Subversion of established identities with a body double (spoilers for MGSV and Genshin Impact)

[Ashigara]

To fill everyone in, and spoilers alert, I'll recount the story of both games. At the end of MGSV, your player character, Venom Snake, discovers he isn't actually the legendary soldier Big Boss, as he and everyone believed he was. Venom was Big Boss' best soldier, and facial surgery, hypnosis and guidance made him into Big Boss' body double, meant to distract the world so the other Big Boss can build Outer Heaven in secret. In Genshin Impact, the Raiden Shogun, ruler of Inazuma (a fantasy version of feudal Japan) is revealed to be an automated doll overseen by the real Raiden who resides in an inner realm. Raiden been implementing Sakoku and a fantastical version of the Sword Hunt, and the entire country was falling apart from natural disasters and civil war.

Something about this writing trope sticks in my mind for the wrong reasons, because it's either, 1) realizing you're a double and your deeds have fed into this gestalt legacy, or 2) the suffering in the country you're visiting and antagonism you face are the result of a doll, the hand which carries out actions not opposed by the actual ruler's intentions. It feels like you've been undercut, the actions you attribute to one character are now shifted on a 'phantom' you never expected. Responsibility is muddled, and the story of someone you expected to be told about wasn't really there.

I don't know, I can't be the only one who dislikes this trope. I'd like to know everyone's thoughts, and if there are any 'good' executions of this trope.

 

[ChaseJxyz]

I recently consumed a thing where, you figure out at the end, some of the scenes that you thought were from the MC's POV was actually from their clone. But each character has all of their memories, have different histories, but they look alike and are doing similar roles. YOU are the one who assumes that they are the same person. Things being done this way works because it obfuscates some other twisty things.

Honestly I do not have a problem with this trope. I like stories where you're forced to re-evaluate your assumptions about the story and characters. It's very easy to get tunnel vision because you expect a certain type of story, certain tropes, and you ignore all the clues stating otherwise. This is also why people read stories and assume everyone is white unless they are told otherwise, because they walk into the work and assume a white person made it, about a white culture, so everyone is white, because isn't that how the world actually is? (it's not, obviously)

 

[Ashigara]

I recently consumed a thing where, you figure out at the end, some of the scenes that you thought were from the MC's POV was actually from their clone. But each character has all of their memories, have different histories, but they look alike and are doing similar roles. YOU are the one who assumes that they are the same person. Things being done this way works because it obfuscates some other twisty things.

Honestly I do not have a problem with this trope. I like stories where you're forced to re-evaluate your assumptions about the story and characters. It's very easy to get tunnel vision because you expect a certain type of story, certain tropes, and you ignore all the clues stating otherwise. This is also why people read stories and assume everyone is white unless they are told otherwise, because they walk into the work and assume a white person made it, about a white culture, so everyone is white, because isn't that how the world actually is? (it's not, obviously)

Hm, I guess. To re-evaluate assumptions about the story is not a bad thing. I played an event mystery story in Fate Grand Order where the final deduction practically slapped me in the face to wake me from the preconceptions I held, and I was happy about it.

One thing I really don't like is the muddling of responsibility with a body double. If the doll you put in place to rule in your stead enforces policies (and is influenced by malevolent foreign forces) which run your country into the ground, and you're chill with this because this doesn't interfere with your goals, how much are you responsible for the people's suffering? I know characters can be complex, and Raiden Shogun is a god, accountability and consequences mean little to gods, but still...

I think the issue is not the re-evaluation of assumptions, only that there was all these actions, accomplishments, tribulations and facts attributed to one character. But you learn they're not who they say they are, so the journey and perspective of the real character you wanted to play/interact will never be shown, the deeds you see onscreen now attributed to this other character you weren't prepared to expect. I apologize me if not being OK with this trope is wrong of me.