History Main / BaitAndSwitchCredits

* [[https://youtu.be/IL3uT44NgMQ The first opening]] for ''Anime/HappinessChargePrettyCure'' has Iona acting friendly with the other cures... but all that did was hide how much of a total {{Jerkass}} she was for the first half of the season, completely antagonizing Hime while treating Megumi and Yuko as tools.

* ''Anime/DotHackSign'': We're treated to an Electronica-esque opening song with a ton of technicolor visuals. The major characters come onto screen one at a time looking like they're dancing, as well as falling through a data-field while their clothes gradually disintegrate. There's also a female character in a red and blue bodysuit and visor featured VERY prominently. None of this appears at all in the show. The girl in the body suit doesn't even EXIST. The only things that come close are the screen gradually "breaking" over a face shot of Tsukasa, and a very brief shot at the end showing the sleeping Aura (and the bodysuit girl in what looks like the REAL world [[TheGameComeToLife which makes even less sense]]). The show itself is more brooding, and introspective than anything else with most of the very [[MindScrew Mind Screw-y]] plot handled via exposition which only serves to make the upbeat opening even MORE jarring.
** It's ''possible'' that the opening is symbolic of the fact that the show takes place in a virtual world, hence the girl in the VR goggles and suit and the dissolving clothes while falling could symbolize the shifting of realities. It's also possible the unnamed girl represents [[spoiler: Tsukasa, who's hiding his true gender]].

* The original Saban-controlled Creator/FUNimation OP for ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' wasn't ''technically'' bait-and-switch, but the spirit was sure there. 90% of the clips were either taken from the ''Dead Zone'' movie or from the Cell Saga -- which also not only [[SpoilerOpening spoiled the Super Saiyan transformations of Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta, but also the appearance of Trunks]]. The theme song was catchy, though. Ironic considering that [=FUNimation=] didn't reach Trunks for several years after the first two seasons started airing due to lack of funding.
** ''Dragon Ball Z''[='s=] 2nd OP makes it look as if the show will follow Gohan and his Saiyaman adventures, and it does, for a handful of episodes before Goku returns and a new villain shows up, but the opening never changes.
** ''Anime/DragonBallZKai'' (the new director's cut of Z) also has a bait and switch. The end credits feature Launch, a character who was prominent in Dragon Ball but who has barely any appearances in Z... and the one sequence she ''does'' appear in was cut out of Kai because it wasn't in the manga.
*** ''Anime/DragonBallZKai'' in general uses new artline invented for video games and post-2000s movies for the intros and endings, but the whole series is a blatant copy-and-paste of the original 1989 adaptation, where nothing improves besides the coloring and pacing.
** ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'''s 2nd OP features the main characters fighting in the upcoming Tournament of Power, including some surprising faces like [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse Android 17]]. [[spoiler:While Android 17 is present on the team, Majin Buu is not - he's incapacitated just before the tournament begins, [[GodzillaThreshold forcing the team to revive Freeza to take his place]]. The OP then changes to reflect this.]]

* ''Manga/SchoolLive'' has an intentionally deceptive intro that belies the story's true nature. The anime has an adorable, bright and happy intro with a peppy pop song, which makes it seem as though it's a typical laid-back SchoolgirlSeries. The series itself is actually a NightmareFuel laden anime about a group of high school girls surviving in the middle of a ZombieApocalypse. As the anime goes on, the opening's visuals [[EvolvingCredits gradually change]] to reflect the reality of the girls' situation, such as adding zombies shambling towards the school and shots of ruined classrooms.

* Series/TwentyOneJumpStreet: Peter [=DeLuise=] mentions in his commentary track for one of the episodes of the first season: the credits feature a bunch of gunplay and a car flipping over; however, the series mostly is about undercover work and centers around sedate dialog-driven scenes. The car flipping over was one of the most expensive scenes shot for the series, and was really the only one of its kind.

* ''Videogame/AkibasTripUndeadAndUndressed'' has the heroines fighting each other in the intro and even fighting on the rooftops. This never happens in game.

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] by ''VideoGame/EnterTheGungeon''. The title screen prominently features some random Gunslinger who doesn’t match up to any of the game’s characters and seems to be totally disconnected from the story... [[spoiler:until you reach the FinalBoss, who [[ChekhovsGunman turns out to be the Gunslinger from the opening]]. The title screen was actually a flashback showing him arriving at [[EldritchLocation the Gungeon]], where he eventually became [[OurLichesAreDifferent an undead monster]].]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/MegaMan'' cartoon's title sequence had epic action scenes and detailed Japanese-style animation. The actual cartoon was legitimately an action series, but had slightly less emphasis on the fight scenes and was visually more in line with traditional early-'90s American animation.

** Taken UpToEleven with the season 8 intro, which is animated in [[ArtShift a dark and gritty style]] and features the characters as a police squad fighting criminals. The show is exactly the same as before. The season 10 intro is a similar case.

* ''Anime/DotHackSign'': We're treated to an Electronica-esque opening song with a ton of technicolor visuals. The major characters come onto screen one at a time looking like they're dancing, as well as falling through a data-field while their clothes gradually disintegrate. There's also a female character in a red and blue bodysuit and visor featured VERY prominently. None of this appears at all in the show. The girl in the body suit doesn't even EXIST. The only things that come close are the screen gradually "breaking" over a face shot of Tsukasa, and a very brief shot at the end showing the sleeping Aura (and the bodysuit girl in what looks like the REAL world [[TheGameComeToLife which makes even less sense]]). The show itself is more brooding, and introspective than anything else with most of the very [[MindScrew Mind Screw-y]] plot handled via exposition which only serves to make the upbeat opening even MORE jarring.
** It's ''possible'' that the opening is symbolic of the fact that the show takes place in a virtual world, hence the girl in the VR goggles and suit and the dissolving clothes while falling could symbolize the shifting of realities. It's also possible the unnamed girl represents [[spoiler: Tsukasa, who's hiding his true gender]].

* In ''Manga/GrandBlue'', the opening is about our protagonists diving. Truth is, the series is more about drinking alcohol— just like how everyone thought Peek-a-boo is a legitimate diving club instead of a drinking club.

* The original Saban-controlled Creator/FUNimation OP for ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' wasn't ''technically'' bait-and-switch, but the spirit was sure there. 90% of the clips were either taken from the ''Dead Zone'' movie or from the Cell Saga -- which also not only [[SpoilerOpening spoiled the Super Saiyan transformations of Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta, but also the appearance of Trunks]]. The theme song was catchy, though. Ironic considering that [=FUNimation=] didn't reach Trunks for several years after the first two seasons started airing due to lack of funding.
** ''Dragon Ball Z''[='s=] 2nd OP makes it look as if the show will follow Gohan and his Saiyaman adventures, and it does, for a handful of episodes before Goku returns and a new villain shows up, but the opening never changes.
** ''Anime/DragonBallZKai'' (the new director's cut of Z) also has a bait and switch. The end credits feature Launch, a character who was prominent in Dragon Ball but who has barely any appearances in Z... and the one sequence she ''does'' appear in was cut out of Kai because it wasn't in the manga.
*** ''Anime/DragonBallZKai'' in general uses new artline invented for video games and post-2000s movies for the intros and endings, but the whole series is a blatant copy-and-paste of the original 1989 adaptation, where nothing improves besides the coloring and pacing.
** ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'''s 2nd OP features the main characters fighting in the upcoming Tournament of Power, including some surprising faces like [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse Android 17]]. [[spoiler:While Android 17 is present on the team, Majin Buu is not - he's incapacitated just before the tournament begins, [[GodzillaThreshold forcing the team to revive Freeza to take his place]]. The OP then changes to reflect this.]]

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/GateKeepers''. The OP depicts [[{{Meganekko}} Megumi Kurogane]] apparently firing an [[KamehameHadoken energy blast]] from her hand. This is supposed to be impossible in-universe, as her power is to [[BarrierWarrior create walls]]... then you notice that Megumi ''was'' using her barriers - to ''block'' said blast.
* The fifth ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'' opening makes the show seem a lot more serious and dramatic than it actually is. (For the first several episodes, it ''did'' accompany a comparatively serious story arc, but the key word here is "comparatively.")
** A good chunk of Gintama's openings qualified. How many times do they show Gin engaged in epic battles? All the time. Does it ever happen? No.[[note]]Except when they do.[[/note]] Then again, it's a GagSeries with a TrollingCreator, so is it a surprise? [[SubvertedTrope Then the series starts hitting the deeper pits of the]] CerebusRollercoaster [[SubvertedTrope in its later (and especially final) arcs]], and the openings fit right in.
** The anime's Slip Arc has an ominous shot of Shoyo and his pupils in the opening, with a brief cameo from [[spoiler:Utsuro]] in his silhouette. Is this going to be an important plot point? Definitely, but ''in the seasons that sandwich it'', as the Slip Arc was dedicated to all the chapters BNP skipped to get to the serious final parts.
* The second opening of ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'''s second season has a scene that was taken directly from a manga chapter where Hayate goes to Risa's house and [[ItMakesSenseInContext they both end up being chased by a giant crocodile]]. You'd take this to mean that they'd be animating that chapter, right? But then they skipped it....
* ''Manga/HidamariSketch'': The OP for the first season shows Yuno walking in on Sae on top of Hiro in a suggestive manner, but the scene where it comes from (sadly, a NotWhatItLooksLike moment) isn't shown until the second season.
* ''Manga/HikaruNoGo'' has a scene at the end of its last ending sequence which shows Hikaru and Sai playing against each other as equals, implying that someday Hikaru will reach Sai's level and be able to play against him in a fair match. Though Hikaru ''wants'' to do this, it never happens, and he's nowhere near Sai's level when [[spoiler:Sai disappears permanently.]]

* Two openings of ''Anime/NeoRanga'' features all three female protagonists in white {{Stripperiffic}} outfits, having mysterious symbols painted on their bodies and wielding stone weapons. None of this happens.

* [[https://youtu.be/IL3uT44NgMQ The first opening]] for ''Anime/HappinessChargePrettyCure'' has Iona acting friendly with the other cures... but all that did was hide how much of a total {{Jerkass}} she was for the first half of the season, completely antagonizing Hime while treating Megumi and Yuko as tools.

* ''[[VideoGame/MegaManStarForce Ryuusei no Rockman]] Tribe''. Fans were disappointed in the lack of Ninja and Dinosaur transformations.

* The OP for the ''Shin Manga/CaptainTsubasa'' OAV features two girls alongside the guys: Tsubasa's LoveInterest Sanae and Misaki's female friend (and Sanae's {{expy}}) Azumi. Azumi was actually AdaptedOut, and only Sanae shows up in the story proper.
* Some shots in the opening of the ''[[Manga/GetterRobo Shin Getter Robo vs Neo Getter Robo]]'' OVA series suggest that it will live up to its title and the two Getters will fight each other, or at least side-by-side, at some point. [[MidSeasonUpgrade No such luck]], unfortunately.

* Given the amount of stuff that has actually come to pass from it, the opening for ''[[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu]]'' is probably an exception. What were originally simply random, half-second images took on new meaning the further we got through the story; furthermore, a few clips are direct from the {{Light Novel}}s or interpretations of what happens on drama [=CDs=]. Maybe the entire thing is a SpoilerOpening...

* Played for laughs with ''Manga/NoMatterHowILookAtItItsYouGuysFaultImNotPopular''. It has a very hard rock intro with visuals that make it seem like an action or horror anime. It's really a CringeComedy filled anime about a very awkward high school girl who wants to be popular.

* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'':
** The first opening, somewhat notoriously, features Daichi summoning two monsters: one is obviously Water Dragon, but the other, looking like a fire-based counterpart to Water Dragon, never appeared. It was mentioned that he had a deck for each attribute, so presumably that was the Fire deck's ace... the trouble is, he ditched that gimmick pretty early on in favor of a general science-themed deck, and never played a game with the Fire deck.
** The fourth opening prominently features Judai's Card Ejecter, even though she never appears in the fourth season. Card Ejecter is only played once, during the FinalBattle of the third season, but her effect is interrupted. This card is not even one of Judai's signature cards or a Duel Spirit. Some viewers would think that Judai got this card in the fourth season.
** The third opening of the English dub shows a mirrored shot of Amon Garam/[[DubNameChange Adrian Gecko]], implying that he's left-handed. He's not.
** In general, while the original version cycled through a number of openings that fit the tones of their respective arcs ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDfgAKPrfq8 happy and jokey]] in the first arc, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlte4NVoVng a bit more serious but still fairly energetic]] in the second season, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vRkbpCASo4 mournful, introspective, and morose]] by the third season), the English dub kept the same song throughout. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN_DjYDHEVU Said song]] is an upbeat, TotallyRadical number whose first line is "chillin' out with the crew in the schoolyard!"--it fits pretty well with the first season, feels a bit off for the second, and is downright baffling by the third.

* ''Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL'':
** The first opening theme features Fuya Okudaira (aka Robin) in the same sections as Yuma's main rivals. He continues to make appearances in the opening and ending themes due to the character's popularity, but rarely actually shows up.
** The opening and ending themes prominently feature Anna Kozuki as if she is a main cast member. She appears in only eight episodes, with two of those only being cameos. Overall, she tends to appear once or twice an arc.
** The first opening shows Number 39: Utopia ("King of Wishes, Hope") fighting Number 17: Leviathan Dragon ("Levice Dragon"), indicating that they are rivals, since Yuma and Shark are rivals as well. However, since Yuma wins this card in episode 2, the scene has become ironic.
** The fifth opening shows Shark using Number 32: Shark Drake and Number C32: Shark Drake Veiss, even though he never uses either of them during the entire run of this opening.

* The fourth ending of ''Manga/BlackClover'' has Noelle, Mimosa and Kanoho dressed as schoolgirls in an ending that makes it seem like a SliceOfLife or Shoujo.
** The third ending focuses almost entirely on Noelle, even though she's not the most important character of that particular arc.
* The opening of ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'' portrays Saitama as some kind of badass, tough-as-nails action hero when he's actually just a hero for fun and so overpowered that he can defeat any enemy with one punch and therefore never has to actually fight anybody. This is lampshaded by the ending, which switches Saitama's appearance from the hard look of the rest of the theme to his usual appearance.

* The film of ''Film/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' begins by baiting you into thinking you are watching a stop-motion animated movie called ''The Littlest Elf'', until the [[RecordNeedleScratch needle scratches]] and the lights suddenly go dark.
-->'''Lemony Snicket:''' I'm sorry to say that this is ''not'' the movie you will be watching. The movie you are about to see is extremely unpleasant. If you wish to see a film about a happy little elf, then I'm sure there is still plenty of seating in theatre number two. However, if you like stories about clever and reasonably attractive orphans, suspicious fires, carnivorous leeches, Italian food and secret organizations, then stay, as I retrace each and every one of the Baudelaire children's woeful steps. My name is Lemony Snicket, and it is my sad duty to document this tale.
** Of course, this is a hilarious MythologyGag for the people who have read the books.
** ''The Littlest Elf'' itself exists in the movie universe, though, since Sunny is seen using an elf bobblehead's head as part of an improvised lever to pull a track switch, and the song in the fake-out opening is heard on a tapedeck in Count Olaf's car.

* There are a few of these in the ''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]'' canon -- the calling card of Film Ventures International, all "featuring" music by Karl Demer -- including ''Master Ninja I'' and ''[=II=]'', ''Stranded in Space'', ''Film/PodPeople'', and ''Space Travelers''. The FVI credits footage for ''Pod People'' and ''Stranded in Space'' are JustForFun/{{egregious}} in how not from the repackaged film they are (''Pod People'' takes its opening credits footage from the 1985 film ''Galaxy Invader''; the source for the ''Stranded in Space'' credit footage is the 1983 film ''Prisoners of the Lost Universe''). The ''Master Ninja'' credits are actually fairly representative of the "movies" themselves -- Lee Van Cleef somewhat half-assedly pretending to be a ninja. It's the score and film-negative effect that make them stand out....
* The beginning of the movie ''Film/ReturnOfTheKillerTomatoes'' shows a group of attractive teenage girls in skimpy bathing suits romping on a beach, with a voiceover announcing "You are about to see the movie ''Big Breasted Women Go To The Beach And Take Their Tops Off''" (complete with a Beach Boys-style theme song containing those words), until the screen goes black, the voiceover apologizes for showing the wrong movie, and the title for "Return of the Killer Tomatoes" appears.
** This is [[BrickJoke brought back]] at the very end of the movie, after the denouement. During the course of the movie it's explained that the MadScientist's machinery can turn tomatoes into beautiful young women, and the final scene features one of the secondary characters taking them all to the beach, whereupon the footage plays again -- only now, it (properly) refers to them as "Big-Breasted ''Tomatoes''".

* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSWINQ32Ozw opening credits]] to ''Film/TheBlob1958'' written by none other than Burt Bacharach (no, I'm not kidding) sound like a fun, beach-rompy movie (lyrics notwithstanding).
* Taken to the logical extreme with ''Film/TropicThunder'', which opens with [[RealTrailerFakeMovie fake trailers and commercials]] starring almost all of the lead "actors" of the film-within-a-film. The parodies are so spot on that some in the audience thought the previews were still running.
* Peter Weir's first feature ''Film/TheCarsThatAteParis'' opens with what appears to be a cigarette ad featuring a couple taking an idyllic country drive. Then things go horribly wrong. The sequence is part of the film narrative (though stylistically distinct) but the original cinema audience wouldn't have realised it until the very effective 'punchline'.
* The opening credits of ''Film/{{Daisies}}'' have a UsefulNotes/WorldWarII SceneryGorn montage, which eventually cuts to two bored girls in bikinis. However, the girls' complaints about how the world [[CrapsackWorld has gone bad]] ties directly to the previous montage and their consequent actions are what drives the (un)plot.
* The live-action ''Film/{{Popeye}}'' movie starts out like the opening of the old cartoons, then, where the title of the short is, Popeye sticks his head up and says, "Hey, what's this? One of Bluto's tricks? I'm in the wrong movie!" and we enter live-action.
* The ''Film/MrMagoo'' film, which is live-action, starts out with an animated Magoo going through his usual near-sighted hijinks before we enter the main plot and live-action.

* ''Film/TheLifeAndDeathOfPeterSellers'' has an AnimatedCreditsOpening covering the first stretch of the credits set to "What's New Pussycat?" and featuring loads and loads of animated Peter Sellers gadding about. It's inspired by the opening titles of many of Creator/PeterSellers' actual films...but it's also light and funny to deliberately contrast with the mostly-miserable story of a mostly-miserable man that follows.
* ''Film/TheBigChill'' starts with obviously female hands fiddling with obviously male clothing on an obviously male body. You're set up to believe something raunchy is either about to happen, is happening, or has just happened. [[spoiler: It's then revealed that the hands are those of a mortician dressing a corpse.]]

* ''Series/RedDwarf'' had something like this in the first two seasons, with a slow sweep across the Red Dwarf, and portentous music which led many first-time viewers to expect something serious and dark, with just the slight comedy visual of a bloke in a spacesuit painting the F of "RED DWARF". From season 3, this was replaced by guitar rock and visuals of the wacky things the Boys from the Dwarf went through. The ominous music remains the eponymous ship's {{Leitmotif}}.

* ''Series/TheVicarOfDibley'' credits open with a sweeping view of the English countryside and singing of the 23rd Psalm, but end with a humorous scene poking fun at village life. However, when a major character died, this montage was played straight.
* The opening of the recent Spike TV reality show ''Murder'' shows car chases, the host firing weapons, ''CSI''-style graphics, and contestants observing what appear to be car explosions. The show is actually about contestants investigating realistic crime-scenes, and episodes mostly consist of people discussing the case in a conference room.
* In the ColdOpening of the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Death in Heaven", Clara Oswald, confronted by a Cyberman, claims that "Clara" never existed and she is in fact the Doctor. The credits then roll with Jenna Coleman given top billing and Coleman's eyes shown instead of Creator/PeterCapaldi's, hinting that her words are true. [[spoiler:They aren't]].
* The first episode of ''Series/SaulOfTheMoleMen'' opens with the credits to ''STRATA'', ostensibly a show about the adventures of intrepid underground explorers. Then within the first minute, nearly the entire "STRATA Action Team" is gruesomely killed, the only survivors being the Robot, Johnny Tambourine, and the titular Saul, a mere [[RedShirt geologist]] who didn't even merit a mention in the STRATA opening. (The actual opening is an ExpositoryThemeTune that would spoil the plot of the first episode if it were run up front.)
* The show ''Series/MrBean'' uses this and then subverts it at the same time, by starting with a solemn choir...and then apparently, beaming down Mr. Bean, as if from space. He gets up and wanders off. Towards the end of the credits, he wanders back into the picture, then off again in the opposite direction as before.
** Lampshaded and subverted by the animated version, in which Mr. Bean is taken aboard a flying saucer populated by Mr. Bean lookalikes -- but of course, just when he thinks he's found his place in the universe, the aliens reject him and beam him down in an exact facsimile of the live-action opening credits.
** The [[OminousLatinChanting solemn choir]] isn't all that solemn either, if you translate it back from [[GratuitousLatin the Latin]]. ''Ecce homo, qui est faba'': [[spoiler:Behold the man, who is a bean.]]
* The first season of ''Series/WarOfTheWorlds1988'' was basically a sci-fi paranoia thriller set in the 80's (and shot in Toronto, Ontario, Canada). By the end, audiences were expecting more of the same thing for the next season. The second series then opened with a radio broadcast detailing how soldiers were rioting and shooting people (as a result of the paranoia?). Of course, once you watch the second season, you find out that the whole premise is a team of people living underground in a sewer system, and launching covert attacks against the aliens. There is no army to speak of. They're disregarded as an ally in the second episode.
* The opening credits of ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' episode "The Mutiny" suggested Rita Repulsa would remain as the BigBad. Then we got caught by surprise with the debut of Lord Zedd and TheReveal that Rita was working for him all this time.

* ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'' begins its opening sequence with the narration: "The time-traveling train, Denliner. Will its next stop be in the past or the future?" The answer to this question is ALWAYS "the past." At no point in the TV series does Denliner visit the future.
* The opening credits for ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' are an AffectionateParody of this trope. The viewer sees shots in extreme closeup which appear to be violent and bloody [[spoiler: amusing and wrong because Dexter is a methodical serial killer]]... but turn out to be Dexter only going through his morning routine and having his breakfast.

* The opening of ''Series/AllyMcBeal'' promised a smiling and happy woman most of the time. However, during the episodes she was depressed/sad/angry nearly the whole series and only rarely seen in a happy mood.
* It was one of Creator/JossWhedon's long standing dreams to give an actor initial credit and then kill him, or in this case her, off in that episode. In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', [[spoiler:Amber Benson]] is credited for the first and last time in [[spoiler:'''Seeing Red''']], and at the episode's end rather unceremoniously killed - [[spoiler:by a stray bullet no less]].
** Joss wanted to do this for the pilot with Jessie, but it was shot down.
* ''Series/YouCantDoThatOnTelevision'' episodes almost always started off with a title card for pre-empted shows that were cancelled, usually pop culture parodies related to the theme of the episode. For example, the episode, "Wildlife and Animals":
---> "'Wild Wild Kingdom' will not be seen at this time. In its place, we present a program in which people act like animals."
** This concept was swiped wholesale from the first six seasons of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''. ("'Charlie's Angels Get The Syph' will not be seen tonight...")
* Series/TwentyOneJumpStreet: Peter [=DeLuise=] mentions in his commentary track for one of the episodes of the first season: the credits feature a bunch of gunplay and a car flipping over; however, the series mostly is about undercover work and centers around sedate dialog-driven scenes. The car flipping over was one of the most expensive scenes shot for the series, and was really the only one of its kind.
* The fifth season opening of ''Series/TheWire'' contains at least two things that appear to be {{spoiler|Opening}}s but in context were misleading in a rather ironic fashion: various newspaper covers mentioning a SerialKiller of the homeless with a possible sexual motive [[spoiler:which [=McNulty=] and Freamon made up to get the Police department more funding]], and a picture of [=McNulty=] laid out as if it were part of a wake [[spoiler:which was really just a mock-wake held as a send-off before he was [[ReassignedToAntarctica taken off active police work]].]]

* BBC children's comedy series ''Series/OutOfTune'', which opened with a title card showing the church in the background, and accompanied by some beautiful choir singing, suddenly transitions mid-music into off-key wailing. The on-screen title begins to collapse as well.
* ''Series/KenanAndKel'' features the titular characters in Los Angeles with Coolio (who performs the opening theme) essentially partying at night outdoors. Nothing like this ever happens in the show (most of it takes place indoors). None of the other characters besides those two appear in the opening either.
* The serious tone of the opening credits to ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack'' prepare the viewer for a dramatic prison drama. While the series has plenty of dramatic moments, they are equalled or surpassed by more lighthearted moments.
* ''Film/TooManyCooks'' takes this to an extreme, as the tone of the opening credits changes many times before the show even starts. [[spoiler:The show itself is only five seconds long.]]
* If you're watching the DVD for ''Series/HouseOfCardsUS'' season 2, one of the things you'll see on the opening menu is [[spoiler:a full-screen shot of Zoe staring at the camera holding a microphone]], hinting that they'll have a big role in the upcoming season. That character, in fact, is dead by the end of the first episode.
* The opening credits of ''Series/{{Riget}}'' make it look like a normal medical drama, although the OpeningNarration that precedes them has already revealed the true genre.
* The educational program ''Series/DragonsWagonsAndWax'' had an exciting, action-packed animated opening featuring a dragon who gets stuck on a runaway cart! The actual show was live-action, intellectual, slow-paced, and no Dragons. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYxLsEvQaFU Watch here]]

* ''Series/TheMarvelousMrsMaisel'': Season 2 episode 4, "We're Going to the Catskills!" opens with what seems to be a color recreation of the title sequence to ''Film/ToKillAMockingbird'', even using the same music. It's only when we see a boy's hand pushing a U-Haul trailer, and Abe snatching said toy trailer away from Midge's son Ethan, that we remember which show we're in.

* During its title sequence, the Japanese-humor-filled comedy adventure game ''VideoGame/TouchDetective 2 1/2'' features music and scenes that imply that it's in the mold of serious detective anime. Fortunately, the prominently featured dancing mushroom and corn-husk-masked villain ''should'' keep anyone from being genuinely fooled.
** The original game, ''Touch Detective'' had a very similar intro, except slightly more believable; then, of course, the dancing mushroom appeared.

* At first, ''VisualNovel/TimeHollow'' seems like a story filled with the player spamming his ability to create time rifts, after it shows multiple prominent plot points in the character introduction part of the intro, as well as some parts of the story nicely animated. Your character cannot stop things already in motion in-game (like [[spoiler:the treehouse once it's already on fire -- the player needs to stop the firebomb from burning the tree in the first place]]), and we never get to see [[spoiler:Ethan diving and catching Kori, or Ethan saving the place his parents were trapped in from blowing up]]. Instead, in the story, [[spoiler:the place blows up ''anyway'', and it's actually Ethan's ''uncle'' who saves the girl from falling off the school building -- and even then, they don't even manage to prevent ''that'' -- instead, the uncle and the girl fall a few stories to the ground]]. Also, there's even a direct contradiction in the opening to actual fact in-story -- [[spoiler:a Hollow Pen user cannot go through a Hole without losing their ability to use the pen -- or even see or hold said pen]].
** This was simple necessity. For a point-and-click game, especially one with no running timer or similar restriction, showing what you actually need do would constitute a MASSIVE spoiler. Plus RuleOfCool.
* The ''VideoGame/WildArms'' series seems to run on this trope. Every game has an animated sequence that plays when you continue from a save file featuring the characters of the game. Almost none of the things shown in those sequences actually happen in the games.
* Used and lampshaded in ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy''. The title screen features a scrolling story card and shows the game's items in a fashion taken directly from the first Legend of Zelda, complete with Link at the end. Link himself, however, is holding a card reading "Most of this shit does not appear in this game"

* One particular scene in the opening to ''VideoGame/AtelierIrisEternalMana'' heavily implies that Norn is much more mysterious and important to the plot than she appears. Not so in the actual game.

* ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi 2'' treats us to the opening consisting of Cao Pi, Date Masamune, Saika Magoichi and Tachibana Ginchiyo kicking the ass of the Orochi army. In the game itself, however, you find out that Masamune still remains with Orochi, not even thinking about joining the heroes.
** Bait and Switch Credits seem to be a staple of the ''Warriors'' series in general, as you never quite get to play out the scenarios depicted in the opening sequences. (At least the VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi opening was more of a HowWeGotHere prologue.)
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB_TXhfpQio opening]] to ''VideoGame/EternalEyes'', in addition to prominently featuring Shillay (a character with maybe 5 minutes of screentime), also shows the main characters fighting BigBad Vorless in a number of places that don't exist in the game, with strange BeamOWar skills, and what the heck is that glowing blue skull anyway?
* ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' does this to an extensive degree. The cover, the trailer, the adverts, and even the first hour or so of gameplay make it look like a [[FollowTheLeader generic modern military shooter]]. However, after that, it reveals itself to be a [[DeconstructorFleet deconstruction]] of the genre, and [[FromBadToWorse it's all]] [[PlayerPunch downhill]] [[WarIsHell from there]]...

* The intro movie for ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' shows a few scenes that only loosely resemble the actual game. Some of the more elaborate examples include a Goomba chasing Mario out of a warp pipe and Geno saving Mario and Mallow from a Magikoopa (in the actual game, he joins them for the fight against Bowser).
* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] by ''VideoGame/EnterTheGungeon''. The title screen prominently features some random Gunslinger who doesn’t match up to any of the game’s characters and seems to be totally disconnected from the story... [[spoiler:until you reach the FinalBoss, who [[ChekhovsGunman turns out to be the Gunslinger from the opening]]. The title screen was actually a flashback showing him arriving at [[EldritchLocation the Gungeon]], where he eventually became [[OurLichesAreDifferent an undead monster]].]]
* ''Videogame/AkibasTripUndeadAndUndressed'' has the heroines fighting each other in the intro and even fighting on the rooftops. This never happens in game.

* ''WebAnimation/GenLock'':
** The Season 1 opening theme depicts the five upgraded Holons in a BigBadassBattleSequence against assorted Union troops. While there is a battle in the sixth episode fairly close to the opening's in scale, the Holons don't get upgraded until the end of the seventh, which is the second-to-last episode of the season; to date the upgraded Holons have only been seen in battle against a small handful of {{Mooks}} and the season's [[TheHeavy Heavy]].
** Also, while spoiling the second-episode twist that Sinclair will not become a Holon pilot as he's been advertised--the title sequence features only five Holons and excludes Sinclair from the shot of the pilots powering up--he is still featured prominently in the opening as if he will be a main character regardless, when in fact he appears only in the second episode [[spoiler:due to being revealed as an impostor and killed; the real Sinclair makes his first appearance in TheStinger of the season]]. The third episode onward removes his voice actor's name from his appearance in the opening titles to mitigate this somewhat.
* Invoked in ''WebAnimation/GirlchanInParadise'', being a shonen parody. Its theme song promises much more fluid and action-oriented animation than can be seen in the actual show. The Burning Man appears as the song reaches its climax, giving the impression that he'll be a much more prominent villain than he actually is. And at once point in the theme, Girlchan is seen walking alongside some blond boy who never appears in the show, though maybe he would have had the show not been [[OrphanedSeries orphaned]] after three episodes.

* ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo''
** The ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooWhereAreYou'' credits showed all manner of supernatural menaces, while of course the episodes centered on proving that mysterious events have a mundane explanation.
*** There is no way to tell if the supernatural menaces in the opening credits are real or not. Conversely, later incarnations of the show did include real supernatural elements.
** Finally fixed with ''WesternAnimation/WhatsNewScoobyDoo'' opening, which has the unmasking of three monsters.
* The opening to ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw'' depicts a typical dashing hero-type lawyer show with romance, dangerous investigations, action scenes, etc. However, the show is actually a ''parody'' of legal dramas, and nearly everyone at the law firm of Sebben and Sebben is crazy and/or stupid. And rather than a dashing hero, Birdman is an incompetent NoRespectGuy.
* The ''WesternAnimation/MegaMan'' cartoon's title sequence had epic action scenes and detailed Japanese-style animation. The actual cartoon was legitimately an action series, but had slightly less emphasis on the fight scenes and was visually more in line with traditional early-'90s American animation.

* The TitleSequence for ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' consists of clips from the pilot episode, "Big House Blues." When shown in the series, the episode had scenes cut, including Ren realizing that he had been kissing Stimpy in his sleep and washing his mouth in the toilet afterwards -- scenes that feature prominently in the opening. (The uncut cartoon eventually aired on Spike TV and was released on DVD.)
* The Japanese credits for ''WesternAnimation/XMen'' feature Cable as a member of the team, but on the show he was a guest character who only appeared in five or six episodes total. It also features a final shot of Cyclops angsting while Krakoa looms over him. Krakoa never appears ever. Not to mention the opening's inclusion of Magneto summoning the Brood out of the earth itself.
** The Western opening for the show has Magneto leading a group to fight the X-Men which never happens in the show. Two of them (Warpath and Yuri Topolov) don't oppose the X-Men throughout the show.
*** Cable is nothing! The second opening features Iceman as a member of the team. Iceman only appears in one episode.

* The first episode of ''Back to the Sewer'', ''[[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]''' seventh season, plays the intro for ''Fast Forward'', the series' sixth. While it makes sense in context -- the episode is a transitional one, taking the characters from one premise to the next, with the actual opening played in the end to reflect the change -- the fact that both seasons feature different characters, settings, premise, and art style, and that [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment 4Kids]] had actually organized a contest to let the fans vote for the new theme song made the bait and switch ''very'' surprising -- and disconcerting.
* The first season intro for ''WesternAnimation/TheBackyardigans'' teases Austin being in that season's cowboy western-themed episode and Tasha being in the respective pirate episode, but neither occurs. All of the show's other intros deliver on what they promise.
* The opening credits to the [[ShowWithinAShow Itchy and Scratchy cartoons]] in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' promises that 'they fight and bite' over animation of the two hitting each other with weapons. In fact, in the vast majority of episodes, they don't ''fight'' at all: Scratchy is minding his own business when Itchy brutally attacks and kills him for no reason at all.
* The Japanese opening of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' barely features Lugnut while prominently showing minor characters Arcee and Ironhide apparently on Earth and fighting alongside our heroes - indeed, Arcee is shown [[DesignatedGirlFight fighting Blackarachnia]] underwater (which, it should be noted, she is physically incapable of doing in-universe, since she is part organic). It also shows various fight scenes around the world, when in fact all the scenes on Earth take place in and around Detroit. Despite all that, it's ''still'' [[SpoilerOpening full of spoilers]] ([[spoiler: Longarm Prime,]] anyone?). It also features [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Cloaked_mystery_villain Cloaked Mystery Villain]], who doesn't look much like ''anybody'' in the show.
* Supposedly, the inspiration for Bart Simpson comes from Matt Groening being disappointed by ''ComicStrip/DennisTheMenaceUS'', as in the show Dennis is not the whirlwind of disruption he is depicted as being in the credits.
** Bart is actually closer in personality and age to the '''other''' ComicStrip/{{Dennis the Menace|UK}}.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jCgVfDhH3A The second]] season opening of ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'' makes the show appear to be quite saccharine, with Jimmy having FertileFeet that turn everything he touches happy, and not showing off any of Heloise's ComedicSociopathy. The actual show is largely a SadistShow with BlackHumor.
* The opening credits for the short-lived cartoon ''[[WesternAnimation/AlvinAndTheChipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks Go To the Movies]]'' contains footage from different episodes, each parodying a different movie, but also a brief clip parodying ''Franchise/StarWars'', starring Alvin as [[TheHero Luke Skywalker]], Simon and Theodore as [[RobotBuddy C-3PO and R2-D2, respectively]], and David Seville as [[TheDragon Darth Vader.]] Unfortunately, the ''Star Wars'' parody was ''never'' made into an actual episode of that series. There's also Eleanor swimming away from a shark and being saved by Jeanette in a ''{{Film/Jaws}}'' parody that was never made either.
* According to the ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'' ThematicThemeTune, the apples don't fall far from the tree (they certainly do in all but the [[StrongFamilyResemblance shallowest sense]]). Also, the TitleMontage essentially gives a visual equivalent of a QuoteMine for PJ, who looks cheerful and safe in every single shot he appears in (except for one where he's making a face along with Max and Pistol), even if they're taken from an episode where he's miserable for half the running time like "O, R-V, I N-V U"--which is, along with episodes where he's an understandably [[NervousWreck agitated]] NoRespectGuy or an OutOfFocus SatelliteCharacter, the ''status quo.''
* Episodes from ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' Season Two begin with an OpeningNarration creating the impression that the Avengers consist entirely of the "Big Three" -- Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor -- and the Incredible Hulk. Thanks to villains who try to weaken the Avengers by separating their members, the succeeding episode will more often than not feature only one, two, or three of those heroes, fighting alongside some less-iconic Avengers.
* In the AnimatedAdaptation of ''Literature/AnneOfGreenGables'', Anne is shown in the opening credits wearing her iconic straw hat, which she does not wear at all in any episode (though it is seen hanging in her room on occasion).

* The opening for ''WesternAnimation/BeverlyHillsTeens'' makes it look like a show about surreal and over-the-top globetrotting adventures. While wacky stuff does occasionally happen, it's more of a sitcom-esque AffectionateParody of 80's greed and decadence.
* The theme tune to ''WesternAnimation/DenverTheLastDinosaur'' contains the line "Everywhere we go, we don't even care, if people stop and stare at our pal dino". The characters spend nearly the whole of the first few episodes fretting about whether they've been spotted with the eponymous reptile.
* WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck's cartoon shorts (post-1947) feature a theme song that shills Donald, claiming he has "the sweetest disposition", "never, ever starts an argument", and "never shows a bit of temperament". Amusingly, Donald himself reacts to the music, demonstrating his real personality to the audience. The last line, however, is entirely accurate.
-->'''Choir:''' Who's never wrong, but always right?\\
Who'd never dream of starting a fight?\\
Who gets stuck with all the bad luck?\\
No one--\\
'''Donald Duck:''' (furious, incoherent yelling)\\
'''Choir:''' --but Donald Duck!\\
'''Donald Duck:''' Yeah!
* The German opening to ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' mentions [[WesternAnimation/PlutoThePup Pluto]] and WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}}, two characters who ''never'' appear in the series at all. The German opening theme for the [[WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017 2017 reboot]] has different lyrics entirely.
* The second opening to ''[[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show]]'' mentions Belle, Snoopy's sister. She never appears in any episode of the cartoon.
* The Italian [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgXMl7oZiok opening]] for ''WesternAnimation/LadyLovelyLocks'' makes the show seem like a SliceOfLife romance. However, romance only comes up a few times in the show and most of the runtime is spent on Lady dealing with Duchess Ravenwaves' schemes to take over.
* The characters in the opening of ''WesternAnimation/TheCrumpets'' didn't get updated for seasons 3 and 4, which only has teenagers as its main characters. For instance, Li'l One the infant continues to appear in the ''center'' among the characters even though he was downgraded by importance.

* The theme song of ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' suggests that the action takes place during the night. In truth, nearly all of the fights in the series take place in broad daylight.

* ''Manga/SchoolLive'' has one of the most deceptive intros since ''Narutaru'', yet at the same time it fits well. It's an adorable, bright and happy intro with a peppy pop song. The series itself is a NightmareFuel laden anime about a group of high school girls surviving in the middle of a ZombieApocalypse. Despite the deceiving opening, it fits because the series [[ArtStyleDissonance gives off]] the impression it's a {{moe}} schoolgirl anime, deconstructs the genre, and constantly switches between being cute fluff and psychological horror.

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''. The opening? Standard cute MagicalGirl song, images (including [[ShoutOut references]] to ''Anime/SailorMoon'', CCS, and even Pretty Cure), the works. The problem? Creator/GenUrobuchi is writing -- the series is a rather savage deconstruction. The monsters aren't harmless, people can (and do) die, the aspects of a bunch of young girls fighting horrific {{Eldritch Abomination}}s are fully explored... and oh yeah, [[spoiler:the cute mascot appears to be [[DealWithTheDevil faustian]]]]. Notably, the first two episodes didn't have an ending sequence (they do have one on DVD, but it TastesLikeDiabetes), episode 3 was a WhamEpisode and is officially horrifying from the climax on, culminating in the main character floating ''in the mask of Mephistopheles'' during the ending sequence (which is not remotely a standard MagicalGirl song). Oh, and by the way, [[spoiler:[[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Madoka doesn't even become a magical girl until the final episodes]], even though she is prominently shown transformed both in the opening and in promotional material.]]

** The opening credits show ''a lot'' of characters from the original manga that do not appear in the OVA. This includes Banpei the robot, Yoko the ghost, etc.

* [[http://i.imgur.com/sBSkQ.jpg This]] infamous front page article from Magazine/NationalGeographic.

** The closing credits shenanigans with Lincoln, the wooden rocket and (presumably) Neil Armstrong obviously never happened in the show either... except when TheMovie, ''[[Recap/AquaTeenHungerForceColonMovieFilmForTheaters Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters]]'' showed this was part of ATHF's backstory.

* The lyrics and tone of the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' opening sequence suggest that the show is about a wholesome family man in everyday situations. This is of course entirely ironic.

* The Japanese opening of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' barely features Lugnut while prominently showing minor characters Arcee and Ironhide apparently on Earth and fighting alongside our heroes - indeed, Arcee is shown [[DesignatedGirlFight fighting Blackarachnia]] underwater (which, it should be noted, she is physically incapable of doing in-universe, since she is part organic). It also shows various fight scenes around the world, when in fact all the scenes on Earth take place in an around Detroit. Despite all that, it's ''still'' [[SpoilerOpening full of spoilers]] ([[spoiler: Longarm Prime,]] anyone?). It also features [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Cloaked_mystery_villain Cloaked Mystery Villain]], who doesn't look much like ''anybody'' in the show.
* Supposedly, the inspiration for Bart Simpson comes from Matt Groening being dissapointed by ''ComicStrip/DennisTheMenaceUS'', as in the show Dennis is not the whirlwind of disruption he is depicted as being in the credits.

* The first ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' opening featured a Blastoise, Venusaur, and Charizard...of which only the latter was ever acquired by Ash, and shows him using a Pidgeot, which didn't happen until near the ending of the season. It also features several legendary Pokémon that he either never sees, or ends up seeing them in completely different seasons.
** Heck, Ash didn't even acquire Pidgeot until the episode the opening changed in Japan.

* The ExpositoryThemeTune of ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeOfTheJungle'' has the line "while Fella and Ursula stay in step", accompanied by Ursula splitting into two dancing look-alike women in the TitleSequence. Many viewers [[{{Mondegreen}} misheard the line]] as "Bella and Ursula" and wondered where the heck Bella got to. "Fella" was in fact George's pet name for Ursula, because he's just that dumb. This was even used in the live-action movie: he refers to her as a "funny-lookin' fella."

* The TitleSequence for ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' consists of clips from the pilot episode, "Big House Blues." When shown on the series, the episode had scenes cut, including Ren realizing that he had been kissing Stimpy in his sleep and washing his mouth on the toilet afterwards -- scenes that feature prominently in the opening. (The uncut cartoon eventually aired on Spike TV and was released on DVD.)

** Finally fixed with ''WesternAnimation/WhatsNewScoobyDoo'' opening, which has unmasking of three monsters.

** in the 2007 remake, a new character named Magnolia or Maggie for short is introduced and theme song is changed to "Maggie and Ursula stay in step"

** Season 10 brought back emblishing only this time as with the teens depicted as thieves that manage to pull off a diamond heist and masquerade as the band for a strip bar. Though the ending shows cops closing in on the place.

* The intro movie for ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' shows a few scenes that only loosely resemble the actual game. Some of the more elaborate examples include a Goomba chasing Mario out of a warp pipe and Geno saving Mario and Mallow from a Magikoopa (in the actual game, he joins them for the fight against Bowyer).

* ''Videogame/AkibasTripUndeadAndUndressed'' has the heroines fighting each other in the intro and even fighting on the rooftops. These never happens in game.

* ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi 2'' treats us with the opening consisting of Cao Pi, Date Masamune, Saika Magoichi and Tachibana Ginchiyo kicking the ass of Orochi army. Come to the game, however, you find out that Masamune still remains with Orochi, not even thinking about joining the heroes.

** ''Series/{{Ultraman}}'': The opening titles start out as a colored version of ''Series/UltraQ''s introduction titles, only for the title to suddenly change to the series' proper one.
** The opening to ''Series/UltramanAce'' features a lot of kaijuu from previous shows that never shows up in the show proper.

* It was one of Creator/JossWhedon's long standing dreams to give an actor initial credit and then kill him, or in this case her, off in that episode. In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' [[spoiler:Amber Benson]] is credited for the first and last time in [[spoiler:'''Seeing Red''']] and at the episode's end rather unceremoniously killed - [[spoiler:by a stray bullet no less]].
** Joss wanted to do this for the pilot with Jessie but it was shot down.

* The credits of ''Series/QuincyME''. You see the main character (a forensic pathologist) examining what you think is a dead body, but it turns out to be a young woman in a bikini with whom he his sharing drinks on his houseboat. These credits became even more of a B&S after the character evolved as a more of an "everyman" type rather than a playboy, and it became even weirder when he got married.

* ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce'' was about time travelers from the future, and clips in later versions of the opening showed the characters in different eras like the Wild West, feudal Japan, or prehistoric times. The actual show, however, mostly took place in the present day (where the time travelers were stuck); with only the prehistory clip being from a legit time trip. The rest of the clips came from either ''Series/MiraiSentaiTimeranger'' StockFootage, which was never put into the American version, or from an episode where the characters were [[TrappedInTVLand trapped in various movies]] showing off different time periods. It's said that the producers originally wanted the series to contain several TimeTravel arcs. Unfortunately, all of the megazord fights in the 'Timeranger'' footage took place in modern Tokyo. With that in mind, the second opening was more like the series [[WhatCouldHaveBeen they'd wished they'd could create had the footage cooperated]].

* The opening credits of ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' episode "The Mutiny" suggested Rita Repulsa would remain as the BigBad. Then we got caught by surprise with the debut of Lord Zedd and that Rita was working for him all this time.
* The opening credits of the ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'' premiere indicated Divatox would remain as the main villain, and didn't credit Andros. Sure, Astronema had already made an appearance in the BatmanColdOpening but nothing concrete to that point indicated she'd take over.