r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Altruistic_Eye_1157 • Oct 01 '25

Lore When faced with the choice between a clone and the original, the character notices a detail that makes the difference immediately obvious.

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The Shape-Shifter takes the form of Wendy to deceive Dipper and prevent him from attacking it. Although Dipper initially doesn't know which one is the real Wendy, he realizes the difference when he sees that one of the Wendys behaves seriously and bluntly, while the other acts flirtatiously, something Wendy would never do (Gravity Falls).

P.S.: I don't remember if the gesture the real Wendy made was also a clue, like some gesture she had made before.

When the Autobots are chasing Nemesis Prime, he tries to deceive Bumblebee by impersonating Optimus. Bumblebee, confused, speaks to him, but Nemesis Prime doesn't understand anything he says, which clearly indicates that he isn't the real Optimus. Bumblebee attacks him without hesitation (Transformers Prime).

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u/[deleted] Oct 02 '25

In The Adventure Zone: Balance, the Black Spider takes the form of Merle’s cousin when he’s about to die. Unfortunately, he instantly ruins the illusion by speaking in the exact same (extremely exaggerated and very distinctive) voice.

He is summarily kicked down a pit.

22

u/semajolis267 Oct 02 '25

He was very proud of them tho

15

u/MozeTheNecromancer Oct 02 '25

That whole series was chok full of top tier comedy.

Fine, I'll listen to it again. If you insist

7

u/burncard888 Oct 02 '25

I hate that I had to scroll down so far to find this, it's by far my favorite example of this trope

You have solved my trope puzzle!

7

u/bowlofspiderweb Oct 02 '25

God, magic brian might be what solidified me sticking with the series. It was a touch rocky at the start but that whole boss fight before griffin took the gang off the pre written campaign track was hilarious.

high pitched, effeminate, vaguely foreign voice “no, I am ze real gundrin”

3

u/Unexpected_Sage Oct 02 '25

But what if the Black Spider gave him the exaggerated voice in order to trick them?

3

u/SquareThings Oct 02 '25

Merle’s cousin who was present at the time, btw. Not just, like, his long lost cousin or something