History Main / UnreliableExpositor

* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'':
** Yuki, Mikuru, and Koizumi all have different explanations for what's going on, and it's never confirmed which one is right. They could be lying or just wrong, but Yuki states outright that each of their theories is incompatible with the other two.
** Koizumi is Kyon's primary source of exposition, but he's the worst of the three. In addition to throwing out theories and then pretending it was all just a joke, what he actually believes is still the most suspect, since much of it was just placed in his brain by Haruhi's subconscious. Mikuru is from the future, so she at least knows the world will survive to her time, and Yuki is an alien interface created by a nearly omniscient data entity, but neither of them talks much (Mikuru is brainwashed to be unable to say anything important, and Yuki just doesn't talk much).

* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnlineAlternativeGunGaleOnline'', Goshi "M" Asougi is the one who tells the story about how he met Pitohui in real life. While Goshi's honest enough to admit that he was [[StalkerWithACrush stalking]] Pito when he first met her, he lies about Pito's occupation- [[spoiler:he says that she was a waitress taking night courses in business school, when in reality, she's the famous singer Elza Kanzaki]]- in order to prevent Karen "LLENN" Kohiruimaki from guessing Pito's real identity. As such, it's unclear how much else he deliberately changed to keep Pito's true identity secret.

*** The expositor in question is drawing from [[CriticalResearchFailure incomplete]] sources. There are some 5000+ years of history in Nirn that have passed before the main series even takes place. Before that, there was the Dawn Era, very much a TimeOfMyths before linear time even applied. Historical details have been lost, along with entire cultures and races, in that time. In many cases, something you find or do in-game turns up new and contradictory information than what is recorded in the "official" histories.

** ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'': After the Mastermind is revealed, they swiftly prove themselves as this, battering the survivors of the DeadlyGame with truckloads of information. Plenty of {{Awful Truth}}s are mixed in there, enough to leave even the player rattled and wondering how much is true and how much is being edited/deliberately phrased in misleading ways/left out/just the result of their [[DespairEventHorizon desire for despair]].

*** Possibly by virtue of {{Retcon}}, the "Twilight Syndrome" video game, which claims to portray an actual murder involving some of the students in the second game, comes off as this. [[spoiler:''Anime/Danganronpa3'' seems to imply that Mahiru was not actually responsible for destroying evidence to protect Sato (who'd killed Fuyuhiko's sister), which would mean that Fuyuhiko had no reason for him to want Mahiru dead as an accomplice to Sato's crime.]]

*** After the third trial's culprit's conviction, [[spoiler: Mikan reveals that she regained her memories of being [[ApocalypseCult a Remnant of Despair]], and declares the Future Foundation to be their enemy with the others taking her word as gospel despite the fact that she murdered two of their friends in cold blood. ''Technically'' [[MetaphoricallyTrue she wasn't lying]], considering that [[AmnesiacDissonance this was true before their]] {{deprogramming}}, but thanks to [[BigGood Makoto]]'s efforts this was no longer the case.]]
*** The BigBad [[spoiler:Junko Enoshima]] informed everyone that [[spoiler:Hajime's alternate persona Izuru Kamukura was a mass-murdering serial killer]], and at the time there wasn't any contradicting evidence. However, [[Anime/Danganronpa3 later material]] showed that [[spoiler:Izuru was framed for practically all of "his" crimes and was never really evil, and that Junko ''knew this'', being the one who framed him]]. In short, [[spoiler:Junko]] was just lying for the sake of a BreakingSpeech.
** In contrast to the Masterminds of previous games, the Mastermind of ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', [[spoiler: Tsumugi Shirogane, is a ConsummateLiar who utilizes deception and outright lies to make her plans work. This why the game itself incentives the player to not take all the {{Awful Truth}}s she reveals at the end at face value. Some of her revelations outright contradict events that happened in the Prologue and even the “evidence” she provides can’t be trusted because it could have been fabricated thanks to her Ultimate Talent.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' Two words: Grandpa Simpson. His rambling stories about the past are viewed skeptically by all involved.

'''Bart:''' Grandpa is that story true?

'''Abe:''' Well, most of it. I did wear a dress for a period in the 40s. (Wistfully) Oh, they had designers then!

[[quoteright:349:[[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/red_skull_reads_to_kobik2.png]]]]

* In ''Film/AntManAndTheWasp'', Hank Pym meets with Bill Foster, a disgruntled ex-associate, and while describing their previous partnership, they end up arguing over who was at fault and whether Bill quit or was fired. Somewhat later on, Bill claims that [[spoiler:Hank's decision to cut Elihas Starr loose resulted in the accident that resulted in Elihas and his wife dying and Ava becoming afflicted with her intangibility]], while Hank later tells Scott and Hope that [[spoiler:Elihas was "a traitor," thus framing his firing as being more justified]]. It's never conclusively determined which of the men is right.

** In the anime for the original ''[[Manga/DragonBall Dragon Ball]]'', a backstory for the origins of the Dragon Balls was devised by the anime staff way before the canon backstory was featured in the manga. Even then, the anime-only backstory was never referred to again at any point after it had been told.
** Also [[PlayedWith played with]] in the ''[[Anime/DragonBallZ Dragon Ball Z]]'' anime regarding the Saiyan race and their homeworld. When Goku first meets King Kai, he reveals the history of the Saiyans, saying that a "Guardian" of their homeworld, much like Kami on Earth, got fed up with the Saiyans' evil and destroyed Planet Vegeta with a meteor shower, of which only Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz survived. Of course, as we all know, it was actually [[BigBad Frieza]] who was the one responsible for Planet Vegeta's destruction, and it's later revealed that that planet wasn't even their homeworld (the Saiyans massacred that planet's native species, apparently including its Guardian).

* ''FanFic/BlackenedSkies'': While investigating the first murder, the victim's journal is discovered in their room, revealing critical information about their murderer - namely, that the victim saw them as a trusted friend. Problem is that only covers ''their'' perspective - whomever they meant may not have seen their relationship the same way.
* ''FanFic/BoldoresAndBoomsticks'' has [[TheDitz Mew]] provide exposition on how Arceus' meeting with the Brothers who created Remnant went. Mew being [[GenkiGirl Mew]], her recounting of events is... less than 100% faithful.

* ''FanFic/DigitalHarmony'' has Fluttershy being told by [[spoiler:Dragomon]] that he was a program created by Twilight for her computer ENEIGHAC that gained self-awareness and created the Digital World as a simulation.
* ''FanFic/ImperfectMetamorphosis'' utilises this frequently as part of the GambitPileup. Nothing [[ManipulativeBastard Yukari]], [[ForScience Eirin]] or [[HumanoidAbomination Yuuka]] says can be trusted without outside confirmation, and plenty of other characters occasionally get in on the act.
* In another ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' fanfiction, [[spoiler:Mark Astrus]] in ''FanFic/TheJoyOfBattle'' lies to the Cobra Unit from the beginning in order to turn a mission from the American Philosophers into his own mission. He's not the only one. Actually, any exposition or explanation given by ANY character has a 90% chance of being a lie.

* The books Twilight reads in ''FanFic/TheSonOfTheEmperor'' tend to be biased or simply incorrect about a number of topics. Mostly those concerning Equestria.

* Lampshaded in-universe with ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy.'' While the titular Guide is marketed as the ultimate handbook to the Universe, in truth, it's mostly made up of parts that have been bought off by business companies, entries that haven't been upgraded for decades, and [[BlatantLies things that sounded good at the time.]] When you have folks like Ford Prefect as your roving researchers, it's to be expected.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' [=GLaDOS=] is basically lying most of the time. Or "enhancing the truth", as she puts it. She's the only source of information in the entire game, leading to much confusion about everything. ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' meanwhile turns this trope into an art form with ''three'' different examples, all of them unreliable for different reasons ([=GLaDOS=] again, who retains her lying ways, a literal IdiotBall, and a narcissistic maniac [[PosthumousCharacter who's been dead for decades]]).

* Much of ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'''s lore comes from {{Defictionalization}}s of [[FictionalDocument in-universe books]] like ''[[UniverseCompendium Perfect Memento in Strict Sense]]''. While generally reliable, their authors tend to clutch at straws when covering reclusive or [[ShroudedInMyth mysterious]] characters, or [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold events which were covered up by those involved]]. The aforementioned ''Perfect Memento'' also includes a disclaimer from its author that she has exaggerated the dangers of some of the monsters described within... [[CardCarryingVillain at their]] [[NobleDemon own request]].

* ''VisualNovel/DeathMark'': A lot of what [[spoiler:Mary Kujou]] said is revealed to have been lies. For example, [[spoiler:the rule that Kazuo may only have one partner at a time, because more people will attract the spirits]]- in truth, this is not the case and [[spoiler:she just said this to increase the fear that Kazuo and his given partner would experience, which would be ruined by more allies]]. Another example is [[spoiler:when she claims that she cannot move on her own and needs someone to carry her, when the final battle against her shows she is capable of levitation]].

* ''Manga/KenganAsura'' has Chiba Takayuki, who pulls an ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy when he engages his opponent, proudly describing his ability to [[PowerCopying copy another person's fighting style]] after just seeing them once, and demonstrating a few choice moves while gloating that it's only a matter of time before he'll have AllYourPowersCombined. However, the explanation he gives is mostly a lie -- he can't copy biological functions or mutations, his strength and athleticism don't change, and most importantly, he can't perfectly copy a move after only seeing it once; he has to spend a good while practicing with a recording. The choice moves he demonstrates were the only ones his opponent had seen that he had time to copy perfectly. Naturally, the reason for inflating his skills so much is to try to intimidate the opponent and give the impression that he's vastly more powerful than he really is.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': [[BigGood Ozpin]] has learned over time to [[KeepingSecretsSucks play things close to his chest]], making it hard to tell when he's telling the truth, omitting important information, or even outright lying. Although he explains that he's been cursed by the gods with [[ResurrectiveImmortality immortality]] for failing to stop [[BigBad Salem]] in the past, he only admits he possesses magic when Yang reveals she knows that he gave her mother and uncle the ability to [[VoluntaryShapeshifting turn into birds]]. When the protagonists agree to help him protect the Relic of Knowledge, Yang insists it's on the condition he stops lying and telling half-truths. [[spoiler:When he fails to mention the Relics attract the Grimm until the Grimm are attacking a train they're on, the heroes confront him about his secrecy. It results in the [[ArtifactOfPower Relic of Knowledge]] revealing that Ozpin has been hiding the truth about [[DominoRevelation more than they knew]], starting with the [[MissionFromGod real reason]] why he is immortal, the truth about his [[KnightInShiningArmour origins]], [[SavingTheWorld his goal]] and his [[DestructiveRomance connection to Salem]]. It leaves the team so mistrustful of him that even his [[UndyingLoyalty most loyal]] companion, Qrow, [[BrokenPedestal rejects him]] — an outcome that [[HeroicBSOD breaks him completely]].]]

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Half the things [[BigBad Sosuke Aizen]] says are lies. The other half are half-truths and AGodAmI BS. Everything he ''doesn't'' say is a lie. His power even has the ability to [[MasterOfIllusion alter people's perceptions]], or, ''lie''. This is a problem, considering that almost everything that gets revealed about the plot [[MrExposition comes from him]]. When Ichigo finally calls him out and accuses him of lying, Aizen lampshades the problem: if Ichigo believes Aizen is lying now, then he must believe Aizen told the truth is the past; but, if he believes Aizen is a liar, how can he believe anything Aizen's ever said? Yet, if that's true... that must mean that sometimes Aizen doesn't lie. Aizen himself believes he's transcended both truth and lies.

* As seen in the page quote, half the things [[BigBad Sosuke Aizen]] of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' says are lies. The other half are half-truths and AGodAmI BS. Everything he ''doesn't'' say is a lie. His power [[MasterOfIllusion even has the ability to alter all of your perceptions]], or, ''lie''. This is a problem, considering that almost everything we learn about the plot [[MrExposition comes from that guy]].

* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', a variation happens with the pentagon graphs for the participants in the [[TournamentArc Grand Magic Games]], which measure character's offense, defense, speed, intelligence and one other statistic. Rather than being objective statistics, they're the observations recorded by Jason, a reporter character. Jason has no information on characters who haven't shown off their abilities, such as Yukino, who is representing Saber Tooth for the first time, as well as all five members of Raven Tail.[[note]]Their ace, Alexei, is a false identity to allow Ivan, the guildmaster, to compete, while Ivan has Obra keep his abilities secret.[[/note]] His biases also creep in, such as how he actually likes [[DreadfulMusician Gajeel's music]], and gives him a high rating on that. Considering that those competing for Fairy Tail (with the exception of Jellal, who is impersonating Mystogan) had disappeared for [[TimeSkip seven years]] and recently TookALevelInBadass, their scores may not be completely accurate.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Just about any demon, since most things they say are calculated to mess with their interlocutor's head. Sometimes, as with Alastair's statement that [[spoiler:Dean broke the first seal]] or an unnamed crossroads demon telling Dean that [[spoiler:John ws in Hell]], it'll turn out that the ''really'' horrible things they're saying [[VillainsNeverLie are true]], but just as often, we'll [[RiddleForTheAges never find out]], as with Azazel's claim that Sam CameBackWrong in "All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two" or [[spoiler:Meg's]] telling Jo in "Born Under A Bad Sign" that John Winchester performed a MercyKill on her father.

** The franchise makes abundantly clear that anything we hear regarding TheForce, how it functions, and how it is divided is merely a particular person's opinion -- a handy dodge, given that [[DependingOnTheWriter no two sources can agree]] on even basic things like the effects of TheDarkSide, how one succumbs to it (or is freed by it, if you ask certain Sith), or even ''if there is a Dark Side at all''.

* In ''VideoGame/SomaSpirits'', [[spoiler:the Guardian Spirits Form and Dissonance are the main source of information on Soma, the history of the Sun King, and what must be done to achieve balance. They are also lying about ''everything''. They claim that they created Soma and that the Sun King was a tyrant who put countries against each other in wars for his own amusement, so they fought and defeated him to stop his evil]]. In fact, as shown in ''VideoGame/SomaUnion'', [[spoiler:they are a pair of formerly-human aristocrats, and it was ''they'' who started the wars and fought the Sun King to steal his god-like powers for their own gain. The Sun King was merely trying to protect his people. Meanwhile, both of them claim that balance to Soma can only be restored by creating a world of happiness/sorrow, respectively, and only collecting orbs of one single emotion, when it actually requires getting equal amounts of both orbs]].

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': In ''Shadowbringers'', the heroes finally get to learn about the true motivations of the malevolent Ascians. The problem is, they're getting the exposition from one of the leading Ascians themselves, Emet-Selch, whom the heroes have no reason to trust and whom openly admits to being a {{Schemer}}. In the end, [[spoiler: it turns out he was telling the truth about everything, but it's still unreliable because it's colored heavily Emet-Selch's own personal biases. His exposition paints the Ascians' old civilization as a utopian paradise of wise and powerful people, [[GodOfEvil Zodiark]] as a savior who stopped the world from ending, and [[GodOfGood Hydaelyn]] as the creation of those fearful and paranoid about Zodiark's power. As the Warrior of Light learns in ''Endwalker'', the Ancients' civilization had its own flaws, Zodiark was less a savior and more of a desperate attempt by a dying civilization to cling to its former glory, and Hydaelyn's actions were a NecesaryEvil to steer civiliztion in a direction that might let it grow strong enough to overcome the BigBad.]]

* ''Tomorrow War'' subverts a Sci-Fi cliché of the infallible MrExposition -- it's narrated by a SpaceFighter pilot who thinks the range of some missiles is limited ''[[SpaceIsCold because their warheads freeze]]'' (What? He's a good ''[[BunnyEarsLawyer pilot]]''). {{Fanon}} explanation is that while we can be reasonably sure that an ''engineer'' making a [[MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness rather "hard"]] setting knows better than ''that'', this unties the authors' hands in more slippery cases: now they always can [[SilentScapegoat write off]] a few details as mistakes of one SpaceCadet who slept through half of his lectures.

* As seen in the page quote, half the things [[BigBad Sosuke Aizen]] of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' says are lies. The other half are half-truths and AGodAmI BS. Everything he ''doesn't'' say is a lie. His power [[MasterOfIllusion even has the ability to alter all of your perceptions]], or, ''lie''. This is a problem, considering that almost everything we learn about the plot [[MrExposition comes from that guy]].

* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** Applied in layers, where Itachi provides exposition about himself and [[spoiler:[[BigBad Tobi]]]], who in turn offers conflicting exposition about both of them. Later events reveal the latter tells the truth about other people but generally lies about himself and any event he was personally involved with. Whatever he says is aimed at driving others to help him achieve his end goals. [[spoiler:His teacher, Madara, does the same thing and is exceedingly malicious about it.]]
** The late plot of the series is driven by the stories left to the Uchiha clan by their ancestors on a stone tablet. As a narrator the tablet is proved unreliable when [[spoiler:Black Zetsu admits to having modified it and other histories to ensure Kaguya's resurrection]].

* In the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' manga, Robin Wolfe invites Phoenix to his house, saying that he's a suspect for killing his employee Eddie Johnson because he had a talk with him about his disrespectful attitude before he committed suicide, and was the last person to speak with him before his death. It then comes to light that he had taken Eddie to the Den of Spiders and restrained him in a chair for three hours, but while Robin claims that he was unaware of Eddie's arachnophobia, his wife Theridia testifies to his knowing about it. Robin's other lies include the claim that Eddie tried to get into a relationship with his daughter Lira but failed (Lira loved Eddie and hates her father for driving him to his death), and that his brother Bobby is "a servant" (not only do the Wolfes not have servants, but Robin keeps Bobby out of sight of guests, thinking him an embarrassment to the family name).
* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya''

* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' has [[spoiler:Reiner Braun]]. Many of his statements and actions are questionable at best, as a result of MetaphoricallyTrue and TheReveal that [[spoiler:he suffers from [[SanitySlippage delusional]] [[BecomingTheMask episodes]]. As such, it really isn't clear when he's telling the truth and when he's spouting nonsense]].
** Almost anyone who spouts exposition falls under this, as [[spoiler:nobody ''really'' knows what's going on in the world. At least not inside the walls of Paradis Island]]. [[spoiler:Eren Kruger]] implies that he may be one when [[spoiler:Grisha Yeager]] asks him what the truth behind the Titans actually is. So far, the only case of MrExposition who ''may'' be somewhat reliable is [[spoiler:Willy Tybur]], and even then we don't know if he's entirely telling the truth. [[spoiler:And he's killed off before we find out]].
** [[spoiler:Zeke Yeager]] does this on purpose, as he twists his exposition depending on who he's talking to. [[spoiler:What actual exposition he's given so far also doesn't exactly line up with what we were told via his father Grisha's memories. It's unknown if Grisha was wrong and had a biased view of Zeke, or if Zeke is making things up.]]
* In ''Anime/UmiMonogatari'', the Elder Turtle is completely wrong about a lot of things.

* ''Manga/KenganAsura'' has Chiba Takayuki, who pulls an ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy when he engages his opponent, proudly describing his ability to [[PowerCopying copy another person's fighting style]] after just seeing them once, and demonstrating a few choice moves while gloating that it's only a matter of time before he'll have AllYourPowersCombined. However, the explanation he gives is mostly a lie -- he can't copy biological functions or mutations, his strength and athleticism don't change, and most importantly, he can't perfectly copy a move after only seeing it once; he has to spend a good while practicing with a recording. The choice moves he demonstrates were the only ones his opponent had seen that he had time to copy perfectly. Naturally, the reason for inflating his skills so much is to try to intimidate the opponent and give the impression that he's vastly more powerful than he really is.

* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', a variation happens with the pentagon graphs for the participants in the [[TournamentArc Grand Magic Games]], which measure character's offense, defense, speed, intelligence and one other statistic. Rather than being objective statistics, they're the observations recorded by Jason, a reporter character. Jason has no information on characters who haven't shown off their abilities, such as Yukino, who is representing Saber Tooth for the first time, as well as all five members of Raven Tail.[[note]]Their ace, Alexei, is a false identity to allow Ivan, the guildmaster, to compete, while Ivan has Obra keep his abilities secret.[[/note]] His biases also creep in, such as how he actually likes [[DreadfulMusician Gajeel's music]], and gives him a high rating on that. Considering that those competing for Fairy Tail (with the exception of Jellal, who is impersonating Mystogan) had disappeared for [[TimeSkip seven years]] and recently TookALevelInBadass, their scores may not be completely accurate.
* A recurring flashback in ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' is Utena's own backstory: she claims she met the prince Dios, received a ring from him that he called an engagement ring, and was so impressed at him that she resolved to become a prince herself to become worthy of him. Very late into the series, we get a proper flashback to the incident Utena is talking about, and it is ''nothing'' like what she's claimed. The largest omission is likely that [[spoiler:Utena didn't choose to become a prince to win Dios's heart; she chose it because she wanted to save the Rose Bride, which her usual telling of the story omits entirely. Also, Utena wasn't particularly interested in Dios and cared more about the Rose Bride, and the ring was never meant as an engagement ring]]. It's somewhat uncertain if the muddiness of the story is the result of aging childhood memories fading away, LaserGuidedAmnesia, FakeMemories, or some combination of the above.
* ''Anime/YuGiOh'' deconstructs the KnightsAndKnaves puzzle by pointing out the logical problem inherent in the Knight and Knave being the ones to explain the rules in the first place. [[spoiler: It turns out both can lie or tell the truth as they see fit, and [[ShaggyDogStory both doors lead to the same place anyway]].]]

* In another ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' fanfiction, [[spoiler:Mark Astrus]] in ''FanFic/TheJoyOfBattle'' lies to the Cobra Unit from the beginning in order to turn a mission from the American Philosophers into his own mission. He's not the only one. Actually, any exposition or explanation given by ANY character has a 90% chance of being a lie.

* The books Twilight reads in ''FanFic/TheSonOfTheEmperor'' tend to be biased or simply incorrect about a number of topics. Mostly those concerning Equestria.
* ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'' has the Fans, who out-and-out lie to the four on many occasions when they're imparting information — and [[spoiler: Jeft]] lies quite frequently to Shag and Varx as well. While [[spoiler: Jeft]]'s expository lies are apologetically detailed by the other two after he leaves, their own lies never get exposed (though Shag does feel shame about them at the very end of the book, after the four have been returned home). The biggest lie is why the four are on C'hou in the first place; they were actually part of an undergraduate science experiment to gauge their reactions to being sent to another planet, but they're told they were sent there to break the curse on Ketafa.
** Also, the story of C'hou's history concerning the Vasyn and the gods gets told several times by different people, until Shag and Varx find out the real story and reveal it to George and Ringo. Even [[spoiler: Jeft]] didn't know the truth.

* ''FanFic/BoldoresAndBoomsticks'' has [[TheDitz Mew]] provide exposition on how Arceus' meeting with the Brothers who created Remnant went. Mew being [[GenkiGirl Mew]], her recounting of events is... less than 100% faithful.
** On one occasion, the Gastly Shade recounts his solo adventure from the previous chapter in an exaggerated, over the top fashion... but his audience knows that, and that he's just hamming it up to make it more entertaining.

* ''FanFic/BlackenedSkies'': While investigating the first murder, the victim's journal is discovered in their room, revealing critical information about their murderer - namely, that the victim saw them as a trusted friend. Problem is that only covers ''their'' perspective - whomever they meant may not have seen their relationship the same way.

[[quoteright:349:[[ComicBook/RedSkull https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/red_skull_reads_to_kobik2.png]]]]