That Liar Lies

• Main
• Laconic
• Quotes
• All Subpages
• Create New

Host: Are you an alien? Zim: LIES! THE FILTHY EARTH BOY LIES! [Beat] ...I mean, 'no'. —Invader Zim, "Mysterious Mysteries"

That Liar Lies happens when a character in a series shouts out to another the words "You lie!" This can also be in different forms, such as "That's a lie," "You're lying", "You are telling a lie," "you're a lying liar that lies," etc.

This is usually the response to a trope from the Luke, I Am Your Index index. This can happen either while the receiver is speaking or when he is not speaking. Occurs when a character speaks Blatant Lies and another character knows that he is lying. Often Played for Drama. Common in trial scenes when some witness has just attributed an incriminating remark to another person present. When used against a person just because of their culture, sex, or race, its a Pet Peeve Trope.

Examples of That Liar Lies include:

Anime and Manga

• Bleach: In chapter 397 Ichigo calls Aizen a "liar" after being told that he planned all of Ichigo's fights from the beginning.
• Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji says this about Asuka, Rei, and Misato in the movie (End of Evangelion) when they all declare to him "we are nice to you."
  • In the same movie, Ritsuko says this of Gendo at one point.
  • Asuka says this of Shinji too.
  • In episode 22 at the end of Asuka's Mind Rape sequence a Creepy Doll says this of Asuka.
• Used by Rena in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (originally as "USO DA!", translated as "LIAR!" in the dub) in a scene which would set the tone for the rest of the series. Despite being said by her only once, it has become her unofficial catchphrase (along with "Omochikaeri!") and is frequently referenced in fanworks, homages and canon ("Hirukowashi", in case you were wondering).
  • She's said it four times actually. Though the first time it sounded more intimidating since Keiichi was hallucinating and the second time Keiichi straight out hallucinated it.
    • Also used by Shmion occasionally.
  • In Umineko no Naku Koro ni, just about everyone has accused everyone of lying at some point or another and started one of these. The siblings, especially.
• In Pani Poni Dash! episode 9, Becky's MIT professor tells Becky's students that on one occasion she accidentally fused herself with a cat. Becky (tied to a stalagmite) cries out, "YOU LIAR! Don't make stuff up!"
• Occurs in Noir when Chloe reveals that Kirika killed Mirielle's parents prompting Mirielle to shout that she has to be lying. A track on the soundtrack is actually called "Liar You Lie."
• In chapter 61 of Naruto Kabuto insists Sasuke is lying and that he's not that cold-hearted when the latter asks the former to fight saying that it's the only way to survive in the Forest of Death.
  • And in chapter 165 this is Naruto's response upon finding out that Kabuto is actually a sound village spy and Orochimaru's subordinate.
  • Naruto yells this at Madara in episode 203 of Shippuden.
• Pandora Hearts: Oz says this of Break at one point. And this is said to Oz (by an Abyss-worshiping cult) in chapter 54. And in chapter 56 Philippe says this when Oz tells him that his father is dead.
• This happens between a few characters in Code Geass.
• Gankutsuou: Albert screams this at the Count three times upon learning that the Count was merely using him the whole time.
• Thor screams this at Zagi four times in episode 7 of Jyu-Oh-Sei.
• Sayaka screams this in episode 7 of Princess Princess after Yuujirou kisses Tooru to drive home the idea that Tooru doesn't like girls.
• Ranma ½: When Genma claims that the titular character said in his sleep that he loves Akane, Ranma tackles him, all the while repeatedly screaming, "That's a lie!"
  • In the very same episode, Ranma and Akane end up in a situation that makes it look like he raped her. He didn't, of course, but Ryoga doesn't know that. So, Ranma uses Ryoga's misinterpretations to egg him on, because he needs Ryoga to fight him with everything he's got, while Akane shouts, "It's not true! He's a liar! A liar!"
  • When Nabiki claims that Ranma and Akane are a married couple in order to get Ukyo out of the house, Ranma yells "Lies!" over and over again.
  • Used again for hilarity when Ryoga turns into a kid because of aging mushrooms.
• Used in No. 6 when Sion kisses Nezumi and calls it a "good night kiss" leading to Nezumi to call Sion a "liar".
• In Kanon when Yuuichi breaks a promise with Nayuki, she often calls him a liar.

Comic Books

• Jason Woodrue during his Villainous Breakdown in Swamp Thing: "Youre' lying! You're lying you're lying you're lying! Why are you lying?"
• Chick tracts, so very much. Li'l Suzy and many other protagonists will usually present this eloquent rebuttal whenever their strawman opponent mentions a personal opinion, religious stance (that don't match Jack's), generally accepted scientific theory, or the like.

Fan Works

• Episode 20 of Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series has Rebecca Hawkins do this to Grandpa.

Film

• Mean Girls: Janis calls Cady a "dirty little liar" upon finding out she didn't invite her and Damian to her party and because she told them she was planning on sabotaging the Plastics when she was really just holding a party.
• Star Wars. Luke Skywalker says a variant of this to Darth Vader after the latter declares he is Luke's father.

Luke: That's not true! That's impossible!

• Leonardo does this to Shredder near the end of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, when Shredder insinuates that he's killed Splinter. Shredder is only incorrect because Splinter was rescued by Casey and Danny as the Foot were carrying out their assault on the sewer den after Shredder ordered him killed.
• Kill Bill: O-Ren Ishii screams, "You lie!" in Japanese when the Bride reveals that Hattori Hanzo made her sword.
• Harry Potter:
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Harry tries to convince Snape that he hasn't been stealing potion ingredients from him. In response, Snape says "Don't. Lie. To. Me."
  • In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry yells "YOU LIAR" at Voldemort.
  • In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry shouts "THAT'S A LIE" at Aunt Marge.
  • In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry exclaims "It's not a LIE" to Umbridge.
  • In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1, where, after Dolores Umbridge accuses a Muggle-born witch of stealing a wand from a "real" witch, Harry (disguised as a Ministry official) responds, "You're lying, Dolores. And one mustn't tell lies."
• In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Khan accuses Kirk of exiling him and his company to "this barren sand heap, with only the contents of this cargo bay to sustain us" (i.e. the uninhabitable planet where Terrell and Chekov have unexpectedly found him). Chekov interjects, "You lie! On Ceti Alpha 5 there was life! A fair chance!" To which Khan shouts, "THIS IS CETI ALPHA 5!"
• The 1985 film version of Bridge to Terabithia.
• The 1946 Frank Capra film It's a Wonderful Life has this twice when George Bailey sees what life is like if he was Ret-Gone. He mentions to his mother that he last saw her brother-in-law Uncle Billy "Today, over at his house." She replies, "IT'S A LIE! He's been in the insane asylum ever since he lost his business." George himself says this when Guardian Angel Clarence tells him that his brother Harry "broke through the ice and was drowned at the age of nine." George snaps, "THAT'S A LIE! Harry Bailey went to war! He got the Congressional Medal of Honor! He saved the lives of every man on that transport!"
• Finding Neverland: "Stop lying to me! I'm sick of grownups lying to me!" Peter really hates it when adults downplay the severity of the situation.
• In Batman and Robin: "You Lie!" Mr. Freeze yells in response to Poison Ivy telling him that Batman killed his wife. In truth, she is the one who pulled the plug on his wife's cryo chamber in a bid to Murder the Hypotenuse.
• The Mystery of Blue Harbor, a movie made by a local^[where?] amateur film club featured the line "You are a lying liar from Liarton, New Hampliar, and I don't believe your lying lies!"
• Saw: Cary Elwes character, after being told by his wife that the other guy chained up in a dirty bathroom with him lies. "Stop the lies! You're a liar!"
• "Yawr lyin', I nevur hit joo. YU ARE TEARIN' ME A-PAHRT, LISA!!"
• In The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash, an old bluesman tells the reporter (Eric Idle) that the Rutles stole his music, only to be interrupted by his wife with "He's lyin'! He's always lyin'!" She then says the every time someone does a documentary about some white rock band he falsely claims to have been robbed by them.
• The Princess Bride with Miracle Max and his wife.

Max: You're right, that is a noble cause. But what he really said was "to blaive" which obviously means "to bluff" which means you probably were playing cards and he cheated! Max's Wife: "LIAR! LIARLIARLIARLIARLIARLIARLIAR LIIIIIAAAAARRR!

• Elf: "You sit on a throne of lies!"
• In Anatomy of a Murder, when Jailhouse Snitch Duane Miller gives testimony that sounds highly incriminating, the defendant suddenly roars: "You're a liar! You're a lousy stinking liar!"
• Vervain says this a lot about Campion (with good reason) in the animated version of Watership Down, particularly the third season.

Literature

• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry shouts "LIES!" to no one in particular when first reading some of the media references to Dumbledore's Feet of Clay. The melodrama of this is Lampshaded in that a Muggle neighbor is shown to overhear and glance around nervously.
• King Tirian in The Last Battle. "Ape, you lie damnably. You lie like a Calormene. You lie like an ape." There would have been more, but he got smacked down before he could finish.
• The Lord of the Rings: Said by Grima Wormtongue. Repeatedly. To the point where Gandalf calls him out on it at one point.

"That word comes too oft and easy from your lips," said Gandalf. "I do not lie."

• In Trickster's Choice:

Aly: He's lying! Sarai: I know that. His mouth is moving, isn't it?

• Al Franken's book Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. The title is here accusing Fox News, and the American right in general, of being the liars.

Live-Action TV

• In iCarly, Freddie says this to Sam during one certain insult, and again when Spencer accuses Freddie of lying when he proves that his Galaxy Wars prop is fake.
  • Also in iStart a Fan War, when Carly says nobody is dating, after a brief moment of silence, out of nowhere a congressman-like person shouts, "YOU lie!" and the fan war continues.
• Maury: Maury Povich's "That's a lie" during any of his shows concerning the results of a lie detector test.
• The Doctor Who episode "Dalek" sees the title character respond to the Doctor's claim to have wiped out the Dalek race with "YOU LIE!"
  • According to River Song; "Rule number one: The Doctor lies."

Music

• "Liar" by Emilie Autumn is about a former lover(s) that lied to her.
• "Liar" by Sex Pistols
• "Liar" by Megadeth is the tale of a liar with an extremely dysfunctional family. Supposedly inspired by former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland.
• "Liar, Liar" by The Castaways
• And this super obvious one by The Band Perry called "You Lie"

Theatre

• Emilia to Iago in Othello, after she finds out that he told Othello that Desdemona was unfaithful:

You told a lie, an odious damned lie, Upon my soul, a lie, a wicked lie!

Video Games

• Used at least once by Phoenix and Apollo in the Ace Attorney games.

You're lying, dammit, and I can prove it!

Web Comics

• Penny and Aggie: "Stop lying, you liar!"
• The Order of the Stick zigzags this trope several times... in only one strip. Here it is.

Web Original

• A large amount of the customers featured on (The Customer is) Not Always Right assume that whenever they don't get their way at a store, then the person they are talking to is lying to weasel out of doing any work. This usually results in accusing the person to their face or running off to tell a manager.
• "You are... confusing me. You are attempting a deception!"^[context?]

Western Animation

• Family Guy: Meg makes up the idea that she has a boyfriend named Darren Mitchelstork who's the "chairman of the soccer ball team". Lois doesn't buy it, but humors her for a moment before laughing and calling Meg a "little liar".
  • There's a better example when Meg tells Lois she could be having a life on Saturday night:

Lois: "Meg, if you don't want to babysit anymore, that's fine, but don't you stand there and lie to me."

• Invader Zim. As in the above quote.
  • No! You lie! YOU LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!
  • YOU'RE MAKING IT UP!
  • An entire video of LIES!
• The Simpsons:
  • "Lies make baby Jesus cry."
  • And let's not forget this little gem:

Ralph Wiggum: I brush three times a day. Dentist: Why must you turn my office into a house of LIES?! Ralph Wiggum: *in tears* I don't brush!

• On The Venture Brothers, The Monarch cross-examines Hank:

"Well, Hank... what's it like to be... a LIAR?! YOU LIKE BEING A LIAR, WITH PANTS CONSTANTLY ON FIRE?"

• Futurama: Bender responds with the accusation that he is being used as a beer distiller with "Lies! Lies and slander!"... right before he burps up a bit of foam.
• The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack: "You LIED! If you were a treasure chest, you would LIE at the bottom of the ocean! You would LIE in a LIEGHTHOUSE full of LIEONS and LIEMA BEANS!"
  • "Boy, that guy sure sounds like a really big liar."
• In Aladdin, the first verse of Jafar's Villain Song is essentially telling Jasmine "That Liar Lies" about Aladdin.
  • Earlier, Aladdin confronts Jafar for lying. And even before that, Jasmine confronts Aladdin for lying. In those cases, though, they say "Tell them/me the truth," not "You lie."
• During the Grand Finale of Transformers Animated, Lugnut and Shockwave have a Cat Fight - ahem, row over which of them is the most loyal to Megatron. As Megatron facepalms at two of his soldiers acting like protoforms, you can hear Shockwave going "Liar, lying liar!"
• Looney Tunes short "Beanstalk Bunny", with Daffy Duck as Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk, Elmer Fudd as the giant, and Bugs Bunny along for the ride.

Elmer: I smell the bwood of an English wabbit! Bugs: Look, mac. You're the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk, right? Elmer: Wight. Bugs: And the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk wasn't after no rabbit, he was after Jack. Right? Elmer: Well, I guess maybe that is wight. Bugs: Well, then... [points at Daffy] He is Jack. Daffy: It's a lie! It's a lie! My name is... Aloysius! His name is Jack! Jack Rabbit! Bugs: Oh, no. You're Jack. Daffy: I am not! You're Jack! Bugs: You are Jack, and you know it because it is a fact. Elmer: I guess I'll just have to open with a pair of Jacks!

• In the two-part Season 2 premiere of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Twilight must deal with her broken and mindraped friends. Two of which, Rarity and Applejack, become a hoarder and a compulsive liar respectively. Her patience finally breaks while she's trying to get the reference guide to the Elements of Harmony from Rarity.

Twilight: Where is she? Where's Rarity? Applejack: Beats me. Twilight: LIES! (Big Ball of Violence ensues)

• Teen Titans: In the episode "The Beast Within" Beast Boy screams this when everybody claims that he attacked Raven.
• In one episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Space Ghost cheerfully asks Moltar to come over after telling an obvious lie. When he does, Space Ghost begins slapping him.

Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! (Beat) Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar! Liar!

Real Life

• United States Representative Addison Graves "Joe" Wilson (R-SC) interrupted a State of the Union address to shout "YOU LIE!" at President Barack Obama. This quickly became a huge deal, as in more than 100 years of State of the Union addresses (they did not occur every year), there had never been an interruption other than applause, and certainly not one so disingenuous and outright disrespectful.
• Jeremy Paxman, a journalist famous for his tenacious and often confrontational interviewing style, once said that when interviewing politicians the question he always had in the back of his mind was "why is this lying bastard lying to me?"
• In August 2022, Judge Maya Guerra was forced during the defamation trial of Alex Jones to take the unusual step of pointing out that he had already been caught lying under oath twice, then telling him "It seems absurd to instruct you again that you must tell the truth while you testify. Yet here I am."