History Main / ShapeShifterShowdown

*YMMV AlternateInterprentaion: Some interpret the song as being about [[DefrostingTheIceQueen persistent courtship]] rather than rape (originally,at least.It may have gotten bawdier and rougher over time).
* The French variant of "The Two Magicians" is the folk song "Chanson Des Métamorphoses",except its not explicitly about "gaining the maidenhead" but rather about "gaining the lady's favor", making the shape shifting duel a metaphor for courtship.In at least one version the lady eventually tells the suitor[[DefrostingTheIceQueen he's gained her heart]].[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buB5ja5cs1I]],[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUFG1MxlsAo]]

* The French variant of "The Two Magicians" is the folk song "Chanson Des Métamorphoses",except its not explicitly about "gaining the maidenhead" but rather about "gaining the lady's favor", making the shape shifting duel a metaphor for courtship.In at least one version the lady eventually tells the suitor[[DefrostingTheIceQueenhe's gained her heart]].https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buB5ja5cs1I

** ''Discworld/TheFifthElephant'' sees two [[WolfMan lycanthropes]] jump between animal and human while tearing at each other and fighting with themselves for control. Ow.
** A dramatic Shapeshifter Showdown between two magic users in ''Discworld/EqualRites'', was {{retcon}}ned into oblivion when the setting and a combatant settled into far less flashiness than what was shown. The ''TabletopGame/DiscworldRoleplayingGame'' suggests it was actually more of a Mental Illusion Showdown[=/=]BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind.

[[quoteright:253:[[Disney/TheSwordInTheStone https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shapeshifter04_8865.png]]]]

-->-- ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone''

* Towards the end of the Disney movie ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', both [[spoiler:Kuzco and Yzma]] have been unwillingly shape-shifted into animal form, and they fight over [[spoiler: the potion which can turn ''one'' of them back to normal..]]
* ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone'', as the page quote and illustration 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.]]

* As quoted above, Merlin and Madam Mim in ''The Sword in the Stone'', both [[Literature/TheOnceAndFutureKing the book]] and [[Disney/TheSwordInTheStone the Disney version]]. In both versions, Merlin wins by becoming an infectious bacterium, though in the Disney version Mim is merely bedridden instead of killed. It's strongly implied that this is the standard format for a "Wizard's Duel".

* Happens in ''The Story of the Second Dervish'' in ''Literature/ArabianNights'' where a princess fights a Djinn by the two transforming into different creatures and attacking each other; a lot like the Disney ''Disney/SwordInTheStone''.

* In the first ''Videogame/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.]]

''Literature/TheMagicians'' climaxes with a magical battle between Alice and the Beast, which eventually diverges into this trope: as the classically-trained WeakButSkilled Brakebills graduate, Alice transforms into a lion, an anaconda, a bear, a giant scorpion and a dragon while fighting him; the Beast, being an UnskilledButStrong PsychopathicManchild, just uses his magic to [[SizeShifter make himself progressively bigger and stronger]] until he's at eye-level with Alice's dragon form. [[spoiler: Alice wins by going full-blown OneWingedAngel and fatally transforming herself into a Niffin.]]

''Literature/TheMagicians'' climaxes with a magical battle between Alice and the Beast, which eventually diverges into this trope: as the classically-trained WeakButSkilled Brakebills graduate, Alice transforms into a lion, an anaconda, a bear, a giant scorpion and a dragon while fighting him; the Beast, being an UnskilledButStrong PsychopathicManchild, just uses his magic to make himself progressively bigger and stronger. [[spoiler: Alice wins by going full-blown OneWingedAngel and fatally transforming herself into a Niffin.]]

''Literature/TheMagicians'' climaxes with a magical battle between Alice and the Beast, which eventually diverges into this trope: as the classically-trained WeakButStrong Brakebills graduate, Alice transforms into a lion, an anaconda, a bear, a giant scorpion and a dragon while fighting him; the Beast, being an UnskilledButStrong PsychopathicManchild, just uses his magic to make himself progressively bigger and stronger.

[-[[caption-width-right:248:"It's a battle of wits. The players change themselves into different things in an attempt to destroy one another."]]-]

* In ''GreenLantern 80 Page Giant'' #2, Plas and Kyle amuse themselves while on monitor duty by pitting Plas's shapes against ring-conjurations. The winner is [[spoiler: Martian Manhunter, who sneaks onto the Watchtower, and convinces them they're being attacked by two separate alien monsters]].

* A variation appears in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' where Magica [=DeSpell=] had a bag of powder that turns whatever the powder is sprinkled on to whatever the err... [[PettingZooPeople person]] wants. The climax is Huey and the Beagle Boys fighting over the powder and transforming themselves and each other with it. It was awesome.

* A particularly dark chapter of ''ComicBook/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.]]

** ComicBook/MartianManhunter finally get a much better one in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueDoom'' in his fight with Ma'alefa'ak.

** The Martian Manhunter vs. Clayface. Eventually, [[spoiler:the Martian wins by cleverness, by shifting into Clayface's natural form, tricking Killer Frost into freezing the real Clayface (in the form of Martian Manhunter) solid before he could protest, and waiting until a critical moment to reveal the trick.]]

* The very first ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' short had Dexter and Dee Dee zapping each other into various improbable animal forms with a remote Dexter had invented, ending with Dee Dee as Dexter and Dexter as Dee Dee.

** The Martian Manhunter vs. Clayface. Eventually, [[spoiler:the Martian wins on cleverness, by shifting into Clayface's natural form, and convincing the other villains to freeze his opponent solid before he could protest, waiting until a critical moment to reveal the trick.]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ''ComicStrip/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.
* ''ComicStrip/{{Zits}}'', combines the above with VolleyingInsults due to its love for illustrating metaphors: "Who are you calling a chicken? You pig!"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Videogames]]

* Towards the end of the Disney movie ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' both [[spoiler:Kuzco and Yzma]]have been unwillingly shape-shifted into animal-form, and they fight over [[spoiler: the potion which can turn ''one'' of them back to normal..]]

* The Monkey King and the god Erlang in ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest''.

* A variation appears in ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales'' where Magica [=DeSpell=] had a bag of powder that turns whatever the powder is sprinkled on to whatever the err... [[PettingZooPeople person]] wants. The climax is Huey and the Beagle Boys fighting over the powder and transforming themselves and each other with it. It was awesome.

-->'''Dexter!Dee Dee:''' Last one downstairs is an ugly, stinky, slimy spider!\\
'''Dee Dee!Dexter:''' Why not? I've been everything ''else'' today...

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2nL5sSSvd0 One]] {{Lego}} advert features this with a Lego cat and mouse rebuilding themselves into advantageous forms.

* In ''Literature/ArabianNights'', the story of Aladdin involves a battle between the Genie of the Lamp and the Genie of the Ring: It starts with Mouse vs Cat vs Dog and goes from there. [[spoiler: There was a part where the Genie of the Lamp turns into a fire-breathing dragon. To counter, the Genie of the Ring turns into a camel and ''[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome spits in the dragon's mouth]]''. In the end, Aladdin cheats and steals his opponent's lamp, gaining control of the Genie of the Lamp and winning by default.]]

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

* ''[[ForgottenRealms Cleric Quintet]]'' 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.

* Used at one point in the [[ForgottenRealms Cleric Quintet]]

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' has Ben go up against Abledo, a former apprentice of Azmuth who had made a copy of the Omnitrix. Their fight involved just about all of Ben's forms between them. (Except [[AwesomeButImpractical Alien X]], naturally).

[[folder:Film]]
* In ''Literature/ArabianNights'', the story of Aladdin involves a battle between the Genie of the Lamp and the Genie of the Ring: It starts with Mouse vs Cat vs Dog and goes from there. [[spoiler: There was a part where the Genie of the Lamp turns into a fire-breathing dragon. To counter, the Genie of the Ring turns into a camel and ''[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome spits in the dragon's mouth]]''. In the end, Aladdin cheats and steals his opponent's lamp, gaining control of the Genie of the Lamp and winning by default.]]
* In an earlier movie that includes Aladdin, ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfPrinceAchmed'', a witch and wizard have one of these for about a minute before resorting to fireballs.

* An early version of ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet3DreamWarriors'' featured one of these between Freddy and Will.
* The climax of ''Film/LittleNicky'' sees Nicky and Adrian duel with their reality-warping magic.
* The final battle in ''Film/MortalKombatAnnihilation'' has [[spoiler: Liu Kang and Shao Kahn engaging in one of these. Though they only use one form.]]

* Towards the end of the Disney movie ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' both [[spoiler:Kuzco and Yzma]]have been unwillingly shape-shifted into animal-form, and they fight over [[spoiler: the potion which can turn ''one'' of them back to normal..]]