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{{trope}}{{Needs Image}}
{{quote|''"Ares the flier, I bond to you,''
''Your life and mine are one, we two,''
''In dark, in flame, in war, in strife,''
''I save you as I save my life."''
|''[[The Underland Chronicles]]''}}
'''Bond Creatures''' choose a human partner to share their power. Often they can reject an unsuitable human partner or reveal a new ability or level of power if its [[Psychic Link|Link]] and/or [[Synchronization]] with its human user is particularly high. In such cases they may form a [[Mental Fusion]] or allow the human to [[Animal Eye Spy|see through their eyes]]. They sometimes double as a [[Morality Pet]].
A magic user's [[Familiar]] may ([[Our Monsters Are Different|depending on specific interpretation]]) be one of these, as may a [[Sapient Steed]], especially in case of [[Dragon Rider
See also [[Psychic Link]] for similar bonds between humanoids.
They definitely are not [[Everything
{{examples|Examples}}▼
== Anime and Manga ==
* ''[[
* ''[[
** The pain experienced by the pilot when the EVA is damaged is because they are neurally linked. That is, their nervous system are linked, which is what allows them to move so smoothly instead of in mechanical jerks.
*** Basically, the pilot thinks 'walk' (though on a more instinctual level), and the EVA does so. This is also why the EVA's are so picky with their pilots. There is in fact a certain bond required (The Marduk Institute keeps track of all these pilot prospects, not searching for them as is first stated) between pilot and EVA, and even with that bond, the EVA will respond negatively when the pilot is emotionally unstable. [[There Are No Therapists|Which makes it bloody amazing that any of them can pilot them at all really...]]
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** Crosses into [[Nightmare Fuel]] territory when you realize that the pilots merge their souls and minds with the [[Eldritch Abomination|EVA]] to make it function.
* In ''[[Gasaraki]]'', the demonic looking Kugai, on which the Tactical Armours are based upon, require a certain individual known as a "Kai" to operate them, but first they must also be awakened by a unique ritualistic dance before the Kai can get the Kugai to "open up" so to speak...the Kai also acts as a 'sacrifice' of sorts, being a host that sits inside the Kugai, allowing it to move on its own, but the Kugai is still influenced by the Kai in terms of decision making.
* In ''[[Idolmaster: Xenoglossia]]'', mechas are powered by alien entities which seem to be telekinetic and of animal intelligence, but probably not human intelligence since they make no attempts at communication. Some mechas bond with a particular partner and will only work for them, while others aren't as picky.
* In ''[[Dragon Drive]]'', analyzing a teenager's genetic code reveals the dragon they are destined to partner with. These dragons cannot speak and usually go back into storage form when not being used for combat or transport. These dragons thus seem to be a manifestation of their owner's anima or subconscious, not independent creatures. One notable difference between dragons and owners is that dragons usually want to fight when their humans are afraid of overwhelming odds.
* ''[[
** ''[[
* Duel Monsters in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'', particulary Judai and Winged Kuriboh, as well as Johan and the Gem Beasts.
* The dragons in ''[[Dragonaut:
* ''Ayakashi'' and ''[[Mushi-Uta]]'' both have creatures that grant their partner great power, but with the cost that they will eventually either die or suffer some other horrible consequence.
* The dragonets in ''[[
* In ''[[
** In ''[[Mai-Otome]]'' the Otome bond to those they protect and serve. It takes their master's approval to materialize their robes, but as the Otome take damage, the master also feels the pain, and if the Otome dies, the master follows suit.
* The Rune Gods of ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]'' will test their charges to assess the strength of their will. If proven worthy, the Knight will get to summon and wear the Rune God's gigantic armored form into battle, and the Rune God's strength and abilities grow directly in proportion with the Knight's fortitude. The downside is, any injuries the Rune God sustains, the Knight will get too. This is much more notable in the [[Alternate Continuity]] of the [[OAV]].
* Caro and Lutecia of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' possess some sort of link with their [[Summon Magic|summoned creatures]]. This was best seen during their final battle, where {{spoiler|[[Smug Snake|Quattro's]] [[Villain Override]]}} on Lutecia caused her monsters to cry [[Tears of Blood]] and the less intelligent ones to go berserk.
* The [[Mons|Mamono/Mamodo]] from ''[[Zatch Bell]]'' need to find a human partner to supply [[Mana|Heart Power]] and activate spells while taking part in the king-election tournament on Earth. While a few of these pairs ({{spoiler|Won/Lee, Clear/Vino, Gash/Kiyo}}) develop [[Psychic Link
* The Mulian mecha in ''[[
* In ''[[
* In [[Yu Yu Hakusho]], Yusuke received an egg that would hatch a spirit beast. If he's good it will be this. If he isn't, the beast will eat his soul. The egg he originally got would have been the latter but he sacrificed it to save Keiko. He gets another and it ends up hatching a good spirit beast, Puu.
* ''[[Soul Eater]]''has Demon Weapons. They seem to be a werewolf variant, created by experiments a witch carried out on humans in the distant past, but transforming into a weapon instead of an animal; they are born and age like humans, are capable of reproducing with humans and having human children. They are thus unique among anime examples of bond creatures, following more of a western model. The bond is also not lifelong, and can be friendly or romantic.
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** Considering that the elves' lifespans are substantially longer than normal wolves (Pini elves can live thousands of years IIRC), they rather have to be able to survive the death of the other.
** In one of the stories from the ''Elfquest'' anthology novel ''The Blood of Ten Chiefs'' it is explained the Wolfrider wolves are, in fact, {{spoiler|distantly related to the Wolfrider elves.}} All Wolfriders are descended from {{spoiler|an elf/wolf hybrid who, with an elf mate, produced many offspring; some more wolf-like than others. The more wolf-like offspring took to inbreeding, eventually producing offspring who were wholly wolf.}} So while the Wolfriders are {{spoiler|elves with a few wolf genes in their DNA}} the wolves they ride are {{spoiler|wolves with a few elf genes in their DNA.}} This allows Wolfriders and their wolves to form strong telepathic bonds similar to the bonds elves form with their 'soul-mates.'
* The Venom symbiote from ''[[Spider
** This may vary from host to host, though. While it "shares" power (feeding off of the host's adrenaline), it can also take over (Peter Parker's sleep-slinging as an example).
* The [[
** Writer Jason Aaron's run retcons this; the Spirits of Vengeance are living spirit-weapons from Heaven (albeit not angels), bonded to mortal hosts.
* [[
== Film ==
* In ''[[Avatar (
== Literature ==
* [[Timothy Zahn]]'s ''[[Dragonback]]'' books feature the K'da, a [[Our Dragons Are Different|dragonlike]] sentient race with the capability to become a two-dimensional [[Fusion Dance|'tattoo' on the skin of a]] [[The Symbiote|host/symbiote]], with the corollary that if they go for more that six hours without doing so, they turn 2D anyway [[Blessed
* The night horses in [[
* David B. Coe's ''The [[Lon Tobyn]] Chronicle'' has an entire order of people who form bonds with otherwise ordinary animals, mostly birds. The birds don't stay with the humans forever though, they die just as ordinary animals would.
* [[Alan Dean Foster]]'s ''[[Humanx Commonwealth]]'' books portray an empathic bond between Flinx and the minidrag Pip. She amplifies his [[Psychic Powers]] whenever she's in his proximity.
** ''Midworld'' showcases a unique plant/human symbiosis in the form of the furcots, intelligent guardians created by the {{spoiler|planet's supermind}} to act as lifelong companions for the [[Lost Colony|humans living there]].
* Gayle Greeno's ''Ghatti's Tale'' series is a modern [[Fantasy]] series in which the telepathic animals are Ghatti,large catlike animals that can only speek mind to mind.
* Peter Hamilton's ''[[The
** It is also shown that humans can be "bonded" to other humans, leaving them at the mercy of their master. They can then be observed, controlled or killed at will.
* [[Robin Hobb]]'s ''[[
** He encounters a man who as a baby bonded with a flock of sparrows. The man effectively has no mind of his own, as his mind was linked so young to a lot of small, not very bright creatures scattered all over the place.
** The protagonist himself is considered to have bonded too young, and to have interfered with Nighteyes' development as a wolf; those who were brought up in Witted culture are expected to let their Bond Creatures live 'naturally' and without interference. (The fact that Nighteyes doesn't ''want'' to dig his own lair and actually prefers living in the protagonist's quarters doesn't help them defend themselves from disapproval.)
** The animal partner in the bond can allow the human partner to survive in the animal partner's mind after the human's death. The Witted community considers this a violation of the animal partner's right to live his or her own life (since the human's instincts are expected to be at war with the animal's).
* In P.C. Hodgell's ''[[Chronicles of the Kencyrath]]'' series, the ability to form a psychic bond with an animal is one of the more common of the Shanir abilities, common enough that about a dozen students in Jame's year in the [[Military Academy]] of Tentir have it in various forms. Jame becomes bound early on to an ounce, a medium-sized hunting cat; blind from birth, the cat learns to see through her eyes across the link, and occasionally shares its senses with Jame.
* [[Mercedes Lackey]] has multiple types of Bond Creatures in her ''[[Heralds of Valdemar]]'' and related books.
** Companions resemble pure white [[Cool Horse
*** Later in the series, we meet the
** Bondbirds are large birds of prey that are basically animals, although they may be a bit more intelligent than earthly ones. Bondbirds demonstrate [[Animal Think]], commenting on their humans' lives in terms of nests, mates, hatchlings, prey, and other bird-isms. They were specifically bred for their roles by the Tayledras mages who live in the magic-damaged lands surrounding the Dhorisha plains.
** This is also how dragon mages work in hers and James Mallory's ''[[
*** The bonds between elves and unicorns are similar.
** In Lackey's "Skitty"
* [[Anne McCaffrey]] is probably the archetypal example of bond creatures. Her ''[[Dragonriders of Pern]]'' series features dragons with near-human intelligence which choose a human partner at birth (this is called Impression) and two rarely outlive each other (and certainly don't ''want'' to). Fire lizards has a mild variant of the Impression (normally it merely helps to organize their swarms, but was turned [[Up to Eleven]] for dragons). Less well known but also interesting, this author's ''[[The Ship Who...]]...'' series features spaceships powered by the human minds of people whose bodies were defective or injured, and these [[Sapient Ship
** Early in the series, it's indicated that romantic feelings between a Brain and his/her Brawn is grounds for the partnership being broken up, as a Brawn who becomes ''too'' attracted to his/her Brain partner may become obsessed and attempt to access what is left of their body, which will kill the Brain. They find a way around this later, using androids.
** McCaffrey's dragonriders are parodied in [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[
** More recent Pern books, particularly those which Todd McCaffrey worked on, establish that
* Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear did a brilliant and weirdly hilarious [[Darker and Edgier]] spin on some of the less charming implications of the Pern series in ''A Companion to Wolves'', which is pretty much Pern WITH VIKINGS and giant sentient wolves replacing dragons.
* [[Andre Norton]] created several of the oldest examples of Bond Creatures in western fiction: ''The Beast Master'', Falconers in the ''[[Witch World]]'' series and more. Probably she was the inspiration for Mercedes Lackey's and Anne McCaffrey's later evolutions of the concept.
* Robin D. Owens is a current science-fantasy romance author whose Heart series features telepathic cats called Fams (short for Familiars like witches' familiars) which bond to human owners.
* Similar to the Pern examples (some would say ''too'' similar) are the [[Our Dragons Are Different|dragons]] and riders in Christopher Paolini's ''[[
* [[Jennifer Roberson]]'s ''Cheysuli'' series shows a semi-intelligent empathic alien species of which individuals occasionally (but not usually) bond with humans. (Although the series ''this'' troper read showed individuals of various animal species blessed by the gods with high intelligence with the specific intention of bonding with humans...)
* David Weber's ''[[
** It's described as looking for a glow that fits right with their own. The bond is for life, but while on a planet a 'cat will feel free to go out and seek companionship with its own kind from time to time. 'Cats used to consider this a bonding a bittersweet condition because when the human dies, so does their own will to live. The existence of prolong means humans will eventually learn the pain of the other way around. The other hook is that with exposure to humans, the Treecats have learned sign language and are now able to talk rather than just communicate empathically and non-verbally with their bond humans.
* The ''[[Temeraire]]'' universe subverts the magical psychic soulbond stereotype, in that the bond between dragons and handlers is entirely emotional, rather like a platonic marriage - and like a marriage, they can go horribly wrong, with neglect, abuse, abandonment and heartbreak all inferred over the course of the novels. Still, for the most part dragons and their captains share an intense and mutually beneficial relationship that ends only with the death of either or both of them. The bond is such that British captains (and probably captains of other nations too) rarely marry, as they couldn't share themselves between a dragon ''and'' a spouse; when they want sex (or heirs) they have scandalously casual relationships with other aviators, treating it as matter-of-factly as the dragons do.
* Two races from the ''[[Codex Alera]]'' have this as a power- the Marat (basically, to elves what neanderthals are to humans) can form a permanent empathic link with another living thing that lets them share in some of its abilities, while the titular [[Humans
** She wanted a horse.
*** Yeah she did.
* The [[Dragaera|Vlad Taltos]] novels play with this trope with Loiosh and Vlad, to the point of being a [[Take That]] at the Pern novels' fire-lizards.
{{quote|
* In the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]], banthas (the big woolly, horned beasts of burden in Episode IV) were paired with young Tusken Raiders as companions for life. From the Star Wars wiki:
{{quote|
The banthas of Tatooine were known to form deep bonds with the Tusken Raiders of the planet and often committed suicide if their riders were to die first. Banthas which died naturally were placed in vast graveyards, which held a kind of ceremonial reverence with the banthas. }}
* The daemons in Pullman's ''[[His Dark Materials]]'' trilogy are a variant of this - bonded to their human because they are the physical embodiment of that person's soul, and in the case of children, will change into different animals depending on their partner's emotional state. Interesting in that the daemon's gender is always the opposite of the human's.
** Not always true, since early in the first book Pullman mentioned a male character who had a male daemon. Even so, these are pretty rare.
* In ''[[The Underland Chronicles]]'', bats and humans can bond and vow to make the other's safety their first priority. {{spoiler|Other animals can bond, too.}}
* In Robert Heinlein's ''[[Starship Troopers (
* ''[[Special Circumstances
* ''[[The Seventh Tower]]'' has [[Living Shadow|Shadowguards and Spiritshadows]], which the Chosen bind to their wills.
* ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' has the [[Badass Family|Stark]] children and their [[Big Badass Wolf|direwolves]] sharing a unique bond. To an extent other wargs found throughout the story share this with their chosen animal thralls. However, the direwolves and their owners appear to share a deeper connection as Jon notes that Ghost isn't merely a thrall, but actually a part of him.
* [[Dinotopia]] has this, most notably with Skybax riders. Only the rider can approach a Skybax, and the bond is a lifelong one once established. The novice rider must prove himself or herself to the Skybax to be considered for full apprenticeship. This often involves a climb up into the Forbbiden Mountains to the Tentpole of the Sky, a way of showing that the rider is not bound to the earth. The loss of a rider can send a Skybax into a state of feral aggression as with Windchaser. It can happen with humans and other species if they're born/hatched and raised together sometimes; this is known as 'nestfriends'.
* The novel ''The Wild Boy'' features a future where bear-like aliens have taken humans as a replacement for their bond-creatures, who went extinct. The Lindauzi call humans dogs, and raise them in kennels. The packs of free humans are wolves. Most often, a young Lindauza is given a human bond mate on his or her upright day, the first time he or she walks on two legs. If human and Lindauza are seperated, the Lindauza becomes ill and can die. There's something of an ability for each to sense the other when they're near.
* The novel ''Pegasus'' has this as the result of a spell performed to bind a human to a pegasus, which happens as a young person's right of passage. Most share a type of simple telepathic communication, but only the protagonist's pegasus speaks in actual language.
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== Live Action TV ==
* The Trill from ''[[
* The Goa'uld of ''[[Stargate SG
* The Riders in ''[[Kamen Rider Ryuki]]'' (and by extension ''[[Kamen Rider Dragon Knight|Dragon Knight]]'') gain their powers by forming a bond with a Mirror Monster, turning it into a Contract Monster and providing them with [[Card Battle Game|cards of power]] they use in combat. Contract Monsters have their own personalities and tend not to like Riders whose personality clashes with theirs or who avoid battle (since [[I'm a Humanitarian|they eat the essence of Mirror Monsters to survive]]). A particularly extreme example is Kamen Rider Ohja, who kills two Riders and forces contracts with their Monsters when they attack him seeking revenge. They openly despise the man and attack him when the opportunity comes up, but because of the contract they're forced to work for him.
* While this is supposed to be the case when one bonds with an Ultraman, it is only in [[Ultraman Nexus]] where it is actually played out in great detail. Second dunamist Jun Himeya, for instance, often has to deal with the the injuries that he suffers when in Ultraman form whenever he reverts back to his human form. Conversely, there were episodes where Nexus can't fight effectively because of the injuries that Himeya suffered while in human form.
** And then there is the metafield that Nexus generates in order to fight monsters in, which is revealed to be {{spoiler|actually a representation of the human host's innards. Any damage that happens to the environment in the field also manifests in the body of the host.}} And you realize that {{spoiler|being an Ultraman is actually a death sentence.}} [[Fridge Horror]] indeed.
* It is heavily implied in ''[[
* The makri, a spider-like creature in the season two finale of ''[[Sanctuary]]'' lives symbiotically with its chosen host, also establishing a telepathic link to another abnormal. Once it leaves the host's body, the host dies. Will proves to be a particularly good host as he doesn't die when the Makri leaves and he is still able to communicate with Kali, the other abnormal the Makri is connected with.
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== Tabletop Games ==
* [[GURPS]] has an entire mechanic devoted to these kind of characters (Allies with the summon-able enhancement).
* [[Dungeons
** The Kalashtar from [[Eberron]] are a race of humans descended from a group of humans who bonded with psychic entities called Quori. As the original bond members had children, the single Quori spirit was split along the lines of all descendants of the same sex.
** Beastmaster Rangers in [[Dungeons
** Similarly, the Shaman class has a bonded spirit companion, which acts as the nexus for a number of their ally-boosting abilities.
* A ''[[Blue Rose]]'' character can have a rhydan (a sentient wolf, cat, horse or dolphin) as a Bond Creature by taking the Rhy-Bonded Feat. Since the rhydan species are themselves playable races, you can also play a rhydan character who has the Rhy-Bonded Feat and a ''human'' Bond Creature.
* The Summoner base class in ''[[Pathfinder]]'' has the ability to summon and form a bond with a special outsider known as an eidolon, which gains power as the summoner gains levels and forms a bond with the summoner, and the two become linked over time, eventually even sharing a shard of the same soul.
* ''[[Warhammer
** Also present are the various creations and creatures serving as familiars to [[Psychic Powers|psykers]]. These range from the weird (genecrafted two-headed cyborg eagles) to the macabre (Servo-Skulls, the skulls of loyal Imperial servants used after death to house a small anti-grav drive and various arcane technologies) and the downright disturbing (vat-grown mind-wiped babies with implanted anti-grav units and decorative wings serving as Cherubs). And that's before [[Our Demons Are Different|the servants of Chaos]] are even considered.
** Huron Blackheart, the Tyrant of Badab and leader of the traitorous astral claw has his 'Hamadrya' which is an unknown creature that is bonded to him and grants him mental powers.
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== Video Games ==
* The main characters of ''[[Drakengard]]'' have entered a Pact with another creature; ranging from a [[Golem]] to a [[Our Dragons Are Different|Dragon]].
* The [[Summon Magic|Aeons]] of ''[[
** Guardian Forces in ''[[
** It should be noted that only the Aeons and Guardian Forces require this. [[Final Fantasy VI
* This is a (if not THE) major ability of multiple classes in ''[[World of Warcraft]]''. Warlocks get demon familiars by defeating them at the end of various quest chains; Hunters can tame wild animals; in both cases the pet levels with or slightly behind the character, gaining occasional new abilities. Both have a talent specialisation that focuses on this aspect, empowering both the master and the pet. Hunters have a somewhat more involved relation with their pets, having to care for their happiness (most commonly through feeding, with different animals liking different food), health and even a talent tree for the pet itself (though there are only 3 possible trees and the specific type of animal only determines one ability), while Warlocks can't even name their minions (the name is derived from the warlocks own name) and force them into doing their work, as evident by several of the demons responses, most notably the familiar and the felguard.
** Deathknights and Mages can also have permanent minions under certain conditions (ghoul and water elemental), but they don't have the same connection nor a consistent entity to serve them (ghouls get named randomly but change every time you summon a new one. Elementals get no name at all).
* In ''[[Dwarf Fortress]]'', cats have a tendency to behave like this... the downside is, they don't fight; apart from killing vermin, they're just [[Small Annoying Creature
* ''[[Lost Souls MUD]]'' has a number of guilds built around an empathic bonding faculty vaguely inspired by [[His Dark Materials]].
* FM beings {{spoiler|and AM beings}} in ''[[Mega Man Star Force]]''. The fusion is two way in that both parties can ''attempt'' to assume control. The main character's partner usually gives him control except for certain cooperative moves, hosts of villanous aliens either get consumed or try to fight for control (which apparently forms a composite mind), and one villain (in the anime) actually only controlled her host while the latter was asleep to sidestep the issue.
* Ra-Seru in ''[[
* Pastamancers in ''[[Kingdom of Loathing]]'' can form a bond with certain creatures, provided they have the correct item. Only one bond can be held at a time, though, and forming a new one severs the link to the old one forever.
* In ''[[
* In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
== Western Animation ==
* The Avatar in ''[[
** Korra in the sequel series, ''The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra'', has a Polar Bear/Dog hybrid called Naga.
== Other Media ==
* [[
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Servant Tropes]]
[[Category:Loyal Animal Companion]]
[[Category:One With the Index]]
[[Category:Pet and Animal Companion Tropes]]
[[Category:Index of Fictional Creatures]]
[[Category:Magic and Powers]]
[[Category:
▲[[Category:Trope]]
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