History Main / ShapeShifterShowdown

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wizards}}: After the death of their mother, Delia, her two sons fight a duel for supremacy. Both Avatar and Blackwolf are powerful wizards, and they reshape themselves a few times during the fight. Ultimately, Avatar triumphs, and he allows Blackwolf to slink away. Avatar would grow to oversee the fairy kingdom of Montagar, while Blackwolf broods in the wastelands of Scortch, building an army of mutants to conquer the elven territories.

* A few episodes of ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'' had Hilda and Zelda fighting by turning one another into undesirable forms, one fight ending with Hilda as a gingerbread cookie and Zelda as a fat child (presumably [[Literature/HanselAndGretel Hansel]]). Yeah...

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': Cosmo and Wanda have a "magic fight" in one episode which involves turning each other into undesirable forms.

* Similar to the ''Fairly [=OddParents=]'' example above, one episode of ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'' had Hilda and Zelda fighting by turning one another into undesirable forms.

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

* In ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'', Morpheus fought the demon Choronzon in a poetry battle of sorts, where each sought to become something capable of defeating the opponent's previous form. Choronzon tried to trump Morpheus by turning into entropy, the end of all things. Morpheus won by turning into hope, which Choronzon had no idea how to defeat.

* In ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'', Morpheus fought the demon Choronzon in a poetry battle of sorts, where each sought to become something capable of defeating the opponent's previous form. Choronzon tried to trump Morpheus by turning into entropy, the end of all things. Morpheus won by turning into hope, which Choronzon had no idea how to defeat. This battle was recreated in ''Series/TheSandman2022'', although Choronzon named Lucifer as his champion for the battle instead of doing it himself.

* In ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'', Morpheus fought the demon Choronzon in a poetry battle of sorts, where each sought to become something capable of defeating the opponent's previous form. Chronozon tried to trump Morpheus by turning into entropy, the end of all things. Morpheus won by turning into hope.

* The 1998 TVB live-action adaptation of ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'', titled ''Journey to the West 2'', have the battle between Sun Wukong the Monkey King against his direct EvilCounterpart, the Long Armed-Ape Monkey, both of them dueling with a myriad of shapeshifting abilities (thanks to some 90s' CG-effects), firstly turning into animals, and then sentient flying weapons, and culminating with the Long Armed-Ape turning into a '''dragon''' to swallow Wukong, which Wukong retaliates by turning into a fly and buzzing out his opponent's nostrils.

Almost guaranteed to involve ShapeshifterSwanSong, OneWingedAngel, {{Shapeshifter Weapon}}s, {{Shape Shifter Mashup}}s and very often a variant of ElementalRockPaperScissors. Compare BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind. Contrast TrickingTheShapeshifter.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', Beast Boy is pitted against an evil version of himself in the fourth season finale. Granted, a fair bit of it is offscreen, but the bits that they do show are really cool, especially when Evil!Beast Boy turns into an elephant, so Beast Boy turns into a mouse to frighten him. Played with in that neither Beast Boy is able to overcome the other, leaving this Shapeshifter Showdown a draw. However, ''none'' of the Titans are able to beat their own EnemyWithout, [[OpponentSwitch 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 Starfire)]].
** Also done in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' between Beast Boy and... well, [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitans Beast Boy]] through the use of the Worlogog. They first start mimicking each other before 2013 Beast Boy changes into a kitten to invoke CutenessOverload on 2003 Beast Boy and then knocks him out of the arena.

* ''[[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]]'' #88-89: Plastic Man v. Fernus (Martian Manhunter's EnemyWithin).

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

* A shapeshifting duel took place between Impy and Mr Mxyztplk in the IntercontinuityCrossover ''ComicBook/SilverSurfer [=/=] ComicBook/{{Superman}}'', in which they both took on the forms of heroes from their respective universes.

* The "Lost In Dreams" quest of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' ends with a battle against the sloth demon that's trapped you in the Fade; over the course of the boss fight, the demon takes no less than four different shapes; however, as you've acquired the ability to shapeshift in dreams over the course of this quest, it's entirely possible for you to use your own hard-won forms to counter his advantages.
* In ''VideoGame/KingsQuestV'', King Graham and Mordack have a shapeshifting duel. Eventually Mordack turns into a {{ring of fire}}, and Graham summons a raincloud, extinguishing him. Not that Graham is a shapeshifter, mind you. He just conveniently learns the four required spells (and ''only'' those four) just before [[GuideDangIt recharging his wand with a slice of rotten cheese]].
* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'': Shang Tsung vs. Shang Tsung kombats.

Know what's better? A fight between ''two'' {{Shape Shifter}}s!

** During the journey itself, Sun Wukong engages in another such battle against the [[ALoadOfBull Bull Demon King]]. It climaxes with the Bull Demon King turning into his true form, [[OneWingedAngel a colossal white bull]], and Wukong making himself gigantic in turn. The ensuing BehemothBattle proves so intense that the gods have to intervene and help Sun Wukong subdue the Bull Demon King for good.

* A downplayed example appears near the end of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'', when [[spoiler:Remus involuntarily [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent turns into a bloodthirsty wolf]] and his friend Sirius has to [[{{Animorphism}} transform into a]] {{hellhound}} to restrain him]].

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheSwordInTheStone https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shapeshifter04_8865.png]]]]

[[quoteright:253:[[WesternAnimation/TheSwordInTheStone https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shapeshifter04_8865.png]]]]
[-[[caption-width-right:253:"It's a battle of wits. The players change themselves into different things in an attempt to destroy one another."]]-]

'''Madam Mim:''' Did I say no ''[[LoopholeAbuse purple]]'' dragons? ''DID I?''

'''Madam Mim:''' Did I say no ''purple'' dragons? ''DID I?''

* Towards the end of ''WesternAnimation/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 Magnetic Field's tribute song to Robert Burns, "Wi Nae Wee Bairn Ye'll Me Beget," features one of these between a woman and her prospective suitor. It ends with him turning into God, and her winning by not believing in him.

* ''Literature/ArabianNight'': Such a battle takes place between a princess and a ''jinni'' in "The Story of the Second Dervish."

* 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 ''WesternAnimation/SwordInTheStone''.

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'', kinda -- in the first test of the [[TransformationRay transmogrifier gun]], Hobbes zaps Calvin into a (scientifically accurate) 2-foot ''Pterodactylus''. So Calvin zaps Hobbes into a duck, so Hobbes zaps Calvin into a pig, so Calvin zaps Hobbes into a chimpanzee, so Hobbes zaps Calvin into a flower, 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. (This is one of the very few {{Sunday Strip}}s to take place in the middle of an ongoing StoryArc.)