History Main / LikeADuckTakesToWater

* Played with somewhat in the origin of DC villain Vandal Savage - while absorbing the radiation from a meteorite has made him [[EmperorScientist intelligent and cunning enough to thrive in the modern world]], it also gave him [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld thousands of years to adapt along with it]], and he's still fondly retained some of his old brutish habits (cannibalism, for example).

** Another "What If...?" had the Hulk becoming a barbarian king; he did the same in the canonical arc "Planet Hulk."

* ''ComicBook/TheWarlordDC'': Both Travis Morgan and later Mariah make the changing to living in the LostWorld of Skataris very easily in . Mariah's easy adjustment catches Morgan by surprise as he did not suspect that the archaeologist was also a champion sabre fencer.

* Also in Christopher Stasheff's works, there is Yorick, the telepathic Neanderthal from ''Literature/TheWarlockInSpiteOfHimself King Kobold Revived''. (Justified by the fact that he, and his entire tribe of caveman espers, were rescued by a time traveler and relocated to another part of the planet the series takes place on in order to save them from extinction.)

* PlayedForLaugh in the ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' episode ''[[Recap/DuckTales2017S2E21Timephoon! Timephoon!]]'', where after being excited that a real caveduck came into the present giving him the chance to deduct his abilities and life, Huey is driven crazy by the fact that said caveduck has no problem to adapt to everything he is confronted with, succesfully riding a skateboard and later a similar time displaced dinosaur with ease. [[spoiler:It helps that he is revealed to be an ancestor of [[TheAce Scrooge McDuck]], implying he might be way smarter than his contemporaries]].

* ''Series/{{Angel}}:

* Ash Ketchum regularly zigzags with this in the Sun and Moon series of the ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'' anime. While he often acts like an accident-prone FishOutOfWater adapting to Alola's different Pokemon and conventions, his experience built up across other regions makes him the most battle competent of his companions, and he adapts to the Z Ring mechanic even quicker than the native trainers do.

* ''LightNovel/FateZero'' and ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'': Most Heroic Spirits -- souls of heroes of (usually) ancient ages given form to participate in a ThereCanBeOnlyOne tournament -- easily adapt to modern-day living. This is {{justified|Trope}} in that, when summoned, a Heroic Spirit instantly receives at least enough knowledge of modern-day living - including the ability to speak the language.

* ''LightNovel/TheDevilIsAPartTimer'' is all about this, since it focuses on characters from a HeroicFantasy universe who cross dimensions and end up in modern-day Japan. The title character goes from EvilOverlord of a demon army to the assistant manager of [[BlandNameProduct MgRonald's]] in a relatively short amount of time; in fact, his passion for the job and dedication to the customers are the first sign that [[DarkIsNotEvil just because he's called "Demon King" doesn't mean he's a bad guy]]. His opposite number, the angel-empowered Heroine Emilia, likewise lands on her feet and has very quickly set herself up with a steady job at a call center. About the only character shown struggling with the transition is the one whose cultural research relied a little too much on JidaiGeki TV dramas.

[[quoteright:333:[[Series/SaturdayNightLive https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/unfrozen_cave_lawyer.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:333:This courtroom is totally unfamiliar to him.]]

* ''Series/GreenAcres'': Lisa, who ironically wants to return to New York, but adapts better than her husband to the unique ways of Hooterville. Justified in that she is a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} and Hooterville is prime {{Cloudcuckooland}}} real estate.

** Conan also adapts to the present day in ''ComicBook/SavageAvengers''. The 2019 ''Comicbook/Marvel2099'' event has him become a king, with at least a working understanding of 2099 tech and culture.

* Arthur Dent becomes one of these towards the end of ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', but given the things he's seen by that point, it's not surprising that he's desensitized to the bizarre.

* Present in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' with [[NonHumanSidekick Teddie]]. The rate at which he adapts to living in the human world is startling, given the fact that just less than 2 months earlier, he didn't even know that "Evidence" isn't a type of food, that a human hand isn't edible or what filming is, among many other things. In fact, he didn't even have a humanoid body until a short while before entering the human world, yet within a mere span of days, he is part-timing at a Department Store, pleasantly enjoying modern commodities and flirting through half the female population of Inaba. Some concepts do remain unfamiliar to him for a longer while, but they are not the ones you would expect.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Eddie Rigg of ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'' not only fits in better than the natives of his new land, but he also picks up battle-axe usage [[InstantExpert oddly quickly]], and is even genuinely shocked they would think he'd want to go home again. [[spoiler: It's foreshadowing, of course. Both his mother and father were from that world; his dad was a human hero, while his mother was the queen of demons and said battle-axe had belonged to her.]]

* ''ComicBook/TheWarlord'': Both Travis Morgan and later Mariah make the changing to living in the LostWorld of Skataris very easily in . Mariah's easy adjustment catches Morgan by surprise as he did not suspect that the archaeologist was also a champion sabre fencer.

* In ''Film/Red2010'', the love interest crosses this with UnfazedEveryman when thrust into the life of espionage. She is surrounded by old and young spies, assassins and government agents who are fighting over her life all the time. She is kidnapped, drugged, shot at, almost blown up, and kidnapped again. What does she say when she is confronted with the death sentence or life in prison if she is caught? "Awesome." And when she is? That her boyfriend will kick the interrogator's ass.

Can also be a MightyWhitey (if a European does this in a non-European society) or a case of VillainsBlendInBetter. Some forms of NewLifeInAnotherWorldBonus may also count, when the "bonus" is a skill the protagonist already had which helps them adapt to the new world. Compare InstantExpert and NeverAcceptedInHisHometown. Contrast FishOutOfWater and GracefulInItsElement.

Can also be a MightyWhitey (if a European does this in a non-European society) or a case of VillainsBlendInBetter. Some forms of NewLifeInAnotherWorldBonus may also count, when the "bonus" is a skill the protagonist already had which helps them adapt to the new world. Compare InstantExpert and NeverAcceptedInHisHometown. Contrast FishOutOfWater.

** Throughout the series starting with ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'', the PlayerCharacter can join various guilds and factions, often with [[SidequestSidestory their own questlines]] nearly as expansive as the main quest itself. Despite always joining as the lowest rank in the faction, the player character can nonetheless complete the questline and shoot up through the ranks in a matter of a few in-game ''weeks'', even despite the presence of other members who've been serving for years if not ''decades'' in some cases. AsskickingEqualsAuthority plays into this, as the player character is just that sort of omnicompetent badass who can resolve the questline's conflict and inspire the loyalty of the other members.

->''"Ladies and gentlemen of the City Council, I'm just a caveman...your world frightens and confuses me. When I see your tall buildings and flashing neon signs, sometimes I just want to get away as fast as I can, to my place in Martha's Vineyard. I'm more at home hunting the woolly mammoth than I am hunting a good interior decorator. And when I see a solar eclipse, like the one I went to in Hawaii last week, I think 'Oh no, is the moon eating the sun?', because I'm a caveman...but there is one thing I do know. The new resort housing development proposed by my partners and myself will include more than adequate greenbelts for recreation and aesthetic enhancement. Thank you. (smug grin)"''

* Played for laughs in ''Series/TheXFiles'' in the episode "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster". [[HughMann Guy Mann]], who is [[spoiler:a creature cursed to periodically turn human]], explains to Mulder how he passes as human:
-->'''Guy''': You see, now I possess the one Darwinian advantage that humans have over other animals: the ability to B.S. my way through anything!\\
'''Mulder''': You wouldn't happen to be, uh, B.S-ing me right now about all this, would you?\\
'''Guy''': I don't know...maybe? I don't understand half the things I'm telling you.

** When the "Navy" Ruby tries to join the Crystal Gems, her [[TheCutie congenial personality]] seems to let her adjust to life on Earth almost instantly, [[TallPoppySyndrome much to Lapis' resentment]]. [[spoiler:While Navy does have some interest in Earth, she turns out to be a HeelFaceMole who was exaggerating her affection for the planet.]]

* Both Travis Morgan and later Mariah make the changing to living in the LostWorld of Skataris very easily in ''Comicbook/TheWarlord''. Mariah's easy adjustment catches Morgan by surprise as he did not suspect that the archaeologist was also a champion sabre fencer.
* Franchise/{{Superman}} and other Kryptonian characters are relatively ordinary under the light of a red sun (such as that of their home planet of Krypton). Under a yellow sun like that of Earth, they acquire powers and abilities "far beyond those of mortal men."
* ''ComicBook/WhatIf''

** Conan also adapts to the present day in ''Comicbook/SavageAvengers''. The 2019 ''Comicbook/Marvel2099'' event has him become a king, with at least a working understanding of 2099 tech and culture.

* Java, the unfrozen caveman butler of Simon Stagg in ''ComicBook/{{Metamorpho}}''. Subverted in ''Comicbook/TheTerrifics'', which reveals that he hates the modern world and feels entirely out of place in it -- it's just nobody ever asked him.
* Kang the Conqueror is a villainous example of this. Bored with his life in a peaceful 30th Century, he traveled back in time to conquer AncientEgypt and then hopped forward to take over a war-torn 40th Century. He was so successful, he became [[TimeyWimeyBall a few]] of Marvel's biggest villains.

* Lisa on ''Series/GreenAcres'', who ironically wants to return to New York, but adapts better than her husband to the unique ways of Hooterville. Justified in that she is a CloudCuckoolander and Hooterville is prime CloudCuckooland real estate.
* An interesting villainous example in ''Series/LoisAndClark''. A time-traveler from the 30th century, a time with no war, crime or poverty, visits the 20th century. He's so enthralled by the violence and vice of the era that he decides not only to stay but to try and take it over.

* When [[UnfazedEveryman John]] meets ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' he quickly becomes used to the [[BunnyEarsLawyer kookiness]] of his friend and [[BadassAdorable hands ass to two villains, and a lot more.]]

* In ''Film/{{RED}}'', the love interest crosses this with UnfazedEveryman when thrust into the life of espionage. She is surrounded by old and young spies, assassins and government agents who are fighting over her life all the time. She is kidnapped, drugged, shot at, almost blown up, and kidnapped again. What does she say when she is confronted with the death sentence or life in prison if she is caught? "Awesome." And when she is? That her boyfriend will kick the interrogator's ass.