History Main / MetaphoricallyTrue

* Before actually meeting Po, [[BigBad Tai Lung]] from ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' describes him as "a warrior...unlike anything the world has ever seen". This is ''technically'' true, just not in the way Tai Lung thought. He assumed Po was something akin to the WorldsStrongestMan, when in truth, Po is ''[[{{Manchild}} the]] [[FatComicRelief exact]] [[ClassicalAntiHero opposite]]'' (before he TookALevelInBadass, of course).

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' story ''Fanfic/UnmaskerUnleased'', Luka telling Adrien that Ladybug has to stay hidden. Being that Marinette is Ladybug and is currently Unmasker, she can't be revealed in order to keep her identity a secret from Adrien and Monarch. All the while, [[TheGhost Scarabella is in the shadows pretending to be Ladybug]].

* Occasionally, an ad agency will trademark a made up word that sounds vaguely scientific and then claim a product has it (e.g. breath mint Certs with "Retsyn"). Since they made up the word, they can say it applies to any of the ingredients in the product. Competitors can't use the word since its trademarked, even though they could be made of the exact same ingredients.
* Anheuser-Busch chose not to advertise Budweiser during SuperBowlLV. However, Bud Light and Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade was still fair game, and still got advertised.

** Kisuke Urahara likes resorting to this, because he's surprisingly horrible at lying. For example, when Ichigo was a powerless spirit who could barely breathe, Kisuke claimed that some gadget he called the "Headband of Justice" would help him. It did... in that its sheer pointlessness distracted Ichigo long enough for his survival instinct to up his energy enough to not have trouble breathing anymore.

* In ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'', during the ''Future'' arc, Tengan exclaims to Munakata that the traitor within the group (who kills someone after every time limit) is [[spoiler:everyone, because despite their attempts to hold onto hope, they're still capable of falling into despair. With his death trigger being [[CannotTellALie telling a lie]], it later turns out the victims were brainwashed into commuting suicide unwillingly]].
* Everything Ryuk says in ''Manga/DeathNote'' is true. The problem is that he ''never'' gives you the entire context. Like him telling Light that humans who use the Death Note cannot go to neither Heaven nor Hell [[spoiler:actually means there's [[CessationOfExistence no afterlife for anyone]]]]. Though Light already figured that to be the case on his own.

* ''Manga/MedakaBox'': The BigBad Ajimu tells Zenkichi that he's actually more heroic than Medaka, because in the past, she killed her father. [[spoiler:Medaka later clarifies that she was the reward for something called the Jet Black Wedding Feast, which her father figure won, causing him to get killed.]]

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': In a flashback in the Fish-Man Island Arc, Arlong claims to the Marines that Fisher Tiger died because humans refused to give him a blood transfusion that would have saved his life. This isn't really true, Fisher Tiger ''himself'' refused a transfusion of human blood because the hatred for humans in his heart ran so deep he forbid his crew-mates from putting human blood in his veins, even when he logically knew it didn't actually matter. Jimbei and Aladine say that Arlong's report might as well be true, because [[MadeASlave humans enslaving Fisher Tiger]] in his past [[TragicBigot is what solidified the hate in his heart]] (and the fact Arlong did not want to sully his former captain's honour by admitting he was once a slave).
* In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', what Kyubey tells to Kyoko when asked [[spoiler:if Sayaka could be turned back into a human after having turned into a witch]] is technically not meant to say that it is possible... But the way he phrases it doesn't make it look ''impossible'' either. This gives Kyoko enough hope to try, and ultimately results in [[spoiler:Kyoko having to sacrifice herself to put Witch!Sayaka out of her misery]] when it doesn't work. Later on, Kyubey acknowledges that he phrased his statement that way because [[spoiler:he wanted Kyoko to die]], so that Homura [[spoiler:was left with no companions to fend off the ultimate witch, Walpurgis Night, when it appears, unless Madoka accepts a Puella Magi contract]]. In general, Kyubey is made of this; he never actually ''lies'', he just withholds any relevant information unless specifically asked about it, and even then he's...''careful'' with his phrasing.

* Most things said by Xelloss in ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' is technically true in manner in which he phrased it, though not always in the manner in which the listener chooses to hear it. For example, he introduces himself as "Xelloss, the mysterious priest!" After that statement, the "mysterious" part is in no way questioned. As to "priest", in the mazoku hierarchy Xelloss' rank is ''actually'' "priest". Mazoku Lords are typically served by a priest and a general. Xelloss claims the former title although he is the sole representative of his Lord. He is using ExactWords to [[DoubleSpeak tell people]] that he is one of the top ten mazoku in the entire world in terms of power. Played for laughs when it turns out [[TheDitz Gourry]] actually got this, and [[TooDumbToFool thought it was so obvious]] he assumed that everyone did.

* The ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'' story "Fall from Grace" was about the death of Matt Murdock. A doppelganger assumed the identity of Matt Murdock, and died. So from a certain point of view, Matt Murdock died. You see?

* The protagonist of ''Fanfic/DragonAgeTheCrownOfThorns'' somehow merges this with HonestyIsTheBestPolicy and BrutalHonesty seasonings, at times, even as he pulls of one {{plan}} after another. Other times, he just refuses to answer questions, like whether or not he killed Trian. [[spoiler:He didn't, and neither did anyone else because that's what the second son wanted, and so it was.]]

* Mercury from the ''A dance of Shadow and Light'' series of ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' fanfictions is definitely this trope to a T. Examples include turning an unbreakable oath of fealty and protection of [[BigBad Galbatorix]] into a (in his mind) oath to kill the king at the earliest possible convenience. By [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8631890/1/From-the-darkest-of-Shadow-a-Light-is-born the second story]], he is so [[ManipulativeBastard infamous for doing this]] that Loivissa's father (Eragon) warns her that no matter what Mercury says, she is to take it with a grain of salt.

* In ''Fanfic/CodeGeassThePreparedRebellion'', Lelouch (as Zero) claims on live TV that he killed Prince Clovis, when it was actually C.C. However, it was only thanks to him that she was able to get her revenge, so he considers it to be at least partially true.

* ''FanFic/DeathIsForcedToTakeAVacation'': Fall Harvest tells Apple Bloom that he works in an office and his job involves analysis of the lifespans of certain species. This is accurate; he just doesn't tell her he's talking about the lifespans of sapient beings and not plants like it would seem from his previous comments.

** Played with when Brooklyn is first telling the gargoyles' story to the People for Interspecies Tolerance, a group of college students interested in learning more about gargoyles. To protect knowledge of Alexander Xanatos's magical potential, Brooklyn is asked not to reveal the extent of the clan's past vendetta with Xanatos as it is otherwise hard to justify how they became allies after Alexander's birth. With that in mind, Brooklyn tells the truth about the circumstances of the clan being cursed, but claims that Xanatos purchased Wyvern and broke the curse basically as the result of a drunken bet rather than part of a deliberate plan to trick the clan, with Xanatos's security staff making a bad impression when the gargoyles unexpectedly woke up on that first night. Brooklyn also claims that Demona was frozen with the rest of the clan to explain how she exists in the present rather than revealing her immortality to explain how she took TheSlowPath.

** When his mother finally confronts him about his self-experimentation, he agrees to talk to her about it before doing any more to reassure her, conveniently leaving out the fact that he's already installed everything he's wanted to already.

* In ''Fanfic/TheFinalBattle'', N isn't ''technically'' lying when he tells Delia he hasn't seen Ash face-to-face since saving him in Sinnoh two years ago. Ash is standing next to him, but has a specially made hood that hides his face.

* The mysterious stranger in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11200645/1/Affably-Evil Affably Evil]]'' wearing a Sith uniform tells Alek that he doesn't have a job because he doesn't have a salary, boss, or anyone he's held accountable to. He's wearing the uniform because he makes him look fabulous, it's both his uniform and not his uniform, and that he won't get into trouble wearing it because he can do anything he wants as long as he sets his mind to it. [[spoiler:He's Darth Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith, and so has no superiors to report to. It's his uniform because he designed it and it belongs to him, but it's not his uniform because he doesn't have the job that requires the uniform. And he won't get into trouble with the Sith for wearing the uniform because he's the boss. Also, the Force contrives to help him a lot anyways.]]
* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/29961147/chapters/80404210#workskin Izuku Midoriya the Rabbit]]'': Izuku claims to have sent Bakugo a text explaining Spinner's presence in the dorms after his HeelFaceTurn; said text merely said "Hi Kachan! I made a new friend! He's a gecko I met in the forest. I kept him a secret because I didn't want you to yell at him." The text message ''was'', in its own way, correct: [[LizardFolk Spinner is a gecko with a human quirk]] and he did meet Izuku in the forest; the forest where the League of Villain attacked them to try and kidnap Bakugo to be exact. Given Izuku's [[BlueAndOrangeMorality animal morality and behavior]] making it difficult for him to understand complex human concepts, it's more than likely Izuku wasn't intentionally lying or omitting the truth.

* In ''Fanfic/TorqueJakAndDaxter'', when Keria needs to come up a story to get Farley to take her on as a mechanic, she tells her that she lost her family. Which. while technically true, leaves out the part where she traveled through a portal and got separated from them in an explosion.

* There's a double example in ''Theatre/RichardIII''. Richard is secretly behind the imprisonment of his brother George. Firstly because he has played up a wizardly prophecy that King Edward's sons would be disinherited by "G" (apparently ''George'', Duke of Clarence; but really Richard, duke of ''Gloucester''). And secondly in his promise of comfort to George: "I will deliver you, or else lie for you." The obvious meaning is that he will lie in prison in George's place; but the true meaning is that he will lie in wait for George's life.

** The Ignika, Mask of Life, the Macguffin of the ''BIONICLE Legends'' saga, is a legendary mask that had the power to bring even Mata Nui back to life. [[spoiler:What it neglects to mention is that, unlike other masks, it is one of the few masks that required a sacrifice; it siphons life from one being into another and while it can mutate and change beings, it cannot actually create life. Worse still, it has a built-in failsafe that if the quality of life within the universe drops below a certain threshold, to prevent further suffering the Ignika will start a countdown to unleash a wave of death, killing everything within the Matoran Universe to spare them from more suffering. This was so bad that the aforementioned Makuta had to eject the Ignika from the Matoran Universe after his takeover, because his rule would indeed trigger that failsafe. It's even lampshaded in-universe; The Mask only has the title of "life" because it holds dominion over life and death, and given it's actual powers it could easily be called the Mask of ''Death'' instead.]]

** Another one concerning the Funhouse - Monokuma lured the students inside by promising to provide ship parts which might allow the students to escape the island. [[spoiler:The parts in question are for a toy ship... despite the deception, Gundam is thrilled. Everyone else, not so much.]]

* In ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', the [[LanguageOfTruth Red Truth]] can be twisted in this manner. Like how in EP 2 Kanon [[spoiler:was confirmed to have died in a locked room, despite his body not being there. The truth is that Kanon as a real person never existed and was instead just a character and role that Yasu played. Kanon could, therefore, be "killed" without leaving a body just like an author killing of one of his characters. In other words, since Yasu was still alive no body was left behind in the room while [[AmbiguousGender his/her]] role Kanon was "killed" and therefore allowing the that red truth to be used]].

* In ''VisualNovel/TyrionCuthbertAttorneyoftheArcane'', this is how the final showdowns with [[spoiler:Eris end up working out. As a demon, Eris cannot lie, but she sure as hell can make the truth sound misleading-she presents hypotheticals in the form of 'could have happened' or 'certainly possible' and lets other people run with them, she states things that are technically truth but entirely misleading, she only gives parts of the truth, and uses ambiguous wording to obscure things.]]

** George Lucas has also claimed that "Luke and Leia were always meant to be twins." From various behind-the-scenes sources it's known that "Luke's twin sister" was originally planned to be a separate character--the revelation that she was actually Leia was a last-minute {{retcon}} stemming from Lucas deciding to end the series at three movies, rather than his earlier plan of ''nine''. However, when Lucas used TheHerosJourney as a guideline for the plot of the films, rather than having Luke go through all the stages himself, about half were fulfilled by Leia instead. Luke and Leia were two halves of a single Campbellian Hero, so they were metaphorically twins from the very beginning--even though the decision to make them literally twins didn't come until much later.

* ''Manga/CallOfTheNight'': After [[TheOphelia Lira]] becomes [[ClingyJealousGirl suspicious]] of Yamori's overly friendly relationship with Nazuna, he eases her worries by telling her Nazuna is his ex. He conveniently leaves out the fact that earlier that week Nazuna asked him out, then broke up with him on the spot, so that he would no longer be "[[ExactWords a boy who has never dated anyone before]]".