History Main / BaitAndSwitchCredits

* The opening for ''LightNovel/{{Campione}}'' prominently features all four main girls, despite Liliana only showing up past the halfway mark and Ena making her only appearance in the final arc.

* ''Manga/ShadowStar'''s opening treats us to an [[SoundtrackDissonance upbeat, cheerful opening song]] with the characters drawn in cute grade-school drawings, ending with Shiina and her {{mon}} sleeping together in her bed. At first, it looks like just another adorable mon series in the vein of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' and ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'', but Creator/MohiroKitoh being the creator, and the series being a deconstruction of the genre, the actual series is [[CrapsaccharineWorld nothing like that]] ...

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'':

** A worse offender is the tenth opening, which starts off with a group shot of just about every Pokémon Ash has ever owned -- more than half of which don't appear again in the show. It goes on to show a series of battles of which only one (Pikachu vs. Aipom) actually happens in the show. This all makes sense when you realize it was made to celebrate the franchise's 10th anniversary.
** The Black and White opening during the Team Plasma season makes it look like Charizard will have a lot of focus, and that Reshiram will fight Charizard and partner with N as it did in the game. The actual events of the show have Charizard in a supporting role, Ash using Pikachu to fight Reshiram, and only to snap it out of Ghetsis's brainwashing.

** The English theme for the Advance Battle season is called "Unbeatable" and seems to proclaim Ash as someone who has never lost. Not only is this untrue- he lost plenty of times before- but this season also was the season with the Hoenn Leauge, which he also lost.

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[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/SoulEater https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/seintro.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:'''Opening:''' [[AcademyOfAdventure Wacky, monster-hunting hijinks]]\\
'''Actual Show:''' [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Horror]]]]

%% Caption selected per above IP thread. Please do not replace or remove without discussion in the Caption Repair thread:
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* The opening of ''Manga/TentaiSenshiSunred'' depicts Sunred with all the typical {{tokusatsu}} hero tropes. A TransformationSequence, stylized weapons, a bike and a FinishingMove. None of these have appeared outside the credits.

* ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'''s second opening introduces five new characters, three of which showed up briefly in the first half of the series. This means they're important, right? Not really. Only one was actually important, three of the others played bit parts, and one didn't show up ''at all'' in that cour save for the direct-to-DVD epilogue.

* 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).

* The third ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' opening (''Slayers TRY'') has a humorous shot of Lina's sister, Luna, with a sign pointing at her reading, "sorry, opening only!" As for the song itself, it is less energetic and more mellow than the previous two openings, citing for a darker story, but while the overarching plot darkens later on, the overall tone of the show is as comedic as it had always been, creating some poorly timed MoodWhiplash during the comedic filler episodes. Also, in that opening, [[HolierThanThou Filia]] is portrayed as some demure [[MysteriousWaif prophetic waif]]/DistressedDamsel, but in the show proper, she's an obnoxious, prissy, and loud (and very dead-on) variant of HolierThanThou.

* ''LightNovel/KinosJourney'' has a very uplifting uplifting song as its opening theme. The show itself, aside from Land of Wizard, [[CrapsackWorld not so much]].

** The openings in Part I (especially the first and fourth ones) give the impression that [[TheChick Sakura]] often fights alongside her squad, but she's often set aside and forced to serve as a (somewhat ineffective) last line of defense for the people who need protection.

* The credits sequence for ''Anime/DiGiCharatNyo!'' is perhaps the king of Bait and Switch Credits sequences, showing the cast participating in ''multiple'' genres that the series very much isn't. Almost certainly a parodic use of the trope, but it still wins for sheer volume of misleadingness.

* The credits sequence for ''Anime/DiGiCharat Nyo!'' is perhaps the king of Bait and Switch Credits sequences, showing the cast participating in ''multiple'' genres that the series very much isn't. Almost certainly a parodic use of the trope, but it still wins for sheer volume of misleadingness.

* Downplayed with the opening to the original 1990 ''Anime/RecordOfLodossWar'', which makes the series look purely like a sappy fairy tale love story. While there is a romantic subplot, the series is an action oriented work of HighFantasy first and foremost, with the romance elements only vaguely hinted at until Parn [[ObliviousToLove finally got the hint]] during the final few episodes, and even then isn't as prominent as the OP would have you believe.

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' looks like a funny, lighthearted (albeit chaotic) romp about 1930's America; complete with a lovable, happy-go-lucky cast and a series name that means "big ruckus." Hell, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wInHktd7hU the theme-song,]] with its sitcom-esque cinematography, is catchy enough to get anyone revved up to laugh at some silly, old-timey antics and kick back with a show that's fun for the whole family. While not without a sense of humor (especially with [[PluckyComicRelief Isaac and Miria's]] antics), the anime is darker and more violent than the opening suggests. Also, [[spoiler:despite being a main character, Claire goes unnamed in the intro to avoid spoiling the surprise -- though he's there for a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment]]. His significance is spoiled very subtly as [[spoiler:the shot of him does a slight stutter]] as it does for the main cast.

** The third opening of [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist the 2003 anime version]] features Edward and Alphonse fighting some dragon-looking monsters in a swamp. This never comes to pass in the series. Indeed, nothing even remotely close to these creatures appears in the series proper [[spoiler:until the very end, when Envy transforms into a very similar dragon on his way into the other world. He later appears, still as a dragon, in the [[GeckoEnding movie]]]] In the same opening, we see a shot of Edward fighting against Martel in a collapsing city, which never actually happens on a multitude of level. Number 1, Edward never fought against Martel, he only fought against her boss Greed. And number 2, the two of them don't fight in a collapsing city, but rather they met each other when the brothers are getting ready to head for Ishval.

** The third opening of [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist the 2003 anime version]] features Edward and Alphonse fighting some dragon-looking monsters in a swamp. This never comes to pass in the series. Indeed, nothing even remotely close to these creatures appears in the series proper [[spoiler:until the very end, when Envy transforms into a very similar dragon on his way into the other world. He later appears, still as a dragon, in the [[GeckoEnding movie]]]].

* ''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.

* 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...

* ''LightNovel/ShakuganNoShana'' pulled this off with its second opening, which contains a one-on-one duel between Shana and Sydonay that never actually happens.

* The third ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' opening (''Slayers TRY'') has a humorous shot of Lina's sister, Luna, with a sign pointing at her reading, "sorry, opening only!" As for the song itself, it is less energetic and more mellow than the previous two openings, citing for a darker story, but while the overarching plot darkens later on, the overall tone of the show is as comedic as it had always been, creating some poorly timed MoodWhiplash during the comedic filler episodes. Also, in that opening, [[HolierThanThou Filia]] is portrayed as some demure [[MysteriousWaif prophetic waif]]/DistressedDamsel, but in the show proper, she's an obnoxious, prissy, and loud (and very dead-on) variant of HolierThanThou.

* ''LightNovel/TrinityBlood'': The ending credits hint at [[spoiler:a romance between Abel and Esther, which never happens]]. Also, the opening credits seem to give the Crusnik way more screen time than he gets in most episodes.

* ''LightNovel/WashioSumiIsAHero'' has a bright, cheery intro about friendship. This fits the first three episodes, as the show begins lighthearted despite the girls ending up bloody after each battle, but stops being accurate after [[spoiler:Gin dies]]. The latter half of the series isn't so cheery.

* The Season 3 DVD of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' opens like this, with a lot of violence and explosions, and the scene cuts to some of the characters saying outright that the new season isn't going to have any less to do with standing around and talking than usual.

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' looks like a funny, lighthearted (albeit chaotic) romp about 1930's America; complete with a lovable, happy-go-lucky cast and a series name that means "big ruckus." Hell, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wInHktd7hU the theme-song,]] with its sitcom-esque cinematography, is catchy enough to get anyone revved up to laugh at some silly, old-timey antics and kick back with a show that's fun for the whole family. While the series isn't without a sense of humor (especially with [[PluckyComicRelief Isaac and Miria's]] antics]], the anime is darker and more violent than the opening suggests. Also, [[spoiler:despite being a main character, Claire goes unnamed in the intro to avoid spoiling the surprise -- though he's there for a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment]]. His significance is spoiled very subtly as [[spoiler:the shot of him does a slight stutter]] as it does for the main cast.

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' looks like a funny, lighthearted (albeit chaotic) romp about 1930's America; complete with a lovable, happy-go-lucky cast and a series name that means "big ruckus." Hell, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wInHktd7hU the theme-song,]] with its sitcom-esque cinematography, is catchy enough to get anyone revved up to laugh at some silly, old-timey antics and kick back with a show that's fun for the whole fami-- SO MUCH BLOOD.
** Also, [[spoiler:despite being a main character, Claire goes unnamed in the intro to avoid spoiling the surprise -- though he's there for a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment.]]
** His significance is spoiled very subtly as [[spoiler:the shot of him does a slight stutter]] as it does for the main cast, just minus the name card.

* 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.

* ''Manga/ShadowStar'''s opening treats us to an [[SoundtrackDissonance upbeat, cheerful opening song]] with the characters drawn in cute grade-school drawings, ending with Shiina and her {{mon}} sleeping together in her bed. At first, it looks like just another adorable mon series in the vein of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' and ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'', but Creator/MohiroKitoh being the creator, and the series being a deconstruction of the genre, the actual series is [[CrapsaccharineWorld nothing]] [[KillEmAll like that]] ...

** The Italian opening theme has an AlternativeLanguageForeignThemeSong and new opening sequence with an intense, epic sounding medieval folk song, making it look like a serious fantasy series, not hinting at the show being largely a comedic parody of fantasy.

* ''Anime/ZombielandSaga'' is especially guilty of this. Adabana Necromancy made it seem like it would be an action-packed {{Sentai}} themed series. Instead, the anime is about the band of heroines becoming idol singers.

* 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.