Sneeze Cut

Sometimes an oddly-furred creature stands out even more.

Rotom Dex: Achoo!
Professor Kukui: I didn't know you could sneeze!
Rotom Dex: Someone is talking about me?

— Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, "Partner Promises"

The Japanese and Chinese equivalent of "burning ears". If you sneeze once, it means someone is talking or thinking about you; sneeze twice, it means someone is talking or thinking bad things about you.

After a discussion describing a particular person or group of people, there will be a momentary fast cut to that person or a member of the group (who is currently uninvolved in the action) suddenly sneezing and looking confused, followed by a fast cut back to the original discussion. Often, an observing character will show Genre Blindness and suggest that the sneezer is coming down with a cold.

This can also be used as a segue without the cut back to the original scene. This is often an equivalent to the Ironic Echo Cut in western works.

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Examples:

Anime and Manga

• Asteroid in Love:
  • In the first episode, Ao laments her "lack of words", which is more a fear of speaking. Moe says whatever verbal capabilities Ao has must be better than Mira's. In the next scene, Mira sneezes while washing her skirt at the bathroom.
  • In the eighth episode, Mai attempts to answer a question on the Earth Science Olympiad that requires choosing two options out of five. Since Japanese mark sheets usually name their options after the vowels, Mai decided to answer A-O after her underclassman Ao. In the next scene, Ao sneezes in her room.
• Happens several times in Beelzebub when Oga is being talked about, complete with the "I must be getting a cold" line.
• In Black Clover, Captain Yami regrets not inviting Finral to come with him to see the Wizard King as it turns out his portal magic could be very useful right then. Cut to Finral sneezing and figuring someone's talking about him.
• In Black Butler during the circus arc, Sebastian is talking about Ciel to some of the circus performers while he's in the medical tent. Cut back to the cairrage where Ciel is waiting, and he sneezes twice.
• Kisuke Urahara in Bleach mentions this trope in the anime at least once. He gets two of these cuts when Yoruichi tells Ichigo about her past with him.
• Used in Cardcaptor Sakura when Sakura's brother Toya is being talked about.
  • Another amusing one: Meilin storms out angry at Syaoran to which she says "Syaoran you idiot." Cut to Syaoran sneezes.
  • Also at one time when Tomoyo's mother was talking to Sakura about her father.

• In Citrus, this trope is combined with Answer Cut when Yuzu asks who decided to come to a matchmaking shrine during their school trip. At that point, Himeko sneezes and says she hopes she doesn't catch a cold when she goes to the shrine, indicating that it was her idea.
• This happens in Descendants of Darkness more often than you would expect.
• Happens to Allen three times in one episode in D.Gray-Man. By the end of the episode, he decides it must be a cold.
• Happens at least once in Digimon Tamers, to Terriermon, when another character talks about digimon being treated like dolls.
• Dragon Ball:
  • In the first Dragon Ball series, Bulma describes Master Roshi as a perverted, irresponsible man. Cut to Roshi fishing off his island breaking into a sneezing fit, which he suspects is due to a cute lady talking about him in admiration.
  • When Piccolo says that Goku is too soft on Gohan, it cuts to Goku sneezing on Snake Way.
  • Yamcha, during Future Trunks' first arrival, telling why Bulma and Yamcha are never together.

• During the Cell Games in the anime, an elderly couple who seem to know Chi-Chi comment on how irresponsible it is for her to let her husband go out fighting like that. Cut to Chi-Chi sneezing.
• In a chapter of Dragon Ball SD taking place at the beginning of Dragon Ball, Bulma tells Goku that when she gets all the Dragon Balls, she plans to wish for her Prince Charming. Cut to Vegeta, on a spaceship out somewhere in space, sneezing.
• Dragon Ball Super: Broly ends with Goku praising Broly for how strong he was during their match, not only not needing to transform to match Goku while he was Super Saiyan Blue, but also needing to force Goku and Vegeta to fuse and become Gogeta Blue to defeat him. At one point, Goku mentions that part of the reason why he wants Broly to stay alive is that he is even stronger than the God of Destruction, Beerus. Cut to Beerus sneezing loudly while eating lunch with Whis.

• In Dramacon, when several characters plot to pair up Bethany and Raj, there's a fast cut to the two of them simultaneously sneezing and getting chills up their spines.
• The opening scene of a later episode of El Cazador de la Bruja has L.A. seething about Nadie, having just realized that she's his main rival for Ellis' affection, and then cuts to Nadie sneezing. Amusingly, after being asked by Ellis if she has a cold, Nadie Genre Savvily explains this trope, before launching into a rather funny speech about how someone must surely be talking about her beauty and prowess as a bounty hunter.
• This trope can be found in Chapter 16 of Emma: A Victorian Romance, where two ladies sneeze in unison after three other ladies talk about the two while far away. A male character even comments that the three ladies are probably gossiping about the other two. What’s amusing is seeing this very Asian trope being referenced in a manga that is set in Victorian England by characters who are English.
• In Fairy Tail, when Evergreen talks about how Celestial Wizards are weak and defenseless, which is why they rely on spirits. This causes Lucy to sneeze.
  • An earlier instance was when Simon was explaining to the others that Natsu's power is enough to stop Jellal, causing Natsu to sneeze (added humor was that he was wearing a cat mask at the time, filling it with snot)
  • During the Grand Magic Games, Laxus reveals to Raven Tail that Fairy Tail has dug up all the dirt on them. Ravel Tail realizes that Gajeel, who'd tricked his way into their trust, had really been The Mole. Soon after that realization, Gajeel himself, unaware of the conversation, sneezes.
    Gajeel: Damn. Are those guys giving me Trash Talk or something?
  • Later in the same arc, Mirajane and Liselle how their brother Elfman is having a tough time healing up after his last battle. Cut to Elfman sneezing in his hospital bed.
    Elfman: Someone must be talking about how manly I am.
• In Fullmetal Alchemist, after Edward puts on a performance with his alchemy, and spreading his name throughout the city in order to draw out Scar. Cut to him sneezing, proving that his plan worked, and practically everyone in Central is talking about him right now.
• Happens a few times in Fushigi Yuugi - for example, when a drunk Tasuki is making a face like Nuriko's.
• In GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class, Namiko is out sick, and it's making the other main characters lonely, so Tomokane draws her, and Noda adds a punning tsukkomi line. Kisaragi gets a text from Namiko, reporting that she sneezed three times in a row, and saying to slap Tomokane or Noda as a precaution.
  • When Noda is tasked with carrying three cardboard boxes that sort of resemble Namiko, she wears them on her head. As she goes, Sasamoto and Homura say things to her in passing that indicate they think she's Chikako. Not having met her, she wonders who they think she is. In the first panel of the next strip, Chikako sneezes, although she attributes it to dust from cleaning.
  • When Homura is telling the art club about how he's fallen for Noda, he remembers her name. Cut to Noda, turning her head and sneezing on her classmate Tomokane. (Namiko notices that the air conditioner hits directly on that spot, and Noda mentions getting a little sweaty running around.) The Noda who sneezed was Noda Miki, the main character, but the Noda whom Homura fell for is her big sister.
• The reverse version happens to Touko in The Garden of Sinners, though she's alone and therefore doesn't get the obligatory comment about a cold.
• There is an episode of Ghost Hunt in which this is the only thing that Lin does.
• During the Spring High School Tournament Arc of Haikyuu!!, there's quick one where Issei Matsukawa of Aoba Johsai, riding in a train, sneezes after Hinata mentions his "painful blocks".
• Hayate the Combat Butler:
  • Episode 13, when one character starts thinking of another and mentions her name, she sneezes.
  • Episode 15, two characters are discussing a ridiculously good student and we cut to a particular character sneezing.
• In Hidamari Sketch, Yoshinoya-sensei is occasionally the one seen sneezing in a cut from the main characters talking about her.
• Highschool of the Dead: In episode 6, Takashi and Kohta come across Rika's stash of guns in her and Shizuka's apartment, Takashi wonders aloud if Shizuka's roommate is "Sarah fuckin' Palin." The scene immediately cuts to Rika sneezing, and she realizes right away that someone is talking about her.
• Hyakunichikan!!:
  • In Chapter 10, Shuuto sneezes and Aoki mentions Chiho must be talking about him (she was).
  • In Chapter 13, the same thing happens to Kouji when Shuuto mentions him.
• Episode 3 of Ikkitousen: Great Guardians uses this with Hakufu's mother. She remarks that either the young man at the coffee shop or the convenience store must be talking about her, but it's actually her daughter insulting her.
• In the first Extra Stage OVA of Initial D, after Mako and Sayuki win against one of the Emperors, an affirmed Mako, after feeling down about Iketani bailing out on their date for the OVA so far, declares she doesn't need a boyfriend, and that Iketani should watch out for her while at the park. It then cuts to Iketani sneezing at the gas station where he works.
• Inuyasha:
  • Shippo and Inuyasha are both seen to sneeze when others are talking about them. In Inuyasha's case, he's quick to gripe about how "someone's talking shit about me!"
  • Inuyasha's rant about the trouble two warring brothers are causing derails when he spots everyone's disbelief. He defensively claims his problem with Sesshoumaru is nothing like this, causing Sango to wonder if Sesshoumaru's sneezing. The scene cuts to...Jaken sneezing on Sesshoumaru's behalf.
• This happens to the title character of Irresponsible Captain Tylor in one episode, after which he comments, "Either someone's talking about me, or I'm coming down with a cold."
• Jujutsu Kaisen: During the unusually serious Juju Stroll of episode 13, Fushiguro, Kugisaki and the second-years are eating the meatballs that Itadori taught Fushiguro to make, before falling silent as they think he's dead. Kugisaki calls the meatballs Itadori's legacy. Cut to Itadori sneezing whilst eating the same meatballs with Gojo, and saying how he can't wait to see his friends again.
• Kaguya-sama: Love Is War: In Episode 3 of Season 2, Hayasaka, who goes to a mixer with Shirogane in disguise, complains about how her "little sister" made her go, and how said sister has a skewed grasp on feelings and a warped personality. Kaguya, who is obviously the girl Hayasaka is talking about despite not being her sister, sneezes.
• Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple:
  • Happens early while the Ryozanpaku masters are discussing about having Kenichi move in with them.
  • In one instance, Sakaki is gloating that he can help Kenichi out without "That meddling mustache" interfering, upon which we cut to Akisame sneezing, and he knows Sakaki is talking about him. Later on, Kenichi is fighting a Brainwashed and Crazy Miu and tries to snap her out of her trance with the Ma-style Memory Recovery Technique. Cut to Ma Kensei sneezing, upon which he wonders how the kids are doing.
• Kimi wa Midara na Boku no Joou chapter 5.5 (Bangaihen) page 9 has this in the 4th (2nd last) panel, when Subaru is muttering about something she wants Akira to do to her, and he sneezes and he immediately thinks of her as a result.
• This is how Hajime Kindaichi was introduced in his very first appearance in The Kindaichi Case Files manga, when childhood friend Miyuki was jokingly speculated by her friends to have feelings for him.
• In Legend of the Galactic Heroes, after Yang Wen-li foiled the Imperial attack on Iserlohn Fortress by destroying the mobile Geiersburg Fortress, Wolfgang Mittermeyer, one of the top-ranking admirals in the Empire, imagined Yang to be busy dancing with women in a victory celebration. The next scene cuts directly to Yang sneezing in his bed and it is revealed that he had actually caught a cold.
  • Late in the series when Paul von Oberstein, Fritz Joseph Bittenfeld and Neidhart Müller were dispatched to restore order in the planet Heinessen, Bittenfeld loudly expressed his displeasure in working with Oberstein, who was within earshot. The scene then cut to Oberstein who remained in his usual laconic composure but Bittenfeld could be heard sneezing twice in the background!
• In the Yonkoma adaptation of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Aryll tries to cheer up the other kidnapped girls by telling them her big brother is definitely going to come save them. Cut to Link sneezing, almost giving his location away to a nearby Moblin.
• In Episode 8 of Log Horizon, Shiroe reacts to Henrietta referring to his nickname "The Villian in Glasses".
• In a second season episode of Magic Knight Rayearth, this happens to Tarta when princess Aska talks about the invaders from Chizeta. Her sister Tatra comments on this; when Tarta sneezes for the second time, Tatra mentions that somebody is saying bad things about them, which is, again, exactly what Aska is doing.
• Chapter 1 of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha INNOCENT ends with a Sneeze Cut to Nanoha when the Dark Materials notice that Levi the Slasher has her eyes set on the eponymous character.
• Happens several times in Maison Ikkoku; for example, Godai in chapter 127.
• Manabi Straight!, the school principal sneezes when one student mentions that she wasn't punished for some antics due to "super-regulatory measures".
• My Hero Academia:
  • One time, Endeavor screams bloody murder that his son Shoto Todoroki isn't answering his texts. One of his sidekicks points out that Shoto (a U.A. student) may not be in a position to answer because he's in class. Cut to Shoto sneezing... in class.
  • At the start of the fourth season, a journalist discovers Deku as All Might's successor, but ultimately decides to keep it a secret and instead write his story about what All Might does after his retirement, which cuts to All Might sneezing in the school staff room.
  • At the end of the Endeavour Work Study Arc, Endeavour remarks that Hawks has a sharp eye for who's their best shot at safeguarding the country in the upcoming civil war. Cut to Hawks sneezing and being Genre Savvy enough to realize not only that someone's talking about him, but also who it is.
• In the second episode of My-Otome 0~S.ifr~, Sakura sneezes when the headmistress of Garderobe, Una Shamrock, mentions "that brat from the Sun Kingdom".
• Nagasarete Airantou combines this gag with a nosebleed in Chapter 84.
• Tsunade in Naruto does this when Chiyo talks about her dislike of that slug-princess.
  • Naruto himself has this happen fairly early, though when someone else tells him about this trope, he states that he doesn't believe it.
  • Happens to Jiraya in one episode. At one point while praciticing how to use the Rasengan, Naruto has trouble focusing when his sensai's face keeps popping up in his head, causing Naruto burst out laugh. After sneezing, Jiraya believes it because a hot woman is thinking about him.
• In Episode 6 of New Game!, Aoba and Nene are in a theater to watch a Magical Girl movie. Aoba mentions that another co-worker might be into this kind of thing. A little while later, Hajime, who's in the same theater, sneezes after Aoba remarks about her some more.
• One Piece has one such moment: at one point in the Fishman Island arc, King Neptune, who mistakenly believes Luffy has kidnapped his daughter (long story), wonders how he could have snuck such a huge young girl out of the castle. He figures that he must have hid her in the mouth of her pet shark so that they could leave undetected, but the guards laugh at how ridiculous an idea it is. Cut to Luffy sneezing and wondering why, leaving him and Shirahoshi (who did escape by hiding inside of her pet shark, mind you) confused.
• Happens during the Hot Springs Episode of Outlaw Star, Jim notices Gene is missing and figures he's up to no good. Cut to Gene sneezing far from the springs and wondering if he's caught a cold.
• In Overlord (2012), just when Enri is appointed as the new chief of her village, she starts to complain that she's probably the only person who has to act like an absolute leader while doing different stuff in places she's never been to before. Suddenly, it cuts to Ainz in his office, looking around as if someone mentioned his name.
  • What makes it funnier is that Ainz is INCAPABLE of having a sneeze cut, due to lacking sinuses.
• In A Place Further than the Universe, after Mari "Kimari" Tamaki is put to work peeling potatoes on board the Antarctica-bound ship, she complains about her sister Rin discouraging her from bringing a potato peeler. The scene cuts to the Tamaki home, where Rin, holding the potato peeler, sneezes.
• In Please Twins!, the main character of the previous series, Please Teacher!, is seen to sneeze when someone discusses the matter of a teacher being married to a student at the school.
• Pokémon: The Series:
  • Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire: Happens to Ash's Corphish that is helping Brock pull off a distraction, after May and Max make a comment about it. This was removed from the dub.
  • Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl: At the end of the episode "If the Scarf Fits, Wear It!", the owners of the Daycare Center tell their daughter Angie (yet another girl to crush on Ash) that she and Ash should get married and look after the daycare, at which point Ash, who was just several feet away, sneezes. Nobody comments about it (the episode ends right there), though he does get strange looks from Dawn and Brock.
  • Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon: "Partner Promises!", Ash and Pikachu visit a Pokémon-filled island and spot a Cutiefly. As Ash wishes Rotom was there to tell him what it is since he hasn't seen a Cutiefly before, the Cutiefly lands on Pikachu's face and tickles his nose, causing Pikachu to sneeze. Back at Professor Kukui's house, Ash's Rotom Pokedex emits an explosive sneeze and startles Professor Kukui and Ash's other Pokémon. Rotom even throws a lampshade on it.
    Professor Kukui: I didn't know you could sneeze.
    RotomDex: Someone is talking about me?
  • Pokémon Journeys: The Series: In the episode "A Midsummer Night's Light", Dawn and Chloe talk at night, while Dawn talks about her friends that she travelled with in Sinnoh. She talks about Ash without mentioning his name, talking about how his brain consists of nothing but Pokémon, in turn calling him a "Pokémon Fanatic" (or "Pokémon Freak" in the original Japanese), and Chloe notes she also has a friend like that, which also in turn refers to Ash. The scene subsequently cuts to Ash immediately sneezing, earning him a strange look from Goh.
• Seen several times in Ranma ½.
• The sixth episode of Recovery of an MMO Junkie cuts to Sakurai sneezing when Koiwai and Morioka discuss him on their date.
• In Red River (1995), Yuri catches a peasant woman impersonating her to ruin her reputation. Instead of ordering the woman to be harshly punished, she offers her a second chance with a job as her maid. Kail points out that it's a pretty soft punishment considering how much trouble the woman caused, and Yuri reminds him that her three other maids tried to kill her because of a misunderstanding, but now are very faithful to her. When she makes this point, there's a small panel of the three maids sneezing.
• In the eighth episode of Rockman.EXE AXESS, due to a trap that prevents the use of Battle Chips and confuses him, Rockman (Megaman) asks Netto (Lan) who is his rival. The real one declares Enzan (Chaud), the fake one declares Higure (Higsby), then we are treated to a cut to the chip enthusiast sneezing.
• Also frequent in Rurouni Kenshin, including at least one instance where the sneeze nearly alerts guards to the person's presence. One sequence has multiple characters announce one after the other how much they dislike Saito, followed by a cut to him in a restaurant sneezing repeatedly as someone nearby comments on this. He acknowledges this as a sign of being disliked, but seems almost proud of it.
• Happens to Ishihara in Samurai Flamenco due to Konno trying to ask her out...again.
• The first episode of Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei - "Is it allergies?"
• Played With in SD Gundam World Heroes. In a Video Call featuring Liu Bei Unicorn Gundam, Xiahou Dun Tallgeese III and Xiahou Yuan Tallgeese, they talk about where Cao Cao Wing Gundam could be, as he's currently on a journey of atonement after what he did at the end of SD Gundam World Sangoku Soketsuden. That doesn't cut to a sneeze, though. It instead cuts to a mini-montage of Musha World, which is where Cao Cao ended up in his travels, with the other characters talking over it. After they're done talking, it then cuts to Cao Cao resting at a Tea House...and THAT'S when he sneezes.
  Tea House Owner: Have you got a cold? It's snowing a lot today. It's quite cold.
  Cao Cao Wing Gundam: No, I think someone is talking about me.
  Tea House Owner: (chuckles) You seem like a popular person.
  Cao Cao Wing Gundam: No, I think they're saying bad things about me.
• The Severing Crime Edge: In chapter 10, when some of Kiri's classmates wonder if Kiri tried to confess to the class president, Kashiko, the scene changes to Kashiko sneezing.
• Happens once in the manga version of Shadow Star. "She's a dangerous woman, that Aki Sato."
• In the last episode of Steins;Gate, Okabe meets a girl named Yuki who bears a resemblance to one of his friends Suzuha (who's from the future). After she mentions that a psychic predicted she would get married in seven years, Okabe realizes who she is and tells her she'll be fine. The scene then cuts to Daru (Suzuha's soon to-be father) sneezing in front of a food oven and looking around confused.
• This happens to Ayeka on episode 2 of the Tenchi Muyo! OAV.
• To Love Ru Zastin had one by Saki Tenjouin due to her complaining of the security in the house.
• During episode 12 of the 1982 anime adaptation of Tokimeki Tonight, Santa Claus is sitting in his boxers (having lent his suit to Ranze Eto) and sneezes, lamenting that someone must be talking about him. It then switches to Ranze's rival talking about how there isn't any Santa, proving the trope.
• Characters in Tonari no Kashiwagi-san frequently sneeze when they're talked about, and it's usually lampshaded.
• A small panel in Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode shows Kisshu on his planet sneezing when the Mews mention the aliens.
• Touhou Ibarakasen ~ Wild and Horned Hermit chapter 9: Reimu declares she's going to start exterminating all non-humans for simply being non-human. Sneeze Cut to Kasen. Among the increasing number of unsubtle hints that Kasen is an oni.
• In YuYu Hakusho, Kuwabara is talking about Yukina, whom he adores, in front of a large crowd of unsympathetic spectators at a tournament. Shortly, the scene cuts to the females, who are lost in the woods, and Yukina sneezes. Botan takes the Genre Savvy route and outs with a short, rather cheesy rhyme (English Dub: "sneezy, sneezy- achoo! Someone special's talkin' about you~!"). Shizuru calls her a freak, but Yukina smiles about it.
  • In the manga-only finale, cute demon girls Koto, Juri, and Ruka are being interviewed for a TV Show (at this point, human-demon relations are starting to thaw out), and they each go all gushy when the talk goes to boyfriends. A panel or two later, Touya, Jin, and Suzuka (the respective boyfriends) all sneeze on cue.
• Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V Episode 84 has a scene where Yugo made a promise to sun that he'll win the duel for Rin and Yuzu's (whom he thought died in a crash) sake. Then the scene cuts immediately to Yuzu who is obviously alive, sneezing, wondering if it's because of a bug.
• During a recap episode of Zoids Guardian Force, Fiona wraps up a review of Thomas by quipping, "Do you know Thomas sneezes when he gets nervous?" Cue the Sneeze Cut, where Thomas sneezes in the middle of a meeting with his brother and superior Carl (Thomas is known to have a crush on Fiona even while knowing she and Van are everything but an item).

Comic Books

• In an issue of Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW), Amy takes out a set of fortune-telling cards and claims to be an expert at card reading, considering she met someone very important that way. The next panel is of Sonic sneezing.

Fan Works

• In Beast Boy and the X-Men by JP-Rider, when Beast Boy has a good portion of the X-Men females vying for his attention, Bruce Banner jokes "Just what this school needs, its own Tony Stark". Cut to Wolverine telling Stark to cover his nose.
• Used for multiple character cameos in A Wild Badfic Appeared! Commentaries whenever a party member references a non-party character or their games. Often, said cameos being other Smashers.
• Luffy's Renewed Adventure: In Chapter 73, after Luffy tells Vivi the story of how he ate his Devil Fruit, she comes to the conclusion that he and Shanks have to be the biggest idiots on the seas. Cut to somewhere in the New World, with Shanks sneezing and then asking, “Who’s an idiot?”
• Tomorrow's Romance Dawn: Upon hearing Runo's epithet, both Sanji and Nami comment on how lame it is, the latter asking who came up with it and that they should get slapped for it. The scene quickly cuts to Spandam sneezing. This could count as Foreshadowing, because Spandam does indeed get the bitch-slap from hell from Robin later down the line.
• Lelouch of the Rebellion RX: Demonic Knights has this happen in the ninth chapter when Jeremiah, a new member of the Black Knights brings up how Euphemia is going to be treated and how it's better than what the current Viceroy of Area Eleven has to deal with. The scene then immediately cuts to Nunnally sneezing while in her office and her assistant Alice asking her if she's alright.
• This happens in the 10th chapter of Kage: the scene with the Guardians ends with Cornelia talking lowly about Jade, followed immediately by Jade sneezing. She lampshades this trope by thinking that someone is talking about her, like Uncle would always say when he sneezes.
  • In the 12th chapter, this happens with Jackie's Alternate Self.
• Son of the Seven Kingdoms has a variation. When Margaery Tyrell is flirting with and attempting to seduce William, Arya — hundreds of miles away — is shown to have the sudden urge to kill someone.
• Omoito: Yuuka asks Alice about the strange-tasting tea she brought, and she explains Marisa made it with mushrooms to Yuuka's horror. Back at the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Marisa sneezes and tells Patchouli that she's sure that Alice is talking about how delicious her tea is.
• Oversaturated World: In two stories:
  • Group Precipitation - Taking A Strange Turn:
    Pinkie chose now to give her own input. "Ooooh! I know! Maybe Doctor Turner is some kind wibbly-wobby timey-wimey aspected person, and the blue hourglass he always carries around is like a magic wand, ONLY A TIME MACHINE!"
    ...
    Somewhere, on a spaceship being invaded by giant salt shakers, a time-traveling hourglass would've sneezed if it could.
  • Sailor Orbital - Chapter 4:
    "Weird shit is happening every day, Ditzy! It's like fate's being run by somebody who wants to pack reality full of things that are astounding, dramatic, or just plain weird!"
    None of them noticed the three little girls across the park sneeze, one by one.
• Mater Familias uses this trope once in a while, but the most excellent is the triple cut in chapter 3, when Goku, in a telepatic conversation with Chichi and Gohan from Yardrat, says "Hopefully, when I get back, there'll be no distractions for us.":
  In a hidden lab dug out of a mountain, Dr Gero, as he worked on a delicate bit of circuitry, sneezed. He looked at the mucus covering the circuits, and snarled, "FUCK!"
  ————————————————————————————————————
  And several years into the future, a lavender-haired youth, trying to sneak up on his quarry, sneezed loudly and suddenly. And as the dark-haired young man and blonde woman with similar features and eerie pale blue eyes whipped around suddenly, Trunks murmured, "Aw, crapbaskets!"
  ————————————————————————————————————
  And in an incubator tank, a bubble suddenly snorted out of an orifice in a bizarre, grotesque foetus that could very well have been a sneeze in the nutrient-rich liquid…
• I Am NOT Going Through Puberty Again!: In Chapter 25, Kakashi ends up doing this to himself with his claims of never playing favorites with his students.
  (In an estranged timeline roughly twenty-five years ahead of this one, the Sixth Hogake sneezed.)
• In The Power of the Potters Harry receives a Gringotts letter from the Australian cadet branch of his family and worries that it might be a trap.
  If it were a ploy from Voldemort, I would be dead already, he told himself with conviction.
  In an opulent manor many miles away, a certain Dark Lord sneezed suddenly and promptly crucioed anyone who witnessed his spontaneous bout of weakness.
• In Violence Inherent in the System Hermione, nervous about co-teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, asks Sailor Moon's Disguise Pen to turn her into a "tomb raider" and ends up dressed like Lara Croft.
  "Tomb raider?" Harry's brow scrunched up in concentration. "Where have I heard that term before?"
  Thousands of kilometers away, deep in the Amazonian rain forest, a British woman wearing the same outfit Hermione had on (down to the exact same caliber of pistol she carried) sneezed. This was bad.
• Pokémon Reset Bloodlines features this a few times:
  • In Chapter 11, Daisy becomes frustrated that Ash, being a rookie trainer, is completely dominating their battle against her best team. When Ash points out that he had some previous experience in Professor Oak's training camp, she stomps furiously on the ground like a whinny brat.
    Daisy: No, no, no, no! You can study all you want, but that doesn't make you a good trainer! You can read every damn book or article you want, that doesn't make you a good trainer!
    Narration: Meanwhile in Hoenn, the young son of Norman sneezed as he watched a rerun of Cynthia's last few official battles.
  • In the Big P Pokémon Race Interlude, Ash rhetorically asks Anabel about whether she would go up front about revealing to other people being a Bloodliner. Cut to Jeanette Fisher sneezing.
  • In the second (canon) omake of Chapter 31, Ash, having to endure/enjoy the swimsuit show his female companions are putting for him, muses that "Brock would probably feel in heaven if he was in [his] stead". Cut to Brock in the Pewter Gym in the middle of a match, whose sneeze causes him to lose a couple seconds that cost him a round.
• Winter Thorns of Highgarden, Arya claims she will never marry, which prompts Sansa to tease a handsome boy will make her change her mind.
  Leagues away and in the Dornish sands, Edric Dayne sneezed.
  Arya: And I'm certain there is not.
  Edric Dayne sneezed thrice more in quick succession as the Stark sisters wondered aloud whether he would be honorable and gentle, if he had the courage to court Arya, and from the girl in question, the basis of his existence. He rubbed his nose and waved away Lord Beric's concern he was coming down with a cold.
• In Death Moon Death informs six-year-old Sophie of the wizarding world and her family.
  Death smiled and Sophie rolled her eyes, sometimes it was like Death was a little child.
  Ok, I'll be serious.
  "Can't you just be Death instead of my godfather?"
  Somewhere in a dark and wet place, a pitiful looking man sneezed.
• An oath of truth:
  In the past [Pettigrew] had often dwelled on why the Sorting Hat had put him in Gryffindor. He wasn't brave, outgoing or even charming. In the end he had concluded that it had simply been a last resort, knowing he didn't quite possess the hard working mind-set for Hufflepuff. (Neville sneezed miles away.)
• Like a Red-Headed Stepchild:
  "You know, every time I start feeling guilty about hexing those Muggles' shrubberies you remind me just why we did it," Mr. Weasley observed. "I can't imagine who thought it was a good idea to leave you with them."
  At Hogwarts, Dumbledore sneezed loudly. Professor McGonagall had to keep herself from saying "I told you so" but was not sure why.
• Rosario Vampire: Brightest Darkness Act I: In chapter 7, Kurumu, Ruby, and Moka mention Mizore at several points (her stalking skills, her penchant for surprising people, etc.). Each time, it cuts back to Mizore sneezing, leading to Yukari believing that she's catching a cold.
• In Temporal Displacement and Everyday Headaches Rose mentions certain people's belief that Sirius might seize control of the Potter family.
  "Well, we all know that's not going to happen. Sirius would be a terrible dictator and he's crap at doing his paperwork. He'd give up after a day." She finished with a smirk.
  Judging from the sound of even louder laughter, James now smacking the floor of his portrait, they were all in agreement over that.
  (In London Sirius Black was suddenly overcome with a bout of sneezing while doing his paperwork, causing him to put his quill through the parchment. "Oh, come on!")
• Her Son:
  Pulling his bird's cage out, [Harry] placed it on the desk and led the beautiful bird into the cage's perch. The snowy owl didn't seem to mind the new location.
  "Hmm, I'm gonna need a name for you." The bird continued to look at him with an overzealous attitude.
  "How about Luna, like the moon." Harry thought it sounded okay, but he couldn't help but feel it was wrong. Like it was already taken.
  At the Lovegood Estate, Luna Lovegood sneezed and wondered if the Nargles were poking at her nose again. Like devious creatures.
• Dragon Ball Z Abridged: During his fight with Cell, Goku comments that he's learned a lot about endurance in the past week. Cut to his wife Chi-Chi sneezing, and her father asking what exactly she did to Goku.
  Chi-Chi: What didn't I do to him?
• Harry Potter and the Shadowed Light:
  "You never did say where you had hidden the book."
  "It's safe with my most loyal friend," Harry told them, true Neville might be his best friend and right hand but Luna, Luna was his most faithful.
  Meanwhile, somewhere in the middle of the Swedish countryside a small blonde witch sneezed before grinning angelically. Her lord was going to be so happy.
• Son of the Sannin:
  • In Chapter 2, Tsunade hopes that Jiraiya can take care of baby Naruto while she takes a very much needed nap, but an ANBU informs her that Hiruzen requested Jiraiya's presence. When she remarks that fate must be conspiring against her, a toddler in the Hyuga compound (most likely Neji) sneezes.
  • In Chapter 24, during the month prior to the Chunin Exam Finals, when Sakura is surprised to see that her sensei (Shizune) is planning to train her despite not making it to the finals, Shizune asks what kind of neglectful sensei would ignore one of their students like that. The scene then cuts to a "certain silver haired Jonin" sneezing.
  • In Chapter 30, Shikamaru comments "I bet you will never see a man so obsessed with revenge" when Gaara announces he's planning to avenge Temari's defeat against Naruto. Cue Sasuke sneezing.
• There's a cut to Applejack sneezing after Rainbow Dash talks about her in Trans Ponies.
• Taking his life back:
  "Tom-Tom?" Harry asked, trying so hard to hold back his insistent laughter. "I've gotta call him that next time I see him!"
  Back at Riddle Manor, the Dark Lord sneezed.
• A Diplomatic Visit: Variant in chapter 3 of the fourth story, The Diplomat's Life. Fluttershy tells Rarity, who's wishing for a romantic partner, that "You'll find someone some day. Maybe when you least expect it." Cut to two unidentified individuals having their noses twitch suddenly and wondering "What was that about?" It's later shown that one of them was Coco Pommel.
• The Shock of it All:
  "Right, I'm knackered, so I'm headed up. You guys coming?" Harry said with a yawn. It had been another long day. He really hoped Sirius got his leg over, the man deserved to have a good time.
  Poor Sirius sneezed in his sleep and continued to dream. He was chained to a desk and there was a huge pile of paperwork in front of him. His account manager was cackling to the side; saying that he would never be able to leave. The rubber hoses would hit his hands whenever he stopped signing something. There were women to the other side the room, calling him to come and play. He rolled over and mumbled in his sleep, "I'm trying. Wait for me, my beauties." His legs made a running motion as he went nowhere.
• Green Tea Rescue has five after Izuku asks himself why he got stuck with the toughest internship. They are (in order):
  • Ochako getting her neck crushed under Mirko's heel.
  • Shinso receiving a ventriloquist dummy from Miss Joke.
  • Toga and Iida glaring at one another while on patrol.
  • Shoto getting yelled at by Endeavor.
  • Bakugou getting his hair styled by Best Jeanist.
• Kingdom Hearts Ψ: The Seeker of Darkness: In Adjustments, Roxas tells Lea that he and Xion have already been given The Talk, by "the only qualified adult in the tower". Cut to Goofy sneezing in another room.
• Feline Mystery:
  Much to Tatsumi's confusion the strange yellow squid creature let out a dramatic laugh at his words. Whatever it was Tatsumi was fast becoming to thinking of it as something other than a Pokémon, after all Pokémon did not talk unless they used some form of physic ability (a certain Meowth who was chasing after a certain Pikachu sneezed).
• In This Time, The Clock Never Stops:
  Reg blushed but smiled widely at his parents. "Alistair has expressed interest and requested an exclusive relationship between the two of us. I accepted."
  Harry softened and walked over to hug his son, feeling extraordinarily happy for the teenager who'd looked so out of sorts earlier that day. "I'm happy for you, truly. The two of you make a lovely couple."
  The poor boy blushed even more at the last compliment but also preened somewhat, proving that he truly was related to Sirius Black, more than just superficially.
  (Back in the sitting room, the unfortunate Sirius sneezed into poor Marlene's face and got a smack round the head for his troubles.)
• In I will not dance tonight Harry and Luna discuss the clue from the First Task.
  "No, it's a metal egg, there's a riddle in it about the second Task of the Tournament!"
  "It wasn't a real dragon's egg? But then, the eggs crushed by the Fireball were not real either?"
  "Unfortunately, I think so. The golden egg was placed in the middle of the dragon eggs."
  "This is criminal. Do you know that the Fireball only nest every thirty years or so? And that only one or two eggs hatch in the end? Viktor Krum should have been punished."
  In the Great Hall, as the Champions were about to get up and dance, the Durmstrang student sneezed violently.
• In Growing Family, after Aelita asks Jeremie, Odd, and Ulrich where babies come from, Jeremie awkwardly suggests talking to Yumi about that. Over at the Ishiyama Residence, the aforementioned girl sneezes, leading her mother to warn her about wearing midriff-baring clothing.
• Naru-Hina Chronicles: After Temari yells a desire to find and mutilate Kankuro for telling an embarrassing story about her to Gaara, the next panel shows Kankuro sneezing and feeling a chill going down his spine much to his confusion.
• True Potential:
  • In the omake from Chapter 55, Kiba makes fun of Sasuke's haircut by saying it looks like a duck's butt. Two paragraphs later, Sasuke sneezes after returning to Konoha following a mission. Kakashi asks the Uchiha if he's sick, who replies he doesn't get sick. However, Sasuke has a strong desire to punch Kiba in the face without knowing the reason why.
  • In Chapter 66, Dosu shares his theory with Hinata and Shikamaru that Anko and Zabuza have a thing for each other. The Hyuga and the Nara both laugh at that. The next paragraph features Anko sneezing, causing Kahyō to ask if she's sick. Zabuza tells the Konoha kunoichi to stay far away from him if that's the case, as he would rather take a kunai to the back then catch a cold. Anko replies that she's not getting sick, but she thinks "some bastard is talking about [her] if [she] had to guess."
• Hero Academia D×D: In Chapter 58, Izuku, Itsuka, Toru, Yui and Kyoka are facing Mirko and Ryukyu as their opponents in their final exam. While Itsuka keeps Mirko busy, Yui gives Izuku a truck she's shrunk and tells him to throw it at Mirko. When she enlarges it, it turns out that the truck was full of gas, causing it to explode, much to Yui's shock, and Mirko's anger who immediately asks: "Who’s the idiot who put a tanker truck full of gas here for a test?" The scene then cuts to Aizawa sneezing.
• Head Start:
  Good thing [Harry] practiced constant vigilance, else that would have been bad.
  
  (Somewhere in London, a certain Auror about to retire paused in his training of his cadet to look outside the room, a smile appearing on his scarred face with his one eye moving crazily in its socket which made his cadet go pale and her hair changed to a dull gray from the fright. The man then turned and yelled praises at someone practicing his favourite motto, before pushing his cadet even further, making the cadet curse at whoever made the Auror become more zealous in the training.)

Live-Action TV

• Kamen Rider Fourze: while on the Class Trip to Kyoto, Kamen Rider Club President Yuki expresses her joy at finally getting the freedom to do what she wants, without the nosy club "chairwoman" Miu breathing down her neck. Miu (on the Club's Home Base on the moon) reacts appropriately.
  • Four episodes later, Shun Daimonji starts sneezing when Kengo and Tomoko reveal their football retrieving robot named Daimonji—three times in fact.
  • Much, much earlier, in #5, this is actually Foreshadowing: Ohsugi is looking through the newspaper for his daily horoscope, which is Scorpio. Sonoda briefly sneezes, a hint to her identity as the Scorpio Zodiarts.
• Ultraman Mebius: While bonding with her friends and hiding from the Monster Mukadender, Marina tells them about her time with GUYS and of her thoughts on her comrades and captain, prompting Ryu, Teppei, George, and Konomi to react accordingly, while Sakomizu only stutters for a brief moment before catching himself. Surprisingly though, when Marina mentions Mirai (a.k.a. Ultraman Mebius's human form,) he gets no reaction at all.

Video Games

• In the HOKUSETU HIGH SCHOOL scenario in Live Powerful Pro Baseball Mobile, the main casts talk about their affection to the hero, the scene then cuts to the hero sneezing and his Opaque Nerd Glasses sidekick asks if you've got a cold. This happens twice if you managed to enter the Koshien.
• Happens in Star Ocean with Milly being discussed by Roddick's group, then we cut to Milly who sneezes. This scene was excised for the PSP remake.
• In the Ghost in the Shell video game for the PlayStation, someone mentions Aramaki in one FMV, and the scene cuts to Aramaki at a meeting, sneezing and saying "Someone's talking about me."
• During the mission "Salt Road" in Blaze Union, the second half of the battlefield opens with Garlot interrogating a corrupt noble as to why he's raising salt taxes and giving all the extra money to Pandra; of course, he winds up rattling off a string of insults towards Pandra while doing so. Pandra himself, who has just arrived onscene, sneezes and deduces that clearly, pretty girls are spreading rumors about him because he's such a ~handsome devil~.
• During the third act of Wild ARMs 3, Virginia is looking for a gem, and somehow thinks about Maya...Cue a change of scene with Maya sneezing.
• Persona 4 subtly slips this in, with tragic implications. After hearing a news story about an interview with an anonymous grade-school girl, your little cousin Nanako, who's watching TV with you, sneezes...and she ends up being the next kidnapping/murder victim (since the kidnapper selects his targets based on the Midnight Channel, which displays those who are well-known in the community, generally due to appearing on TV).
• Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star has this as the closest Doctor Shuu has to encountering or acknowledging Nishikikouji Tohri.
• Referenced as a gag in Dragon Quest III. An NPC complains that her neighbor sneezes too much. The reason he's sneezing is because she's talking about how much he sneezes.
• In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, after the first Star Sage runs away in an area of Bowser's body that currently inaccessible to the bros, Starlow mentions that they have no other choice but to wait until Bowser does something or finds another Star Cure. Cut to Bowser sneezing, wondering if someone just now was talking about him.
• Happens as a plot-point in Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls when Komaru says Toko's name after the two are seperated, and her sneezing triggers her transformation into her Serial Killer Split Personality.
• Under Night In-Birth: When Phonon meets Gordeau and the latter mentions he knows someone else who plays up the whole 'domineering queen unafraid to flaunt her power', we get a brief cut to Hilda at her base doing one of these cuts. This helps to make sure the audience knows Gordeau is referring to, as well - the cast of Under Night has a lot of forceful personalities.

Webcomics

• El Goonish Shive:
  • This strip has Elliot referring to Justin as the guy Elliot fought off bullies to protect and who Sarah wouldn't know. This is followed by Justin sneezing and looking confused. This trope is also lampshaded in the title.
  • Another has Nanase thinking about Tedd followed by Tedd sneezing and lampshading this trope by remarking he feels that that sneeze foretells doom.
  • A third one has Ashley inadvertently describe Nanase followed by Nanase sneezing. This is used as a segue to briefly shift focus to Ellen who is sitting next to Nanase.
• Galgarion in RPG World pretends this is happening only for one of his henchmen to say he just heard his name on the magic mirror. He admits he just Always Wanted to Say That.
• A Heartfelt Andante: Variation in the ninth chapter. After Da-ul winds up using Hyo-seo's lie that he's a distant relative of Yuwon, he curses Hyo-seo in his head. The very end of the chapter is Hyo-seo commenting that he's got chills for some reason.
• Housepets!:
  • Referenced in the Alt Text to this comic, where the comic itself has the Western "burning ears" variant.
  • This trope in particular is in play in this comic when an ancient cat tribe notices Grape, whose purple fur really sticks out.
• Played with and lampshaded in Out-of-Placers: one of the town guards suggests taking a grievously injured character to a nearby medic only to be informed that the medic in question is an "unreliable leaf-sucking hack" (i.e. spends his days in a refugee camp getting high after the destruction of his homeland). Cue scene change to said medic sneezing, but it was because a fly got up his nose and got stuck.
• Sandra on the Rocks, which has a fair bit of manga influence, brings the trope into play in this strip, when Aaina alludes to the existence of her twin Aania.
• Selkie: After Pohl and Sai Fen talk about the difficult things they're going to have to tell Selkie, the comic cuts back to Selkie sneezing. Mari then discusses the trope, saying that a sneeze means someone is talking about you.
• Sleepless Domain: Referenced in "Chapter 17 - Page 9" Alt Text when a character doesn't appear to sneeze when mentioned:
  You know it's not a real Anime because Vedika didn't sneeze

Web Original

• Hitherby Dragons, The Gesundeit Strategem: If you talk about someone in the right part, you can send them a message in Morse Code!

Web Animation

• The Green Azumarill:
  • During one of the shorts titled “If The Green Azumarill was in Pokemon Unite”, when Faith tells Green that they should score their points and head back to base, Green says that he wonders how she and Angie get along so well. It then cuts to Angie holding a beer bottle in her hand when she sneezes. After a few seconds, she shrugs, deciding it as no big deal, and proceeds to drink the beer bottle she is holding.

Web Videos

• Vaguely Recalling JoJo: When Jotaro mentions Iggy while playing against Telence, Iggy sneezes and Polnareff looks concerned for Iggy.

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