History Main / TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf

* The ''Series/QuantumLeap'' version is used in the IDW ''Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse'' story "Connections" when characters from ''Film/StarTrek2009'' start BodySwapping with their ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' counterparts. We see Chris-Pine-in-William-Shatner's-body as Pine, the reflection shows the Shat.

A modern variation has the true form of glamour users revealed by a security camera, since glamour meant to fool human minds won't work on a [[DisabilitySuperpower mindless machine]].

* ''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]].

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

* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' Season 2: whenever Shendu possesses someone, his host can see his face in the mirror.

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

* 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.
* 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]].
* 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 ''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.

* ''Series/YediYuz'': The episode "Hayatın Musikisi" plays with the concept in a rather innovative way. Oşa 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 Oşa 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, "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 out to be a farce]]. Only through recognizing the truth can Pınar authentically empower herself and truly gain confidence.

* The backglass for Creator/DataEastPinball's ''Pinball/TalesFromTheCrypt'' shows a woman standing before a mirror, where the reflection reveals her to be a zombie.

* ''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.
* 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.]]
* ''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''..."]].

* 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.]]

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' [[spoiler:under the right lighting conditions, Venom Snake's reflection on the chopper window 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 the Medic, whose previous appearance is said character]].
* 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.]]

* 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.
* ''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 ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', this is implied (and in the seventh arc stated) to be the reason why Beatrice is repelled by mirrors. [[spoiler:Sayo Yasuda, Beatrice's true identity, hates mirrors because mirrors don't acknowledge her make-believe appearance and remind Sayo that she's not the powerful witch she pretends to be. Thus, in the story, the camera will always show which personality of Sayo's is being depicted instead of her true appearance. Sayo's actual image is never seen in the visual novel.]]

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', the mirror door can [[https://www.egscomics.com/comic/party-214 show people as though they are not enchanted with a transformation]] if they are under one.

* One scene in ''WebAnimation/MysterySkullsAnimated: Ghost'' shows the trio pass by a set of mirrors. Vivi's reflection has no eyes, Arthur's doesn't show his ([[ArtificialLimbs prosthetic]]) left arm, and Mystery's mirror ''shatters''. [[spoiler: This actually serves as {{foreshadowing}} towards the backstory the group shares: Vivi suffered a HeroicBSOD (and quite possibly [[LaserGuidedAmnesia amnesia]]) after the death of her boyfriend and the group's fourth member, Arthur lost his arm to DemonicPossession and was the one who ''killed'' said boyfriend (unwillingly; again, DemonicPossession), and Mystery [[AnimalisticAbomination isn't a dog]].]]

* WebVideo/ChrisRayGun: The "personality" variant shows up in "Punch a Nazi"; the music video's protagonist looks in the mirror and sees themselves dressed as [[ThoseWackyNazis an SS Officer]], who claims to be them, "but more honest."

* ''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 original form. Though in Moka's case, [[spoiler:the Rosario still affects Inner Moka and keeps her powers locked up]].
* ''Anime/{{Ulysses 31}}'' 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 ''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.
* In ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'', having an independent reflection who can talk is the first revealing stage of possession [[spoiler: by a goddess]].

* In the prologue of ''LightNovel/{{Vamp}}'', a shape-shifter's reflection in a window is used to deduce his true form.
* 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.

* ''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.
* ''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.
* 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.

* ''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.
* 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.]]

* The way ComicBook/TheHood found out the source of his powers was [[DimensionLord Dread Dormammu]] was when the demon suddenly replaced his reflection in the mirror. Later Dormammu's preferred way of communication with Parker was to replace half of his reflection in the mirror, as a metaphor of their connection.
* When he first showed up, [[BigBad Dodge]] from ''ComicBook/LockeAndKey'' showed up as a corpse in mirrors. This doesn't seem to be a problem once he's out of the well, though.

* Inverted in ''[[ComicBook/{{Vibe}} Justice League of America's Vibe]]''. Vibe's powers also make him appear as a blur in any photographs or recordings of him, concealing his identity from cameras.

* ''ComicBook/CaballisticsInc'': The demon possessing Miss Simmons is visible in a reflection.
* ''ComicBook/DarkNightATrueBatmanStory'' tells the story of Creator/PaulDini's traumatic mugging in the '90s and his struggle to recover afterwards. Throughout the story, the images of various members of Franchise/{{Batman}}'s rogues gallery appear as {{Anthropomorphic Personification}}s of Dini's hang-ups and issues. ComicBook/TwoFace represents his scars, both physical and mental, from the injuries he received, and his first appearance has him staring at Dini in place of his own reflection.

* ''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.

* 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/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.
* In ''Film/SamsonVsTheVampireWomen'', lady vampires actually cast reflections, but the mirror shows them as ancient crones with a bad skin condition.
* ''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/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.
* ''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/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.
* ''Film/{{Supergirl}}'': 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."
* In ''Film/ItChapterTwo'' show thst 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/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.
* 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.

* 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.
* ''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.]]

* 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.
* ''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 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).

* 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.

* 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 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.

-->''Mirror, mirror, what's behind you?''
-->''Save me from the things I see''
-->''I can keep it from the world''
-->''Why won't you let me hide from me?''

* ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'': The Lilith Mirror does this, and even reverts the viewer back into his/her/its original form. Though in Moka's case, [[spoiler:the Rosario still affects Inner Moka and keeps her powers locked up]].

[[quoteright:329:[[TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lichs_mirror.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:329:The Lich's Mirror shows not what you ''are'' but what you ''{{w|hatHaveIBecome}}ere''.]]

'''Engywook:''' Oh, that's what everyone thinks! But kind people find out that they are cruel. Brave men discover that they are really cowards! [[GoMadFromTheRevelation Confronted by their true selves, most men run away screaming!]]

* DummiedOut in ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}''. There's 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.

'''Engywook:''' Oh, that's what everyone thinks! But kind people find out that they are cruel. Brave men discover that they are really cowards! Confronted by their true selves, most men run away screaming!

* ''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 ''freaks the hell out''.

* In ''WebAnimation/RWBY,'' Weiss Schee's ImageSong "Mirror, Mirror" alludes to this trope, hinting at her insecurities and loneliness.

A subtrope of MagicMirror, GlamourFailure, and LieToTheBeholder. Compare TheShadowKnows. Contrast MissingReflection, where the mirror shows nothing at all.

* Likewise, the same works for vampires, that is, because, they don't have souls, they don't have reflections unless the mirror doesn't have a silver backing.

* The anime adaptation of ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' has a variation when [[spoiler:Sophia sees Atsuko (the girl she's a reincarnation o) in her reflection when the latter's memories briefly come to the surface.]]