Basic Trope: Something (especially a character) is said to be of a certain species, but doesn't look much like the species in real life.
- Straight: Bob is said to be a dog, but doesn't really resemble a dog.
- Exaggerated: Bob is said to be a dog, but he looks more like a fish.
- Downplayed: Bob is said to be a beagle, but he looks like another dog breed.
- Justified:
- Bob is actually an alien resembling a dog.
- Bob is trans-species.
- Bob has the mentality of a dog.
- Inverted:
- Bob looks exactly like what he is.
- Bob closely resembles a dog, even though it's said he's not one.
- Subverted:
- Bob seems to look like a dog, but Bob was wearing a very good disguise to fool other animals into thinking that he's a dog.
- People quickly learn that Bob is called a filthy dog for his (lack of) hygiene, not his species.
- Double Subverted: He turned out to be a smaller dog.
- Parodied: Bob is either a Cartoon Creature or Mix-and-Match Critters who was referred to be some form of dog.
- Zig-Zagged: Depending on the Artist, Bob could look more or less like a dog.
- Averted:
- Bob is said to be a dog and actually resembles a dog.
- Bob does not resemble a dog and isn't said to be one.
- Enforced:
- The artist may not know much about what this animal looks like, since it's rarely used in fiction.
- Anthropomorphic animals based on some species may have their anatomy changed to fit a humanoid body. For instance, snakes may end up looking more like lizards.
- The changes make the character easier to draw.
- If the character actually looked like their species, it might look jarring against the rest of the work's art style.
- Lampshaded: "Is Bob actually a dog?"
- Discussed: "Why do they call Bob a dog? He doesn't really look like one."
- Conversed: "I wonder why so many cartoon animals look nothing like the species they're supposed to be."
Back to Informed Species.
