History Main / ShapeshiftersDoItForAChange

* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', M'gann once turned into ComicBook/BlackCanary for a roleplaying make-out session with ComicBook/{{Superboy}}. The real ComicBook/BlackCanary was not pleased when she saw the security tape, though MartianManhunter tried to explain that this was a common "game" on Mars, since everybody's telepathy made [[BedTrick actual deception]] impossible.

--->'''Lois Lane''': If she knows anything, I'm the MartianManhunter.\\

* OlderThanFeudalism: As a trope involving shapeshifting and sex, [[ClassicalMythology Zeus]] ([[DoubleStandardRapeDivineOnMortal GOD OF HORNDOGS]]!) naturally gets in on the action--with a twist. Most of the time, when Zeus decided to shapeshift in order to bang someone he found attractive (male or female, with or without permission), it was in the form of a male. However, when Callisto caught his eye, he was much chagrined to find that she had taken a vow of chastity in order to serve Artemis. However, he noticed that the vow of chastity left a loophole in that she ''could'' have sex with Artemis. Naturally, Zeus changed himself to look just like his huntress-goddess daughter, and had his way with Callisto. Somehow this got her pregnant, which, long story short, [[JustSoStory is why Ursa Major and Ursa Minor look like long-tailed bears, and also why (the Greeks thought) there are werewolves]].

* OlderThanPrint: Loki, [[NorseMythology Norse god]] of [[TricksterArchetype mischief]], is a shapeshifter. He was born a male, and two different goddesses have borne some of his children; by the giantess Angrboda, he sired the elder wolf Fenrir, the world snake Jormungand, and the half-dead Goddess of the Norse land of the dead, Hel. By the Aesir Sigyn, he had two sons: Nari (and/or Narfi), and Vali. In the form of a mare he also bore the eight legged horse Sleipnir, fathered by an actual horse.

* DungeonsAndDragons has this with Doppelgangers, amongst other things.
** {{Eberron}}'s Changelings also display this. The Becomers, in particular, tend to have very fluid gender identities and so freely indulge in both sexes and all sexualities as they see fit. Passers may be willing to change their specific appearance, but almost invariably have a very specific gender and sexuality they assume. Reality Passers, meanwhile, won't change out of their changeling form, but will happily shift between male, female, neuter and {{hermaphrodite}} genders as they will. It's part of Changeling biology to the point that, even though they do have [[ShapeshifterDefaultForm true genders]], alternate genders are fully functional, and even changelings with a "true gender" of male can become pregnant by using a female form.

* Partially Inverted in ''{{Rifts}}'', where Changeling [=NPCs=] (which are otherwise sexless) are often said to "Identify" with a single gender, which basically means that the forms they tend to change into will usually be only one sex unless they need to be the other.
* Lunars in ''{{Exalted}}'' are often seen as being like this. Part of it is MemeticMutation, but there is at least one canonical Lunar who's been switching sexes on such a regular basis for so long that they now no longer either know or cares which they started out as.
* In EclipsePhase, transhumans can change bodies with only a little more effort than changing clothes (it's expensive and integration can take a while, but...). Gender identity is thus just that; it's quite likely that at some point you'll end up in a body of the other sex.

* The Defenders had a short-lived member called Cloud who had two forms: a small cumulus that could project wind, rain and lightning, and a shapely piece of fanservice dressed in a few whisps of cirrus that always looked on the point of blowing away. As the result of a plot involving another team member attempting to seduce them all psychically, she discovered she could just as easily "condense" into a male body. The guys on the team were not pleased.

* Used as a major plot point in ''Steel Beach'' by John Varley. Humans have become effectively immortal, but body-changing technology is common and easy, if not terribly inexpensive. The main character, Hilde, realizes he needs a change of pace and turns female partway through the book.

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire,'' Varamyr Six-Skins, a warg (able to control and possess animals), has experimented with inhabiting the bodies of both male and females while they mate, just to see what it's like. His warging mentor told him that such things were an "abomination," but Varamyr didn't have much use for his rules.

* Envy in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' is androgynous in [[AmbiguousGender its]] most common form, and has been seen to take on personae of both sexes. FanFic writers love to play with the possibilities. [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist In the 2003 anime adaptation]], Envy's original form was male, [[spoiler: and the son of Hohenheim and Dante]], but the original manga has a different origin backstory, although the other voices are silenced and Envy's will seems pretty singular as long as it avoids its true form. Which is best described as 'Giant BodyHorror Dog with Talking Zombie Acne.' Given Envy's reception by the anime fandom which diverged before this [[TheReveal revelation]]...{{Bishounen}} [[{{Jossed}} Jossing]]?
* In ''OnePiece'', [[WholesomeCrossdresser Bon-chan]] can assume the form of either a man or a woman thanks to his Clone-Clone powers. And Iva-chan can not only turn ''himself'' into a woman whenever he feels like it, he can change ''anyone's'' sex if he feels like it.
* In a slight twist, characters from ''{{Simoun}}'' are all originally female able to choose their sex during a ceremony that marks them as adults. This of course means that one person in a relationship will give up being female to raise a family with their lover, with a few noteworthy exceptions, including one where ''both'' wound up male for various reasons, but eventually wound up together anyway.

->- "Sara's Littile Purple Book", WhateleyUniverse

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]
* In an early episode of ''RedDwarf'', Lister threatens to take an exam to get promoted above Rimmer, if Rimmer does not allow him to go on a date with the hologram of Kochanski. Paranoid that Lister will never switch him back on, Rimmer takes on Kochanski's appearance and initially claims "she" isn't interested. Once Lister realizes, however, Rimmer points out that "It's still her body", raising the question of exactly how far he'd go to avoid the situation.
** Though she appears female to most of the characters, Camille can also take male form if the viewer prefers - [[spoiler: the Cat sees himself as his ideal mate.]] She later notes that her species is actually androgynous.

[[folder: Mythology ]]

* Mystique, also of Marvel, is made of this trope. Although not as much as Creator/ChrisClaremont wanted; she was meant to be Nightcrawler's ''father'', not his mother.

** {{Eberron}}'s Changelings also display this. The Becomers, in particular, tend to have very fluid gender identities and so freely indulge in both sexes and all sexualities as they see fit. Passers may be willing to change their specific appearance, but almost invariably have a very specific gender and sexuality they assume. Reality Passers, meanwhile, won't change out of their changeling form, but will happily shift between male, female, neuter and {[hermaphrodite}} genders as they will. It's part of Changeling biology to the point that, even though they do have [[ShapeshifterDefaultForm true genders]], alternate genders are fully functional, and even changelings with a "true gender" of male can become pregnant by using a female form.

* In a slight twist, characters from ''{{Simoun}}'' are all originally female able to choose their sex during a ceremony that marks them as adults. This of course means that one person in a relationship will give up being female to raise a family with their lover.
** ...with a few noteworthy exceptions, including one where ''both'' wound up male for various reasons.

** {{Eberron}}'s Changelings also display this.

* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', M'gann once turned into BlackCanary for a roleplaying make-out session with ComicBook/{{Superboy}}. The real ComicBook/BlackCanary was not pleased when she saw the security tape, though MartianManhunter tried to explain that this was a common "game" on Mars, since everybody's telepathy made [[BedTrick actual deception]] impossible.

* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', M'gann once turned into BlackCanary for a roleplaying make-out session with {{Superboy}}. The real BlackCanary was not pleased when she saw the security tape, though MartianManhunter tried to explain that this was a common "game" on Mars, since everybody's telepathy made [[BedTrick actual deception]] impossible.

* Mystique, also of Marvel, is made of this trope. Although not as much as ChrisClaremont wanted; she was meant to be Nightcrawler's ''father'', not his mother.

** None of the characters, however, show any sign of wanting to... "experiment" with sex changes, beyond Tedd and Grace occasionally swapping bodies with each other ([[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2005-02-11 yes, the the fact that Tedd doesn't have any problem being attracted to himself has been noted]]). It has been brought up occasionally, and rejected each time. Most of the characters find the idea of their sexuality changing to be quite a disturbing concept.

* Happens all the time in TheCulture books.
* This is the entire point of NeilGaiman's short story ''Changes''.

* Partially Inverted in ''{{Rifts}}'', where Changeling [=NPCs=] (which are otherwise gender-neutral) are often said to "Identify" with a single gender, which basically means that the forms they tend to change into will usually be only one gender unless they need to be the other.
* Lunars in ''{{Exalted}}'' are often seen as being like this. Part of it is MemeticMutation, but there is at least one canonical Lunar who's been switching sexes on such a regular basis for so long that s/he now no longer either knows or cares which s/he started out as.

** Further, there's a Biomod called a "Sex Switch" which allows you to change the gender of the body you're currently inhabiting around at will (though it takes a couple of hours to change the genitalia on the fly) and you're not restricted to just "male" and "female," either, the game assumes there's a continuity.

** None of the characters, however, show any sign of wanting to... "experiment" with gender changes, beyond Tedd and Grace occasionally swapping bodies with each other ([[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2005-02-11 yes, the the fact that Tedd doesn't have any problem being attracted to himself has been noted]]). It has been brought up occasionally, and rejected each time. Most of the characters find the idea of their sexuality changing to be quite a disturbing concept.

* Envy in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' is androgynous in [[AmbiguousGender hir]] most common form, and has been seen to take on personae of both sexes. FanFic writers love to play with the possibilities. [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist In the 2003 anime adaptation]], Envy's original form was male, [[spoiler: and the son of Hohenheim and Dante]], but the original manga has a different origin backstory, although the other voices are silenced and Envy's will seems pretty singular as long as zhe avoids hir true form. Which is best described as 'Giant BodyHorror Dog with Talking Zombie Acne.' Given Envy's reception by the anime fandom which diverged before this [[TheReveal revelation]]...{{Bishounen}} [[{{Jossed}} Jossing]]?
* In ''OnePiece'', [[WholesomeCrossdresser Bon-chan]] can assume the form of either a man or a woman thanks to his Clone-Clone powers. And Iva-chan can not only turn ''himself'' into a woman whenever he feels like it, he can change ''anyone's'' gender if he feels like it.

* In a slight twist, characters from ''{{Simoun}}'' are all originally female able to choose their gender during a ceremony that marks them as adults. This of course means that one person in a relationship will give up being female to raise a family with their lover.

* Averted in DragonAge, where it is implied that Morrigan stays female no matter what animal she happens to have turned into at the moment and can't take other human forms.

* In the MarvelUniverse, Xavin of ''{{Runaways}}'', who is technically male, takes on a female form for the sake of his/her lesbian fiancée. (S)he now has a female ShapeshifterDefaultForm. The Human form, his/her Skrull form is usually male.