History Main / FakeWeakness

* ''Manga/FrierenBeyondJourneysEnd'': Demons use their mana reserves as a rough equivalent to PowerLevels, with Aura the Guillotine playing a sadistic game where she pulls out a pair of scales to judge whether she or her opponent has more mana, mind-controlling then decapitating the loser to raise them as an undead warrior. The idea of hiding one's mana (as Frieren learned to do long ago) completely blindsides her (and other demons who fall for the same trick just before they're killed have nothing but contempt for humans who use it), and she has a VillainousBreakdown once Frieren reveals just how badly Aura is outmatched (and [[spoiler:makes Aura kill herself, which she's forced to do]]).

* In Literature/TheBible, [[Literature/SamsonAndDelilah Samson]] made up quite a few of these to mask his true WeaksauceWeakness of cutting his hair. However, it was less an attempt to be cautious and more an attempt to get Delilah to stop pestering him about it. Upon learning each "weakness," Delilah would send some Philistine soldiers to try it out, only for Samson to laugh and kill them. He apparently [[IdiotBall never noticed]] he'd accidentally [[FeedTheMole Fed the Mole]] repeatedly, and eventually told Delilah his real weakness.

* ''Manga/FrierenBeyondJourneysEnd'': Demons use their mana reserves as a rough equivalent to PowerLevels, with Aura the Guillotine playing a sadistic game where she pulls out a pair of scales to judge whether she or her opponent has more mana, decapitating the loser. The idea of hiding one's mana (as Frieren learned to do long ago) completely blindsides her (and other demons who fall for the same trick just before they're killed have nothing but contempt for humans who use it), and she has a VillainousBreakdown once Frieren reveals just how badly Aura is outmatched.

* ''Manga/FrierenAtJourneysEnd'': Demons use their mana reserves as a rough equivalent to PowerLevels, with Aura the Guillotine playing a sadistic game where she pulls out a pair of scales to judge whether she or her opponent has more mana, decapitating the loser. The idea of hiding one's mana (as Frieren learned to do long ago) completely blindsides her (and other demons who fall for the same trick just before they're killed have nothing but contempt for humans who use it), and she has a VillainousBreakdown once Frieren reveals just how badly Aura is outmatched.

* In ''Manhua/GoddessCreationSystem'' it's implied that Xiaxi feigns physical weakness in an archery competition so she'll be allowed to use her own equipment. Since she brings out a crossbow, known for being a short ranged weapon, it's allowed with some amusement on the part of her adversary. However, it has a laser scope, allowing her to score a bullseye with no effort.

* In ''VideoGame/ScottPilgrim'', both Natalie Adams and Todd Ingram have powerful counterattacks if the player tries to attack them while they're knocked down.

* In ''Recap/RickAndMortyS3E10TheRickchurianMortydate'', the Feds restrain Rick and Morty with Sanchezium handcuffs. Too bad Rick made Sanchezium up!

* In the anime version of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' during the battle between [[ConfusionFu Kyoraku]] and [[TheGunslinger Starrk]], the later intentionally holsters his right gun every time he fires a large Cero in an effort to trick his opponent into thinking that he needs to recharge a shot after every attack while continually firing weaker ones with his left gun. When Kyoraku attempts to exploit this, Starrk whips it back out and shoots him point-blank.

** Garaku's art-based powers can create creatures and objects from ink drawings, but they're usually dissolved by water. When he draws on Matsuri's arms to apply a {{curse}}, Garaku stops Matsuri from washing it off. Later on Garaku mentions his curse ''isn't'' nullified by washing away the ink, implying that was just a diversion. Much later on, Garaku explicitly reveals he can make water-proof constructs from pure LifeEnergy. That he ever used ink ones may have been a deliberate handicap to serve his role as a StealthMentor.

** Garaku's art-based powers can create creatures and objects from ink drawings, but they're usually dissolved by water. When he draws on Matsuri's arms to apply a {{curse}}, Garaku stops Matsuri from washing it off. Later on Garaku mentions his curse ''isn't'' nullified by washing away the ink, implying that was just a diversion.

* Played straight and [[InvertedTrope inverted]] at the same time in ''LightNovel/Overlord2012''. [[OurLichesAreDifferent Ainz]] is forced to fight against [[spoiler:[[OurVampiresAreDifferent Shalltear]]]], who is currently under [[BrainwashedAndCrazy mind control]]. As an undead, he is vulnerable to [[BurnTheUndead fire]] and [[HolyBurnsEvil holy]] magic, so he [[spoiler: uses an item which protects him from holy attacks]]. During the fight he acts as if he was [[NoSell resistant]] to [[spoiler: fire]] but still [[WeakenedByTheLight very vulnerable]] to [[spoiler: holy magic]], tricking his opponent into spamming [[spoiler: holy attack]] while also using the False Data: Life spell to make it look like he has less hit points than he actually has. He also pretended to not know anything about quite a few of her skills and spells while he knew about them since the beginning ([[spoiler:in fact, since Shalltear's creation]]) to trick her into wasting them. The [[OhCrap face of pure horror]] from said opponent once she realizes that she's been tricked and is now low on Mana is priceless.
* In ''LightNovel/ShakuganNoShana'', Shana is fighting Sorath and Tiriel, who keep regenerating. Shana notices a magical plant in the distance and attacks it, but it fights back and restrains her. The two reveal they put the plant there because they knew she would mistake it for their SoulJar.

* In ''Literature/{{Kraken}}'', the villainous Goss tracks down Wati's original shabti form and destroys it in order to destroy Wati. Wati survives because during his past in the shabti slave rebellion he broke his ties to that body so his erstwhile masters couldn't use it against him.

** A variation on this is actually exploited by Discworld vampires in general. While stakes, holy symbols, and sunlight can all reduce a vampire to dust, this is a fate they can, and eventually usually do, revive from with a simple drop of blood. There are, as it happens, more permanent ways to end a vampire's existence, and the de Magpyre's building a resistance to the more traditional methods caused the local villagers to experiment with such (usually culminating with separating the vampire's head from his/her shoulders). Turns out vampires remain susceptible, and encourage, the more traditional methods as a means of self preservation since humans easily outnumber them and are not tolerant of relentless predation.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'', where multiple characters throughout the first two thirds of the game will comment on how your character seems to have a flaw in his/her fighting style that they distracted themselves trying to exploit while you whupped their asses. All of them conclude that it is merely a clever ruse and compliment your master for such ingenuity in teaching you. [[spoiler: The weakness was in fact very real, and [[{{Sabotutor}} deliberately taught]] – once your master reveals himself as the BigBad, he proceeds to show you how to PROPERLY exploit the weakness in your character's style.]]

* The BonusBoss Contrarian King in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' starts off the battle by casting Red Wall on himself, which makes the target strong against fire attacks: enemies with elemental weaknesses generally try to cover them by casting the appropriate Wall spell on themselves, and taking advantage of them is strongly encouraged by the game. However, once it wears off and you try to cast a fire spell on him, he just absorbs it, causing you to both heal him and waste your turn. Though, like Trickster above, if you take a boss with that name at face value, you deserve what you get.

* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', [[AwesomenessByAnalysis Tattletale]] realizes that the Simurgh, the most "human" of the Endbringers, is doing this. Simurgh appears to be a fifteen-foot-tall humanoid with wings sprouting asymmetrically all over her body, but Tattletale realizes that the body itself is of no use to Simurgh, as she's a powerful telekinetic and telepath and not even human. Instead, the center of her cognition and power is located in the main joint of her largest wing, the most well-protected point on Simurgh's body.

* Exploited and lampshaded by Roy Mustang in ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' during his duel with Edward Elric for their examination. Ed knows that Roy can't use his Flame Alchemy without his ignition glove, and moved to slash at its transmutation seal. However, he did not anticipate Roy to have another glove on his pocketed hand.

* Played straight and inverted at the same time in ''LightNovel/Overlord2012'', [[EvilOverlord The title character]] fights against [[spoiler:[[OurVampiresAreDifferent Shalltear]]]], as an undead, he is vulnerable to fire and holy magic, so he [[spoiler: uses an item which protects him from holy attacks]]. During the fight he acts as if he was [[NoSell resistant]] to [[spoiler: fire]] but still [[WeakenedByTheLight very vulnerable]] to [[spoiler: holy magic]], tricking his opponent into spamming [[spoiler: holy attack]] while also using the False Data:Life spell to make it look like he has less hit points than he actually has. He also pretended to not know anything about quite a few of her skills and spells while he knew about them since the beginning ([[spoiler:in fact, since Shalltear's creation]]) to trick her into wasting them. The [[OhCrap face of pure horror]] from said opponent once she realizes that she's been tricked and is now low on Mana is priceless.

* In ''Manhua/GoddessCreationSystem'' it's implied that Xiaxi feigns physical weakness in an archery competition so she'll be allowed to use her own equipment. Since she brings out a crossbow, known for being a short ranged weapon, it's allowed with some amusement on the part of her adversary. However, it has a laser scope, allowing her to score a bullseye with no effort.
* Exploited and lampshaded by Roy Mustang in ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' during his duel with Edward Elric for their examination. Ed knows that Roy can't use his Flame Alchemy without his ignition glove, and moved to slash at its transmutation seal. However, he did not anticipate Roy to have another glove on his pocketed hand.
* ''Manga/TalentlessNana'': While chasing Nana, Yuuka Sasaki (who has powers of [[spoiler:necromancy]]) casually reveals that she needs her necklace to [[spoiler:keep her zombie bodyguard active]]. Nana moves in to steal the necklace, at which point Sasaki reveals she was lying to lure Nana close to her. In reality, the source of Yuuka's power is a different item.
* ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen'':
** Panda is a [[{{Golem}} curse-based construct]], and the [[HeartDrive focal point]] of the energy contained therein is a weak point. Normally, someone could sense the flow of cursed energy to locate Panda's core, but he's able to control it to make it seem like it's somewhere else.
** Downplayed concerning Mai's choice of a revolver: she's said to use it partially because the small, predictable ammo capacity misleads opponents who are CountingBullets to attack her when she can actually [[SpontaneousWeaponCreation create a new round in the chamber]]. However, Mai can only do this once a day, so it's a real weakness that's [[OneBulletLeft just slightly off]] from how it appears.

* In the ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' series, the Gypceros will sometimes stagger and fall to the ground as if dead, only to thrash about moments later, most likely causing damage to any player that had attempted to move in to carve the corpse up.
** In later games, it actually is possible to carve the Gypceros when it plays dead. It just isn't a particularly smart thing to do because of the aforementioned thrash attack.