History Main / EmergencyImpersonation

* ''The Mad King'' by Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs is very similar to ''ThePrisonerOfZenda'' except that at the end [[spoiler: the hero gets to marry the princess and remain as king after the real king is murdered]].

* In ''[[{{Deryni}} Saint Camber]]'', Alister Cullen dies in arcane combat with Ariella. Camber finds his body and takes his identity because King Cinhil trusts Alister above any other {{Deryni}}. With the aid of his son Joram, Camber alters the appearance of the corpse and himself to make the world think he is dead and Alister lives; his later efforts to make sense of the scraps of memory left in the corpse endanger the deception and fuel the demands for his sainthood.

* ''ConanTheBarbarian'': In the only Conan novel written by the character's original creator, ''The Hour of the Dragon'', Conan is incapacitated on the eve of battle by a wizard's servant. In order to keep his army from being demoralized and consequently losing his kingdom, he has one of his most promising commanders don his armor and lead his men in his place--only for the commander to have a cliff face dropped on him, making the world at large believe that King Conan is dead. The rest of the novel revolves around Conan trying to win back his throne and overthrow his usurper.

The former trope name comes from [[Recap/AngelS02E06GuiseWillBeGuise the title of an episode]] of ''Series/{{Angel}}'' which used an [[InvertedTrope inversion]] of this plot, wherein the title character went missing and was impersonated by a member of the supporting cast. It might also be considered a subversion, as the missing character ended up learning absolutely nothing.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''[[TheNakedGun Naked Gun 2½]]'' when Drebin's team sneaks into a concert hall disguised as a mariachi band set to play. Accidentally stumbling on stage and facing an audience, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjursdqfUhM they perfectly improvise "Bésame Mucho" to stay hidden.]]

[[folder:Animated Films]]
* This is basically the plot of ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleKing''. When the king Maximilien is kidnapped, General Glump uses the king's twin brother, Irwin, to impersonate his brother, teaching him to behave properly as a King.
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[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Film]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ''ComicStrip/PricklyCity'': Senator Kevin refuses to go see his constituents. So Winslow goes in disguise.
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[[folder:Webcomics]]

* Happened occasionally on ''{{Sliders}}'', when one or another character had to fill in for alternate-world versions of themselves.

* In episode 12 of ''Anime/MaiOtome'', Mashiro runs away rather than meet a foreign prince, and Arika is forced to impersonate her. However, in a double invocation of the trope, the prince is himself an impostor, Akira, the [[SweetPollyOliver female]] bodyguard of the true prince who himself is missing (which is a call back to the previous series ''{{anime/MaiHime}}'' where that version of Akira was pulling a SweetPollyOliver at school). Naturally, the real Mashiro and Prince Takumi meet, neither knowing who the other is. Pleasantly enough, this is ''not'' played for laughs, despite the strong tendency of anime using this trope to do so. What ''is'' played for laughs is Nina claiming to be Arika just for the hell of it -- and to further perpetrate the joke, Mashiro introduces herself as Nina, completing the circle.

* In episode 12 of ''Anime/MaiOtome'', Mashiro runs away rather than meet a foreign prince, and Arika is forced to impersonate her. However, in a double invocation of the trope, the prince is himself an impostor, the [[SweetPollyOliver female]] bodyguard of the true prince who himself is missing[[note]]which is a call back to the previous series ''anime/MaiHime'' where that version of Akira was pulling a SweetPollyOliver at school[[/note]]. Naturally, the real Mashiro and Prince Takumi meet, neither knowing who the other is. Pleasantly enough, this is ''not'' played for laughs, despite the strong tendency of anime using this trope to do so. What ''is'' played for laughs is Nina claiming to be Arika just for the hell of it -- and to further perpetrate the joke, Mashiro introduces herself as Nina, completing the circle.

* In episode 12 of ''Anime/MaiOtome'', Mashiro runs away rather than meet a foreign prince, and Arika is forced to impersonate her. However, in a double invocation of the trope, the prince is himself an impostor, the [[SweetPollyOliver female]] bodyguard of the true prince who himself is missing[[note]]which is a call back to the previous series ''{{anime/MaiHime}}'' where that version of Akira was pulling a SweetPollyOliver at school[[/note]]. Naturally, the real Mashiro and Prince Takumi meet, neither knowing who the other is. Pleasantly enough, this is ''not'' played for laughs, despite the strong tendency of anime using this trope to do so. What ''is'' played for laughs is Nina claiming to be Arika just for the hell of it -- and to further perpetrate the joke, Mashiro introduces herself as Nina, completing the circle.

* In episode 12 of ''Anime/MaiOtome'', Mashiro runs away rather than meet a foreign prince, and Arika is forced to impersonate her. However, in a double invocation of the trope, the prince is himself an impostor, the [[SweetPollyOliver female]] bodyguard of the true prince who himself is missing. Naturally, the real Mashiro and Prince Takumi meet, neither knowing who the other is. Pleasantly enough, this is ''not'' played for laughs, despite the strong tendency of anime using this trope to do so. What ''is'' played for laughs is Nina claiming to be Arika just for the hell of it -- and to further perpetrate the joke, Mashiro introduces herself as Nina, completing the circle.

[[folder: Animated Films]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

** The story is parodied in ''[[{{Literature/Flashman}} Royal Flash]]''.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Web Original]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

[[folder: Real Life]]

Usually -- but not always -- involves an IdenticalStranger. See also BodyDouble and MockMillionaire.

* The plot of the movie ''{{Dave}}'', where the title character takes the place of the President of the United States after the latter unexpectedly suffers a stroke while having sex with an intern. Dave has to fool not only the country but the late president's ''wife,'' for RomCom reasons. At the end, [[spoiler: Dave-as-President is giving a speech, fakes having a stroke and fainting, and they replace him with the real comatose President so Dave can go back to his normal life.]] By which we mean [[spoiler: he goes to run for his city council as himself.]]

* WesternAnimation/DangerMouse: In "The Spy Who Stayed In With A Cold," Danger Mouse is captured by the motorbiking Mongols. Agent 57, whose head cold makes him randomly change identities when he sneezes, takes on DM's form and completely flummoxes the Mongols into retreating.

* This is basically the plot of WesternAnimation/TheJungleKing. When the king Maximilien is kidnapped, General Glump uses the king's twin brother, Irwin, to impersonate his brother, teaching him to behave properly as a King.

* The Soviet classic ''Film/IvanVasilievichChangesProfession'' involves a minor Soviet official and a well-known thief ending up in IvanTheTerrible's court. By chance, the official (also named Ivan) looks exactly like the Tsar (who has been sent to 70s Moscow), so the thief forces him to wear the royal robes and pretend to be the Tsar, while the thief pretends to be a knyaz (minor noble) named Mikoslavsky (his name). Immediately, the problem with the knyaz arises, as the real Knyaz Miloslavsky was recently ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice by order of the Tsar. The thief, naturally, claims that it was the ''other'' Knyaz Miloslavsky. The official is reluctant to pretend to be someone else, especially since he has to deal with state business, such as receiving a foreign ambassador.

* This is the entire plot of the manga ''MagicalXMiracle''.

* Subverted in the anime ''PaniPoniDash''. Form teacher Rebecca Miyamoto disappeared just as the PTA are about to sit in during her class and her loyal students all but press gang Serizawa Akane to be her replacement or as Akane herself thinks, a "kagemusha". The subversion is that [[spoiler: Rebecca had been present all along, using her disguise skills to appear as various other members of the cast. This is revealed in a sequence that pays homage to ''Anime/CuteyHoney''. She did this because she hated such visits from the PTA.]]

* In the book ''[[MythAdventures Hit or Myth]]'', Skeeve has to disguise himself as King Roderick for a day so the king can take a vacation. Then the king does a bunk, leaving Skeeve to carry on the charade... which includes marrying the king's fiancée...

* Happens accidentally to Shakira in an issue of ''TheWarlord''. Shakira discovers she is a [[IdenticalStranger dead ringer for a kidnapped princess]]. She takes the princess's place, leading the kidnappers to believe the princess has escaped.
* ''JonSableFreelance'' #49 is an {{Homage}}[=/=]WholePlotReference to ''ThePrisonerOfZenda'' with Jon standing in for a kidnapped European monarch.
* In ''Superior'', Simon Pooni is given the powers and film appearance of his favourite comic book character, Superman expy Superior. When his bully is given the powers of Superior's foe Abraxas and Simon is depowered, the bully begins to destroy the city to lure out Superior. With Superior no where to be seen the actor who played him, Tad Scott, appears and tries to pretend to be Superior to lure the bully away from the city.

* Most of the first part of ''WildARMsXF'' revolves around Clarissa impersonating [[IdenticalStranger Princess Alexia]].

* Subverted in the anime ''PaniPoniDash''. Form teacher Rebecca Miyamoto disappeared just as the PTA are about to sit in during her class and her loyal students all but press gang Serizawa Akane to be her replacement or as Akane herself thinks, a "kagemusha". The subversion is that [[spoiler: Rebecca had been present all along, using her disguise skills to appear as various other members of the cast. This is revealed in a sequence that pays homage to ''CuteyHoney''. She did this because she hated such visits from the PTA.]]