[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lifeenvy_2223.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[-They look like the same girl right? Except they're not. (Hint: Look at their eyes.)-] ]]

->''"You had the existence I could only dream of.\\
Every pleasure at your disposal and you wasted it.\\
You don't deserve this life, [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Clark]], but I do."''
-->-- '''Bizarro''', ''Series/{{Smallville}}''

These kinds of characters have ''[[GreenEyedMonster a lot of envy]]''. They don't just want to be '''like''' the person they envy. They literally want to '''be''' the person they envy and live their life. [[BeneathTheMask Not that they will admit it]]. These kind of characters are often {{Woobie}}s and {{Jerkass Woobie}}s, hence the reason they don't like their life.

They will try to be close as possible as the person they envy and/or simply become obsessed with surpassing them.

Given the right circumstances, these kind of characters will swap places with the person they envy. This can result In GrandTheftMe.

May lead to being DrivenByEnvy. This is a very extreme form of IrritationIsTheSincerestFormOfFlattery. Expect lots of HoYay if both characters are of the same gender.



[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In the romantic comedy ''Orange Chocolate'', the lead girl makes a wish to be ''like'' the guy she adores. She's envious because he is a prodigy ''onnagata'', i.e. male performer of female roles, and she feels he is more beautiful and graceful than she is. Then something happens. Guess [[LiteralGenie how]] [[FreakyFridayFlip it goes wrong.]]
* In an episode of ''DetectiveConan''. A moderately wealthy stock-trader murders his brother - a previously-successful and prize-winning novelist who spent too much time resting on his laurels and just loafing about, leeching off of his brother (he had some blackmail material about illegal insider trading, so the brother couldn't kick him out). The twist was that the stock-trader didn't murder his brother for blackmailing him, or for living off of him - but because he ''admired'' him. He despaired at seeing his once-great brother sink into laziness, and decided to ''become'' him, so that he could bring back the brother he'd once admired. But of course, he'll first have to get away with murder... which won't happen while Conan is around!
* Mikael from ''TenshiNiNarumon'' pretty much emulates his teacher on every occasion when they are NOT together. [[spoiler: When they are - he shifts back to his usual and quite opposite true self]]
* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' SpinOff ''Manga/PuellaMagiKazumiMagica'': [[spoiler: The KnightOfCerebus Yuuri is actually a girl named Airi, who wished to become her the real Yuuri [[DeadPersonImpersonation after she died]]]].
* ''DeadmanWonderland'': [[spoiler: Hagire Rinchinchou wants to ''become'' Shiro, a young girl with powerful "blood-bending" powers that he experimented on. To a guy like him, wanting to unite with a PersonOfMassDestruction is the closest he's ever felt to being in love.]]
* ''GundamSeedDestiny'': Meer Campbell for Lacus Clyne. Being a Lacus fangirl, then having her face surgically changed into Lacus's seriously messed with her sanity.
* ''CorrectorYui'': [[spoiler:Grosser wanted to be Yui]].
* In ''FruitsBasket'', Kyo secretly wishes he was Yuki, because he is envious of how Yuki seems to be a favorite in the Sohma family (as [[TheUnfavorite the Cat]], Kyo is almost entirely hated by his family). Yuki, meanwhile, secretly is envious of how Kyo has a chance for a normal life, free of the confining Sohma family (as the "favorite" of the head of the family, Yuki was confined so much that for a time, he honestly had no idea how to interact with other children). For much of the series, Tohru is the only one who realizes how the two secretly admire each other. [[spoiler:At the end of the series, when Tohru is in the hospital, Kyo finally spits out to Yuki how "I always wanted to be you!" and how he thinks Yuki is always able to do the right thing. Yuki, who is already angry with Kyo for rejecting Tohru's advances, punches him in the face while shouting "Shut up! Shut up! I was the one who always wanted to be ''you''!"]]
* ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' has a magic mirror that temporarily turns whoever looks into it into who they most want to be. Louise turned into [[CoolBigSis Cattleya]], Princess Henrietta turned into Louise, [[CampStraight Scarron]] turned into a beautiful woman, etc. Hilariously, Guiche was unaffected by the mirror, because his incredible vanity meant he saw himself as the ideal man.

* In the very dark Franchise/{{Spider-Man}} storyline "Fearful Symmetry: ComicBook/KravensLastHunt", Kraven the Hunter drugs Spidey and buries him for two weeks while he imitates the wall-crawler. He proves to be unbelievably brutal to the point where even Mary-Jane knows it ain't him.
** Starting with SpiderMan #700, [[spoiler: Doctor Octopus is Spider-Man.]]
* LexLuthor is almost always depicted as TheResenter of Superman's power and public adoration, but during BlackestNight the influence of [[Franchise/WonderWoman the lasso of truth]] makes him admit that he wants to ''be'' Superman. Wonder Woman wasn't surprised. In ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'', Lex even used his Everyman exo-gene therapy to copy Superman's powerset and even said "I'm Superman".
** Superboy Prime introduced in ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' wanted to kill Connor and Clark so he could be the one and only Superman.
* Hugo Strange. He was so obsessed with Franchise/{{Batman}} he eventually wanted to become him, using genetic engineering and training to get himself to the same physical condition, getting a copy of Batman's costume which he creepily wears around his house and even manages to deduce Batman's identity. He once even managed to defeat Batman and temporarily take his place.
** Hush, or Tommy Elliot, has similar issues towards Bruce Wayne, going right back to being jealous of his parents death in childhood. He even got plastic surgery (which he performed ''[[TheDeterminator on himself]]'') to look identical to him.
* JossWhedon's ''Comicbook/XMen'' run suggested that deep down in his subconscious, Comicbook/{{Cyclops}} desperately wants to be {{Wolverine}}, [[WolverinePublicity who is far more popular]] [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall and memorable than him]].
* In ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'', Hector Hammond is obsessed with Hal Jordan. He wants to take over Hal's life and relationship with Carol Ferris, even trying to steal Hal's memories.
* General "Thunderbolt" Ross always coveted the power Banner wielded as ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk. Ross spent years pursuing the Hulk when he wanted to ''be'' the Hulk all along. He eventually [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor got what he wanted]] when he was turned into RedHulk.

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In the SonicTheHedgehog AlternateUniverse ''Blog/AlwaysHavingJuice'', Metal Sonic is desperately doing everything in his power to become "The Real Sonic". Including kidnapping a small child in order to learn the true meaning of Hanukkah.
* In ''{{Fanfic/Brainbent}}'' virtually all of Vriska Serket's current persona is copied from her Auntie Mindfang, including being a BikerBabe and self proclaimed slut. In reality Vriska was originally a ShrinkingViolet who grew up in a conservative household and does not actually have much of a sense of self. This is in turn based on [[{{Webcomic/Homestuck}} the original Vriska's characterization]] where she did the same thing with her ancestor Mindfang.
* In chapter two of ''Fanfic/PrincessCelestiaHatesTea'', Twilight admits that she once forced herself to drink so much tea that she ''overdosed on caffeine'' in an effort to get over her distaste for it because she wanted to be just like Princess Celestia, who ''everypony'' knows is an avid tea drinker. This is one of the reasons she can't accept that Celestia actually hates tea.
* In ''[[FanFic/NewLookSeries Link's New Look]]'', [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Young]] [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Link]] tries to use this as an excuse to avoid being punished when he's caught in [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Peach's]] room. [[DraggedIntoDrag Things don't go as planned.]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* In {{Disney}}'s AnimatedAdaptation of ''Disney/TheJungleBook'', King Louie sings a musical number "I Wan'na Be Like You" about how much he envies humans.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''SingleWhiteFemale'', TropeCodifier. Alison Jones' roommate starts to take over her life, including dressing like her and impersonating her to seduce her boyfriend.
* In ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia: Film/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'', Lucy Pevensie envies her sister's life and beauty. She has a dream where she is actually Susan Pevensie [[spoiler:while she was never born]]. [[spoiler: She almost uses a spell to look exactly like her sister.]]
* In ''TheRoommate'', Rebecca feels this way toward her roommate Sara.
* ''Film/BlackSwan,'' Nina to Beth.
--> I just wanted to be perfect like you.
* In a spoof ''Film/MissionImpossible 2'' featurette about the stunts, Creator/BenStiller plays TomCruise's stunt double [[NamesTheSame Tom Crooze]]. Throughout the segment Cruise is clearly struggling to write off Crooze's antics as anything other than obsessed or insane. It's also revealed that even when they don't request Crooze's work on a particular Cruise film, ''he just shows up anyway''.
--> '''Tom Crooze''': You really have to become one with the actor. You have to walk like the actor, uh... talk like the actor... legally change your name to sound like the actor's...
* Taken to a disturbing extreme in ''Film/TheTalentedMrRipley''.
* The extended cut of the second ''Film/SpiderMan'' film reveals that for all his supposed hatred towards the webslinger, J. Jonah Jameson secretly wants to ''be'' Spider-Man. After Spider-Man quits and discards his suit, Jameson buys it and later is shown wearing it, jumping onto his desk and pretending to shoot web.
* This is Edward Nygma/The Riddler's motivation in ''Film/BatmanForever'', to the point that Nygma copies Bruce Wayne's hairstyle and facial mole.
* Touched upon in ''Film/TheAssassinationOfJesseJamesByTheCowardRobertFord'' when, at one point, James says to Ford, "I don't get it, do you want to be like me or do you want to '''be''' me?" Complete with HoYay, as the former says this while the latter watches him ''bathing''.
* In ''Film/BasicInstinct'', it's eventually revealed that [[spoiler:Beth had an affair with Catherine back in college and got obsessed with her to the point of trying to be like here in every way, even dying her hair blond. When Nick confronts Beth over this, she asserts that it was the other way around: Catherine was obsessed with ''her''.]]
* In ''Film/{{Scream 4}}'' [[spoiler: Jill, whose one of the Ghostface murderers and the mastermind behind the killings, uses the theme of movie remakes to try and kill her older cousin Sidney so she can take her place as the celebrated, tragic, victim and become rich and famous. She recreates the original murders in Woodsboro with changes consistent of a movie remake. She does this out of jealously, because of Sidney getting all the attention of her family, and majority of the small town associating with her, [[StuckInTheirShadow only because she's related to her.]]]]

* In ''Discworld/MakingMoney'':
** Cosmo Lavish is obsessed with becoming Lord Vetinari, to the point where he wears a duplicate of Vetinari's ring, practices facial expressions in the mirror all the time, and has his assistant steal worn out pairs of Vetinari's shoes. (Well, shoes that his assistant Heretofore was able to buy at the palace and ''convince'' Cosmo were Vetinari's. They were, as a later conversation reveals, actually Drumknott's.)
** Then there's [[spoiler: an entire ward in the hospital of people who want to be Lord Vetinari and have regular eye brow raising competitions. Cosmo joins them at the end of the book.]]
* Though not as dramatic as in the film version, Lucy in ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' is jealous of her older sister Susan's looks, and almost uses a spell that would make her WorldsMostBeautifulWoman (and not, in fact, like her sister at all).
* ''SweetValleyHigh'' featured a plot involving a psychotic girl named Margo, who [[IdenticalStranger happened to look identical to Elizabeth and Jessica]] and was so jealous of them that she planned to kill one of the twins and take over her life. Later, Margo's own identical twin shows up and they ''both'' decide they want to become the Wakefield twins.
** The spin-off series ''Sweet Valley University'' had a book that copied ''SingleWhiteFemale'' almost exactly, with Isabella acquiring a roommate who wants to become Isabella and starts taking over her life.
* In both ''The Best Friend'' and its sequel in the ''FearStreet'' series, Becka Norwood's life is invaded by Honey Perkins, who claims that they used to be best friends until Honey moved away. Becka has no memory of Honey, but Honey proceeds to both invade Becka's life and copy it, right down to dating and then breaking up with Becka's ex-boyfriend. Eventually, Honey attempts to murder Becka's actual friends and her boyfriend.
** In the sequel, Becka is trying to start over at a new school and make new friends, until it starts becoming apparent that the strain of Honey's memory is causing Becka to become like Honey. [[spoiler: It turns out that the first portion of the book was from ''Honey's'' point of view, trying to start over as Becka. In the second portion, we learn that Honey was really Hannah Paulsen, a classmate of Becka's from elementary school. Hannah was an utterly needy and whiny kid desperate to be part of Becka's circle of friends. One day Becka and her friends had Hannah completely humiliate herself to become part of their group, then tell her she never stood a chance just to get her to stop bothering them. Sadly, Hannah would then witness her father murder her twin brother, mom, and then himself. Becka had completely forgotten about the incident and felt disgusted with herself that she could've been so cruel.]]
** R.L. Stine has tried a few different spins on this trope. In another ''FearStreet'' story, an {{Accidental Murder}}er takes on the persona of her victim, both as a kind of penance, and as a kind of denial (if I'm her, and I'm alive, then she can't be dead, so I can't have killed her, right?) It's hinted at first that she might be responsible for a more recent string of murders, [[spoiler:but the real culprit is actually seeking revenge for a separate incident. As part of confronting him, she's forced to accept herself, setting her on the road to recovery.]]
** In another ''FearStreet'' story ("The New Girl"), a girl who is insanely jealous of her sister kills her and takes on her identity.
* In the ''Manga/DeathNote'' spin-off novel ''LightNovel/AnotherNote'' [[spoiler: [[SerialKiller Beyond Birthday]]]] is this to [[spoiler: L.]]
* Throughout the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series, it's mentioned that Ron sees Harry as having all the things he wants but can't seem to get: fame, respect, money, and the love of both Hermione and Ron's own family (while Hermione really loves Ron and the Weasley family don't really favor Harry over him, Ron was in a pretty unbalanced state when he believed it). Ron tries to hide his insecurities and jealousy as best he can, seeing as Harry's his best friend, and a lot of the later books have him getting many of those things through his own efforts (by the end of the series, he has been Keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Gryffindor Prefect, [[spoiler:destroyed a Horcrux, was well-known as one of the heroes who fought against Voldemort, became an Auror for the Ministry of Magic, and ended up HappilyMarried to Hermione, with several children.]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Source of the quote for this trope: In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', Bizarro started as a pure evil wraith. He was viewed as a monster by his creators and trapped in the Phantom Zone. He never knew happiness. When he was freed from the Zone [[MoralEventHorizon he possessed human bodies to survive]]. Until he got Clark's DNA, memories and powers. He tried to replace Clark while he was trapped in the fortress. He fooled both his friends and the audience. At the end he was [[DeathIsCheap "killed"]] by his only love. This made him a JerkassWoobie.
** ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' had done this in the first season as well, with Tina Greer (played by Lizzy Caplan), a shapeshifter who grew up envying Lana's seemingly perfect life. When we meet her, she has already styled her hair to resemble Lana's and dresses in clothes that are basically the same clothes that Lana wears...even going as far as buying an emerald necklace to imitate the kryptonite necklace Lana wears (that was made from the meteor that killed Lana's parents). After the death of her mother (which she was responsible for), Tina shapeshifts to impersonate her mother while concocting a story that her mother is moving to Metropolis, and asks Lana if she can move in with her and Aunt Nell. When Lana says that she needs to ask Aunt Nell for permission (a perfectly reasonable point), Tina freaks out and takes this as a sign of rejection... and then decides that she's going to murder Lana and use her shapeshifting abilites to assume Lana's identity, even going as far as practicing writing Lana's signature multiple times as preparation.
** She returned in Season 2, and by this time, Tina has realized that the real source of her Lana-obsession is that she is in fact [[AbhorrentAdmirer in love with her]]... and is [[PsychoLesbian willing to, quote, do "ANYTHING to be with her."]]
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS3E24TurnaboutIntruder Turnabout Intruder]]". Janet Lester was not appointed as a starship captain because she was incompetent (she would go on to claim this was actually do to sexual discrimination by Starfleet). Due to anger over her supposed mistreatment she goes insane and uses an alien machine to switch bodies with Kirk and take command of the Enterprise.
** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' had an episode called "Hero Worship" about a boy who wanted to be Data, mostly so he wouldn't have to deal with the negative emotions of losing his family.
* The ''{{Eureka}}'' episode "Your Face Or Mine" is about a previously unseen character who really wants to be [[ActionGirl Jo]] -- and develops a DNA-alteration technology that allows her to be.
* In ''{{Wonderfalls}}'' ("Karma Chameleon"), Jaye befriends a woman who then dresses up like her, begins to impersonate her (even fooling her mother), and steals her job. The woman seems to have an unhealthy obsession with her. It turns out [[spoiler:she's a scholar studying Jaye's way of life]].
* Happened on ''{{JAG}}'' when one of the minor character's old friend moved in with her and started doing her hair in the same style, trying on her uniform, etc. on her way to full-blown stealing her identity.
* The ''Series/{{Castle}}'' episode "Nikki Heat" plays with this by having an actress model the mannerisms of the character she is playing on Kate Beckett, after whom the character was modeled. It starts with posture and gestures, then inflection, then climaxes in the actress donning a wig and receiving a near-exact replica of the pantsuit Beckett happens to be wearing that day in the mail. ''SingleWhiteFemale'' is referenced:
-->'''Castle:''' (''softly'') She's just committed to the role. (''leaving the office'') You should be flattered.\\
'''Beckett:''' (''to self'') Yeah. Sure. Until she steals my boyfriend and ''kills me in my sleep.''
* The ''FraggleRock'' episode "I Want to Be You" is all about this. Red gets jealous of Mokie for being (so she thinks) more popular than her, and spends the episode trying to imitate Mokie's hairstyle, voice, touchy-feely new age poetry, etc.
* It's been hinted that in ''Series/DoctorWho'', Rory Williams wanted to be more like the Doctor. Growing up, his friend Amy (later fiance, later wife) always made him dress-up and play as her [[NotSoImaginaryFriend imaginary friend]] 'The Raggedy Doctor'. Creator/StevenMoffat revealed that the only reason he became a nurse was him ''trying'' to be a doctor. When the Time Lord actually returned, Rory found himself competing with him. Eventually, though, Amy chose him anyway, and he's become far more comfortable with himself.
** No doubt the fact that, since becoming a companion, he's [[TookALevelInBadass taken so many levels in badass]] [[MemeticBadass he's broken the scale]] has helped his self-esteem.
** The Doctor himself is like this with humanity: in "Father's Day" he congratulates a pair of newlyweds by telling them that their life is "the adventure he can never have."
* This was Faith's motivation in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. She wanted Buffy's friends, family, job, role models, lovers, and this would eventually lead to her FaceHeelTurn. Then she gets the chance to [[GrandTheftMe be Buffy]] and be heroic as her, slipping Faith out of the massive JerkAss phase she had and leading to a HeelFaceTurn. Ironically, most of what Buffy had that Faith wanted she gets.
* Season 2 premiere of ANTFarm features the actress Sequoia coming to the farm to follow around a musical prodigy for an upcoming movie role, and she follows this pattern. [[spoiler:{{Subverted|Trope}} in that the role she was researching was the person who wanted to take over the musical prodigy's life, and not take over Chyna's life.]]
* In the ''FridayThe13thTheSeries'' episode, "Mesmer's Bauble" an ugly fanboy uses the titular relic to get close to the singer he has a crush on. It isn't until late in the story that he realizes he doesn't love her as much as he wants to ''be'' her. He then uses the bauble to take over her body, killing her in the process.
* A minor female character in ''Series/NipTuck'' wanted to be like Kimber Henry (Christian Troy's on/off girlfriend) in every way and even live her life. Transforming herself to look like Kimber and sleeping with Christian to experience what Kimber's sex life was like first-hand was the best she could do without slipping into villainous territory.
* In the ''Series/LostGirl'' episode "The Kenzi Scale", a {{Kitsune}} named Inari kidnaps Kenzi, then shape-shifts into her and tries to take over her life. Inari had no friends and considered Kenzi to have the perfect life with her many friends. According to the other Kitsunes, she had tried similar stunts with their lives.
* In the ''Series/{{Psych}}'' episode "Juliet Wears the Pantsuit", Juliet gets a roommate who she becomes friends with until the woman starts dressing like and pretending to be her (the film ''Film/SingleWhiteFemale'' is given a ShoutOut). It turns out that the woman [[DeconstructedTrope is on the run from]] her [[DomesticAbuser abusive husband]] who keeps managing to track her down despite the number of times she has taken on false identities and thought she would be safe with Juliet as a roommate since she's a cop.
* One villain in ''Series/TheSentinel'' was a serial killer to whom this trope was his ''modus operandi''. He would target a person he found admirable for one reason or another, kill him or her, and then adopt his victim's identity.
* On one ''Series/{{Benson}}'' episode, after a string of failures on Clayton Endicott III's part and successes on Benson's part, Endicott had a breakdown and believed himself to actually ''be'' Benson, dressing like him and wearing dark makeup. He didn't snap out of it until Benson pointed out several bad things about his own life and good things about Endicott's at the end of the episode.
* In ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'', Hannibal Lecter is obsessed with Will Graham, talking about him endlessly with Jack, Chilton, and Bedelia. He even longs to ''be'' Will, bragging to Bedelia that he "gets to be" Will Graham in his new role as an FBI profiler in the second season.

* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwqwAy85CgY "Richard Cory"]] in a song by SimonAndGarfunkel, [[spoiler: even after Richard Cory "put a bullet through his head."]]
** Which was based on the poem [[http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/richard-cory/ "Richard Cory"]] by Edwin Arlington Robinson.
* Busted - "She Wants To Be Me"
* "David Watts" by the Kinks.
* "Invidia" by {{Delain}}. ''I don't wanna be like you/It seems like you outrun me every time/I want to be you/But why can't I erase you from my mind?''
* I'd Be You by Stephanie Mcintosh uses this trope to it's full potential. Look at the title.
* "Why Can't I Be You?" by TheCure is a silly, playful take on this.

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]

* In ''{{Werewolf the Apocalypse}}'' Skindancers are disgruntled kinfolk who want to be Garou. By ritually sacrificing five Garou, they can become werewolves like their relatives.
** The Seventh Generation has shades of this. Their theology borrows heavily from Black Spiral Dancer traditions, and their writings refer to Black Spirals as [[HeroWorshipper "True Dancers"]] (suggesting that their own rites pale in comparison). In a chapter of ''Chronicles of the Black Labyrinth'' outlining Seventh Generation rites, the author beseeches the Black Spiral Dancers to accept them as fellow servants of the Wyrm.


* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' gives this one a little twist. Riku was always the cool one, the strong one, the popular one, and the special one, but he's spent his life ''intensely'' jealous of his best friend, Sora, for his simple mind and easy-going personality. And when it becomes clear that Sora, not Riku, is the hero of the story, Riku's envy finally [[StartOfDarkness drives him off the deep end]].
** The irony is not lost on Riku when he later has to face off against a clone of his Heartless form from the first game in ''Chain of Memories'' who is obsessed with killing him so it can be the "real" Riku.
* In ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', [[spoiler: Shiki was incredibly jealous of her outgoing, talented best friend Eri. So much so, in fact, that when she entered the Reaper's Game, she essentially ''became'' Eri, copying her appearance and bubbly personality after she lost her real appearance as her entry fee. Thankfully, her CharacterDevelopment allowed her to come to terms with her issues and learn to appreciate her true self.]]
* In the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' franchise, Metal Sonic, the first EvilKnockoff Eggman made of the eponymous hero, is either completely deluded into thinking he is the genuine article and wants to destroy Sonic believing SONIC is the knockoff, or he knows he's a copy but believes that he is superior and constantly challenges Sonic to prove it. Of course, this is DependingOnTheWriter.
** ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' uses both simultaneously, with Metal Sonic ([[OneWingedAngel now Metal Overlord]]) referring to Sonic as ''his'' copy while still acknowledging the fact that he was built for the sole purpose of defeating Sonic. It really drives home the SanitySlippage Metal suffered from his multiple defeats over the years quite well.
-->'''Metal Overlord''' (''at the beginning of the battle''): "No long time no see, Sonic, my loathsome copy!" \\
'''Metal Overlord''': "Sonic... I was created for the sole purpose of destroying you. But I can never seem to defeat you! That is why, I transformed my own body with my own hands." \\
'''Metal Overlord''' (''[[VillainousBreakdown upon his defeat]]''): "Guooooo! [[ThisCannotBe Why!]] [[NotSoInvincibleAfterAll I had it all!]] [[AGodAmI I am the ultimate overlord]], '''Metal Sonic'''! I am the ''real'' Sonic!"
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the BigBad of the ''Citadel DLC'' is revealed to be [[spoiler: an [[EvilTwin clone]] of Shepard seeking to KillAndReplace them. It's fair to say, they've developed a ''major'' inferiority complex towards the original.]]
--> '''[[spoiler: Clone!Shepard]]''': Look at you! What makes you so damned special? Why you and not ''[[IJustWantToBeSpecial me?!]]''


[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* This is part of what's going on between Kuchiki Toko and Mizuhara Toko in ''KaraNoShoujo''.
* Used very weirdly in ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'', [[spoiler:Kohaku who was naturally shy desperately wants to become her twin sister Hisui who was naturally cheerful. Her sister [[TwinSwitch goes along with this]] because Kohaku was [[RapeAsBackstory raped in her place]] so she could live a normal childhood. Kohaku becomes a StepfordSmiler and Hisui becomes a EmotionlessGirl.]]
* In ''VisualNovel/HiganbanaNoSakuYoruNi'', this turns out to be [[spoiler:what Midori's contract with the Black Tea Gentleman involved. In exchange for a small portion of her soul, the Black Tea Gentleman let Midori switch places with another student she was jealous of. However, as long as the LotusEaterMachine is in effect Midori herself doesn't remember this, and instead she believes that her contract was to get a role she wanted for a play.]]

[[folder:Web Originals]]
* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic has messed up views on getting attention, sexual or otherwise, and so jealously hates on Satine from ''MoulinRouge'' *not getting that she's still just a hooker), child actors (not understanding that they're treated terribly), and Lois from the ''{{Superman}}'' cartoon (missing the point that she wants to be noticed for her work and not her mini-skirt).
* In ''[[DNAKPTS4TV Death Note: The Abridged Series (Kpts4tv)]]'' there's the NoodleIncident where L's crazy-obsessive stalker Beyond Birthday kidnapped L in Guatemala and took his place.
* Briefly mentioned in the [[YouMeanXmas Decemberween]] episode of ''WebAnimation/TeenGirlSquad'', where the opening cast call lists each character's Decemberween wish. The Ugly One's wish is "to be Cheerleader".

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' Veronica Star, a popular kid, is very jealous of Trixie's life. Mainly because she is more popular than her. And more importantly because Timmy is after Trixie and not her. She is hinted to [[AxCrazy be crazy]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "Big Pink Loser", Patrick wants to win an award just like [=SpongeBob=], so he decides to dress and act just like him.
* On one episode of ''TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'', Tigger tries to teach Eeyore how to be more cheerful. Eeyore interprets his lessons as "being just like Tigger", and soon he's painted himself in orange and black stripes and bouncing the others.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'', RobotKid Bobert wants to {{become a real boy}}, so Gumball tries to teach him how to act like one. Bobert then gets the idea of becoming - and, eventually, ''replacing'' - Gumball.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'', Randall had a breakdown and admitted that he wished he was T.J. because of T.J.'s ability to make friends. T.J. is sympathetic and offers Randall advice, which seems to work. Unfortunately, Randall's efforts also alienate him from Ms. Finster. Ultimately, Randall decides being a teacher's pet is more important to him than making friends with the other kids. T.J. actually encouraged him to do this, saying that close friendships like the one between Ms. Finster and Randall are worth it.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' Dr Langstrom turned himself into Man-Bat because he wanted to be like Batman. Not that he wanted to be crime fighter, he wants to be fearsome and powerful.