Line #24 Main/PhysicalAttributeSwap


1	[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ren_and_stimpy_whos_stupid_now_physical_attribute_swap_transformation_shapeshifting.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Sometimes "walking a mile in another man's shoes" means walking a mile with another man's weight (or lack thereof).]]
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4	In stories where characters' bodies can be altered through {{Shapeshifting}} either [[VoluntaryShapeshifting voluntary]] or [[InvoluntaryShapeshifting not]], a common requirement for such a transformation is directly exchanging a particular physical attribute with someone else who already has that attribute. This is usually based on some in-universe version of EquivalentExchange that also explains away ShapeshifterBaggage.
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6	Such trait swapping may involve entire discrete limbs being traded, perhaps in a LEGOBodyParts manner. Other times, the swap involves a more general and/or abstract trait such as height, weight, musculature, skin complexion, or age. More fantastical works may even have two characters changing into each other's species while still [[MorphicResonance recognizably being themselves]].
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8	In action-focused works, the characters will likely swap whatever traits will give them an advantage in battle, such as switching with a stronger character's muscles for greater offense or switching with an iron-hided character's carapace for greater defense. More prosaic comedies and dramas instead tend to pair this with characters who [[IJustWantToBeBeautiful want to look more attractive]], such as a character with HeightAngst stealing the desired height from someone taller or a fat person with WeightWoe transferring the weight to someone thinner. Also, kids who want an OvernightAgeUp may steal the age from adults who [[FountainOfYouth get younger]] as a result, while an ImmortalitySeeker may steal the youth from someone who undergoes RapidAging in response.
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10	This trope can be thought of as FreakyFridayFlip meets PartialTransformation. Indeed, the boundary between this and FreakyFridayFlip can be blurry if two characters swap enough traits to be mistaken for the other -- and the number of traits that need to be swapped for that to happen can be low in certain illustrated and animated works where [[OnlySixFaces characters don't look vastly different from each other to begin with]]. And regardless of how thorough such a swap is, if the two characters also [[SwappedRoles trade social roles]] as a result of the transformation it can become a LiteralTransformativeExperience as they discover what it's like to be in the other person's shoes.
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12	Often works by way of LiquidAssets. Closely related to TransferredTransformation. The "height swapping" cases are examples of {{Sizeshifting}}. If the swapping process involves harming or killing the person with the desired trait, that's FaceStealer. Contrast with FusionDance, where two characters become one and merge their physical attributes, and ViralTransformation, where a particular physical trait is passed on without the donor losing it. For the mental equivalent, see PersonalitySwap (though there's occasional overlap with this trope, especially in stories where TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody).
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14	----
15	!!Examples:
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17	[[foldercontrol]]
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19	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
20	* Brought up jokingly in ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh''. When HugeSchoolgirl Sakaki admits that she is still growing and recently went over 170 centimeters, Osaka suggests that she got that tall by "sucking away" the height from [[CheerfulChild Chiyo]]. This leads Chiyo to [[HeightAngst start begging Sakaki]] to "give it back."
21	* ''Anime/{{Bakugan}}'': Season 4 introduced the Mutation ability, which lets two or more Bakugan swap physical traits, gaining access to each other’s attacks, along with a large power boost.
22	* ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'': Team Touden steps in a circle of changeling mushrooms that makes them all swap races. While they enjoy their new bodies' physical capabilities at first, the party finds the experience insufferable after a while and try to figure out a way to swap back. Notably, the mushrooms can also do things like change a gargoyle into [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manneken_Pis Manneken Pis]].
23	* The premise of ''Manga/{{Kasane}}'' is that Fuchi Kasane can swap faces with other women for twelve hours by kissing them with a magic lipstick. She's a brilliant actress who has a plain face, and she uses the lipstick to impersonate Tanzawa Nina and other fellow actresses who are pretty but have poorer acting skills.
24	* ''Manga/LivingForTheDayAfterTomorrow'': Iokawa Karada is a young girl who lives with her older brother Hiro, while Nogami Shouko is Hiro's ex-girlfriend. Because Hiro left Shouko unexpectedly, she's bitter to the point that she also resents Karada. When they both make wishes at a shrine, they end up swapping ages, with Karada [[OvernightAgeUp becoming an adult]] and Shouko [[FountainOfYouth becoming a kid]]. They spend the rest of the series adjusting to the sudden change and trying to understand each other's angst.
25	* In both the [[Manga/SailorMoon manga]] and [[Anime/SailorMoon anime]] (and the readaptation movie ''[[Anime/SailorMoonEternal Sailor Moon Eternal]]'') for ''Franchise/SailorMoon'', [=PallaPalla=] casts a spell that causes Usagi and Chibiusa to swap ages, with Usagi becoming younger and Chibiusa becoming older. This briefly prevents them from using their powers, which was [=PallaPalla=]'s intent.
26	[[/folder]]
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28	[[folder:Fan Works]]
29	* ''Fanfic/ThePalaververse'': ''The Tempest'': Due to the combined multi-species nature of the Serene Confederation's leaders, Discord adds a bit of a twist to gathering its leaders, by mixing up their body parts, so each of them represent more species instead of just their own. For example:
30	--> Emir of Al-Antelus. Except the antelope Emir didn’t have the disproportionately small legs of a warthog. Or the wings of a griffon. Or a certain deficiency of horns.
31	[[/folder]]
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33	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
34	* In the finale of ''Film/TheCityOfLostChildren'', Miette takes the place of Denrée in [[BigBad Krank]]'s DreamStealer experiments - only for her to [[HoistByHisOwnPetard turn the dream against him]]. As a result, the two of them begin exchanging ages: first, Krank returns to his thirties and Miette grows up into an adult; then Miette reaches middle age and Krank becomes a child, left helpless as Miette dances him around the dream... until at last, Krank shrinks down into a screaming toddler and Miette becomes an ancient crone. [[spoiler: For good measure, Krank is then funneled into a nightmare in which he's subjected to the same experiments he forced on so many other children, resulting in him suffering a fatal stroke in the real world.]]
35	* ''Film/FantasticFourRiseOfTheSilverSurfer'': As a result of his interaction with the Silver Surfer, Johnny/Human Torch ends up being able to trade superpowers with his teammates. When he does so with Ben/The Thing, he turns into a RockMonster while Ben returns to his original human form, much to Ben's amusement.
36	* In ''Film/{{The Fly\|1958}}'', a TeleporterAccident results in Andre Delambre having his head and arm swapped with that of a fly.
37	* ''Plötzlich fett'' (German for [[JustWokeUpThatWay "Suddenly Fat"]]) is a German film about a FormerlyFat personal trainer named Nick who's [[BoomerangBigot prejudiced against fat people]] swapping body weight with an overweight woman named Eva that won a session from him in a raffle. Finding himself suddenly pitied by everyone around him, he slowly falls in love with Eva for being the only support he has left. When everything is restored to normal they become a couple.
38	[[/folder]]
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40	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
41	* One of the central aspects of ''Series/{{Galidor}}'' is that the inhabitants of the Outer Dimension have an ability called Glinching that allows them to swap body parts with another person. For example, at one point Euripides the large [[FrogMen Frog Man]] is StrappedToAnOperatingTable on Earth, so he briefly Glinches with the much shorter Nepol's body below the neck in order to hop out of his restraints. Various characters also swap arms at different points. Part of what makes Nick Bluetooth special as TheChosenOne is that he ''doesn't'' need to swap with other characters to copy their body parts.
42	* One episode of ''Series/SpaceCases'' has the various people on the Christa swapping races with each other after each character complains someone else on the ship has it easier. The swaps also swap most of the character's hair styles as well. In addition it proves that the really happy and really pessimistic ones are that way by genetics.
43	* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In the episode "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S5E16TheSelfImprovementOfSalvadoreRoss The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross]]", a man discovers that he can trade his own qualities with those of another person if that person voluntarily agrees to do so. One of his trades is exchanging his youth with a wealthy man's old age in return for one million dollars. He makes a series of trades with other men, paying them $1,000 for trading him a year of their youth in exchange for a year of his old age, and is soon young again.
44	[[/folder]]
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46	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
47	* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'': Van Horstmann's Speculum is a MagicMirror that switches the user's physical stats (Strength, Toughness, Initiative and Attacks) and the target's during a challenge. However, it always ''has'' to be used during a challenge, making it possible to backfire hilariously (it was devised by a Chaos worshipper, after all).
48	[[/folder]]
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50	[[folder:Video Games]]
51	* In ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'', Gruntilda kidnaps Tooty because she wants to drain the latter's beauty for herself. The GameOver screen shows one specific way this manifests by having Tooty take on Grunty's massive girth.
52	* ''Galidor Quest'' (a browser MMO based on ''Series/{{Galidor}}'') lets you choose your species, which determines your head and abdomen, but you're able to trade arms or legs with NPC's you encounter via Glinching, and you're expected to do so in order to meet stat requirements for various tasks. These trades typically have to be won through challenges -- but if you lose a challenge and the NPC thinks your limbs are better, they'll take them, which can lead to losing streaks.
53	[[/folder]]
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55	[[folder:Webcomics]]
56	* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': A set of magical scales capable of this appeared in [[https://www.egscomics.com/sketchbook/2018-022 one sketchbook entry]]. The scales reappeared in a [[https://www.egscomics.com/egsnp/nanasecraft-36 non-canon side story]] where Sarah and Nanase use them to swap things like height and hip size to be able to fit through small passages, press far-off buttons, and ultimately escape from the room where they found it.
57	[[/folder]]
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59	[[folder:Web Original]]
60	* On ''Website/DeviantART'', the "attribute swap", "role swap", and "age swap" tags (among others) are used for depictions of characters exchanging physical traits. The most common variations involve two female characters with some connection to each other (usually a mother/daughter duo, but it can also be a teacher/student or boss/employee among other pairings) who magically switch ages and physiques and frequently also decide to trade social roles as well.
61	[[/folder]]
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63	[[folder:Western Animation]]
64	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Breadwinners}}'': When [=SwaySway=] and Buhdeuce eat a loaf of Switcheroo Bread, they switch physical builds ([=SwaySway=] becomes short, Buhdeuce becomes tall), powers, and traits ([=SwaySway=] now has Buhdeuce's BigEater tendencies).
65	* ''WesternAnimation/CatDog'': In the episode "Smarter Than the Average Dog", [[InsufferableGenius Cat]] tries to make his conjoined twin brother [[DogsAreDumb Dog]] smarter by showing him educational VHS tapes. Dog does become much smarter and gets a [[MyBrainIsBig massively enlarged brain]] after watching the videos -- but he somehow drained the neurological matter from Cat, who's cranium has visibly shrunken and left him [[PhlebotinumInducedStupidity much dumber]] as a result. Cat rapidly watches the videos himself, giving himself the huge brain and leaving Dog even dumber than he was before. The two do this video watching back and forth and even physically shove the brain matter from one head to the other in a frantic bid to be the smart brother until they're ultimately [[StatusQuoIsGod left with the same brain sizes and intelligences they had at the start]].
66	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'': "Blondas Have More Fun!" has Wanda and her identical sister exchanging lives for the day, which is easily done by simply switching their hair colors. Blonda-as-Wanda can't believe what it's like to put up with Timmy and Cosmo's reckless stupidity and having Jorgen blame everything on her, while Wanda-as-Blonda nearly accidentally destroys the former's acting career.
67	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', a magical contract between Macbeth and Demona transfers his youth to her, then freezes them at those ages.
68	* In the ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeShrinks'' episode "George Un-Shrinks", the three-inch-tall ten-year-old and his normally-sized father Harold switch sizes. George becomes a normal-sized kid and Mr. Shrinks becomes three inches tall, and the conflict of the episode comes from both George and his dad having to get used to their new sizes in order to keep house while Mrs. Shrinks is away, something that's made even more complicated when toddler Junior Shrinks also suddenly becomes the size of a small elephant. In the end, it turns out that it was AllJustADream George, Harold, and Junior had while watching B-movies on TV ([[AmbiguousEnding though all three vividly]] [[OrWasItADream remember the events of the episode happening]]).
69	* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', Grim and Billy decide to switch places for a day, with Grim going to school and Billy filling the role of TheGrimReaper. Initially, they only [[ClothingSwitch swap wardrobes]], but eventually they start changing physically as well, with Grim becoming a fleshy, bulbous-nosed human and Billy becoming a [[DemBones skeleton]].
70	* ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'': The episode "Who's Stupid Now?", pictured above, has the eponymous duo going through a PersonalitySwap that, as a side effect, causes them to trade physiques as well. So the LeanAndMean Ren and the FatIdiot Stimpy become FatIdiot Ren and LeanAndMean Stimpy.
71	* ''Series/SesameStreet'': This was the basis for a series of animated inserts by Cliff Roberts in the early 1970s, in which two dissimilar animals, such as an elephant and a mouse, switched bodily features.
72	* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TotallySpies'', the VillainOfTheWeek runs an agency that kidnaps supermodels and uses a contraption which switches their body parts with those of other women. A freckled, redheaded character with braces and stocky legs and hips gets Clover's legs, Alex's bob cut, and Sam's unfreckled skin and smile.
73	[[/folder]]

Context Main / PhysicalAttributeSwap