Line #8 Main/MichaelHackson


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8	[[caption-width-right:1000:''"Shamone!"'']]
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10	In RealLife, Music/MichaelJackson was one of the [[RenaissanceMan most accomplished entertainers of the 20th century]]. His accolades alone from his four-decade career include 13 Grammys, 26 American Music Awards, 4 Video Music Awards, and a whopping ''40'' Billboard Music Awards. He singlehandedly popularized many dance moves we still gawk at today, in particular the MoonwalkDance.
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12	And yet, he also was a man of great [[OvershadowedByControversy controversy and speculation]]. His changing appearance resulted in concerns about his physical health, MoralGuardians abhorred him as a toxic influence on children, and his legacy was permanently hampered in the 1990s and 2000s after multiple allegations of sexually abusing children at his Neverland Ranch, which would result in heavy scrutiny until his tragic death in 2009 made him [[PosthumousPopularityPotential even more endearing as a musical artist to many fans]].
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14	Regardless of his legacy, it would be a lie to say that Jackson wasn't one of the most influential musicians ever, so naturally, there would be a [[FountainofExpies lot of parodies of Jackson]], namely his appearance, his clothing, and his personality.
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16	Common traits of a Michael Jackson parody based on his 1980s persona include:
17	* Imitating specific dance moves, like a [[MichaelJacksonsThrillerParody "Thriller" parody]] or a MoonwalkDance
18	* Outfits and accessories inspired by his music videos, like the [[HellBentForLeather red leather jumpsuit]] from "Thriller", the TooManyBelts outfit from "Bad", or a single [[HighClassGloves High-Class Glove]].
19	* Being a skilled singer and dancer whose skills border on ChoreographyPorn
20	* Having EightiesHair that resembles a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jheri_curl Jheri curl]]
21	* Having an EffeminateVoice with a wide vocal range
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23	Parodies of MJ in the '90s and 2000s, after his eccentricities became public knowledge and he was accused of child molestation, tend to depict him in a darker light:
24	* Being an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette with [[PlasticBitch way too much plastic surgery]], sometimes with the [[NasalTrauma nose falling off]]
25	* Owning a BigFancyHouse based on Neverland Ranch, complete with a ShrineToSelf, [[CollectorOfTheStrange strange collections]], a private zoo full of {{Unusual Pets\|ForUnusualPeople}}, and an AmusementPark
26	* Acting like OneOfTheKids, such as hosting {{Slumber Part\|y}}ies for children
27	* Behaving like a {{Manchild}} and obsessing over characters that NeverGrewUp, like WesternAnimation/PeterPan
28	* Being the target of a PaedoHunt (justifiably or not), or otherwise being MistakenForPedophile
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30	SubTrope of FountainOfExpies and StockParodies. Compare AbbeyRoadCrossing, ElvisImpersonator, SgtPeppersShoutOut, WeDidntStartTheBillyJoelParodies, and FreddieMercopy for other music shout-outs. While it is related to MoonwalkDance and MichaelJacksonsThrillerParody, those tropes involve his dances rather than Jackson himself.
31	----
32	!!Examples:
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35	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
36	* ''Manga/FairyTail'': In Ep 211 ([[Recap/FairyTailEclipseCelestialSpiritArc Eclipse Celestial Spirit]] {{filler}} arc), when Cancer gives Gray the power to dance, Gray ends up channeling the King of Pop Music, specifically his moves from Smooth Criminal right down to the fedora hat.
37	* ''Manga/OnePiece:'' While facially based on [[Music/{{Aerosmith}} Steven Tyler]], Michael Jackson is specifically credited as the inspiration for Jango, a former pirate turned Marine who has a penchant for moonwalking while holding his hat in front of his face.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Comic Books]]
41	* ''ComicBook/{{Concrete}}'': The protagonist becomes a bodyguard for an eccentric rock star in one of the earlier stories set in TheEighties, and the character is very reminiscent of Michael Jackson and Prince.
42	* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': Jaxon Prince is a 20th-century pop star who was cryogenically frozen at his own request, then revived over a century later for his comeback show. As his name suggests, he's a parody of both Michael Jackson and Music/{{Prince}}. Unfortunately, Jaxon has suffered severe brain damage from the primitive cryogenics, leaving him a shambling, slurring wreck who [[MadnessMantra endlessly repeats]] the only lyric he can remember (implied to be "Thriller"). Despite this, the crowd loves his show.
43	* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': The appropriately named [[TheAce "Ace"]], is a mysterious biker AntiHero who exuded urban cool and tangled with Spider-Man in a couple of annual stories in TheEighties and was described by editor Creator/{{Christopher Priest\|Comics}} as "what if Michael Jackson were more masculine?" However, Ace was less based on Jackson the real-life musician, and more on the characters Jackson "played" in videos and movies.
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder:Fan Works]]
47	* Although it's not confirmed that is based on him, many fans agree that [[BigBad Muzan Kibutsuji]] from ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'' was based on Michael Jackson, mostly for [[https://www.mundodeportivo.com/alfabeta/hero/2022/08/Muzan-Kibutsuji-parece-Michael-Jackson.jpg the resemblance of him with his suit outfit]] that reminds of ''Film/{{Moonwalker}}'' look and in specific with "[[Music/{{Bad}} Smooth Criminal]]" music video. This is far from official, but that didn't stop fans from making {{fanart}}s and photoeditions of him, and isn't rare to see Muzan {{cosplay}}ers in events that make stuff like the MoonwalkDance.
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49
50	[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
51	* In Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'', Creator/JohnnyDepp played Willy Wonka, already an eccentric recluse who invites five children to tour his whimsical factory in the [[Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory source material]], [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed in a manner resembling Jackson]].
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54	[[folder:Literature]]
55	* ''Literature/SarasFace'' has Jonathan Heat, an extremely successful pop icon of decades who has gone through multiple "eras", most of them themed around extreme transformation. His most recent comeback is themed around werewolves. He has also had an excessive amount of plastic surgery, which has fuelled his comebacks in terms of dramatically reshaping his image. However, most recently, his face has more or less collapsed due to the amount of plastic surgery he's had.
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58	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
59	* ''Series/{{Atlanta}}'': Played for SurrealHorror in the infamous episode "Teddy Perkins." Teddy is a bizarre Jackson Expy with a strange mask-like face, living in a dark mansion with his piano player brother Benny Hope. He shares Jackson's high-pitched voice and apparent plastic surgery addiction, as well as his DaddyIssues (even proclaiming he wants to add Joe Jackson to a museum of "great fathers"). The episode deals with Darius trying to buy Benny's piano from Teddy and dealing with his unpleasant eccentricities; [[spoiler:Eventually it's revealed that Teddy has been holding Benny prisoner, and intends to murder him and Darius and stage it as a home invasion turned deadly]].
60	* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'': [[Recap/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnitS5E19Sick "Sick"]] is about a billionaire toymaker, Billy Tripley, an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette who lives in an enormous mansion full of toys and other kid-specific stuff and views himself as OneOfTheKids. He throws lavish parties for children and has molested multiple children, including J.J., whose family took an enormous bribe from him in exchange for signing an [=NDA=] and denying that he had been abused. Billy is also the target of a PedoHunt that turns out to be false, as an attention-seeking ploy from an abusive grandmother, and allows him to go free and abuse other kids. Needless to say, this is an [[UnfortunateImplications ''extremely'']] controversial example.
61	* One of the characters of the Chilean comedy Show ''Morande con Compania'' was "[[https://twitter.com/MCCoficial/status/1046091194730713089 Maikel Perez Jackson]]," a MJ impersonator who believes he was the real MJ and make comical routines as he was taken this seriously, as well talking with an EffeminateVoice all the time. The case is, this character balances between being a parody and a real MJ impersonator, since he could mimic all the looks MJ had in his history (in music videos and even concerts) and also makes various poses and dances, including the MoonwalkDance.
62	* ''Series/BoSelecta'': Michael Jackson is one of Leigh's most frequent objects of lampoon, of the "Too Much Plastic Surgery" variety. Speaks near exclusively in JiveTurkey.
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64
65	[[folder:Music]]
66	* Music/BarenakedLadies: In the song "If I Had a Million Dollars", some of the things that the singer would buy [[IfIWereARichMan if he were a millionaire]] are meant to be references to unusual purchases that Michael Jackson has made. These include [[UnusualPetsForUnusualPeople exotic pets, such as a monkey]], as well as Jackson's attempt to buy the remains of Joseph Merrick.
67	* The music videos for the Beatfreakz songs [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh8_4qqX5bo "Somebody's Watching Me"]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrA2o7QcDVI "Superfreak"]] feature a dwarf dancer dressed like the Michael Jackson zombie from Music/MichaelJacksonsThriller, named "Mekill Hacksaw".
68	* ''Music/SilvaGunner'': One of the competitors in the King For A Day competition is "Weird Al" Yankovic who was the first competitor to lose the competition. In the King For Another Day, he returns with a stand named BEAT IT(which is based on Jackson's appearance in Smooth Criminal). The stand's power allows Weird Al to tap into the powers of the deceased King of Pop, which also expands Al's sources to include rips involving Michael Jackson's music catalogue and ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'' due to Jackson's rumoured involvement in that game's soundtrack.
69	* In Music/RodStewart's video for "The Motown Song", an animated version of Michael Jackson can be seen moonwalking across the street. The dog opens a manhole cover behind him and he falls through it.
70	* Music/WeirdAlYankovic:
71	** "[[Music/WeirdAlYankovicIn3D Eat It]]" is a [[FoodSongsAreFunny food-themed]] parody of Music/MichaelJackson's "Beat It". In its official video, many scenes from the video to "Beat It" are referenced, but with some humorous twists, such as the street gang fighting each other with kitchen utensils. The end of the video is a reference to ''Music/{{Thriller}}'', in which Weird Al turns to the camera and suddenly has [[AnimalEyes yellow cat eyes]].
72	** The cover of his album ''Music/EvenWorse'' is intended to be a parody of the cover of Michael Jackson's album ''Music/{{Bad}}'', including Al wearing a black jacket with [[TooManyBelts multiple belts]]. Fittingly, this album contains the song "Fat", a parody of "Bad".
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75	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
76	* In the independent scene, there's [[https://instagram.com/santana.jackson7 Santana Jackson]], an MJ impersonator who also is a famous wrestler and mimics the WhatIf MJ fights in a ring, having as SignatureMove the "Moonwalk DDT." He's actually working for Wrestling/{{GCW}}... in the times he doesn't make tribute shows in Las Vegas.
77	* A subversion (or aversion) also exists, since there's a wrestler who has nothing to do with this trope, but ''IT IS'' called Michael Jackson, being his real name. His ring name is Mike Jackson (also called "Action" Mike Jackson) and he currently works for Wrestling/ImpactWrestling.
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79
80	[[folder:Video Games]]
81	* ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden 3'' has an assassin with the codename of Ten Count, who is a rival to and a MovesetClone of longtime ''Toshinden'' deuteragonist Kayin Amoh. His physical appearance and mannerisms are reminiscent of Michael Jackson from his "[[Music/{{Bad}} Smooth Criminal]]" music video, including shouting high-pitched "Whoos" during his special moves and grabbing his crotch during his taunt.
82	* ''Franchise/BlazBlue'': Hazama not only has a fighting style that resembles Michael Jackson's dance moves, he also dresses very similarly to him. This has not gone unnoticed by the fanbase, who have given him the nickname "The Smooth Criminal" in reference to the song of the same name.
83	* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFuckboys'': During the Save Import Scenario, Freddy Fuckboy and his archenemy [[BigBad Balloon Boy]] travel back to 1987. After 80s B.B opens the presents, Lord Micheal arrives and proceeds to fight Freddy and his party. Lord Michael is a direct reference to the King of Pop, with two of his attacks referencing his iconic dance moves [[note]] Moonwalk is self-explanatory whereas his Anti-Gravity Lean references the dance move from Smooth Criminal[[/note]]. After being defeated, Lord Michael opens the presents himself and [[OneWingedAngel transforms into the stronger Mecha Jackson]] who is a direct reference to Film/{{Moonwalker}}, which had Michael Jackson transform into [[EleventhHourSuperpower Robo-Jackson.]]
84	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': Tott is a cheerful dancer who lives in Windfall Island and calls himself "The World's Charismatic Dancer Extraordinaire". While his dress makes him look like Elvis Presley, his hair and dance moves are direct nods to Michael Jackson. Even the voice sounds he makes when performing his signature dance (especially the "Wow!" at the end) remind players of the King of Pop. Notably, the dance he performs turns out to be the Song of Passing, which Link can play with the Wind Waker to change between day and night.
85	* ''[[VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies Plants vs. Zombies]]'': The original version from May 2009 (i.e. a month before [[HarsherInHindsight the superstar's death]]) had the Dancing Zombie resemble Michael Jackson, with his fashion and dance being taken from the music video for "Thriller". Complaints from Jackson's estate led to the Dancing Zombie's appearance being changed to a more generic disco design in later versions.
86	* ''Videogame/SpaceChannel5'' has the most egregious example with Space Michael, though it's more of a cameo, considering he's voiced by Michael Jackson himself. Sega seemed to have quietly retired Space Michael out of respect, with Space Michael not appearing in any other media including Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda★Funky News Flash.
87	* ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'': Miracle Johnson is a skilled dancer who wears shades shaped like an M and is an American pop star visiting Japan to record his new video (which has zombies, referencing "Thriller"). No matter how hard the player tries, [[HopelessBossFight they cannot beat Miracle Johnson]] during their dance-off the second time you meet him.
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89
90	[[folder:Webcomics]]
91	* ''Webcomic/ScaryGoRound'': During what was at the time intended to be the last ''Scary Go Round'' story in 2009, the mysterious father of the enigmatic figure known as The Child, aka Poh, turns out to be a nameless figure who is clearly Michael Jackson or a close {{expy}}. Writer John Allison[[note]]who is admittedly sometimes an UnreliableNarrator[[/note]] says that his original plan was for this character to have done "some wretched deeds", but unfortunately Jackson died while the strips were being created, and the story had to be toned down rather heavily. The character still ended up being arrested because The Child had been abducting and imprisoning local postmen, however.
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93
94	[[folder:Western Animation]]
95	* ''WesternAnimation/AlfredJKwak'': In one episode, Alfred's girlfriend Winnie is in love with an arrogant pop singer named Michael Duckson, who is a partial parody of Prince too; though his appearance and stage act is mostly parodying Michael, even with a moonwalk-like dance.
96	* ''WesternAnimation/BlackDynamite'': The episode "[[Recap/BlackDynamiteS1E1JustBeatItOrJacksonFiveAcrossYoEyes Just Beat It, or Jackson Five Across Yo Eyes]]" features a young Michael Jackson as the primary antagonist. Not only does he [[EnfantTerrible physically abuse his father and brothers]], but he's also revealed to be a pale-skinned, tiny-nosed alien from the planet [[Music/{{Thriller}} Mamasay Mamasah Mamacoosa]].
97	* ''WesternAnimation/FanboyAndChumChum'': One of the recurring side characters is Michael Johnson, a kid whose clothing and hair resemble Michael Jackson's costume from the "Thriller" music video, and can often be seen moonwalking or saying phrases from Michael's songs like "Hee-hee!" and "Shamone!"
98	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyNFriends'': One four-parter features a pony named Knight Shade, who is a famous rockstar like Michael Jackson and even resembles him as a pony.
99	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' infamously [[PlayingWithATrope played with]] this trope a bit in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E1StarkRavingDad Stark Raving Dad]]", in which Jackson's voice acting guest role arguably qualified more as a mixture of this trope and AdamWesting. Enter Leon Kompowsky, a mentally ill patient who is under the impression that he ''is'' Michael Jackson. Through a backstory, he reveals that he was never Jackson in the first place. Unfortunately, the episode was [[MissingEpisode yanked]] following renewed scrutiny against Jackson in 2019, with "him" playing a birthday song for Lisa in a room with only her and Bart resulting in [[UnfortunateImplications exactly what you'd expect]].
100	* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': In "[[Recap/SouthParkS8E6TheJeffersons The Jeffersons]]", Michael Ja--er, ''[[LastSecondWordSwap Jefferson]]'' is a creepy {{Manchild}} whose behavior concerns the boys, [[ParentalNeglect especially to his son Blanket]].
101	* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'': Captain Sunshine's background and behavior are a mashup of a BatmanParody, a SupermanSubstitute, and Film/CaptainEO, with his white suit and light-based powers. He has a mansion full of toys and arcade games to spoil his sidekick Wonderboy with and insists on having a SlumberParty with Hank when he spends the night. His behavior towards children is implied to be pedophilic at first, but it's revealed that it's a result of the trauma of being a FormerChildStar (or Former KidSidekick, more accurately).
102	[[/folder]]

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