History Main / ShapeShifterShowdown

* Subverted in ''TheFairlyOddparents'': Cosmo and Wanda have a "magic fight" in one episode, and it does involve shapeshifting - only instead of turning themselves into stronger forms, they turn their opponents into undesirable forms.

* In the first ''SimonTheSorcerer'' game, once you learn some actual spells, you can challenge the Witch to one, complete with a ShoutOut to ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone''. It functions as a game of RockPaperScissors: snake beats cat, cat beats mongoose, and mongoose beats snake. [[spoiler: And mouse enables you to escape through a hole in the wall when the Witch turns herself into a dragon.]]

* Averted so far in ButImACatPerson. The shapeshifters tend to enter battle in a single form and stick with it, sometimes with their Masters [[http://erinptah.com/catperson/comic/chapter-four-page-4/ agreeing on that form beforehand]].

* In KoreanMythology, Haemosu the sun god and Habaek the river god fights in this way until the latter admits defeat.. and acknowledges him as his son-in-law. This seems to be standard fighting method for gods and demigods, since [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suro_of_Gaya King Kim-suro]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talhae_of_Silla Seok-talhae]] also fought this way.

* A particularly dark chapter of ''CaptainBritain'' climaxes with a duel between villains Mad Jim Jaspers and the Fury: since Jaspers has the power to [[RealityWarper alter reality at will]] and the Fury is a robot that can [[AdaptiveAbility adapt to virtually any situation]], it's pretty extreme to say the least. In the end [[spoiler: the Fury wins by shifting into a dimension where matter and reality don't exist, leaving Jaspers completely defenceless.]]

* ''ClericQuintet'' has one of these, though it's more a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind. A cursed object used to [[GrandTheftMe possess people]], is fighting Cadderly's efforts to destroy it. Good thing he's strong willed.

* JaneYellowrock fights an evil {{Skinwalker}} who devoured the liver of it's prey and was capable of taking on a vampire form along with the form of anything else it ate.

* Another one of those involving Impossible Man takes place in ComicBook/{{Exiles}}, when they visit AlternateUniverse in which he can not only transform himself but also other things and went AxeCrazy after an attempt of supervillain to take control over him had GoneHorriblyWrong. It ends with shapeshifter Morph dueling Impy and winning by making him laugh so much the results of brainwashing breaks.

* In an earlier movie that includes Aladdin, ''TheAdventuresOfPrinceAchmed'', a witch and wizard have one of these for about a minute before resorting to fireballs.

* While you aren't ''physically'' transforming, this is actually a major part of the newer ''VideoGame/{{Persona}}'' games. Each Persona has specific strengths and weaknesses, and the main character can shift through Personae to exploit his enemy's weaknesses while protecting his own. Certain boss fights (most obviously the [[spoiler:Nyx Avatar]] fight from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', but also the BonusBoss from each game) involve shifting between Personae (in some cases on a turn by turn basis) to counter your opponents attacks. Through clever manipulation of Personae strengths and weaknesses, you can take very little damage during a fight. (Except of course, when fighting a BonusBoss, as attempting to use a Persona with a "Null" or "Absorb" effect will result in a OneHitKill).

'''Madam Mim:''' [[ExactWords Did I say no]] ''[[LoopholeAbuse purple]]'' [[FromACertainPointOfView dragons]]? ''DID I?''
-->-- ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone''

* In ''ComicBook/TheSandman'', Morpheus fought the demon Choronzon in a poetry battle of sorts, where each sought to become something capable of defeating the opponents previous form. Chronozon tried to trump Morpheus by turning into entropy, the end of all things. Morpheus won by turning into hope.

There's nothing quite like the awesome brought down to bear when a hero goes into battle with - or as - a {{Shapeshifter}}, as they change forms and faces, [[ShapeshifterWeapon grow weapons and limbs]], or use camouflage to hide and strike.

* In GeoffJohns's ''Comicbook/TeenTitans'' issue "Beast Boys and Girls", a MadScientist type is revealed to have experimented on children and animals to discern the link between human and beast. These experiments changed him into a shapeshifter along the same lines as Beast Boy, calling himself the Zookeeper (his skin and animal forms are purple). Cue epic throwdown in the middle of downtown SanFrancisco.

* TheDresdenFiles. Near the end of ''Turn Coat'', [[spoiler: Injun Joe]] and the [[EldritchAbomination Skinwalker]] have one of these. And it is ''[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome]]''.

* ''CalvinAndHobbes'', kinda - in the first test of the [[TransformationRay transmogrifier gun]], Hobbes zaps Calvin into a (scientifically accurate) 2-foot pterodactyl. So Calvin zaps Hobbes into a duck, so Hobbes zaps Calvin into a pig, so Calvin zaps Hobbes into a monkey, so Hobbes zaps Calvin into a daisy, so Calvin zaps Hobbes into a crocodile, so Hobbes zaps Calvin into an armadillo... cut to "much later", where an owl and a hobgoblin are sulking and wondering who is which.
* ''{{Zits}}'', combines the above with VolleyingInsults due to its love for illustrating metaphors: "Who are you calling a chicken? You pig!"

* [[http://dc-nation.livejournal.com/159575.html Aurora "Fauna" Andersen versus Black Lantern Garfield "Menagerie" Logan]] in DCNation's version of BlackestNight.

* Mercedes Lackey's ElementalMasters series makes use of this not once, but twice. It is mentioned in a backstory conversation in 'Reserved for the Cat' [[spoiler: the Cat of the title is actually the heroine's father, trapped in cat shape as a result of this duel.]] and actually shown between the heroine and villain of 'The Gates of Sleep'. The Gates, the heroine makes a mental note of studying 'The Twa Magicians' (see the Music section below for details).

** Played with in that neither Beast Boy is able to overcome the other, leaving this ShapeshifterShowdown a draw. However, ''none'' of the Titans are able to beat their own EnemyWithout, so they switch who they're fighting, and it's Cyborg who defeats Evil!Beast Boy via NoSell. [[CallBack Cyborg always knew he could beat Beast Boy]] [[RockPaperScissors (but of course, Starfire can beat Cyborg, and Beastboy can beat Cyborg)]].

* Tony Stark does a variation of this in ''IronMan3'' [[spoiler: by rapidly changing suits of armor during the final battle, each suit having different features]].

* You'd expect a Full Moon movie called ''Shapeshifter'', with its [[{{Animorphism}} transforming]] super-spy protagonist destined to defeat an evil witch, would be all ''over'' this trope. It's not.

* ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone'', as the page quote indicates. Madame Mim and Merlin engage in a wizard's duel that involves this. [[spoiler:Merlin beats Mim's purple dragon form by turning into a germ and infecting her.]]

** Played with in that neither Beast Boy is able to overcome the other, leaving this ShapeshifterShowdown a draw. However, ''none'' of the Titans are able to beat their own EnemyWithout, so they switch who they're fighting, and it's Cyborg who defeats Evil!Beast Boy via NoSell. [[CallBack Cyborg always knew he could beat Beast Boy.]]

* Subverted in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' where Odo and another changeling fight conventionally.

* The manga ''{{Parasyte}}'' averts this by having its shapeshifting Parasytes almost always using utilitarian bladelike shapes rather than imaginative ones, and simply aiming to kill the other Parasyte's host before exhausting its own.