Line #73 Main/HumanDisguise


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4	%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
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11	[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brain_human_disguise.png]]]]
12	[[caption-width-right:350:"I'll take 'Who is an impostor?' for $500, Alex."]]
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17	From gods to aliens to robots and beyond, there are always stories of non-humans disguising themselves as humans, maybe even ghosts pretending to be living versions of themselves.
18
19	Contrast AnimalDisguise.
20	----
21	!!Sub-tropes:
22	[[index]]
23	* ChangelingTale: When [[TheFairFolk fairy]] [[OurFairiesAreDifferent creatures]] pretend to be human infants, usually after abducting the real babies and switching places with them.
24	* DevilInDisguise: TheDevil (or one of his minions) is hiding among humanity.
25	* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: When an inhuman being assumes the form of something familiar to humans in order to keep from creeping humans out. Often, the form they assume also looks human.
26	* GodInHumanForm: A [[OurGodsAreDifferent deity]] pretends to be a mere mortal.
27	* HughMann: A human disguise [[PaperThinDisguise done badly]].
28	* {{Humanshifting}}: Some [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifters]] are only able to change into humans from their natural form.
29	* MobileSuitHuman: When a small creature is piloting a robotic vehicle that looks like a human.
30	* ReplicantSnatching: When a robot steals the very hide of a human and wears it to cover its body.
31	* SkinToneDisguise: For the [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation atypically-hued humanoids]] that need to pass as human.
32	* TechnicallyNakedShapeshifter: Shapeshifting into a human involves copying their clothes as well.
33	* TheyLookLikeUsNow: When evil creatures figure out a way to look like humans.
34	[[/index]]
35	----
36	!!Examples:
37	[[foldercontrol]]
38
39	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
40	* ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'':
41	** It is common for small yokai (kitsune, tanuki, kawauso, etc.) to be able to pretend to be human. However, it is implied that they can only sustain this transformation for a short time.
42	** In an early episode, we see a mantis yokai. She killed a human princess and brushed her skin over her own body to [[LiteralManeater trap unsuspecting men]].
43	* Many a MonsterOfTheWeek in ''Anime/SailorMoon'' disguise themselves as a human until they [[GameFace transform to battle the Soldiers]]. More common in the earlier seasons (almost all the Youma do it).
44	* Wolves in ''Anime/WolfsRain'' have learned to project illusions that make them appear as humans in order to survive extinction. Rare humans (like Quent Yaden) can see through the illusion under certain conditions, while others must come into direct physical contact with the wolf to do so.
45	* The titular zombies of ''Anime/ZombieLandSaga'' use... makeup. Granted, it's a ''lot'' of makeup, since they're blue-green rotting corpses with sunken red eyes covered in scars and bandages without it, but it's somehow wildly effective; they comment on their surprisingly good looks, they're able to perform without arousing suspicion even when one of their members falls apart on stage, and the cop who's shot at Sakura twice completely fails to recognize her face to face in the third episode.
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
49	* ''Animation/SatelliteGirlAndMilkCow'': When Kyung-chun demands to be changed back into a human, Merlin casts a spell that seems to do just that. However, [=KITSAT=]-1 finds a zipper on the back of his body and pulls on it, revealing that Merlin just gave him a human suit.
50	[[/folder]]
51
52	[[folder:Comic Books]]
53	* ComicBook/MartianManhunter is a shapeshifter who disguises himself as a human when not working with the Justice League, so that he may live on Earth among humans as one of them.
54	* ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} adopts a human name and identity after arriving on Earth, which she uses as her secret identity.
55	* While {{Franchise/Superman}} was raised under the name Clark Kent and is a {{Human Alien\|s}}, as an adult he refrains from using his powers in noticeable ways in public while being {{Clark Kent\|ing}}, in order to be able to keep living quietly as Kent with a job and family separate from [[SecretIdentity Superman]].
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
59	* In ''ComicStrip/ScaryGary'', shape-shifter Sheila seems to use her shape-shifting powers mainly to look like various human women to increase her chances of getting a date.
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Fan Works]]
63	* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11989539/1/Hakkōna Hakkōna]]'' and ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12023508/1/Kaitō-Kokoro Kaitō Kokoro]]'', [[spoiler:Kiku, a nekomataneko, can take on a human form in an attempt to blend in with other humans -- not that his nekomataneko form is that different [[LittleBitBeastly barring the cat ears and twin tails]], though]].
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
67	* ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'': Vision can phase into a human disguise over his normal synthezoid form. He loses the ability to do it when he gets skewered and gravely wounded by Corvus Glaive.
68	* AcmeProducts chairman from ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction'' has a hulking HypercompetentSidekick named Bob that seems human, until Bob encounters the Tazmanian Devil in the jungles of Africa. There, Bob unzips his LatexPerfection full-body disguise to reveal that he's a Tazmanian She-Devil. The two devils begin a whirlwind romance of kissing and fighting.
69	* The ''Franchise/MenInBlack'' [[Film/MenInBlack movies]] (and [[WesternAnimation/MenInBlackTheSeries cartoon]]) make prominent use of this trope. [[AlienAmongUs Extraterrestrial immigrants live on Earth]], [[{{Masquerade}} hiding in plain sight]] by disguising themselves as humans (typically by wearing [[LatexPerfection rubber skins]] or [[MobileSuitHuman robotic suits]]). Also, an evil [[InsectoidAliens Bug alien]] somehow accomplishes this by [[GenuineHumanHide murdering a farmer and stealing his skin]].
70	* ''Film/OurFriendPower5'':
71	** When the turtles want to fit in on Earth, they try to disguise themselves as humans. ''Unfortunately'', the only human they saw up to that point was Dalgeun dressed like a jiangshi... It works much better later on, when they meet ''normal'' humans, allowing Yesular to blend in as an ordinary Korean woman.
72	** The two main Shark Gang members turn themselves into human men, only with both of them having noticeable facial hair, similar to Shark himself.
73	* In ''Film/{{Toomorrow}}'', the aliens walk among humans wearing skinsuits with LatexPerfection masks.
74	* In ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'', the {{Toon}} who ''really'' killed Marvin Acme turns out to be [[spoiler:Judge Doom]], who wears a rubber suit to disguise himself as a human. [[UnseenEvil We never get to see what he really looks like]] -- other than his ever-shifting {{red eyes\|TakeWarning}}, which he normally hides by fitting a pair of {{glass\|Eye}} ones into the eyeholes of his [[LatexPerfection rubber mask]].
75	[[/folder]]
76
77	[[folder:Literature]]
78	* ''Literature/TheMurderbotDiaries'': The titular {{Cyborg}} goes undercover as a human when it's freed from the [[NGOSuperpower company]] that [[ArtificialHuman created it]]. Since it was mass-produced as a {{Faceless Goon\|s}}, this consists of a long-sleeved shirt to hide its {{Arm Cannon}}s and [[BrainComputerInterface data port]], plus an {{Autodoc}} session to tweak its build just enough that it won't match the profile on computer sensors. However, it takes some coaching from a sentient spaceship before it's able to avoid UncannyValley.
79	* "Literature/SpellMyNameWithAnS": The numerologist is actually an {{Energy Being\|s}} trying to prove a bet. They created TheLittleShopThatWasntThereYesterday just to present the idea of Dr Zebatinsky changing his name to [[MyNaymeIs Dr Sebatinsky]].
80	* ''Literature/{{Sunshine}}'': Vampires have an UndeathlyPallor and a powerful UncannyValley effect, but Constantine is somehow able to look like a normal human in front of TheMenInBlack. Since he can turn it on on cue and it makes him distinctly shorter, it appears to be a supernatural ability.
81	* In the ''Literature/UkiahOregon'' series, the aliens are actually TheVirus, but they arrived on Earth in the bodies of aliens. The last remaining original invader (referred to as Hex), is a NotQuiteHuman alien who uses heavy clothes and similar to disguise his differences when necessary.
82	* ''Literature/YumiAndTheNightmarePainter'': Hoid used [[MasterOfIllusion lightweaving]] to give Design some sort of three-dimensional disguise; apparently the specifics are complicated, but the short version is that it acts like she's made of flesh.
83	[[/folder]]
84
85	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
86	* The main characters from ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' are HumanAliens that pose as a human family.
87	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
88	** As first seen in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E4AliensOfLondon Aliens of London]]"/"[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E5WorldWarThree World War Three]]", the Slitheen kill humans and use [[GenuineHumanHide their skin]] as a disguise.
89	** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime The End of Time]]", two normal-looking scientists turn out to be green cactus people disguised with a "shimmer".
90	** Daleks can disguise themselves as humans, using their bodies as "puppets". It's convincing until the eyestalk bursts through the forehead.
91	* ''Series/TheGoodPlace'': In order to [[spoiler:secretly torture the four humans whom they live with, the demons give themselves human skins so the humans don't notice anything odd]].
92	* ''Series/IceFantasy'': After Ka Suo and Shi have to leave the Ice Tribe in a hurry, they quickly realize that their white hair and blue eyes draw too much attention among the mortals. Consequently, both magically change their appearance to a more human one, with dark hair and brown eyes.
93	* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': For reasons unknown, the vampire Armand pretends to be Rashid, the human personal assistant of Louis, whenever he's in Daniel's presence, even going through the trouble of putting on brown contact lenses to hide his orange vampire eyes and wearing gloves to conceal his vampire fingernails. He drops the disguise at the end of Season 1.
94	* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': In "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1995S5E21StarCrossed Starcrossed]]", Michael Ryan discovers that Teresita Arboleda, a waitress at his coffee beer Heaven, is a Hing in disguise.
95	* Bajorans, Klingons, Romulans, Vulcans, (with a little bit of plastic surgery and perhaps a haircut) and Trill (bit of makeup to hide the spots) can do this in ''Franchise/StarTrek''.
96	[[/folder]]
97
98	[[folder:Magazine]]
99	* The ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' comic "National Gorilla Suit Day" is an OverlyLongGag about various people revealing that they are actually {{Killer Gorilla}}s wearing human suits.
100	* ''Magazine/SuperScienceFiction'': The February 1959 issue has an [[InvertedTrope inversion]], where a woman has a green-skinned alien suit halfway on.
101	[[/folder]]
102
103	[[folder:Multiple Media]]
104	* ''Franchise/LiloAndStitch'':
105	** Jumba and Pleakley are two aliens living with Lilo and Nani Pelekai in their Hawaiian home. Both of them blend in by wearing some rather [[HughMann poor disguises]] (only just sets of human clothing -- [[DisguisedInDrag female in Pleakley's case]]) that somehow [[HumansAreMorons fool most people]].
106	** Similarly, Lilo's "pet" alien creature Stitch gets by through claims of being a "dog" despite looking nothing like one, and even he disguises himself as a human boy at times in ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries''.
107	** In the second episode of the Chinese animated series ''Animation/StitchAndAi'', Stitch also disguises himself as his new human friend in that series Wang Ai Ling by putting on a lot of face and body covering clothes in order to trick her aunt Daiyu, which prevented Ai from being taken to the city for the time being.
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Video Games]]
111	* ''VideoGame/ExtrapowerGiantFist'' The devil Coma disguises herself as a human doctor to aid her infiltration.
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Web Animation]]
115	* ''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'': Demons from Hell that travel to the living world are required to disguise themselves as humans so they don't [[BrokenMasquerade break the masquerade]]. Hellhounds, succubi and demon royalty are all shown to be capable of transforming into humans with their magic. Imps, who have no magic of their own, have to resort to conventional disguises.
116	[[/folder]]
117
118	[[folder:Webcomics]]
119	* The many supernatural creatures living in Kellwood forest in ''Webcomic/CharbyTheVampirate'' rarely bother with proper disguises beyond sunglasses when traveling into the nearby human city due to the super strength PerceptionFilter on the place. When Charby and Mye invite Yiska into town with them she insists they disguise themselves as human first although Mye points out that it's not really necessary.
120	* To many humans, Michealis in ''Webcomic/ClinicOfHorrors'' appears to be human himself. His true form, as seen by Bianca, is actually that of an EldritchAbomination blob of flesh.
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:Web Videos]]
124	* A common scenario in ''WebVideo/SevenSecondRiddles'' involves finding aliens in disguise as humans. They will inevitably give themselves away ''somehow'', simply by doing things humans cannot like [[PowerGlows glowing]], sporting ExtraEyes, or displaying some sort of superpower.
125	[[/folder]]
126
127	[[folder:Western Animation]]
128	* ''WesternAnimation/The13GhostsOfScoobyDoo'': The episode "Ship of Ghouls" has a ghost impersonate a human travel agent as well as a human ship captain named Captain Ferguson. For the former, he simply makes his body more opaque. For the latter, he wears [[LatexPerfection a lifelike mask]].
129	* Roger of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' always dresses up as a human in public to keep people from realizing he's an alien.
130	* Zim of ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'', uses this when he arrives on earth. However, he only uses human-like eye coverings and a wig while he retains his green skin, which Dib Membrane is the only one who notices.
131	* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'':
132	** In the short "The Year Book Star" (part of "[[Recap/TinyToonAdventuresS2E6ToonPhysics Toon Physics]]"), Babs and Plucky compete against each other to see who can star in the most photos of the school yearbook, with the loser having to suffer the humiliation of the winner's choice. During the official count-off, the two appear to have tied, until it is revealed that a human boy wearing an orange hat appeared in the background of every photo either of them was in, [[DarkHorseVictory causing him to win easily]]. The Boy in the Orange Hat then reveals himself to be Buster Bunny [[LatexPerfection in a latex mask and suit]], who entered the competition to teach Babs and Plucky [[AnAesop not to compete to win a bet]], but all this does is prompt Babs and Plucky to beat him up as the short irises out.
133	** In the episode "[[Recap/TinyToonAdventuresS3E1Thirteensomething Thirteensomething]]", Babs wishes she could audition for the titular ShowWithinAShow, and Buster dares her to. Knowing that the casting office only hires humans, Babs disguises herself as a human and changes her name to "Babs [[SesquipedalianSmith Bunawalskioversmith]]". Unlike Buster's disguise in "The Year Book Star", [[PaperThinDisguise Babs is able to pass for human simply by covering her ears]]. The fact that her face is covered in fur doesn't quite go unnoticed: "You really should get a wax, dear. You have a lot of facial hair!"
134	[[/folder]]

Context Main / HumanDisguise