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Inverted Portrait

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Do you think she's getting a headache?

This is when a character's full-body portrait is shown, as commonly seen in Title Sequences, only they're upside-down. May also appear in other parts of a work as well.

Used for artistic effect or perhaps to symbolize something about the character, such as being in pain in strange ways, or in deep thought. Whether the character is really upside-down, or is lying on his or her back (or floating) and is merely seen from a perspective that puts their head down, is not necessarily clear.

Note that this only applies when the character is seen in a stylized portrait. Although it could appear anywhere within a work, if the character is literally floating upside-down within the story, it is not an example of this.


Examples:

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    Anime and Manga 
  • In the opening to Azumanga Daioh, it happens with Yukari upside-down and Nyamo right-side up. Then Yukari glares at Nyamo, and their positions are switched.
  • Some of the main female characters in Baldr Force EXE Resolution, along with upright and sideways variations.
  • Sakura briefly in the third OP of the anime of Cardcaptor Sakura.
  • Makina in Corpse Princess in the Title Sequence, as seen in the page picture to the right.
  • In the anime of Higurashi: When They Cry:
    • In the first season's opening, two images of Mion appear, lying on their side, nude, and curled in fetal positions, each with her head by the other's knees. Their pinkies are interlocked. Actually, one is Mion (a very large tattoo can be seen covering her entire back), and the other is Shion (her back is normal).
    • In the ending of Kai, Rena and Mion are lying next to each other in empty space, facing opposite directions, framed by flowers.
    • In the visually symbolic intro of episode 6 of Kai, each member of the circle of friends is displayed, one by one, except Mion and Shion, who appear back-to-back, with Shion upside-down.
    • And in the same intro, Rika herself appears upside-down, with a closeup of her eyes opening.
  • Rai in Jyu-Oh-Sei, with his twin brother Thor upright next to him, in almost perfect symmetry.
  • Neon Genesis Evangelion:
    • Rei's naked silhouette can be seen, reflected upside-down in water, spinning against the dark blue background of the Closing Credits.
    • The OP too: at an early point, Asuka and Rei's naked silhouettes pan over the screen in the background. Asuka is upside-down while Rei is upright.
    • The Mind Screw portion of Episode 12 also features this, during the "I am I" stanza of Rei's poem, using an upside-down version of Rei's silhouette from the opening sequence.
  • Rosario + Vampire: Near the end of the season 1 opening, the "camera" pans over Moka floating upside down naked underwater and surrounded by fruit, her rosary glowing.
  • Arcueid in the OP of Shingetsutan Tsukihime, for quite a while even.
  • Several examples from the Sword Art Online anime:
    • Asuna in the Closing Credits of the first season's Aincrad arc, diagonally below a right-side up Kirito.
    • And in the Phantom Bullet arc, Shino in the Closing Credits and her game character Sinon (along with Death Gun) in the Title Sequence. Twice over in the former, in fact: once as her present self, then again as her 11-year­-old self, when she shot and killed a would-be robber who threatened her mother.
    • Leafa in the Caliber arc's Closing Credits.
  • Battler in the Umineko Motion Graphic 6 has a couple of seconds where he's shown upside down, flashing through a sea of memories.

    Comic Books 
  • The Ultimates: Black Widow shows up upside down on the cover of Ultimates #7.

     Music 

     Video Games 

  • In Dreaming Mary:
    • Mary herself on the title screen.
    • Most endings have the end credits with Mary being pictured in this fashion behind them, surrounded by images of her 'friends' as she descends into darkness. An unusual example in that the player has to move her down the portrait with the arrow keys to make the credits scroll and end the game.
  • Claude from Fire Emblem: Three Houses is well known for being depicted upside-down on the game's box art.
  • Sora briefly in the OP to Kingdom Hearts.
  • Happens late in the story with the title protagonist of Wadanohara, when Princess Mikotsu briefly manages to trap her in a Lotus-Eater Machine.
  • In the opening to The World Ends with You, Shiki is shown upside-down next to mirror image of her right-side up. This is an outright spoiler that can only be seen in hindsight. Shiki has Eri's appearance, so there really are two Shikis. We're confused too.

     Visual Novels 

  • The Title Sequence of Twenty Two Thirty Six AD has this on C.S. next to an upright Shirasaki, and on the telepathic Haru Shion next to an upright non-telepathic Haru Shion. C.S. also appears later both upright and inverted in the same picture.
  • In I/O:
    • In the Title Sequence, Ishtar appears simultaneously upright and inverted, side-by-side. One is Ishtar α, the other Ishtar ω (actually Yumi carrying Ishtar's Shadow Null and altered to look like her). One picture also gets flipped repeatedly in time to the beat of the song, with a random person standing in it each time.
    • In route E, a dream sequence depicts the quantum computer Marduk's Shadow in a fetal position, positioned with their head down.

     Other media 


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