Follow TV Tropes

Following

History Main / TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf

Go To

OR

Added: 121

Changed: 3

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


[[folder:Arts]]
* ''Art/SevenVirtues'': The mirror the woman holds refers to Prudence's gift of self-knowledge.
[[/folder]]



* In ''Literature/FightingFantasy'', the true nature of [[PlantPeople mandrakes]] — shapeshifters that pose as people — can only be revealed with a mirror.

to:

* In ''Literature/FightingFantasy'', the true nature of [[PlantPeople mandrakes]] — shapeshifters that pose as people can only be revealed with a mirror.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
True Art Is Incomprehensible is now an in-universe trope as per TRS (also clearing ZC Es)


[[folder:Art]]
* René Magritte. Make of it whatever it may be. [[https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z-5Xs1QUG8U/USEM65d_MRI/AAAAAAAABxk/pH8skdYruJc/s1600/Rene+Magritte+Ed.jpg It's]] [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible incomprehensible]].
* [[http://sabishiidesu13.deviantart.com/art/Mommy-s-Little-Girl-347139154 This]] illustration of gender dysphoria.
[[/folder]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* The Music/BlueOysterCult, in the title track to their ''Music/{{Mirrors}}'' album:

to:

* The Music/BlueOysterCult, in the title track to their ''Music/{{Mirrors}}'' ''Music/{{Mirrors|Album}}'' album:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* ''Webcomic/TheGreenhouse'': Even before Mica can [[InvisibleToNormals see 'Red' properly]], she can catch glimpses of the demon in reflective surfaces, standing next to her. This makes Mica a lot quicker to believe Liv when she [[YouHaveToBelieveMe claims]] Mica is [[DemonicPossession possessed]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

[[caption-width-right:350:Having enough magic to completely change form but being stumped by reflective surfaces. ''[[WebVideo/CinemaSins *ding!*]]'']]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': In "Double Whammy Part 2", when Flippy is fighting his evil side, [[AxCrazy Fliqpy]], he stumbles in front of a mirror, where he sees [[spoiler:only his own reflection, discovering that Fliqpy was just a hallucination caused by taking too many pills, and he has been fighting himself the entire time.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


In the first case, the mirror is acting the same way for the viewer as for the characters. We're being shown the monster's true form. In Mind Control cases (specifically the FreakyFriday, SharingABody, DemonicPossession, and SplitPersonality) we're being shown what the characters are seeing that we aren't. The mirror shows the physical body of the character, while the camera shows the character controlling the body. The characters in the show will see the mirror image, i.e. the controlled person all the time. Directors can use this to create a sense of tension by showing only the viewer a monster's reflection and keeping the other characters in the dark.

to:

In the first case, the mirror is acting the same way for the viewer as for the characters. We're being shown the monster's true form. In Mind Control cases (specifically the FreakyFriday, FreakyFridayFlip, SharingABody, DemonicPossession, and SplitPersonality) we're being shown what the characters are seeing that we aren't. The mirror shows the physical body of the character, while the camera shows the character controlling the body. The characters in the show will see the mirror image, i.e. the controlled person all the time. Directors can use this to create a sense of tension by showing only the viewer a monster's reflection and keeping the other characters in the dark.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
link


* The music/BlueOysterCult, title track to their ''Music/{{Mirrors}}'' album:

to:

* The music/BlueOysterCult, Music/BlueOysterCult, in the title track to their ''Music/{{Mirrors}}'' album:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
link

Added DiffLines:

* The music/BlueOysterCult, title track to their ''Music/{{Mirrors}}'' album:
--> A mirror is a negative space, with a frame
-->And a place for your face;
-->It reveals what the rest of us see,
-->It conceals what you'd like it to be

Added: 794

Removed: 162

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Crosswicking


* In ''Webcomic/MeganKearneysBeautyAndTheBeast'', [[http://www.batb.thecomicseries.com/comics/400 Beauty can see the Beast's human form reflected in the water]].


Added DiffLines:

* ''Webcomic/DICETheCubeThatChangesEverything'':
** Happens with Mio once she gains the A-rank ability Clarivoyance. Every time she sees her own reflection, it shows how she looked before using the Dice, to her disgust. During the amusement park date with Dongtae she refuses to check the mirror maze.
** Sometime after the revelation that [[spoiler:Mooyoung is currently inhabiting Taebin's body, we see Taebin standing near a broken mirror, clutching his head with both hands, seemingly in pain. His hair is white in one of the shards, just like Mooyoung's were, hinting that Mooyoung is slowly but surely taking control over him.]]


Added DiffLines:

* In ''Webcomic/MeganKearneysBeautyAndTheBeast'', [[http://www.batb.thecomicseries.com/comics/400 Beauty can see the Beast's human form reflected in the water]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


A subtrope of MagicMirror, GlamourFailure, and LieToTheBeholder. If used on a poster or cover, might utilize JuxtaposedReflectionPoster. Compare TheShadowKnows and MirrorReveal, which is about literal transformation. Contrast MissingReflection, where the mirror shows nothing at all.

to:

A subtrope of MagicMirror, GlamourFailure, and LieToTheBeholder. If used on a poster or cover, might utilize JuxtaposedReflectionPoster. Compare TheShadowKnows and MirrorReveal, which is about literal transformation. Contrast MissingReflection, where the mirror shows nothing at all.
all. Also see DramaPanes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', this is subverted. In the spirit realm, Sun Yee's mirror portal shows the person as they would be without their panda spirit. However, the lesson isn't that this is the person's true self, but actually them if they deny that aspect of themselves.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Fixing a typo


->'''Engywook:''' Next is the Magic Mirror Gate. Atreju has to face his true self.\\

to:

->'''Engywook:''' Next is the Magic Mirror Gate. Atreju Atreyu has to face his true self.\\

Changed: 57

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Renamed per TRS


Another common variation is for the mirror to show an aspect of a person's personality. The nasty, spiteful, cruel, but beautiful girl becomes a hag in the magic mirror. Conversely, it can reveal the ReluctantMonster or [[BalefulPolymorph balefully polymorphed]] character to be noble and good.

to:

Another common variation is for the mirror to show an aspect of a person's personality. The nasty, spiteful, cruel, but beautiful girl becomes a hag in the magic mirror. Conversely, it can reveal the ReluctantMonster or [[BalefulPolymorph balefully polymorphed]] [[ForcedTransformation forcibly transformed]] character to be noble and good.

Added: 734

Changed: 2017

Removed: 51315

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Lengthy page; created some Subpages and moved examples accordingly.


%%%



%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!



%%%
%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1625110078087146600
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.



[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/312d751fcb4d6ac5b9acbf294f7ca774.png]]]]



%%
%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
%%
%%
%%
%%
%%
%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1625110078087146600
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
%%
[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/312d751fcb4d6ac5b9acbf294f7ca774.png]]]]
%%



[[index]]
* TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf/AnimeAndManga
* TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf/FanWorks
* [[TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf/LiveActionFilms Films - Live-Action]]
* TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf/{{Literature}}
* TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf/LiveActionTV
* TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf/VideoGames
* TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf/WesternAnimation
[[/index]]



[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* In ''Manga/ArataTheLegend'', Yataka's Hayagami allows him to use ''Utsuo no Kagami'' (Mirror of the Heavens) to show a person's true self in it, and can transform them into what is shown.
* In ''Manga/CodenameSailorV'', among Sailor V's arsenal of weapons is an enchanted compact mirror designed to reflect peoples' true forms that helps her see through the disguises of antagonists and youma.
* In ''Manga/DeathNote'', as Light Yagami is walking through a hall of mirrors supposedly mourning [[spoiler:L, who he was responsible for killing]], his reflection shows him smirking evilly with glowing red eyes, indicating his inner glee at [[spoiler: L's death]]. This doesn't actually seem to have anything supernatural behind it, but is a good way of showing Light's inner Kira while he is acting the part of mourner/friend/son whatever.
* Daisuke Niiwa from ''Manga/DNAngel'' can see [[PhantomThief Dark Mousy]] in his mirror reflection either standing beside him or in the corner of the reflection. They regularly have conversations this way. [[spoiler:In one of the late chapters of the manga, a magical mirror enables Dark's reflection to be seen by other people]].
* In the ''Manga/DragonHalf'' manga, Rufa is given a magic mirror that reveals her true nature. She quickly breaks it accidentally-on-purpose.
* The [[MonsteroftheWeek Jyarei Monsters]] in ''Anime/EtoRangers'' are revealed by Bakumaru's Revealing Mirror. The mirror does not show the monsters' reflections, however; the mirror works by shining a brilliant light forward in a wide area, and if a monster looks at the light, it reveals its true form.
* ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'': During the OP, when Ruler is in her civilian outfit, her reflection is in her armor. This doesn't happen in the actual anime.
* ''Anime/GrimmsFairyTaleClassics'': "The Man of Iron" features a variant; when Prince William fails to keep his promise to Iron Hans to keep the magic pond clear, Hans shows William that his reflection depicts him as some kind of hideous cat-fish monster. After [[TookALevelInKindness taking a level in kindness]], William finds his reflection has gone back to normal.
* ''LightNovel/HybridXHeartMagiasAcademyAtaraxia'': Aine has a strange dream where she's wearing nothing but a tiara and [[VaporWear a completely transparent dress]], but her reflection depicts her in her combat suit.
* In ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'', Sesshomaru uses a youkai known as The Nothing Woman (Unmother in the English translation) to trick Inuyasha into thinking he's kidnapped his mother's spirit. It works, but Kagome notices in the nearby lake's reflection that she doesn't have a face.
* The cover page for the first chapter of ''[[Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Kanna's Daily Life]]'' has Kanna's dragon form reflected in a puddle. This never happens in the series proper.
* The anime adaptation of ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' has a variation when [[spoiler:Sophia sees Atsuko (the girl she's a reincarnation of) in her reflection when the latter's memories briefly come to the surface.]]
* In ''Anime/PerfectBlue'', when Mima [[spoiler:is brought to Rumi's room and sees Rumi dressed like idol Mima, it is revealed that Mima is looking at Rumi when the camera shows the reflection of the other Mima in a nearby mirror being that of Rumi]].
* In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'', Sayaka Miki's witch form, Oktavia von Seckendorff, briefly replaces her reflection in a puddle.
* ''Anime/ReadOrDie'': The Mirror Man, an agent of the British Library, has the ability to appear as someone else, but a mirror reveals his true form.
* ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'': The Lilith Mirror does this, and even reverts the viewer back into his/her/its monstrous form. [[spoiler:Moka has a unique reaction to it because her "human form" isn't done voluntarily, but because of her Rosario; initially, Inner Moka appears at full tilt, but she's gradually weakened as the Rosario's seal returns]].
* {{Invoked}} in ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline''. After trapping the players in the game at the end of the tutorial, Akihiko Kayaba gives everyone a mirror item. As soon as they check it, the mirror dissipates their avatars and reveals their true appearances in real life.
* ''Anime/Ulysses31'' has the main characters encounter a Sphinx who is in possession of a mirror showing the true personality of people reflected in it. He keeps his SpoiledBrat of a daughter away from it.
* In the prologue of ''LightNovel/{{Vamp}}'', a shape-shifter's reflection in a window is used to deduce his true form.
* In ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'', having an independent reflection who can talk is the first revealing stage of possession [[spoiler: by a goddess]].
[[/folder]]






[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In ''Fanfic/{{Delusions}}'', [[spoiler:after becoming an alicorn, Celestia still sees her reflection as a mule; Clover the Clever tells her that she'll continue to see a mule as long as she stays true to herself.]]
* In the ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' fanfic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5480368/1/Mirror-Mirror Mirror, Mirror]], Gaz buys a magic mirror from an antique store, and soon finds out that when she looks into it, it shows her as a grotesque pig-like monster, because of her gluttony and refusal to share any food with her brother. When she returns to the store to complain, the shopkeeper advises her to change her ways and maybe her reflection will change. Instead, she destroys the mirror and accidentally releases its magic, which transforms her ''into'' the pig monster.
[[/folder]]



[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/AllOfMe'', Steve Martin's character sees Lily Tomlin's character, with whom he is SharingABody, any time he looks into a reflective surface.
* ''Film/BeautyAndTheBeast1946'': The magic mirror shows, when Belle's sisters look into it, an ugly old lady and a monkey respectively. Furthermore, Belle's beautiful necklace turns into a hideous rope when in their hands, reflecting the ugliness of their hearts once again.
* Inverted in ''Film/TheBrothersGrimm''--the main antagonist is the Mirror Queen, who has a bad case of AgeWithoutYouth after being sequestered in a tower for the past few centuries. The Queen herself is lying in bed, practically mummified, but the mirror in the same room shows what she used to look like.
* ''Film/Ghostbusters1984'':
** When Dana Barrett visits the Ghostbusters after encountering a demon in her apartment, they hook her up to a monitor which shows a color map of the outline of her facial features. Later in the film, a possessed Louis Tully is taken to the Ghostbusters and analyzed with the same device which now shows a color map of a demonic Terror Dog's face.
* ''Film/{{Haunter}}'': When Lisa possesses Olivia's body in the world of the living, the mirror shows her actual face, but only to herself and the audience.
* In ''Film/HotTubTimeMachine'', when the men got into 1986, their reflections are replaced, except the youngest since he keeps flickering and glitching seeing how he was never born yet.
* ''Film/{{Hypocrites}}'' is about a supernatural being called "The Naked Truth" (played by [[NudityEqualsHonesty a nude actress]]) who shows the hypocrisies of the local townspeople with a MagicMirror. A politician who campaigns on "honesty" is shown accepting bribes. A man and woman getting engaged are shown to be a cheater and a Gold Digger, respectively. The young people at the beach recoil in horror at the sight of the Naked Truth, but her mirror reveals them partying at the beach in skimpy (for 1915) bathing suits. The woman who followed the pastor up the mountain is revealed by the mirror to be in love with him.
* ''Film/{{Inception}}'':
** Within a dream, Eames[[note]]and probably anyone else, but Eames is the only who does so[[/note]] can copy other people's appearances. When he looked at himself in several mirrors, some reflections showed his true face, others reflected his disguise, and which mirrors did which changed (almost certainly deliberately) between cuts.
** Supposedly, when Ariadne did the double-mirror thing in her test dreams, only Cobb's reflection appeared.
*** When Ariadne is setting up the double-mirror, both her reflection and Cobb's appear, but once the infinite reflection is set up, the scene is shot such that Ariadne's reflections beyond the first are hidden behind Cobb's (This is actually real, according to lucid dreamers. One of the distinguishing features of lucid dreams is that inside them, mirrors don't work 'correctly' (i.e., they don't reflect, or reflect something else, or are distorted)).
* In ''Film/ItChapterTwo'' show that the Losers Club (excluding Eddie and Stan) look in the mirror and it is revealed that the younger versions of themselves were replaced.
* In ''Film/JasonGoesToHellTheFinalFriday'', Jason's true hockey-masked self shows in reflective surfaces when he is possessing someone else. Cue a QuizzicalTilt when he finds this out himself.
* In ''Film/TheLastWitchHunter'', when Chloe looks into mirrors the models at Danique's place are preparing themselves in, she notes that all the "supermodels" look like old crones.
* In ''Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'', Jekyll talks to Hyde, whom he alone can see looking back at him from a mirror.
** It later shows the inverse when Hyde saves the Nautilus; Jekyll congratulates Hyde from the mirror.
* {{Inverted|Trope}} in ''Film/TheMatrixResurrections'', since Neo's appearance within The Matrix has been altered to make it harder for the humans to find him. The film has him take his actual appearance, but one early scene has one of the mirrors briefly show how he looks to everyone else.
* In ''Film/SamsonVsTheVampireWomen'', lady vampires actually cast reflections, but the mirror shows them as ancient crones with a bad skin condition.
* ''Film/{{Sleepwalkers}}'': Despite having human forms, the cat creatures' true forms are shown if they're in view of a mirror.
* ''Film/SourceCode'': The viewer see Coulter running around trying to save the day, the reflection in the window and presumably everyone on the train sees Sean Fentress.
* ''Film/Supergirl1984'': During the party scene, Selena looks at her refection in Nigel's cigarette case and sees a Shadow Demon (which would appear physically later in the movie) alongside her own face. She asks Nigel what it is, to which he replies "Over-reaching ambition. Take heed."
* ''Franchise/TheMightyThor'':
** ''Film/{{Thor}}'': Used at the very end of the film to show that [[spoiler: Dr. Selvig is being controlled by Loki]].
** In ''Film/ThorLoveAndThunder'', when [[spoiler:the resurrected]] Love walks to Gorr's side, [[spoiler:her mirror image in the lake is filled with stars and galaxies like Eternity, hinting at her newly empowered nature.]]
* Subverted in a Richard Creena movie where he's playing a cop who brings the female suspect a large rectangular-wrapped parcel which he says is her 'true self'. She just laughs and says he's obviously got a mirror. He removes the wrapping and she's shocked to see a rather uncomplimentary painting of her by a former friend.
* Inverted in ''Film/Venom2018'', where anyone infected by a Symbiote sees their monstrous self in the reflection. This is how Eddie (and subsequently, the audience) gets their first look at Venom in humanoid form.
** ''Film/VenomLetThereBeCarnage'' carries this forward with Cletus Kassidy talking to his Symbiote while driving a car; Carnage's part in the conversation was shown in the rear-view mirror.
[[/folder]]



[[folder:Literature]]
!!Authors
* Used by Creator/NathanielHawthorne in at least two short stories, ''Dr. Heidigger's Experiment'' and "{{Literature/Feathertop}}". In the former, a number of rejuvenated old people are seen in their wrinkly true selves in the mirror; in the latter, a handsome young cavalier is seen in the mirror in his true form of a dilapidated scarecrow.

!!Specific works
* In Creator/MercedesLackey's ''Literature/TheBlackSwan'' (a retelling of ''Theatre/SwanLake''), the sorceress Odile tells Odette that Baron von Rothbart won't have any mirrors in his house because "mirrors show the truth." When he asks Queen Clothilde to cover or hide all the mirrors in her ballroom, you know something's up.
* In chapter eight of ''Broken Gate'', this is inverted, as the mirror doesn't really show Nezumi's true self, actually, as Nezumi's reflection is the ''opposite'' of what she is, right down to being more emotive. The reason for this because said reflection is a manifestation of her madness, the which she talks to.
* This is PlayedWith in ''Literature/BrothersInArms'': Miles is on a subway transport, and sees his reflection in the glass. He's currently wearing his mercenary uniform, but the Miles in the mirror has on his [=ImpSec=] uniform, reflecting his inner turmoil about his split personalities diverging. [[spoiler:Turns out it ''wasn't'' Miles -- it was his clone, and they were going to attempt a switch; they just had the wrong uniform.]] Miles passes it off as being a hallucination while on heavy medication.
* In ''Literature/TheCastleInTheAttic'', one of the primary weapons of the [[EvilSorcerer evil wizard]] [[BigBad Alastor]] is a MagicMirror with this power. It eventually [[HoistByHisOwnPetard gets turned around on the villain himself]], with fairly satisfying results. When turned on TheHero, all he sees in the mirror is himself.
* Invoked in ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain.'' [[TheHero Taran]] spends most of Book 4 searching for a MagicMirror that supposedly shows the true nature of anyone who looks in it. Eventually, he reaches it, and discovers that [[spoiler: it's a puddle of water]]. He looks in it and having gone through a lot of CharacterDevelopment, sees himself for who he is -a person with some faults, and some flaws, but overall good and kind. Above all, he is who he has always been-himself, no more, no less. [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane It's never revealed whether the mirror was actually magic,]] or whether it was never anything more than [[spoiler: a pretty puddle of water]].
* Subverted in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Witches are well aware that mirrors ''don't'' show your true self. They can show your opposite self a billion times, which can be problematic when there's only one soul to go around. When Granny Weatherwax has to find the "real her" out of a vast number of reflections, she [[spoiler:taps her own chest]].
* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'': Played with. The mirror of [[SdrawkcabName Erised ]] shows the viewer's fondest desire ''at that moment'' and definitely NOT anything objectively ''true''. [[spoiler: But when Dumbledore turns the mirror into the final obstacle to the titular stone, he rigs it so that anyone who's truest desire at the moment was to find the stone (and not to ''use'' it, in which case the mirror would work as normal and just show them making gold or the Elixir of Life or suchlike) would ''actually'' get it.]]
* The Creator/AlanDeanFoster series ''Literature/JourneysOfTheCatechist'' features the main character, Ehomba, using a mirror to scare away some creatures that had been bombarding the party with giant pine cones. Afterward, each character looks into the mirror in turn. The normally jovial and exuberant Simna appears much more somber and depressed. The enormous cat Ahlitah appears as the height of feline majesty, and the recovering drunkard Knucker sees himself as he is when drinking. When Ehomba first looks into the mirror, the other three are momentarily blinded by the sun's reflection when they try to look. Looking again, the mirror is showing Ehomba exactly as he is. [[spoiler:Only Ahlitah notices that the sun was in front of Ehomba, not behind him, and so couldn't have been the source of the light that the others saw in the mirror.]]
* In ''Literature/TheLunarChronicles'', the Lunars' {{Glamour}} does not affect mirrors and security cameras. As such, [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen]] [[VainSorceress Levana]] ordered that all mirrors on Luna be destroyed so that no one can ever see her true appearance. She even had her scientists engineer a completely non-reflective type of glass to prevent any reflections at all. In addition, she wears a [[MysteriousVeil veil]] that covers her entire face during all of her broadcasts.
* In ''Literature/TheMachineriesOfEmpire'', any mirror Cheris looks at shows her Shuos Jedao, who's attached to her soul, instead of her own reflection.
* In the teen horror novel ''Mirror, Mirror'' (a reimagining of ''Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray''), the beautiful AlphaBitch protagonist receives a mirror as a gift from a mysterious new friend. As her personality gets more and more ruthless and nasty, her reflection in this mirror gets increasingly horrific. She also becomes increasingly unbalanced, as she will react with fright, look into another mirror in which she looks normal, then look back into the jinxed mirror, where she also now looks normal, leading her to wonder if she's hallucinating and going crazy.
* ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory''. Played with; Bastian and Atreyu aren't the same person, but they do see each other in the magic mirror and Atreyu is in many ways Bastian's Avatar inside Fantastica. Atreyu is merely confused by it, but when Bastian reads it he ''[[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou freaks the hell out]]''.
* In ''Literature/{{Pact}}'', the protagonist Blake Thorburn lacks a reflection of his own--in its place is Rose Thorburn, his magically-generated DistaffCounterpart, who is trapped in a mirror world, only able to go where there are corresponding reflections in Blake's world. Rose is not just Blake born as a girl, but an Other created by their grandmother--when Blake dies, his death will allow Rose to step into the real world in his place, taking the mantle of the heir to the Thorburn family and all the enemies that come with it.
* In Creator/LFrankBaum's ''Literature/QueenZixiOfIx'', the title queen can only make herself look beautiful to others because of this trope.
* A short story ''Literature/SimplePetersMirror'' tells of how Simple Peter is given a mirror which shows anyone who looks into it not as they are, but how other people see them. At first, he sees nothing at all when he looks in the mirror. When he asks people to help him find his reflection, the mirror shows him as a goose. He uses the mirror to rescue a princess from a dragon, by telling the dragon that he has a monster fifty times bigger. The dragon looks in the mirror and sees this monster. Simple Peter then sees himself in the mirror as a brave lion. He sets out on a quest to make people see him as he really is.
* In the ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'' novel ''Time of the Transference'', the group finds this kind of mirror. Mudge is shown as an old otter whose body and mind have succumbed to hedonistic excesses, to the alarm of everyone else, but he says that he doesn't mind because he already saw himself that way (and he is in the process of changing his lifestyle due to Weegee's influence). Weegee appears as a regal princess. Cautious simply appears as himself. Jon-Tom has no reflection at all because of his indecision over who he is (spellsinger, law student, rock musician) and where he belongs (in his old world or in the world with the others).
-->'''Cautious:''' I am what you see. Worse things to be.
* In ''Literature/StarDarlings'', when a Mirror Mantra is said before a mirror, the Star Darlings can see their true appearances and gain a confidence boost.
* In Barry Hughart's ''[[Literature/BridgeOfBirds The Story of the Stone]]'', The Mirror of Souls is a large crystal mirror in the Chinese underworld that can see and show all of your past incarnations. It can speak and display scenes from the past and a spirit level that shows how good or evil you were.

to:

[[folder:Literature]]
!!Authors
[[folder:Music]]
* Used by Creator/NathanielHawthorne in at least two short stories, ''Dr. Heidigger's Experiment'' and "{{Literature/Feathertop}}". In the former, a number of rejuvenated old people are seen in their wrinkly true selves in the mirror; in the latter, a handsome young cavalier is seen in the mirror in his true form of a dilapidated scarecrow.

!!Specific works
* In Creator/MercedesLackey's ''Literature/TheBlackSwan'' (a retelling of ''Theatre/SwanLake''), the sorceress Odile tells Odette that Baron von Rothbart won't have any mirrors in his house because "mirrors show the truth." When he asks Queen Clothilde to
''Music/{{Quadrophenia}}'': The album cover or hide all has each of the mirrors in her ballroom, you know something's up.
* In chapter eight
on Jimmy's scooter showing a different face (one of ''Broken Gate'', this is inverted, as the mirror doesn't really show Nezumi's true self, actually, as Nezumi's reflection is the ''opposite'' each member of what she is, right down to being more emotive. The reason for this because said reflection is a manifestation of her madness, the which she talks to.
* This is PlayedWith in ''Literature/BrothersInArms'': Miles is on a subway transport, and sees his reflection in the glass. He's currently wearing his mercenary uniform, but the Miles in the mirror has on his [=ImpSec=] uniform, reflecting his inner turmoil about his split personalities diverging. [[spoiler:Turns out it ''wasn't'' Miles -- it was his clone, and they were going to attempt a switch; they just had the wrong uniform.]] Miles passes it off as being a hallucination while on heavy medication.
* In ''Literature/TheCastleInTheAttic'',
Who, each representing one of the primary weapons his personalities).
* ''Mirror
of the [[EvilSorcerer evil wizard]] [[BigBad Alastor]] is a MagicMirror with this power. It eventually [[HoistByHisOwnPetard gets turned around on the villain himself]], with fairly satisfying results. When turned on TheHero, all he sees in the mirror is himself.
* Invoked in ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain.'' [[TheHero Taran]] spends most of Book 4 searching for a MagicMirror that supposedly shows the true nature of anyone who looks in it. Eventually, he reaches it, and discovers that [[spoiler: it's a puddle of water]]. He looks in it and having gone
Souls'' by Christian progressive-power metal band Theocracy zig-zags this. The protagonist goes through a lot hall of CharacterDevelopment, sees himself for who he is -a person with some faults, and some flaws, but overall good and kind. Above all, he is who he has always been-himself, no more, no less. [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane It's never revealed whether the mirror was actually magic,]] or whether it was never anything more than [[spoiler: a pretty puddle of water]].
* Subverted in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Witches are well aware that
mirrors ''don't'' show your true self. They can show your opposite self a billion times, which can be problematic when there's only one soul to go around. When Granny Weatherwax has to find the "real her" out of a vast number of reflections, she [[spoiler:taps her own chest]].
* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'': Played with. The mirror of [[SdrawkcabName Erised ]] shows the viewer's fondest desire ''at
that moment'' and definitely NOT anything objectively ''true''. [[spoiler: But when Dumbledore turns the mirror into the final obstacle to create flattering reflections of his good qualities. Later he encounters the titular stone, he rigs it so that anyone who's truest desire at the moment was to find the stone (and not to ''use'' it, in which case the mirror would work as normal and just show them making gold or the Elixir of Life or suchlike) would ''actually'' get it.]]
* The Creator/AlanDeanFoster series ''Literature/JourneysOfTheCatechist'' features the main character, Ehomba, using a mirror to scare away some creatures that had been bombarding the party with giant pine cones. Afterward, each character looks into the mirror in turn. The normally jovial and exuberant Simna appears much more somber and depressed. The enormous cat Ahlitah appears as the height of feline majesty, and the recovering drunkard Knucker sees himself as he is when drinking. When Ehomba first looks into the mirror, the other three are momentarily blinded by the sun's reflection when they try to look. Looking again, the mirror is showing Ehomba exactly as he is. [[spoiler:Only Ahlitah notices that the sun was in front of Ehomba, not behind him, and so couldn't have been the source of the light that the others saw in the mirror.]]
* In ''Literature/TheLunarChronicles'', the Lunars' {{Glamour}} does not affect mirrors and security cameras. As such, [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen]] [[VainSorceress Levana]] ordered that all mirrors on Luna be destroyed so that no one can ever see her true appearance. She even had her scientists engineer a completely non-reflective type of glass to prevent any reflections at all. In addition, she wears a [[MysteriousVeil veil]] that covers her entire face during all of her broadcasts.
* In ''Literature/TheMachineriesOfEmpire'', any mirror Cheris looks at shows her Shuos Jedao, who's attached to her soul, instead of her own reflection.
* In the teen horror novel ''Mirror, Mirror'' (a reimagining of ''Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray''), the beautiful AlphaBitch protagonist receives a mirror as a gift from a mysterious new friend. As her personality gets more and more ruthless and nasty, her reflection in this mirror gets increasingly horrific. She also becomes increasingly unbalanced, as she will react with fright, look into another mirror in which she looks normal, then look back into the jinxed mirror, where she also now looks normal, leading her to wonder if she's hallucinating and going crazy.
* ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory''. Played with; Bastian and Atreyu aren't the same person, but they do see each other in the magic mirror and Atreyu is in many ways Bastian's Avatar inside Fantastica. Atreyu is merely confused by it, but when Bastian reads it he ''[[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou freaks the hell out]]''.
* In ''Literature/{{Pact}}'', the protagonist Blake Thorburn lacks a reflection of his own--in its place is Rose Thorburn, his magically-generated DistaffCounterpart, who is trapped in a mirror world, only able to go where there are corresponding reflections in Blake's world. Rose is not just Blake born as a girl, but an Other created by their grandmother--when Blake dies, his death will allow Rose to step into the real world in his place, taking the mantle of the heir to the Thorburn family and all the enemies that come with it.
* In Creator/LFrankBaum's ''Literature/QueenZixiOfIx'', the title queen can only make herself look beautiful to others because of this trope.
* A short story ''Literature/SimplePetersMirror'' tells of how Simple Peter is given a mirror which shows anyone who looks into it not as they are, but how other people see them. At first, he sees nothing at all when he looks in the mirror. When he asks people to help him find his reflection, the mirror shows him as a goose. He uses the mirror to rescue a princess from a dragon, by telling the dragon that he has a monster fifty times bigger. The dragon looks in the mirror and sees this monster. Simple Peter then sees himself in the mirror as a brave lion. He sets out on a quest to make people see him as he really is.
* In the ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'' novel ''Time of the Transference'', the group finds this kind of mirror. Mudge is shown as an old otter whose body and mind have succumbed to hedonistic excesses, to the alarm of everyone else, but he says that he doesn't mind because he already saw himself that way (and he is in the process of changing his lifestyle due to Weegee's influence). Weegee appears as a regal princess. Cautious simply appears as himself. Jon-Tom has no reflection at all because of his indecision over who he is (spellsinger, law student, rock musician) and where he belongs (in his old world or in the world with the others).
-->'''Cautious:''' I am what you see. Worse things to be.
* In ''Literature/StarDarlings'', when a Mirror Mantra is said before a mirror, the Star Darlings can see their true appearances and gain a confidence boost.
* In Barry Hughart's ''[[Literature/BridgeOfBirds The Story of the Stone]]'', The
Mirror of Souls is a large crystal mirror in Souls, the Chinese underworld that can see and show all very eyes of your past incarnations. It can speak and display scenes from God, which reveals his true nature: a corpse ravaged by sin. After he pleads for salvation, the past and a spirit level that shows how good or evil you were.Mirror reflects Christ in his place.



[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/TheTenthKingdom'' used an inversion. The Queen used a hypnotic mirror which showed her merely standing behind Virginia, when in fact she was strangling her. It wasn't until Virginia glanced to the side and saw the truth in another mirror that she was able to break free.
* ''Series/ThirtyRock'':
** The show had an HD camera in one episode which shows the real you. Liz Lemon shows up as an old hag, Pete shows up as an old man, Kenneth the page shows up as a Muppet, and Jack Donaghy looks 20 years younger.
** Kenneth once mentioned that he sees only a white haze when he looks into a mirror.
* ''Series/YediYuz'': The episode "Hayatın Musikisi" plays with the concept in a rather innovative way. OÅŸa warns Pınar that seeing her own reflection will [[AchillesHeel break the "spell"]] that empowers confidence and decreases inhibitions, and she goes to drastic lengths to maintain the façade. However, under the musical trigger OÅŸa teaches her to use, Pınar ceases to be [[BeYourself her authentic self]]; she does not truly grow or improve, but is instead offered a figurative mask that projects the image she believes others want to see. This disparity is emphasized by the very song used to trigger her confidence mode, "BambaÅŸka Biri" (literally, "Somebody Different"), as well as its failure in the presence of Eray, who believed in Pınar and saw her strengths at the beginning of the story. Of course, OÅŸa's magical solution also [[SnakeOilSalesman turns out to be a farce]]. Only through recognizing the truth can Pınar authentically empower herself and truly gain confidence.
* ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark'':
** The episode "The Tale of the Mystical Mirror", the antagonist is an old witch/beauty shop owner who uses illusions to maintain the appearance of youth, but mirrors reveal her true age. When the protagonist investigates the witch's house after her friends who work at the shop go missing, she realizes something is wrong when she can't find any mirrors in the house. Clearly taken from the folklore surrounding Transylvanian (Romanian) Countess Erzebet (Elizabeth) Bathory.
** In "The Tale of the Captured Souls", Peter avoids mirrors or getting his picture taken by a camera. [[spoiler:Danny (the heroine) soon finds out through the mirror monitors in his secret laboratory that he is [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld really 100 years old]] and that he has killed off visitors by RapidAging using the [[FountainOfYouth laboratory's]] VampiricDraining mechanism.]] Partly inspired by Creator/OscarWilde's ''Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray'', or possibly by the concept that pictures steal bits of the soul.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'': As John Sheridan prepares to leave for Z'ha'dum, there's an odd scene where he recalls in flashback [[SpiritAdvisor (or is it a flashback?)]] the words of Kosh, who warned him against going. As the words are heard again, Kosh appears in the mirror over Sheridan's shoulder. Of course, had already been established that Sheriden had been TouchedByVorlons.
* ''Series/BestFriendsWhenever'': When Cyd and Shelby travel to a specific time, their appearances (in their and the viewers' point of view) don't change. But when they look in the mirror (and in the way everyone else sees them), they are in the bodies of their past/future selves. A {{Running Gag}} is that they always take a selfie in every timeline they are in that shows what they look like then. Cue to them jumping to the 70s in which their appearance doesn't change even their selfies, due to the fact that they jumped to a timeline where they don't even exist.
* ''Series/BeyondBeliefFactOrFiction'': "Mirror of Truth" has this. A vain woman goes to a make-up specialist, only to find the job done not to her expectations, insulting the owner and leaving without paying. The owner swiftly curses her to look as ugly as she is inside. Soon, her fiancé calls off the marriage, she tries to fix her face with creams and finally asks a professional surgeon for plastic surgery. The viewer never once sees her face ever since the moment her engagement is called off with her fiancé being unwilling to look her in the face, leading to wild expectations about how she looks. [[spoiler:She still is very beautiful, but when she looks in the mirror, she sees a disgustingly disfigured face staring back at her. The host suggests the curse allowed her to, in his own words, look into her soul and see the ugliness that existed there.]]
* ''Series/Charmed1998'' plays this straight or inverts it on several occasions:
** When a human is possessed by an alchemic life essence, the guest sees, and can speak to, the host's trapped soul on mirrors and other reflective surfaces; others see a normal reflection. This happens to a businessman and, later, Piper.
** When a Cupid projects Paige into [[spoiler: her husband]] Henry's mind, Henry sees Paige in the mirror.
** [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] when the sisters fake their death, they cast a glamour spell that makes them look as different people to anyone "but not those we call family". They (and the audience) see each other as their true selves, while all mirrors show the glamour.
* ''Series/DeadLikeMe'': The camera sees the main characters (who are all grim reapers who died in an accident or a murder) as they were in life; mirrors show how they look to the other characters. This change in appearance is to keep anyone who knew them in life from catching on.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E3ThePowerOfTheDaleks "The Power of the Daleks"]], Patrick Troughton's Doctor looks into a mirror and sees William Hartnell; a reassurance to an audience who've never seen a regeneration before that he is the same man.
** At the end of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E7AmysChoice "Amy's Choice"]], [[spoiler:the Doctor sees the Dream Lord, really the Doctor's dark side]] reflected in the glass of the TARDIS console for a moment.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E10VincentAndTheDoctor "Vincent and the Doctor"]]: The Doctor has a mirror that can identify various species, a gift from his godmother that has been sitting in the TARDIS junk-drawer for over a millennium. He quickly tests it on himself to see if it still works, leading it to bring up the First and Second Doctor before he puts it down satisfied with this field-test.
* In ''Series/Dracula2020'', even when he restores his appearance of youth by feeding on people, Dracula (at least to his own eyes) always appears as a withered old man in mirrors and other reflective surfaces. [[spoiler:Inverted with Lucy; while her reflection has her appear to be just as stunningly beautiful as she was in life, in the flesh she's... pretty much what you'd expect her to look like after being cremated]].
* ''Series/GoodOmens'': When the psychic Madame Tracy is possessed [[spoiler:by the angel Aziraphale]], she looks into a mirror and sees him looking back. He gives her a little wave.
* ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'': In "Protean Challenge", the shape-shifter Proteus is revealed in mirrors.
* ''Series/KamenRiderDragonKnight'': PlayedWith. [[BigBad General Xaviax]] approaches potential Riders disguised as a human, but when he glances at his reflection, his true form is revealed.
* ''Series/{{Lucifer|2016}}'' plays with it, where a GlamourFailure is often shown via a reflective surface but doesn't happen every time there's a mirror.
%%* ''Series/{{Merlin 2008}}'': Mary Collins' true form (evil old hag) is revealed in mirrors. It later was shown to happen with every magical disguise. The reflection shows the true form. Though for some reason very rarely characters are exposed via reflection. Usually, it is only shown to clue the ''viewers'' in. %% This may be a mix-up with ''Salem''. Someone who knows needs to sort this out.
* ''La Mujer en el Espejo'' (''The Woman in the Mirror''), a Latin-American {{telenovela}}, has an interesting variation: a magic mirror that "contains" the image of a beautiful woman. It can be used by women to take on her looks, but regular mirrors will still reflect their true appearance.
* ''Series/MythQuest'': Whenever Alex or Cleo go into a myth they see themselves and each other as they are, but the rest of the world and anything reflective shows them as the characters within the myth that they replace.
* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': When a young ogre is captured in the forest, Belle wants to be certain he's evil before taking drastic measures. While she goes to fetch a magic mirror that reveals the monster within, Gaston attacks the ogre while faking self-defense. The magic mirror reveals Gaston's true evil nature when his reflection, not the ogre's, show a red glow in his eyes.
* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': In "First Anniversary", aliens stranded on Earth are able to fool the senses of the men they marry into thinking that they are beautiful human women, changing outward appearances each time. After a year, the glamour power wears off as the humans become acclimated, able to see through any form. As one of the victims started to sense something was wrong, he was able to see his wife's true form for a second in the mirror of their bathroom.
* ''Series/QuantumLeap'': Inverted. On-screen, Sam appears as himself. But mirrors and reflective surfaces show the true appearance of whomever he's leaped into. [[spoiler:This startles him in the series finale when he sees himself in the mirror with gray hair]].
* ''{{Series/Salem}}'': Mary's reflection is that of an old hag, one she claims represents the state of her soul.
* ''Series/{{The Sandman|2022}}'', "[[Recap/TheSandman2022S01E11ADreamOfAThousandCatsCalliope Calliope]]": The three Fates visit Calliope in a room with a mirror. In several shots, one of the Three is seen reflected in the mirror, and each time the reflection is a different one of the Three than the one standing in front of it, signifying that all three are aspects of a single whole.
* ''Series/StargateUniverse'':
** Most common in the latest branch of the franchise, it's also been used elsewhere. Ancient tech allows two people to switch minds. The controller is the one whom we see. The controlled person is visible to the other characters, and in mirrors, TV feeds, photographs, ''etc''.
** That tech originated in ''Series/StargateSG1'', with Daniel and Vala looking into a mirror and discovering that they've been transported into other people's bodies.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': "Interface" starts with Geordi walking around. He then looks at a reflective surface, and we are shown a cylinder hovering in the reflection instead of the engineer. It turns out Geordi was using a telepresence system to move as if he was the drone. In this case, the mirror reveal is for the audience.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In "Infinite Regress", Seven of Nine starts exhibiting a peculiar form of split personalities in which she unwillingly channels others who were assimilated by the Borg; each time she does, a nearby reflective surface shows who she's becoming (a little girl, a Klingon warrior, etc.).
* The true face of several monsters in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' that can pass for humans (like wraiths, changelings, and sirens) are revealed by mirrors. In "Sam Interrupted", Dean is watching a mirror dome for a wraith he knows is in the building. However, the wraith has already infected him with a hallucinogen, so Dean ends up attacking the wrong man.
* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': In "Dead Man's Shoes", while possessing Maddie Duncan's body, Susan Montgomery sees her own reflection in the mirror instead of Maddie's.
* ''Series/TwinPeaks'' has two scenes where BOB showed up in the reflection of the person [[DemonicPossession he was possessing]]. Said mirrors tend to be [[RageAgainstTheReflection damaged]]. In ''[[{{Revival}} The Return]]'', it turns out BOB [[spoiler:was not controlling Cooper's body, just passively inhabiting the body of Cooper's EvilTwin]], but a look in the mirror briefly shows a fragment of his real face, confirming BOB is still there after all those years.
* ''Series/Warehouse13'': In "Fractures", Artie notices Alice Liddell's reflection in a serving tray carried by a hotel waitress. He and the other Warehouse agents realize they can use reflective surfaces to track Alice as she [[GrandTheftMe body jumps]] from one hotel guest to another.
* ''Series/TheXFiles'':
** "Dreamland" is a FreakyFridayFlip in which Mulder switches places with [[TheMenInBlack Man In Black]] Morris Fletcher. As in the ''Series/QuantumLeap'' example, the audience continues to see Mulder as Mulder, but his reflection reveals that everyone else sees him as Fletcher, and ''vice versa''.
** In "Chimera", every mirror at the crime scenes was shattered so the killer would not see her true self. She suppressed [[SplitPersonality this side of her personality]] and [[TheKillerInMe honestly was not aware that she was responsible for the murders]].
** "The Unnatural" is about an alien who falls in love with baseball, taking on the form of a Negro player in 1947 Roswell. At one stage while he's asleep another character sees his true [[TheGreys Grey alien face]] reflected in the window of the bus they're traveling on. The image disappears when he wakes up.

to:

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* ''Series/TheTenthKingdom'' used an inversion. The Queen used a hypnotic mirror which showed her merely standing behind Virginia, when in fact she was strangling her. It wasn't until Virginia glanced to the side and saw the truth in another mirror that she was able to break free.
* ''Series/ThirtyRock'':
** The show had an HD camera in one episode which shows the real you. Liz Lemon shows up as an old hag, Pete shows up as an old man, Kenneth the page shows up as a Muppet, and Jack Donaghy looks 20 years younger.
** Kenneth once mentioned that he sees only a white haze when he looks into a mirror.
* ''Series/YediYuz'': The episode "Hayatın Musikisi" plays with the concept in a rather innovative way. OÅŸa warns Pınar that seeing her own reflection will [[AchillesHeel break the "spell"]] that empowers confidence and decreases inhibitions, and she goes to drastic lengths to maintain the façade. However, under the musical trigger OÅŸa teaches her to use, Pınar ceases to be [[BeYourself her authentic self]]; she does not truly grow or improve, but is instead offered a figurative mask that projects the image she believes others want to see.
Myth/JapaneseMythology: This disparity is emphasized by the very song used to trigger her confidence mode, "Bambaşka Biri" (literally, "Somebody Different"), as well as its failure in the presence of Eray, who believed in Pınar and saw her strengths at the beginning of the story. Of course, Oşa's magical solution also [[SnakeOilSalesman turns usually how you can figure out to be a farce]]. Only through recognizing the truth can Pınar authentically empower herself and truly gain confidence.
* ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark'':
** The episode "The Tale of the Mystical Mirror", the antagonist
if someone you know is an old witch/beauty shop owner who uses illusions to maintain the appearance of youth, but mirrors reveal her true age. When the protagonist investigates the witch's house after her friends who work at the shop go missing, she realizes something is wrong when she can't find any mirrors in the house. Clearly taken from the folklore surrounding Transylvanian (Romanian) Countess Erzebet (Elizabeth) Bathory.
** In "The Tale of the Captured Souls", Peter avoids mirrors or getting his picture taken by
a camera. [[spoiler:Danny (the heroine) soon finds out through the mirror monitors in his secret laboratory that he is [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld really 100 years old]] and that he has killed off visitors by RapidAging using the [[FountainOfYouth laboratory's]] VampiricDraining mechanism.]] Partly inspired by Creator/OscarWilde's ''Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray'', or possibly by the concept that pictures steal bits of the soul.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'': As John Sheridan prepares to leave for Z'ha'dum, there's an odd scene where he recalls in flashback [[SpiritAdvisor (or is it a flashback?)]] the words of Kosh, who warned him against going. As the words are heard again, Kosh appears in the mirror over Sheridan's shoulder. Of course, had already been established that Sheriden had been TouchedByVorlons.
* ''Series/BestFriendsWhenever'': When Cyd and Shelby travel to a specific time, their appearances (in their and the viewers' point of view) don't change. But when
[[AsianFoxSpirit Kitsune]] as while they look in the normal to you, a mirror (and in the way everyone else sees them), they are in the bodies of their past/future selves. A {{Running Gag}} is that they always take a selfie in every timeline they are in that shows what they look like then. Cue really are. However, according to them jumping to some, the 70s in which their appearance mirror has to be an old one.
* Likewise, the same works for vampires, that is, because, they [[TheSoulless don't have souls]], they [[MissingReflection don't have reflections]] unless the mirror
doesn't change even their selfies, due to the fact that they jumped to have a timeline where they don't even exist.
* ''Series/BeyondBeliefFactOrFiction'': "Mirror of Truth" has this. A vain woman goes to a make-up specialist, only to find the job done not to her expectations, insulting the owner and leaving without paying. The owner swiftly curses her to look as ugly as she is inside. Soon, her fiancé calls off the marriage, she tries to fix her face with creams and finally asks a professional surgeon for plastic surgery. The viewer never once sees her face ever since the moment her engagement is called off with her fiancé being unwilling to look her in the face, leading to wild expectations about how she looks. [[spoiler:She still is very beautiful, but when she looks in the mirror, she sees a disgustingly disfigured face staring back at her. The host suggests the curse allowed her to, in his own words, look into her soul and see the ugliness that existed there.]]
* ''Series/Charmed1998'' plays this straight or inverts it on several occasions:
** When a human is possessed by an alchemic life essence, the guest sees, and can speak to, the host's trapped soul on mirrors and other reflective surfaces; others see a normal reflection. This happens to a businessman and, later, Piper.
** When a Cupid projects Paige into [[spoiler: her husband]] Henry's mind, Henry sees Paige in the mirror.
** [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] when the sisters fake their death, they cast a glamour spell that makes them look as different people to anyone "but not those we call family". They (and the audience) see each other as their true selves, while all mirrors show the glamour.
* ''Series/DeadLikeMe'': The camera sees the main characters (who are all grim reapers who died in an accident or a murder) as they were in life; mirrors show how they look to the other characters. This change in appearance is to keep anyone who knew them in life from catching on.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E3ThePowerOfTheDaleks "The Power of the Daleks"]], Patrick Troughton's Doctor looks into a mirror and sees William Hartnell; a reassurance to an audience who've never seen a regeneration before that he is the same man.
** At the end of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E7AmysChoice "Amy's Choice"]], [[spoiler:the Doctor sees the Dream Lord, really the Doctor's dark side]] reflected in the glass of the TARDIS console for a moment.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E10VincentAndTheDoctor "Vincent and the Doctor"]]: The Doctor has a mirror that can identify various species, a gift from his godmother that has been sitting in the TARDIS junk-drawer for over a millennium. He quickly tests it on himself to see if it still works, leading it to bring up the First and Second Doctor before he puts it down satisfied with this field-test.
* In ''Series/Dracula2020'', even when he restores his appearance of youth by feeding on people, Dracula (at least to his own eyes) always appears as a withered old man in mirrors and other reflective surfaces. [[spoiler:Inverted with Lucy; while her reflection has her appear to be just as stunningly beautiful as she was in life, in the flesh she's... pretty much what you'd expect her to look like after being cremated]].
* ''Series/GoodOmens'': When the psychic Madame Tracy is possessed [[spoiler:by the angel Aziraphale]], she looks into a mirror and sees him looking back. He gives her a little wave.
* ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'': In "Protean Challenge", the shape-shifter Proteus is revealed in mirrors.
* ''Series/KamenRiderDragonKnight'': PlayedWith. [[BigBad General Xaviax]] approaches potential Riders disguised as a human, but when he glances at his reflection, his true form is revealed.
* ''Series/{{Lucifer|2016}}'' plays with it, where a GlamourFailure is often shown via a reflective surface but doesn't happen every time there's a mirror.
%%* ''Series/{{Merlin 2008}}'': Mary Collins' true form (evil old hag) is revealed in mirrors. It later was shown to happen with every magical disguise. The reflection shows the true form. Though for some reason very rarely characters are exposed via reflection. Usually, it is only shown to clue the ''viewers'' in. %% This may be a mix-up with ''Salem''. Someone who knows needs to sort this out.
* ''La Mujer en el Espejo'' (''The Woman in the Mirror''), a Latin-American {{telenovela}}, has an interesting variation: a magic mirror that "contains" the image of a beautiful woman. It can be used by women to take on her looks, but regular mirrors will still reflect their true appearance.
* ''Series/MythQuest'': Whenever Alex or Cleo go into a myth they see themselves and each other as they are, but the rest of the world and anything reflective shows them as the characters within the myth that they replace.
* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': When a young ogre is captured in the forest, Belle wants to be certain he's evil before taking drastic measures. While she goes to fetch a magic mirror that reveals the monster within, Gaston attacks the ogre while faking self-defense. The magic mirror reveals Gaston's true evil nature when his reflection, not the ogre's, show a red glow in his eyes.
* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': In "First Anniversary", aliens stranded on Earth are able to fool the senses of the men they marry into thinking that they are beautiful human women, changing outward appearances each time. After a year, the glamour power wears off as the humans become acclimated, able to see through any form. As one of the victims started to sense something was wrong, he was able to see his wife's true form for a second in the mirror of their bathroom.
* ''Series/QuantumLeap'': Inverted. On-screen, Sam appears as himself. But mirrors and reflective surfaces show the true appearance of whomever he's leaped into. [[spoiler:This startles him in the series finale when he sees himself in the mirror with gray hair]].
* ''{{Series/Salem}}'': Mary's reflection is that of an old hag, one she claims represents the state of her soul.
* ''Series/{{The Sandman|2022}}'', "[[Recap/TheSandman2022S01E11ADreamOfAThousandCatsCalliope Calliope]]": The three Fates visit Calliope in a room with a mirror. In several shots, one of the Three is seen reflected in the mirror, and each time the reflection is a different one of the Three than the one standing in front of it, signifying that all three are aspects of a single whole.
* ''Series/StargateUniverse'':
** Most common in the latest branch of the franchise, it's also been used elsewhere. Ancient tech allows two people to switch minds. The controller is the one whom we see. The controlled person is visible to the other characters, and in mirrors, TV feeds, photographs, ''etc''.
** That tech originated in ''Series/StargateSG1'', with Daniel and Vala looking into a mirror and discovering that they've been transported into other people's bodies.
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': "Interface" starts with Geordi walking around. He then looks at a reflective surface, and we are shown a cylinder hovering in the reflection instead of the engineer. It turns out Geordi was using a telepresence system to move as if he was the drone. In this case, the mirror reveal is for the audience.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': In "Infinite Regress", Seven of Nine starts exhibiting a peculiar form of split personalities in which she unwillingly channels others who were assimilated by the Borg; each time she does, a nearby reflective surface shows who she's becoming (a little girl, a Klingon warrior, etc.).
* The true face of several monsters in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' that can pass for humans (like wraiths, changelings, and sirens) are revealed by mirrors. In "Sam Interrupted", Dean is watching a mirror dome for a wraith he knows is in the building. However, the wraith has already infected him with a hallucinogen, so Dean ends up attacking the wrong man.
* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': In "Dead Man's Shoes", while possessing Maddie Duncan's body, Susan Montgomery sees her own reflection in the mirror instead of Maddie's.
* ''Series/TwinPeaks'' has two scenes where BOB showed up in the reflection of the person [[DemonicPossession he was possessing]]. Said mirrors tend to be [[RageAgainstTheReflection damaged]]. In ''[[{{Revival}} The Return]]'', it turns out BOB [[spoiler:was not controlling Cooper's body, just passively inhabiting the body of Cooper's EvilTwin]], but a look in the mirror briefly shows a fragment of his real face, confirming BOB is still there after all those years.
* ''Series/Warehouse13'': In "Fractures", Artie notices Alice Liddell's reflection in a serving tray carried by a hotel waitress. He and the other Warehouse agents realize they can use reflective surfaces to track Alice as she [[GrandTheftMe body jumps]] from one hotel guest to another.
* ''Series/TheXFiles'':
** "Dreamland" is a FreakyFridayFlip in which Mulder switches places with [[TheMenInBlack Man In Black]] Morris Fletcher. As in the ''Series/QuantumLeap'' example, the audience continues to see Mulder as Mulder, but his reflection reveals that everyone else sees him as Fletcher, and ''vice versa''.
** In "Chimera", every mirror at the crime scenes was shattered so the killer would not see her true self. She suppressed [[SplitPersonality this side of her personality]] and [[TheKillerInMe honestly was not aware that she was responsible for the murders]].
** "The Unnatural" is about an alien who falls in love with baseball, taking on the form of a Negro player in 1947 Roswell. At one stage while he's asleep another character sees his true [[TheGreys Grey alien face]] reflected in the window of the bus they're traveling on. The image disappears when he wakes up.
[[SilverHasMysticPowers silver]] backing.



[[folder:Music]]
* ''Music/{{Quadrophenia}}'': The album cover has each of the mirrors on Jimmy's scooter showing a different face (one of each member of The Who, each representing one of his personalities).
* ''Mirror of Souls'' by Christian progressive-power metal band Theocracy zig-zags this. The protagonist goes through a hall of mirrors that create flattering reflections of his good qualities. Later he encounters the titular Mirror of Souls, the very eyes of God, which reveals his true nature: a corpse ravaged by sin. After he pleads for salvation, the Mirror reflects Christ in his place.

to:

[[folder:Music]]
[[folder:Pinball]]
* ''Music/{{Quadrophenia}}'': The album cover has each of backglass for Creator/DataEastPinball's ''Pinball/TalesFromTheCrypt'' shows a woman standing before a mirror, where the mirrors on Jimmy's scooter showing a different face (one of each member of The Who, each representing one of his personalities).
* ''Mirror of Souls'' by Christian progressive-power metal band Theocracy zig-zags this. The protagonist goes through a hall of mirrors that create flattering reflections of his good qualities. Later he encounters the titular Mirror of Souls, the very eyes of God, which
reflection reveals her to be a zombie.
* ''[[Pinball/TheWhosTommy The Who's Tommy]]'' shows the adult Tommy looking into a mirror, and seeing
his true nature: a corpse ravaged by sin. After he pleads for salvation, the Mirror reflects Christ in his place.innocent childhood self reflected inside.



[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* Myth/JapaneseMythology: This is usually how you can figure out if someone you know is a [[AsianFoxSpirit Kitsune]] as while they look normal to you, a mirror shows what they really are. However, according to some, the mirror has to be an old one.
* Likewise, the same works for vampires, that is, because, they [[TheSoulless don't have souls]], they [[MissingReflection don't have reflections]] unless the mirror doesn't have a [[SilverHasMysticPowers silver]] backing.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pinball]]
* The backglass for Creator/DataEastPinball's ''Pinball/TalesFromTheCrypt'' shows a woman standing before a mirror, where the reflection reveals her to be a zombie.
* ''[[Pinball/TheWhosTommy The Who's Tommy]]'' shows the adult Tommy looking into a mirror, and seeing his innocent childhood self reflected inside.
[[/folder]]



[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/TheBlackCauldron'', TheFairFolk give you a magic mirror that shows the true nature of anyone who looks into it, and has a different message if used when the party members from the movie are around. One way to defeat the Horned King is to show him a magic mirror. He will be so horrified at his own evil that he'll jump into the Cauldron and kill himself!
* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'':
** The Ammit Cryas is a truth grimoire in the form of a mirror - its power is to show the true self of its current wielder, but if held too long the wielder may be drawn into it. Three characters are known to have held it. In order:
** Makoto was completely unaltered in the reflection of the mirror. Presumably, tumultuous origins notwithstanding, she has nothing to hide.
** Kajun Faycott, one of two ''Remix Heart'' characters, is reflected in a lab coat standing alongside Professor Kokonoe, denoting her allegiance to Sector Seven.
** Mai Natsume, the other ''Remix Heart'' character, is reflected as a male shadow - she loses her hold on the mirror before the full truth could be revealed.
** When Relius uses his Astral Heat on Terumi, we see a mirror standing behind him showing his true ghost form.
* Inverted in one of the possible quests in the video/PC game ''VideoGame/{{Darkstone}}''. A witch has cursed the women of a local village to turn to stone if they ever become more beautiful than she is. Since she looks to be about three million years old, all the women are statuary. Your character must visit the local dungeon and find a perfectly normal-looking man who is convinced that he's ugly as sin, so has come down to find the Fountain of Youth in order to hopefully fix the problem. Turns out that his real problem is that he's been using something called the Mirror of Lies, which makes beautiful people appear ugly and vice-versa. After getting it from him in exchange for a normal mirror, your character gives the Mirror of Lies to the witch, fooling her into believing that she's young and gorgeous again, so she releases the spell on the village.
* ''VideoGame/{{Celeste}}'': The story's antagonist is introduced on the opposite side of a mirror...and then the mirror breaks.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' games:
** The Mirror of Ra appears in several games. Whenever it appears, it's always used to reveal something's true form.
** In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestII'', it's used to break a BalefulPolymorph by revealing that [[spoiler: the dog who follows you around in one village is actually the cursed Princess of Moonbrooke]].
** In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'', it reveals the true identity of the Orochi and exposes a FakeKing plot.
** In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'', it's used to SpotTheImposter after [[spoiler: the [[UnwittingPawn Queen Dowager]] confronts her doppelganger]].
** In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'', Ashlynn seeks the Mirror of Ra because she hopes [[spoiler: it can break whatever's causing her invisibility]]. Unlike other examples in the series, this ''doesn't'' immediately cause the mirror to break, because it's later used [[spoiler: against the evil dream king to reveal his true identity, and the real evil king to prevent him from launching you into the dream world again.]]
* ''VideoGame/FallenLondon'' Servants at the palace are only allowed to look upon the royal children's reflections, which show their human appearance, rather than directly at their [[EldritchAbomination actual physical form]]. Though it's debatable which one is really their "true" form at this point.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' plays with this a bit. The player's character, Cecil [[spoiler:travels to Mt. Ordeals in order to become a paladin. Upon reaching the summit, he enters a mirrored chamber where he is removed of his dark armor and becomes a paladin. However, his reflection in the mirror does not change and he must defeat his Dark Knight self in battle as his trial... Or rather, let his Dark Knight self-defeat himself through self-harming attacks]].
** This turns out to be a bad idea. [[spoiler:Rejecting a part of who you truly are, no matter how wrong it is and how well you seal it away, can result in some serious mental damage due to suppressing who you are. In the sequel, an alternate personality starts attacking people until Cecil comes to terms with the fact that he is both a Paladin AND a Dark Knight.]]
* During Nimdok's scenario in ''VideoGame/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream'', he comes across project PERFECT IMAGE, a Nazi project which shows you yourself with utter objectivity. Not only does it [[spoiler:show Nimdok the truth of his Jewish heritage]], but it's also implied to be [[spoiler:the true reason Hitler committed suicide]], and more directly used to [[spoiler:incapacitate Mengele with a single glance at the mirror, being left immobilized by the idea that his soul could be "so... ''black''..."]].
* A [[GoodBadBug glitch]] causes this to happen in ''VideoGame/JakIIRenegade''. When looking in the mirror behind the bar in the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon, Jak's reflection has the horns of his [[SuperpoweredEvilSide dark form]]. They flicker in and out as he moves.
* ''VideoGame/KingsQuest'':
** In ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow'', there is a mirror with this quality; depending on which path you take, it can be used in one of two different ways. The basic good ending has Alexander using it to SpotTheImposter by forcing a genie to resume his true form. The best ending has him use it against Death himself, forcing him to witness the horror of his own existence, causing him to shed a single tear and lose his wager against Alexander.
** ''VideoGame/KingsQuest2015'' Chapter 3 introduces a magic canvas that functions the same way. King Graham, for example, is still the fresh-faced young man he was back in Chapter 1, while Hagatha is revealed to be [[spoiler:a beautiful princess]]. It comes back in Chapter 4, where it reveals that the Sphinx is [[spoiler:Manannan]].
* ''VideoGame/LittleNightmares'': This is implied to be the reason the Lady's lair is full of broken mirrors; in the DLC ''Secrets of the Maw'', the Runaway Kid gets a look at the Lady's reflection when her mask is off, and though her model has a beautiful doll-like face her reflection is flabby, wrinkled, and hideous.
* In ''VideoGame/LollipopChainsaw'', Mariska possesses Rosalyn to lure Juliet and Nick into a trap. Mariska appears when "Rosalyn" is in front of their bus' rear-view mirror. This is only for the audience's benefit because Juliet and Nick don't notice before Mariska gets the drop on them.
* There's a magic mirror in ''VideoGame/LufiaIIRiseOfTheSinistrals'' which shows the truth about anyone who looks into it. People use it to [[MundaneUtility find out if their spouses have been faithful to them]]. [[spoiler: When Iris looks into the mirror, she (and the player) sees her true form as Erim.]]
* At one point in ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'', your party comes across an item called Althena's Mirror, and uses it soon afterward to expose Xenobia, who had been posing as [[spoiler:Lemia, head of the Vane Magic Guild (the real one was captured and imprisoned)]].
* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'', under the right lighting conditions, [[spoiler:Venom Snake's reflection on the window of the Aerial Command Center will flash the image of the character created at the start of the game, foreshadowing that Venom is not the real Big Boss but rather Big Boss' top medic in MSF, whose previous appearance is said character.]]
** [[spoiler:This is more blatantly shown at the end of the mission "Truth: The Man Who Sold The World", where Venom Snake examines himself in a bathroom mirror and his reflection suddenly transforms into that of the Medic. In the same scene his reflection also briefly morphs into his [[BloodIsTheNewBlack "Demon Snake"]] form.]]
* In the second-to-last level of ''VideoGame/MonumentValley'', the main character walks past a mirror in which she is reflected as a white bird. [[spoiler:At the end of the last level, she transforms back into one as a reward for returning all the Sacred Geometries she stole.]]
* Fittingly for the ''Mask of the Betrayer'' campaign for ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'', you find a LightAndMirrorsPuzzle in the Red Wizard academy which does the job of one of these mirrors. For you companions it shows a secret aspect of them which even they might not be aware of, but for the PC you get to see them in the eponymous mask.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Omori}}'':
** On occasion, if you glance at a mirror Omori and his friends' faces will distort moments before cutting away, [[spoiler:hinting at Omori's sinister nature and how his friends are all fabrications.]]
** [[spoiler:From time to time if you look in a mirror as Sunny, he'll see Something behind him, or other apparitions of a hanged Mari looming behind him. This comes to a peak in Black Space -- after Sunny is forced to confront the truth behind Mari's death, he perceives himself as a demonic being when he looks in the mirror near the end.]]
** [[spoiler:If you're on the Hikkikomori Route in the real world, you are still controlling Sunny, but looking in the mirror will reflect Omori in Sunny's place, monochrome palette and all, showing that Omori has completely taken over.]]
* In ''VideoGame/Persona3'', you have to break the mirrors that ''don't'' show your reflection in order to get to the Lovers boss chamber.
* In ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryII'', the Enchantress Aziza uses water magic to reflect the true image of the Hero of Spielburg's pack animal, to reveal that it is actually the missing Emir of Raseir.
* In ''VideoGame/RuleOfRose'' a bathroom mirror on the Airship shows, not the protagonist's "true" form, but the environment's; it shows the orphanage that is the Airship's true face.
* In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'', you have to find Mot before you can engage in his battle. He disguises himself as a statue and hides among the other statues. [[spoiler:The trick to finding him is that the floor that the statues are on is a reflective surface. Mot is the statue that isn't reflected on the floor.]]
* ...and in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'', you have to use a magical mirror to unmask Amaterasu, break her out of the illusion she's trapped in, and allow her to return home. (There's some GeniusBonus here for those familiar with Shinto mythology: A mirror was a key item in the Gods' ploy to draw Amaterasu out of the cave she was hiding in and get her to return to the heavens.)
* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'', any character possessed by Dhaos has a [[TheGrimReaper Grim Reaper]] figure floating above their mirror reflection. Early on, Cress exploits this when Rhea and Demitel confront each other to find out who is responsible for destroying Harmel village.
* Though it's often forgotten about, Eiki Shiki from ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' possesses a mirror that reflects the viewer's past deeds. She can also use it to pit the viewer against a copy of herself.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'':
** For most part, if you look in a mirror, the text reads "It's you." If you do so near the end of your journey, it reads "Despite everything, it's still you." [[spoiler:Contrast with the Genocide route, where the mirrors would read back "'''It's me, [name].'''" When the red text becomes a lot more personal than the other runs, it shows that some other personality is taking over.]]
** A DummiedOut example includes a set of water reflection sprites for this, [[spoiler:showing the Fallen Child's reflection instead of Frisk's]], but the flag that causes this to occur can only be set through DebugMode, and even then only works in a single room in Waterfall. Presumably, it was intended to be used [[spoiler:after completing a KillEmAll run and selling your SOUL]], but given that it was scrapped, it's impossible to say for certain.
* In ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeRedemption'', vampires have normal reflections in mirrors, except for members of the Lasombra clan. Fittingly, the only member of that clan encountered in the game has a haven with wall-sized mirrors to play up that fact (as well as many painted portraits, the only way the Lasombra can still see their own faces).
* In ''VideoGame/TokyoAfterschoolSummoners'':
** Bael, a Transient from Gehenna and member of the Eastern Rule Makers. The wings in his 5 star unit variant depicts that underneath his facade of sophistication hides what he truly is: a sadistic, envious, vicious monster who only cares about himself.
[[/folder]]



[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'': Al has to find a mirror like this in a room full of magic mirrors which all show something different. He finds it when he notices that his reflection is wearing his "street rat" clothes instead of the princely robes he has on. Then Iago sets off the trap because he thinks the mirror that depicts himself covered in jewelry must be the one.
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': In "Baby Doll", the main antagonist suffers from a condition that kept her from aging. Despite being well over 30, she physically looks younger than a pre-teen. When the Dark Knight chases her into a house of mirrors, she stumbles across one that reflects what she would look like under "normal" circumstances.
* ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'': When Carla Delgado is turned into a peasant girl by Shuriki, mirrors will still reflect her real form; thus she has to avoid mirrors and anything reflective to avoid being caught.
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': In "Soos and the Real Girl", while [[{{Yandere}} Giffany]] possesses an animatronic beaver, her true self appears on the screens of arcade machines when she walks past them.
* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'': In season 2, whenever Shendu possesses someone, his host can see his face in the mirror.
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': In "Paradise Lost", when Wonder Woman and Superman find an ancient artifact, they start seeing each other as monsters and fighting, thinking that the "monster" had done something to their friend. Superman is the first to catch on upon seeing Wonder Woman's reflection in a fountain and stops fighting altogether, allowing Diana, still seeing him as the monster, to mercilessly pummel him. It's not until the "monster" points to a mirror that she looks and sees she was fighting Supes all along.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda1989'': In "Dopplelganger", Ganon uses a magic mirror to kidnap Zelda and replace her with an EvilTwin that would try to trick Link into giving up the Triforce of Wisdom. However, Link is able to learn early on that he is not with the real Zelda when, as the two ride their horses past a body of water, he notices that Zelda's reflection is missing.
* ''WesternAnimation/PepperAnn'': In "My Mother, Myself", Pepper Ann and her mother experience a FreakyFridayFlip, and P.A.-as-Lydia sees a reflection of her normal self ([[TheManInTheMirrorTalksBack who talks to her very often, by the way]]).
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePiratesOfDarkWater'': In one episode, Bloth used a magical artifact to [[FreakyFridayFlip swap bodies with Ren]], as well as having Konk swap bodies with Niddler. However, while in the other person's body, their reflection still shows who they really are.
* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': In "Jack and Swamp Monster", [[BigBad Aku]] disguises himself as a hermit so Jack can lead him to the gems and armour of Cronos which he will use to destroy Jack. As they're rafting down the river Aku looks into the water and sees his normal form reflected in the water, so he summons a [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext giant hovering alligator]] as their transport so Jack won't see it. [[spoiler: It didn't matter anyway, because Aku's PaperThinDisguise never fooled Jack in the first place]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "Brick Like Me", [[BuiltWithLEGO LEGO Homer]] starts seeing the real Homer in reflective surfaces after having a vision of his reality, where he was bonding with Lisa over LEGO construction sets. At one point, he yells at his reflection on the front window of the LEGO world's Kwik-E-Mart, causing him to be MistakenForRacist by [[AsianStoreOwner LEGO Apu]].
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
** In [[Recap/StevenUniverseS4E16StormInTheRoom "Storm in the Room"]], Steven enters Rose's room and asks to see his mother, who appears. Eventually, he takes out his phone to take a picture of them together, but the screen shows him standing alone in a black void, reminding him that she (and everything else in the room) is simply a construct drawn from his own mind.
** In [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E12JungleMoon "Jungle Moon"]], Stevonnie camps out in a long-abandoned Diamond base and [[DreamingOfTimesGoneBy dreams of a scene that took place there when it was still in use]]. Stevonnie plays the role of [[spoiler:Pink Diamond]], which is revealed when they view their own reflection in a glass window.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985'': This was true of the original series shape-shifter Mumm-Ra; when powered-up, mirrors and reflective surfaces would show him as the old wizened mummy that was his base form, depowering him and causing him to have to flee to his pyramid. Unfortunately, at the beginning of Season 4, the Thundercats ticked off the Ancient Spirits of Evil so much the Spirits not only rebuilt Mumm-Ra's destroyed pyramid, they powered him up so reflections showed his battle or wizened form as appropriate, and he was no longer depowered by seeing his reflection.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Trollz}}'': Reflections show the true forms behind magical disguises, including mirrors and reflections in water.
[[/folder]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* ''Series/{{The Sandman|2022}}'', "[[Recap/TheSandman2022S01E11ADreamOfAThousandCatsCalliope Calliope]]": The three Fates visit Calliope in a room with a mirror. In several shots, one of the Three is seen reflected in the mirror, and each time the reflection is a different one of the Three than the one standing in front of it, signifying that all three are aspects of a single whole.

Added: 386

Changed: 363

Removed: 163

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* ''WesternAnimation/TheScarecrow'': Count Grisham ends up exposing Feathertop as a scarecrow while using mirrors in an attempt to force Feathertop to look at him.



* ''Film/{{Thor}}'': Used at the very end of the film to show that [[spoiler: Dr. Selvig is being controlled by Loki]].
* In ''Film/ThorLoveAndThunder'', when [[spoiler:the resurrected]] Love walks to Gorr's side, [[spoiler:her mirror image in the lake is filled with stars and galaxies like Eternity, hinting at her newly empowered nature.]]

to:

* ''Franchise/TheMightyThor'':
**
''Film/{{Thor}}'': Used at the very end of the film to show that [[spoiler: Dr. Selvig is being controlled by Loki]].
* ** In ''Film/ThorLoveAndThunder'', when [[spoiler:the resurrected]] Love walks to Gorr's side, [[spoiler:her mirror image in the lake is filled with stars and galaxies like Eternity, hinting at her newly empowered nature.]]



* ''WesternAnimation/TheScarecrow'': Count Grisham ends up exposing Feathertop as a scarecrow while using mirrors in an attempt to force Feathertop to look at him.

Top