for her open Gate of Truth.
26	* In ''FanFic/OriginStory'', several members of ComicBook/TheAvengers finally notice that the entire point of ComicBook/SpiderMan's generally immature attitude is to make people underestimate him. After he makes one particularly insightful observation about the situation, he reminds ComicBook/TheAvengers (who are all sitting there staring at him in stunned surprise) that he has two Master's degrees and is close to earning his [=PhD=].
27	* ''Fanfic/TheSecretReturnOfAlexMack'': With no demons or Slayers in the local universe, their version of Buffy Summers became an ice skater and an apparently brainless reality TV star, stringing along a boyfriend who thinks that she's just eye candy. She's actually [[spoiler: one of the genetically enhanced Breslynn Orphans]], though, and when a four-man snatch squad comes for her, she lures them onto an ice rink and curb-stomps them all with her superior command of the terrain.
28	* In ''Fanfic/StormwolfAdventures'', [[Fanfic/FriendshipIsFailure Talon Ted]] seems to be an idiotic actor who is ruining his own life for his own narcissistic ego and it's implied his acting skills aren't so real. [[spoiler:They are real. He tricked everyone in a kingdom he is harmless and his true agenda is becoming its public face by following the king's insane ideals. He is also a serious threat to even the protagonists.]]
29	* [[spoiler:Cruise Control]] in ''WebAnimation/TurnaboutStorm''. This particular case is more PlayedForDrama than usual, as they had seen themselves more or less forced into it [[spoiler:thanks in part to Ace Swift blackmailing Cruise into losing to him. Cruise thought the whole act would be more believable if he thought and acted like a general loser as well]].
30
31	[[AC:''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'']]
32	* In ''Fanfic/WhereTheTruthLiesAnimorphs'', "Jordan" insists that he was never infested, while "Kat" claims she knows nothing about Yeerks at all. Turns out they're both lying.
33
34	[[AC:''Series/TheATeam'']]
35	* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8315978/1/Escape Escape]]'' shows that the hospital staff looking after Murdock know full well his friends are breaking him out each time they do so. They simply allow it because Murdock's not a danger to others and being with his friends improves his moods. Of course, there's also the betting pool they have going on how he'll be broken out each time.
36
37	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}}'']]
38	* In the third arc of the [[Fanfic/{{Cinderjuice}} Contractually Obligated Chaos]] series, Beej notes privately to himself that he ''enjoys'' persuading others that he's incredibly dim, as it leads them to underestimate him. He's actually very intelligent, coming up with several clever ideas throughout the series, but he tries to keep it from everyone except those closest to him.
39
40	[[AC:''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'']]
41	* Cordelia in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9663877/1/And-Another-Thing-I-Hate-About-You And Another Thing I Hate About You]]'' is one of the only people to notice Anya is doing this. As she puts it, Anya couldn't have interacted with humans for over a thousand years and trick them into making wishes if she really had NoSocialSkills. Anya admits she just likes [[{{Troll}} messing with the Scoobies]].
42	* Xander in general tends to be portrayed as more intelligent than he appears in canon, often with writers pointing out (or having a character do it) that he's in all the same advanced classes as Willow and has been for all of high school.[[note]]Many advanced placement classes will either kick students out or refuse to let them enroll in AP classes the following year if they don't maintain a certain grade, usually low to mid 80s.[[/note]]
43
44	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'']]
45	* In ''Fanfic/RevengeOfTheEnergyVampire'', XR pretends to have his will broken long enough to get an opening.
46
47	[[AC:''Manga/CaseClosed'']]
48	* A few fanfic authors like to play with the idea that Kogoro Mouri is aware of what Conan is doing, or faking being asleep. Has a basis in the simple fact that being injected countless times with the same sleeping drug will eventually result in the body resisting it.
49
50	[[AC:''Anime/CodeGeass'']]
51	* In ''Fanfic/OfSiblingsAndMasks'', Nunnally looks like TheIngenue but she is as smart as her brother Lelouch was.
52
53	[[AC:''Franchise/TheDCU'']]
54	* ''Fanfic/AVeryKaraChristmas'':
55	** [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Clark]] always makes sure that his articles contain one or two mispellings or some wonkily-structured sentence, lest he draws unwanted attention by writing perfect pieces.
56	** [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Linda]] does not need to study -her SuperSpeed and perfect memory ensured that she read all of her textbooks and memorized the contents within one day-, but she pretends to study because it would look suspicious if she never opened one book and still did well in school.
57	--->She was still moving at super-speed, too fast to be detected by the human eye. All she had to do was get her wig out of the tree, get dressed again, and get back to her room by bed check. Actually, she wanted some time before that so that she could get some studying done. She'd already read all of her textbooks all the way through the day she got them, but it looked suspicious if she didn't study.
58	* In the ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7105611/1/Legend Legend]]'', while Bruce obviously does this a lot to avoid people realising he's Batman, special mention definitely deserves to go to the time he was rescued from Poison Ivy by Catwoman, as he pretended to believe that ''Catwoman'' was actually ''Batman''.
59
60	[[AC:''Manga/DeathNote'']]
61	* [[Manga/DeathNote Light]] in ''FanFic/MyStupidReality'' has faked being BookDumb all his life in order to protect himself from L. He has it down to an art:
62	-->'''Light:''' One does not just randomly select a question or 2 and try to get them wrong. No. Nor do you do it to every 4th question or some other such ridiculous, predictable pattern like that. [[TheChessmaster The key lies in, like all things, strategy]]. You need to choose ahead of time a subject or 2 you're awful at, a few you're neutral, and 1 you're good at. Then whenever you get homework, consistently get the same basic principals wrong, and get it wrong on the test as well. Also, you have to make a show of not paying attention in class, or else suspicions will be raised, and you'll be given a special "learning disability," and assigned a tutor pronto.
63
64	[[AC:''Franchise/DragonBall'']]
65	* ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'':
66	** It turned Maron of all people into this. [[spoiler:She was really an undercover agent investigating Krillin for insurance fraud. Still a GoldDigger, though]].
67	** Even Goku sometimes only acts stupid, such as intentionally mispronouncing hyperbolic time chamber, and also can be pretty smart at times, asking for Mr. Popo's instant transportation carpet when he needs to get to the Vegeta and Nappa fight quickly, and understanding the ins and outs of Ultra Super Saiyan, describing its pros and cons in exact percentages to a shocked Gohan.
68
69	[[AC:''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'']]
70	* In the fan-video ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbH5SnwNRto Archer Reveals His Secret to Shirou]]'' by WebVideo/{{Daitomodachi}}, Archer tries to tell Shirou [[spoiler:that he's his future self from a different timeline]], but Shirou acts with confusion and disbelief, even when Archer spells it out with a chalkboard. After Gilgamesh kills Archer, Shirou laments that they'll never know what Archer was going to say... until Rin calls him out for knowing [[spoiler:Archer is his future self]] the entire time. Shirou admits that he did that [[TheGadfly to get back at Archer for being an asshole]].
71
72	[[AC:''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'']]
73	* In ''Fanfic/BoysDoTankary'', [[OriginalCharacter Gage]] pretends to be drunk (although he ''genuinely is'' TheAlcoholic) when Vincent comes into the bar to recruit him as the parts coordinator, so that Gage can confirm that Vincent was the one who killed Nyra.
74
75	[[AC:''Film/GoneWithTheWind'']]
76	* ''Literature/TheWindDoneGone'': Far from being the idiotic slave most people think she is, Prissy/Miss Priss purposely acts stupid to throw off white people. She's actually a crafty woman who causes the death of Melanie/Mealy Mouth as revenge for the death of her two brothers, for which she blames her.
77
78	[[AC: ''Literature/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShi'' / ''Series/TheUntamed'']]
79	* ''Fanfic/TheConcubineMoChronicles'' has Wei Wuxian. He plays the obedient, lovesick and polite concubine to the hilt in order to fly under the radar of anyone who might possibly peg him as a threat.
80	* ''Fanfic/EveryoneLivesWithKnives'': Nie Huaisang, as in canon. Unlike in canon, Mingjue is on to him to a degree. Wei Wuxian is on to him fully.
81	* ''Fanfic/AndIWillBurnForYou'' features original character Gao Changying, who pretends to be a foppish idiot despite being Jiang Cheng's spymaster.
82	* ''Fanfic/TheRedEarth'' has a throwaway reference to Nie Huaisang being this. Ironically, despite not being related to him in this, Mingjue seems aware of his true nature.
83
84	[[AC:''Franchise/HarryPotter'']]
85	* Crabbe and Goyle are quite commonly described as doing this. Sometimes they are just shy or quiet, and that combined with their appearance, their love for food and their status as Draco Malfoy's cronies make people think they are stupid. Other times they are actively pretending to be stupid so that people won't expect anything of them. In both cases they either actually like Draco and he likes them, or they protect Draco physically (as is implied in canon) and he protects them socially. In one particular fic, they weren't stupid, but since they suffered from undiagnosed dyslexia, everyone thought they were.
86	* In ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8499891/1/Whispered-Words Whispered Words]]'' Harry fakes a head injury in an attempt [[RefusalOfTheCall to make Dumbledore and the rest of the Wizarding World leave him alone and not drag him into]] ''[[RefusalOfTheCall their]]'' [[RefusalOfTheCall war.]]
87	* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7973137/4/Take-No-Umbridge-I-As-Umbridge-Sees-it Take No Umbridge]]'', Trelawny's "side-show fortune teller" mannerisms aren't just an act, but one required to ace the Divination practical.
88
89	[[AC:''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'']]
90	* Italy did this in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]''. [[spoiler:He was fully aware of Germany's and Japan's feelings toward him all along. [[InsecureLoveInterest He didn't think he was worthy though]].]]
91	* [[spoiler: Italy]], of all people, in ''VideoGame/HetaOni''.
92	* In ''Fanfic/HumanCuriosity'', America pretends to be tactless and unaware that he's pissing off Arthur Kirkland, in order to pull off Arthur's sunglasses and [[ItMakesSenseInContext see if he really is England]]. It's noted that one of the good things about America tending to be TheDitz is that no one notices the rare instances when he's only ''pretending'' to be stupid for his advantage.
93
94	[[AC:''Literature/TheHungerGames'']]
95	* ''Fanfic/TheVictorsProject'': Adonis Silvertree is an intelligent and dedicated rebel against Snow, but puts on a show of being an UpperClassTwit who gets "outrageously drunk and high so that my father doesn't suspect I'm doing something worthwhile with my life."
96
97
98	[[AC:''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'']]
99
100	* ''Fanfic/HZDTerraformingBase001TextCommunicationsNetwork'': Erend is a very blunt person who tends to ignore anything that doesn't have an immediately obvious solution. But he was classically educated by the standards of his people (which includes navigating their infamous legal system), he's the only one to recognize a few math terms that Aloy drops, and spends at least some time going over the Faro Plague schematics.
101	-->'''Aloy:''' Erend, stop playing the idiot.\
102	'''Erend:''' BUT I'M SO GOOD AT IT!
103
104	[[AC:''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'']]
105	* ''Fanfic/KirbyOfTheStarsTheAfterStory'': Kirby himself utilized this trope by pretending to have difficulty understanding how to play tag, which caught Bun off-guard long enough for Kirby to tackle him to the ground.
106
107	[[AC:''ComicBook/LeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'']]
108	* ''Fanfic/LeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemenTempestRewrite'': Turns out, [[Franchise/JamesBond Jimmy]] was faking his incompetence in ''Black Dossier''.
109
110	[[AC:''Series/Merlin2008'']]
111	* In “[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6351946/1/The-Sorcerer-s-Bride The Sorcerer’s Bride]]”, Morgause captures Merlin, Morgana and Gwen with the intent of essentially brainwashing Merlin to be her servant and rule as queen alongside Morgana. Fortunately for Morgana, Morgause underestimates Gwen’s courage and intelligence (as well as failing to understand Morgana's devotion to Camelot), allowing Morgana to send Gwen to get help while dismissing her request that Gwen be released from the dungeons as simply Morgana not wanting to bother breaking in a new servant.
112
113	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'']]
114	* In ''Fanfic/{{The Cosmos\|MiraculousLadybug}}'', Rose's sugary sweet [[ThePollyanna Pollyanna persona]] is actually an act she uses to lure others off their guard around her. It's so effective that she's able to easily maintain her fake persona even among those who know she's the Hydra of the Cosmos, convincing them that she ''really is'' as sweet and innocent as she seems.
115	* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13627591/1/Double-Dates Double Dates]]'', Adrien seems to be ObliviousToLove regarding Marinette and Kagami's feelings for him and each other, [[{{Polyamory}} even when the three start dating]]. [[spoiler:It's in the final chapter when he describes a three-way sex session between them as an odd form of friendship that Kagami realizes he's been ''[[{{Troll}} trolling her]]''. He happily admits that not only does he know about their relationship, but that's he's also been aware ''and'' supporting Kagami's ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend antics throughout the story.]]
116	* ''FanFic/OhYouDontHaveToDoThatCommunication'': After figuring out that Lila has been [[CelebrityLie lying about her celebrity connections]], the class, [[EntertaininglyWrong thinking she's just trying to fit in with her classmates in an unhealthy manner]], decides at first to pretend to not know she is lying and let her into their activities, in hopes of showing her that she doesn't have to deceive them to become their friend. However, as they figure out that she's a ManipulativeBitch and ''especially'' find out that she has a hate trigger for being called out, their act of believing her becomes a cover while investigating and collecting evidence to take her down.
117	* ''Fanfic/TheresMoreMagicOutThere'': Alix, revealed to be a skilled witch in the story, has been deliberately downplay her intelligence, in part because she doesn't want to ruin the dynamic she has with her non-magical friends.
118	* ''Fanfic/{{The Wolves in the Woods\|MiraculousLadybug}}'': [[spoiler:Alya Cesaire]] pretends to have been completely taken in by all of Lila's BlatantLies in order to turn the rest of the class against Marinette, turning them into a GangOfBullies expressly to [[TallPoppySyndrome 'knock Marinette down a few pegs']] and crush her self-esteem. They intended to manipulate Marinette into believing they'd been completely fooled, making her even more dependent upon their '[[FalseFriend friendship]]' When they [[SayingTooMuch accidentally let the truth slip]], they then try to keep PlayingTheVictimCard with their parents and convince them that they just want their friend back.
119
120	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'']]
121	* ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'': In chapter 11 of the third story, ''Diplomacy Through Schooling'', Sonata self-admits to being BookDumb, but she's smarter than she acts a lot of the time. She acted dumb so Adagio would underestimate her, and also so Aria would get mad at her, because she thinks the faces Aria made then were funny.
122	* ''Fanfic/EquestriaGirlsMarvelUniverse'': Downplayed with Flash Sentry, who changed his image before High School to avoid being bullied for being a TeenGenius, and avoids drawing attention to himself by asking his teachers not to mention his intelligence. He doesn't act like a complete idiot like most examples though, and still manages to study and complete his homework.
123	* ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria'': A whole organization in the backstory. Of the six Ministries the Mane Six created to govern Equestria, Rainbow Dash's "Ministry of Awesome" seemed completely useless, little more than an ego-trip for Dash. The other Ministries used their buildings for storage. This was just a cover for the Ministry's true purpose as a secret black-ops force.
124	* ''Fanfic/WereGonnaGetThereSoon'': [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Der]][[TheKlutz py]] isn't a genius, but she's more aware of what [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer other]] [[WellDoneSonGuy ponies]] say and think of her than they give her credit for.
125
126	[[AC:''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'']]
127	* In of ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/30758684/chapters/76557851 Chapter 5]]'' of ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/30758Fan684/chapters/76557851 Solidarity Among Students, Class 1-A Edition]]'', Izuku (who has just invited [[LoveInterest Ochako]] to his house so they can work on their homework) tells Tenya that he's terrified and nearly peeing himself. Tenya replies that, if Izuku's having incontinence troubles, he should consult a professional. [[LampshadeHanging Izuku fires back by pointing out he knows Tenya's doing it on purpose.]]
128
129	[[AC:''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'']]
130	* Naruto's status as dead last in the academy and IdiotHero everywhere is at times depicted as this in most fics. However, the reasons as to why are what really make it enjoyable to read. For example:
131	** In ''Blind'' the Hyuuga train their kids at the age of 3 (according to this fic that's the youngest you can mold charka). Naruto just so happens to be Hyuuga Hiashi's adopted guest/son and he and Hinata can pass the Genin Exam with flying colours. The problem however is that Hinata is blind so her clones and henges come out black and white so she can't pass thusly her class and villagers (except Hiashi. He's is a [[GoodParents good father here]]) brand her a dope. Naruto keeps failing (Hiashi himself has been teaching Naruto to be a hyper-competent ninja) to stay with her while developing a jutsu to help her see. It should be noted that Hinata knows one of the Second Hokages jutsus and Naruto knows Kage Bushin and the Hiraishin.
132	** In ''Legacy of the Rasengan'' Naruto is a creator of simple-to-use yet effective jutsus (simple as in easy to activate and tweak), thinks before he acts, is very observant but acts like his canon self to hide it. The only ones who know (at first) he is playing dumb are Kakashi (due to Naruto outwitting him during the bell test and carefully observing Naruto "Take in information, process it instantly, then act in a manner expected of his buffoon self." ), Hinata ([[ShipTease he doesn't put up the charade when they're alone together]]) and Shikamaru (connected the dots like Kakashi). As is common with the trope they call it dumb luck if he pwns with wits/acts unusually perceptive and jaw-drop when he shows jutsu. Everyone eventually figures it out during the Chunnin Exams after he displays a jutsu that works like Jyuuken and cleaves through Neju's rotation!
133	* Naruto learns the hard way in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3665921/51/Black-Flames-Dance-In-The-Wind-Rise-of-Naruto Black Flames Dance in the Wind: Rise of Naruto]]'' that the ''Council'' has been doing this. Besides noting that of course they're not trying to keep him weak and helpless, comparing it to keeping a sword dull and chipped, the crimes they frame him for are identical to crimes he's actually committed. For example, beating a weapon shop owner then stealing a good deal of his merchandise; while Naruto didn't attack or rob that shopkeeper, he did attack and rob another one the previous week and stole exactly what he was framed for later. Furthermore, the "assassins" sent after him are actually the village's way of getting rid of potential and actual traitors: offer them money to kill a comrade then tip off said comrade and provide backup.
134	* ''Fanfic/GenderConfusion'': Played straight, subverted and double subverted depending on who you are and where you are in the Akatsuki. For the first few chapters, Kakuzu and Kisame have no idea it's an act; Kakuzu, Itachi, Konan, and Nagato know it's an act; Deidara, Hidan and Zetsu are aware he is faking it, but want him to continue the act because it makes him more fun and pleasant to be around.
135	* {{Downplayed}} in ''[[Fanfic/GlassMarionetteNaruto Glass Marionette]]''; as Kankuro himself puts it, "I play just dumb enough to not seem like a threat." This doesn't always work in his favor; thanks to his antics, Temari is convinced that he has no sense of self-preservation.
136	* Kaede Mizuno in ''FanFic/AGrowingAffection'' operates using this trope, she wants her enemies to think she is just a pretty face who was promoted due to her family connections. She is in fact quite intelligent, and goes toe-to-toe with some of the strongest characters in the story.
137	* Naruto, once again, in ''Fanfic/KitsuneNoKenFistOfTheFox''; here, he behaves like this from the first chapter, when he's just arriving in Konoha Town, acting like a very clueless newcomer to avoid being beaten up by Dosu, Zaku and Kin even as they're trashing the Yamanaka greengrocery, and then in the second chapter he's acting as though he's terrified of being beaten up by other Konoha High students for mouthing off to them. The "obfuscating" part comes in when it's revealed that this is the same guy who was part of the Kyuushingai, a nine-member group that caused panic across an entire continent for a whole year's worth of time, and who are all smart enough [[spoiler:via artificially-implanted intelligence]] to master several fighting disciplines and use of weapons, among other skills.
138	* In ''Fanfic/FirstTrySeries'' Sasuke ''[[InvokedTrope thinks]]'' Naruto was doing this during all his time at the Academy. In ''Team 7'', he recalls how many of Naruto's pranks and failures at the Academy would take out Chunin and that Naruto would say [[IWasJustJoking he was "joking"]]. He recalls that after Itachi, there was an age limit for early graduation put in place and recalls from historical precedent that bored ninja not allowed to promote were often very destructive like Naruto. [[WrongGenreSavvy He is]] [[DefiedTrope very wrong.]]
139	* Fu in ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'' is a downplayed example, since she is genuinely BookDumb and a bit of a CloudCuckoolander, but tends to act much dumber than she really is, [[{{Troll}} often just for kicks]].
140	* In ''FanFic/ATeachersGlory'' Sakura and Naruto create a variation of the Sexy Jutsu that ''weaponizes'' this. The first time Naruto uses it, Sasuke thinks 'the person who would create something this stupid is so stupid that, if I left them here in this clearing they've been a hundred times before, they'd never find their way home.'
141
142	[[AC:''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'']]
143	* ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust'': After getting together Shinji and Asuka start to figure out several secrets of Nerv by comparing their pasts and their experiences piloting their Evangelions, but since they realize they are not supposed to know about them and they are trying to keep their relationship under wraps they pretend they are clueless and oblivious to not draw unwanted attention to themselves)
144	* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'': In chapter 48 Misato pretended to be a silly, gullible, clueless, harmless woman to lure the warlord that ruled Buenos Aires into a trap.
145	* ''Fanfic/OnceMoreWithFeelingCrazy88'': Time-traveller Shinji goes out of his way to act ''completely'' inept in his first combat simulation (and does such a good job of it that the staff nicknamed him "Franchise/{{Godzilla}}''), then asks for a week of intensive combat training so he can have a more believable explanation for his piloting skills.
146	* ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'': Shinji and Asuka pretend they are dumb, oblivious and ignorant to everything that is happening around them so Gendo does not suspect they are time travelers are plotting to ruin his and Seele's plans.
147	* ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'': Shinji pretended he was dumber and more ignorant than he was so nobody figured out what he is - a master manipulator with PsychicPowers - or what he really knows. Later Rei and Asuka make the same thing, advised by him.
148
149	[[AC:''Manga/OnePiece'']]
150	* ''Fanfic/ThisBites'':
151	** This is implied to be the case, at least to an extent, with Mr. 4. Miss Merry Christmas objects to his decision of [[spoiler:giving Lassoo to]] Cross, saying that Cross had helped stop them and save the kingdom. 4 uses that as his own reasoning, and in response to a surprised Christmas considering aloud how she wondered sometimes how moronic he ''actually'' was, he smiles.
152	** Namedropped and discussed on the way to Water 7, when Cross says he isn't sure how much of Iceberg's oddness is real and how much is this.
153
154	[[AC:''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'']]
155	* In ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'', Misty runs into the [[SnakeOilSalesman Magikarp salesman]] aboard the S.S. Anne. She quickly sees through his scam, but intentionally plays dumb and uses flattery to get him to reveal his personal info, and eventually get him arrested.
156
157	[[AC:''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'']]
158	* ''Fanfic/HeartsOfIce'': Shampoo is able to speak fluent Japanese, but she keeps speaking broken Japanese because it makes people believe she is dumb.
159	-->However... she found that people, including her great-grandmother, tended to unconsciously underestimate her when she played dumb, and Shampoo had a policy of exploiting every advantage she could get.
160
161	[[AC:''Manga/RurouniKenshin'']]
162	* ''Fanfic/LightOfTheSnowRedVillage'': Subverted. Kenshin no longer feigns foolishness, because he wants his daughter to respect him.
163
164	[[AC:RealPersonFic]]
165	* In ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'', the four all pretend to be naïve, useless fools when they first start journeying with the Hunter, because they take a massive dislike to him the moment he enters the scene. Their intent is to gradually reveal their power as they travel so they can humiliate him. This turns out not to be the best idea they ever had.
166	* The four also put this trope to some use in ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone'' because everyone thinks they're callow youths and therefore ignorant and inexperienced. They're happy to keep the pose up.
167
168	[[AC:''Franchise/ResidentEvil'']]
169	* In ''Fanfic/TheProgenitorChronicles'', the MC purposely describes one of his lab protocols incorrectly when talking to [[spoiler:Natalia]] to see just how unnaturally intelligent [[spoiler:she]] is. [[spoiler:She sees through it, prompting her to try to have him killed later for potentially knowing too much.]]
170
171	[[AC:''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'']]
172	* King Aultcray is implied to have been pretending to be petty and short-sighted in ''Fanfic/AmbitionOfTheRedPrincess''. After a few days of learning the general ins and outs of the world he's been summoned too, Naofumi proposes that Aultcray summoned all four heroes despite the ongoing negotiations to determine what order the various kingdoms will summon them so as to indefinitely tie up negotiations for the heroes to be released into the other kingdoms in exchange for Queen Mirelia's release. After framing Naofumi for rape, he'd banish the shield hero rather than execute him, only to have him assassinated en-route to Siltvelt, allowing Aultcray to keep the other three heroes within Melromarc and frame Siltvelt for killing one of the four heroes.
173
174	[[AC:''Series/RizzoliAndIsles'']]
175	* In the Wild West AU ''Fanfic/CalamityJaneMeetsDoctorIsles'', while Jane often thinks of herself as stupid because she can’t read or write much beyond her name(sbut Maura is able to swiftly help Jane improve her literacy, and she often compliments Jane’s greater general knowledge in areas beyond book smarts (as well as Jane being fluent in Italian).
176
177	[[AC:''Theatre/SimonBoccanegra'']]
178	* In ''Fanfic/{{Stabilization}}'', Paolo Albiani pretends to have become a case of StupidEvil, to give the political parties of Genoa a [[EnemyMine vile enemy they can unite against]] but at the same time to make sure his defeat is swift and crushing.
179
180	[[AC:''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'']]
181	* ''Fanfic/TheKingNobodyWanted'':
182	** Garth "the Gross" Tyrell is a lot more calculating than he lets most people realize, and makes a point of masking his acumen behind his public persona of a flatulent, overweight, indulgent has-been and glutton.
183	** Hoster Tully is widely known as an amiable but not particularly bright or ambitious lord, which is how he likes it. He also pretends to be soused for most of a conversation with Gerion Lannister.
184
185	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'']]
186	* ''Fanfic/QueensOfMewni'': Celena the Shy was introverted, yes, but she played up her shyness to an extreme degree to suss out her nobles' true intentions: after all, the more unscrupulous ones wouldn't hesitate to manipulate a queen they thought malleable.
187
188	[[AC:''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'']]
189	* In ''Fanfic/TheChroniclesOfKaraiGettingHerShitTogether'', Karai comes to realize Michelangelo isn't as ignorant as he seems, questioning whether or not half of the various crazy and stupid things that he says or does are all means of taking the initiative. It is also implied that he has a strong spiritual awareness similar to what Splinter believes April to have, claiming that "the trees" told him that Karai has been hunting deer in the woods, a fact that he shouldn't know.
190
191	[[AC:''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'']]
192	* ''Fanfic/UnityPinkShoes'': Unbeknownst to the majority of the ''Victory'''s crew, Rumble and Frenzy's childish behavior obscures how mature they actually are. Their judgement alone is sound enough that Megatron usually believes what the duo has to say.
193
194	[[AC:''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'']]
195	* Temmie ([[RoleSwapAU who has Flowey's role, and vice versa]]) does this in ''VideoGame/TSUnderswap'', playing dumb just long enough to lower the player character's guard so they can more easily kill them, and revealing themself afterward to be [[AdaptationalIntelligence much smarter]] and [[AdaptationalVillainy more sadistic]] when about to kill the player. Compared to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eRMqYllUic this 2016 video]] released early in the game's development (which had the swapped characters still pretty much following the characterization beats of their counterparts, including Temmie, like Flowey, having trouble keeping up the "cute silly helper" when irritated and soon dropping the act entirely), the 2020 demo [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC5jCygCia0 shows]] Temmie flipping the "cute dumb Temmie" act on and off even after revealing their true colors to mock the player character.
196
197	[[AC:''Literature/TheWickedYears'']]
198	* In ''Fanfic/TheLoveClub'', Glinda starts off hiding her intellect. She presents herself as smart enough to look educated, but not too smart as not to threaten men. Glinda considers playing dumb as advantageous in their society.
199
200	[[AC:''Franchise/XMen'']]
201	* ComicBook/JeanGrey in ''Fanfic/{{Risen}}'' is often underestimated by those who can't see past her non-threatening likeness. It used to piss her off until she learned how to take advantage of it.
202	-->Because of her slight build, fine, angular features, and the almost childlike quality of her voice and mannerisms, Jean Grey was often underestimated by those who did not always see the strength, the iron will, that lay just beneath the delicate exterior. And although it made her angry not to be taken seriously, she had learned early on how to turn such a liability into an asset.\
203	Now, as she entered the Professor's study and closed the door behind her, unaware of his decision but preparing herself for the worst; she launched a pre-emptive strike, clasping her hands in her lap, crossing her ankles, biting her lower lip and casting her eyes down, looking for all the world like a lost little girl in desperate need of a hug. Charles would have to have a heart of stone to turn her over to Lilandra, or do anything else along those lines. Her demeanor would not seem false to him either, for she was not acting. She was simply allowing what was at the core of her to shine through her hard mantle of courage, and the deceptively fragile shell.
204

Context ObfuscatingStupidity / Fanworks