History Main / RoboticReveal

* ''Literature/ToyTerrorBatteriesIncluded'' has a sub-plot where you find out hostile toys who gained sentience of their own [[AIIsACrapshoot thanks to a malfunctioning AI]] has been replacing humans with life-like androids. You can tell the difference between humans and toys by looking at their heels — toy humans have a battery compartment in their heel. And your friend Benny actually turns out to be one of them in a bad ending after he lose a shoe.

* The final stage of ''VideoGame/MetalSlug 4'' have you fighting copies of General Morden, who seems suspiciously durable for a human and capable of absorbing multiple grenade hits and gunshots. But after sustaining enough damage, his head pops out, and his body keeps on lumbering towards you with wires and circuitry coming out his neck.

** One ''Series/{{Ultraseven}}'' has TDF landing on a planet where humans are enslaved by robots, with the Robot Chief revealing who he truly is by removing a piece of his face.

* ''The Quest for Saint Aquin'' by Creator/AnthonyBoucher. The quest involves a priest riding an artificially-intelligent [[MechanicalHorse robot ass]] to find the rumored body of the eponymous saint. When they find Aquin's incorruptible body lying in a cave the priest is overjoyed at finding a genuine miracle, until his robass stomps its foot down on the body's hand, which smashes open to reveal that [[ReligiousRobot Saint Aquin was actually an android]].

** The penultimate issue of "Dark Judges: Deliverance" reveals that the prophet of the Mortarians, the sinister Mother Kalulah, is just an artificial intelligence programmed with the memetic suggestion that life is suffering and must end. Its creator, Zee, was a suicidal girl who became the robot's first victim.

** Oliver, in the episode "Grudge Match", is first pinned to a giant magnet, then has his face pulled off. He was being used as a [[TheBeard beard]] by a [[HotScientist supermodel-lookalike]] robotics expert.

However, if the character is a friend, this will lead to much shock and/or angst for everyone as they ask themselves WhatMeasureIsANonHuman This may include a HeroicBSOD if [[RobotMe even the robot]] [[TomatoInTheMirror doesn't know]]. But what about the real, human, friend? There are two options. One, that it never existed, and ThisWasHisTrueForm all along (or that he was replaced a long time ago, way before the story began, and none of the heroes had actually meet the real guy). Or two, that he he was kidnapped and replaced as part of an AssimilationPlot or by a spy shapeshifter, and now the heroes must search and rescue their friend, if he was not killed.

* ''WebAnimation/BeeAndPuppycat'' : In episode 10, [[spoiler:Bee herself]] is shown to be robotic. [[spoiler:She knew it and it's heavily foreshadowed since the pilot.]]

* In ''Anime/GallForce'', the crew find out about an advanced android when Pony forces the information out of the OX-11, to be confirmed moments later, when [[spoiler: Catty makes a HeroicSacrifice, and her clothes are burned away to reveal the android beneath]].

* At the end of the fourth episode of ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool Side:Future'', the camera focuses on one of [[spoiler: Miaya Gekkougahara's]] eyes after she is seemingly knocked out, [[WhamShot revealing her eye is actually a camera.]] We then see that she is being remotely controlled by [[spoiler: [[VideoGame/DanganronpaAnotherEpisodeUltraDespairGirls Monaca Towa]].]]

* Used to chilling effect at the end of a scene in ''Anime/{{Ghost in the Shell|1995}} 2: Innocence''; after Batou and Togusa finish a conversation with [[spoiler: a forensics scientist]] about the nature of the UncannyValley, her face flips open to reveal mechanical insides. If you look carefully, you can deduce her cyborg status by noting that she wears short sleeves in extreme cold, and her breath isn't visible even though Togusa's is.

* ''Film/{{Toys}}'': [[spoiler:Alsatia]], revealed by [[spoiler: her [[LosingYourHead accidental decapitation]]]] in the climactic battle.

* ''Film/PoliceAcademy'' played with it in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rftQ0asyMU this scene]].
* [[spoiler:Alice]] in ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen''. Initially appearing to be [[spoiler: just a very strange college girl, she]] is revealed to in fact be a Decepticon Pretender when [[spoiler: she]] tries to kill Sam with a distinctly metal and sharp looking [[BewareMyStingerTail tail]].

* In "The Eleventh Voyage" of Ijon Tichy, the main character of ''Literature/TheStarDiaries'' by Creator/StanislawLem, this gets totally {{inverted|Trope}}; Tichy, sent in a robot disguise to a planet inhabited solely by machines that are hostile to all humanity, discovers in the story's finale [[spoiler: that there is no single robot around the place. All of the alleged machines are in fact secret agents like himself, who have been exposed one by one, and forced to keep up appearances. Furthermore: the computer mastermind behind this plot shows up to be merely a humble human gofer working for the agency responsible for sending all those people on a mission to that planet]]. The story is a parable of living in a country, where everybody upholds the official ideology no one actually believes in, which was the case of People's Republic of Poland at the time when Lem wrote the thing.

* In ''Literature/{{Argo}}'', [[spoiler: all humans were replaced by androids who thought they were human during the war]].

* In the ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode "[[Recap/AngelS05E07Lineage Lineage]]", after Wesley kills [[spoiler: his father]], the latter is revealed as a robotic replica.

** As artificial humans in this world are mass-produced, a favorite is simply to reveal that (an)other identical version(s) of a character exist(s). This is done with [[spoiler: Boomer, Sharon, D'Anna, Cavil and Gina (in the movie)]].

** [[spoiler: Simon]] is seen talking with another, known, android.
** [[spoiler: Anders, Tyrol, Tory and Tigh]] are drawn together and mysteriously 'activated' when the Fleet reaches [[spoiler: the Ionian Nebula]].
** [[spoiler: Ellen]] is glimpsed by another android in a vision.
** Subverted with [[spoiler: Starbuck]]. There are many hints that she might be an android but the main thing that suggests this e.g. [[spoiler: her resurrection]] is apparently ''not'' due to [[spoiler: "downloading"]].

* ''Series/Loki2021'': In Episode 4, [[spoiler: Loki and Sylvie finally confront the Time Keepers and behead one of them... and discover that they're robots, controlled by [[GreaterScopeVillain whoever really controls the TVA]]]].

** In "Glitch", Tom Seymour is horrified to discover that he is an android. He was created by Joe Walker for use in disaster areas so that no humans would be harmed. However, the project was taken away from Walker, who later died, by the US government. The new project leader Dr. Edward Normandy is running tests on Tom to ensure that he is ready for his new purpose: infiltration and assassination. Wendy Seymour, Tom's supposed wife and a member of Normandy's team, helps him to escape as she has come to disapprove of the work that Normandy is doing. They go to see Walker's widow Sylvia, [[spoiler: who reveals to a disbelieving Wendy that she too is an android, the first that Joe created. Wendy is even more dismayed by the revelation of her true nature than Tom was but, like him, comes to accept it. Joe modelled Tom and Wendy on younger versions of himself and Sylvia.]]

* ''Series/RedDwarf''. in "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonVIOutOOfTime Out of Time]]", Lister gets his arm cut, revealing mechanical parts. Not only mechanical, but of a model inferior to Kryten, which means Kryten technically outranks him! The whole thing is then beautifully subverted when [[spoiler: it turns out that Lister's mechanical "nature" is the result of Starbug having hit an "unreality pocket", turning Kryten briefly into a gibbering idiot as he attempts to apologize for his mis-step]].

* There was a ''Series/StargateSG1'' episode where this was combined with a TomatoInTheMirror, Jack [[spoiler: or rather his robotic copy]] goes in for a medical exam, the doc can't detect a heartbeat, the blood she draws comes out milky-white, and eventually he takes a scalpel to his own arm and uncovers pistons and wires. And a sequel to this episode: One of the villain's followers started doubting his godhood because said "god" looked surprised after killing an android.

* In episode 56 of ''Podcast/PokemonAdventuresInTheMillennium'', [[spoiler: the Logos Admins Lorne, Rosie, and Robbie are revealed to be robots from the future.]]

* One of the characters in the first ''[[VideoGame/WildArms1 Wild ARMs]]'' game is revealed to be not quite what they seem after [[spoiler: he cuts off his arm to get away from the BigBad]]. When the others treat the injury, [[spoiler: sparks fly out, and they discover that his insides were made of the same properties as the [[MechanicalLifeforms Metal Demons]]]].

* ''VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}'' has [[spoiler: Random]] - it comes as a [[TomatoInTheMirror surprise to himself]] as well.
* Done with a twist in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer 3: Kane's Wrath'', where it is revealed that [[spoiler: the player]] is a Nod AI named LEGION. Presumably, LEGION was aware of its nature the whole time, but the player doesn't until Kane makes the revelation himself.
* One of the millions of twists in ''VideoGame/GhostTrick'' is that [[spoiler: the BigBad's assistant is an AI]].

** [[spoiler: The Colonel]] in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' starts speaking in WordSaladHorror after you upload a virus to the G.W. AI, leading to the reveal that he has been an avatar of G.W. all along.

** Also inverted in ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance''. [[spoiler: In a cast full of superhuman cyborgs, TheDragon Jetstream Sam is cut open to reveal that he's a normal human with almost no cybernetic enhancements.]]

* In ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivePeople'', [[spoiler: near the end of "Dangeresque 3: The Criminal Projective", Dangeresque Too's EvilTwin Uzi Bazooka reveals himself as a robot after being shot]].

* Not explicitly said, but in ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'', [[spoiler: [[PlayerCharacter The Security Officer]] is heavily implied to be a cybernetic warrior created from the corpse of a soldier]]

* Two examples in the SurvivalHorror game ''VideoGame/{{SOMA}}''; Catherine is revealed early on to be a robot herself even though [[BoomerangBigot she says that robots don't feel anything,]] and [[spoiler: look at yourself, Simon; you're a woman's corpse stuffed into a diving suit, implanted with a neural chip and lined with circuitry]].

* ''VideoGame/LastAlert'' has [[spoiler: [[MadScientist Dr.]] [[BigBad Garcia]]]].
* In ''VideoGame/MetalSlug 4'', [[spoiler: bionic versions of General Morden and Allen O'Neal are shown being produced, the latter being fought as a mini-boss in the final mission, ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}''-style]].
* In ''Neo VideoGame/{{Contra}}'', [[spoiler: [[BigBad Master Contra]] is actually revealed to be a machine, and [[TheManBehindTheMan the real Master Contra is actually Project C, the ultimate weapon made up of Bill Rizer's consciousness]]]].

* In ''VisualNovel/{{Morenatsu}}'', one non-canon bad ending on [[spoiler:Tatsuki's]] route reveals him to be [[spoiler: a robot created by Shigure. He kills both Tatsuki and Hiroyuki, the latter because he now knows this secret]].

* In ''Podcast/{{Hello From the Magic Tavern}}'' the audience finds out that [[spoiler: Craig]] is a robot, though the character themself remains unaware.

* In ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', if Carolina didn't figure out [[spoiler:Tex was a robot when she was shot in the shoulder--complete with sparks--in season 9]], she certainly had to have figured it out when [[spoiler:Tex gets stabbed deeply in the back with no side effects in season 10]].

%%* ''WebVideo/PotterPuppetPals'' episode "Ron's Disease" for Dumbledore.

* [[spoiler:Asher]] from ''Machinima/TheLeetWorld'', whose eyes [[GlowingEyesOfDoom flash]] {{red|EyesTakeWarning}} after he receives new programming through the television.

* In ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', if Carolina didn't figure out [[spoiler:Tex was a robot when she was shot in the shoulder--complete with sparks--in season 9]], she certainly had to have figured it out when [[spoiler:Tex gets stabbed deeply in the back with no side effects in season 10]].

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' villain Roach Coach is revealed to be a sentient roach, in a MobileSuitHuman.

** The penultimate issue of "Dark Judges: Deliverance" reveals that the prophet of the Mortarians, the sinister Mother Kalulah, is just an artificial intelligence programmed with the memetic suggestion that life is suffering and must end. Of course, [[DiabolusExNihilo this raises the question of who or what programmed her in the first place]].