History Main / MistakenForAnImposter

-->-- '''Austin Powers''', ''Film/AustinPowersInternationalManOfMystery''

--> '''Nobita Jr.''': [grabbing a baseball bat and chasing Nobita]: Don't worry mom, I'll get that alien knockoff!

* An ''Manga/InuYasha'' episode had a variant of this, the youkai had been dealing with several of Shippo's gimmicks and illusions, and when Inuyasha walked out of the tall grass, he thought it was another trick. It wasn't, as the youkai found out the hard way.

* ''LightNovel/{{Konosuba}}'': Aqua is a goddess who is worshiped by the fanatical Axis Order/Cult. Since she is very stupid and clumsy and everyone expects goddesses to be wise and graceful, nobody believes her when she identifies herself, even if she demonstrates her powers. The Axis Cult has even attempted to kill her for the blasphemy of impersonating a goddess.
** While the internal narratives (in the light novels) of several prominent members of her religion make it clear they're fairly sure she's their goddess - for one thing, a lot of their recent religious experiences have included requests to send money Aqua's way - this turns out to not help; the shared values of the Axis Order mean she'll get treated as an imposter whenever it's personally convenient to be doing so, and the Order's message is neither coherent nor trustworthy to outside sources anyway so they aren't going to bother proclaiming her divinity when there's nothing in it for them.

* Early in ''Film/AustinPowersInternationalManOfMystery'', Austin knocks out a waitress and pulls off a wig, revealing that [="=]she[="=] is actually a man (and one of Dr. Evil's henchmen). Later, when he meets Basil Exposition's mother, Austin knocks her out thinking that she, too, is a man in disguise, but it turns out that she is not an impostor and just looks [="=]mannish[="=].

** Bugs again does this to Sam in ''WesternAnimation/HareTrimmed'', in which Sam, having learned that Granny has received a $50 million inheritance, decides to marry her for her money, but Bugs vows to keep the old lady safe. At one point, [[DisguisedInDrag disguises himself as Granny]] to throw Sam for a loop. [[SquashedFlat After crushing his nemesis flat with a piano]], the real Granny appears notices that Sam is "looped" and offers him some black coffee, then goes off to get some. At that moment, Bugs, disguised as Granny, shows up with a coffee tray and asks Sam if he wants one lump or two. Sam asks for two lumps, both of which Bugs serves -- [[DropTheHammer to his nemesis' noggin with a hammer]], then runs off, laughing. At that moment, the real Granny shows up with a coffee tray. She, too, asks Sam if he wants one lump or two. Thinking it's Bugs about to trick him a second time, an enraged Sam kicks the tray out of Granny's hand and yells, "THAT'S how many!" Granny recoils in shock at his outburst and runs up the stairs, crying, "Oh, he's flipped his lid!" When Sam realizes how Granny sounded like, he realizes his mistake and tries to make amends, to no avail.

* In ''VideoGame/AmongUs'', sometimes, players (especially experienced ones) can mistake innocent accidents for signs of being an Impostor.

* In an episode of [[Anime/FullMetalAlchemist the 2003 anime version]] of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', the Elric brothers are shunned in one town they visit... for claiming to be the Elric brothers, because the actual impostors had been around town lately. It is implied that at least one townsperson knew the other set was fake, but went along with the ruse out of sympathy for the poor orphans.

* In the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''[=/=]''Series/{{Angel}}'' fic ''Fanfic/BringMeToLife'', the Scooby Gang and Angel's crew are confronted by the newly-undead Lilah Morgan, reanimated as part of Wolfram & Hart's standard perpetuity clause. Buffy promptly assumes that it's [[UltimateEvil the First Evil]] pulling a DeadPersonImpersonation. Lilah proves that theory wrong by shoving a vase off of a nearby table, something the [[{{Intangibility}} non-corporeal]] First would be incapable of doing.

* In ''Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla'', Duke Mitchell gets turned into a gorilla by Bela Lugosi. He manages to communicate to his partner Sammy Petrillo that the gorilla he is seeing is really Duke on the inside. Later on in the film, a real gorilla arrives on the scene, but Sammy thinks it is Duke and starts ordering him around. Hilarity tries to ensue.

->''"That's not your mother, it's a MAN, baby! ...'''''Why! Won't! This wig! Come off!'''''"''

* In an episode of [[Anime/FullMetalAlchemist the 2003 anime version]] of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', the Elric brothers are shunned in one town they visit... for claiming to be the Elric brothers. It is implied that at least one townsperson knew the other set was fake, but went along with the ruse out of sympathy for the poor orphans.

* In Episode 439 of the long running Chinese cartoon ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'', the sheep, Weslie escapes from the house of his ArchEnemy, Wolffy, by [[DisguisedInDrag disguising himself]] as the wolf's [[HenPeckedHusband domineering wife]], Wolnie. As Wesley escapes, Wolffy figures out the disguise and gives chase armed with a club. Unfortunately for Wolffy, he happens to run into the real Wolnie, and thinking she's Weslie, starts beating her with the club. When he pulls Wolnie's face he realizes its NotAMask and then freaks out as his wife prepares her FryingPanOfDoom.

* In Episode 439 of the long running Chinese cartoon ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'', the sheep, Wesley escapes from the house of his ArchEnemy, Wolffy, by [[DisguisedInDrag disguising himself]] as the wolf's [[HenPeckedHusband domineering wife]], Wolnie. As Wesley escapes, Wollfy figures out the disguise and gives chase armed with a club. Unfortunately for Wollfy, he happens to run into the real Wolnie, and thinking she's Wesley, starts beating her with the club. When he pulls Wolnie's face he realizes its NotAMask and then freaks out as his wife prepares her FryingPanOfDoom.

* ''Comicbook/SpiderMan'':

* In the UK G1 ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformers Transformers]]'' comic, when Optimus Prime returns to Cybertron, a disinformation campaign by the Decepticons leads to Ultra Magnus and the other Autobots believing him to be a Decepticon spy disguised as Optimus Prime and coming very close to executing him.
* In ''ComicBook/HelOnEarth'', Lois Lane mistook Supergirl for a "comely cosplayer" at their first meeting, mostly because she walked into Clark Kent's apartment when Clark and Lois were arguing with each other and romantic jealousy had cropped up.
* In ''ComicBook/SupermanTruth'', both Lex Luthor and new Batman [[spoiler:former Commissioner Gordon]] believe that Clark Kent is just parading around in a Superman shirt claiming to be the real deal and that the real one is missing and hadn't had his identity exposed. This is only because Supes is significantly weaker, thus can't pull off his usual stunts.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheGhostAndMollyMcgee'': In "Howlin' Harriet", Scratch tags along on a camping trip Molly is taking with some girls from her new school, planning to scare them. Also tagging along is Scratch's fellow ghost Geoff, whom Scratch distracts by telling him to dress up as the eponymous Howlin' Harriet, a figure from a ghost story Molly's classmate Libby shares. When the real Howlin' Harriet shows up, Molly thinks she's Scratch in disguise, while Scratch thinks she's Geoff. Then Geoff shows up in [[PaperThinDisguise a less-than-convincing Howlin' Harriet costume]], causing a brief MassOhCrap.

* In the ''WebVideo/SuperMarioLogan'' episode, "Jeffy's Tantrum!", Mario refuses to buy Jeffy a ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' game on the App store with his credit card, so Jeffy decides to run away. The doorbell rings, and Mario comes across who appears to be Jeffy wearing [[Creator/MarxBrothers Groucho Marx]] glasses, asking for his credit card number. Mario thinks it really is Jeffy, so he refuses to tell him his credit card number, and tells him he's not fooled by his disguise. Who appears to be Jeffy tells Mario he doesn't know what he's talking about, and the real Jeffy shows up, asking Mario who the guy who looks like him is.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants''

* A crossover between ''ComicBook/XFactor2006'' and ''ComicBook/SheHulk'' dealt with a Skrull named Nogor who impersonated ComicBook/{{Longshot}}. When the real Longshot comes to X-Factor's new headquarters, Guido attacks him thinking he was Nogor. Longshot points out that if he were Nogor, he wouldn't use the same disguise twice on the same people.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'', the Dowager Empress Marie is thoroughly convinced that "Anya" is someone impersonating her long-lost granddaughter, even noting that "You're a very good actress." Her disbelief is understandable, since she has by this point already interviewed ''several'' girls claiming to be Anastasia.
** Justified in-universe since [[spoiler: Anya is working with others to fool the Dowager, not realizing she actually IS Anastasia. So Anya herself thinks she is an impostor at first.]]

* PlayedForLaughs several times in ''ComicBook/MortadeloYFilemon''. One of the most hilarious examples is when [[MasterOfDisguise Mortadelo]] is ordered by the ''[[MadBoss Súper]]'' to disguise as the latter in order to capture a killer who is attempting to assesinate the ''Súper''. Filemón, oblivious to that, is ordered by Mortadelo to serve him a cup of coffee and a cigar -cue when he knows the truth to look ''really'' angered for Mortadelo, and once he finds him beats the shit out of his companion... just to find he actually beat the ''real'' ''Súper'', who of course is not happy at all-

* In a similar, though more comedic vein to ''Supernatural,'' ''WesternAnimation/FilmationsGhostbusters'' does this at least a few times. The funniest is in "The Phantom of Vaudeville". The titular phantom mistakes the Ghostbusters as a comedy duo who'd stolen his act many years before--the kicker is that the duo actually existed, and had a third [[{{Pun}} banana]] in the form of a man dressed as an ape ([[spoiler:in the context of the show, Tracy is a real gorilla]]). When the Phantom tries to forcibly unzip Tracy's "costume", he gets a... shall we say, ''less than pleased'' gorilla on his hands.

* In "Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla", Duke Mitchell gets turned into a gorilla by Bela Lugosi. He manages to communicate to his partner Sammy Petrillo that the gorilla he is seeing is really Duke on the inside. Later on in the film, a real gorilla arrives on the scene, but Sammy thinks it is Duke and starts ordering him around. Hilarity tries to ensue.

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/YogiBear Yogi's Great Escape]]'', Yogi and his friends keep trying to scare away ranger Smith and a trapper accompanying him by dressing up as a ghost. Later on, when the ranger corners Yogi in a room, a real ghost shows up and Yogi assumes it's someone else in a costume.

* A pair cartoons with ''WesternAnimation/BozoTheWorldsMostFamousClown'' has this happen. Bozo winds up having to deal with wild animal acts in "Bozo the Lion Hearted" and "Kitty Kat Spat," so he has Butch dress as a lion in the former and has a cat painted like a tiger in the latter. Due to mix-ups beyond his control, Bozo ends up with a real lion and tiger respectively.