Living Battery: Difference between revisions

 

A [[Sub-Trope]] of [[Power Source]]. [[Powered by a Forsaken Child]] is itself a subtrope. Compare [[Life Energy]], [[Sentient Phlebotinum]], [[Human Resources]] and [[Cast from Hit Points]].

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* In ''[[Trigun]]'', the people couldn't survive on Gunsmoke without the plants, giant humanoid alien things that were placed in equally giant bulbs from which energy was extracted, which powered just about everything.

* The machines in ''[[Kakurenbo]]'' use the children they captured for this.

* The [http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Batteryman Batteryman] and [http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Gadget Gadget] cards from the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' Trading Card game. They also appear in the series finale of ''Duel Monsters'', as well as ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's]]''.

* ''[[Black Bird]]'' has this, with a twist. The living battery (the heroine) isn't harmed by having her energy used. She just gives it off like a fire gives off heat. Though the ''other'' things that she can provide aren't nearly as non-invasive to harvest...

 

* ''[[X-Men|The Uncanny X-Men]]'': When the group first discovered the island of Genosha, they discovered that mutants had been enslaved to increase the quality of life for the human citizens. One mutant was used as a living power source for the monorail-like mass transit vehicle that he piloted.

* In ''[[BPRD]]: Hollow Earth'', The King of Fear has Liz Sherman kidnapped so he can use her life force to power his war mechas.

* In ''[[All Fall Down]]'', the Order of Despots kidnaps the superhero Isotope to use him for this very purpose.

 

* The machines in ''[[The Matrix]]'' were powered by a mixture of fusion and the energy produced by humans which they grew and harvested in fields like livestock or produce.

* ''[[eXistenZ]]'': The biological game device runs on the energy of the user, since it plugs directly into a "bioport" (sort of an extra anus artificially installed in the lower back). It's suggested that all gaming devices operate the same way.

* In ''[[Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within|Final Fantasy the Spirits Within]]'' some of the weapons and equipment used organic power cells containing bacteria from which "Bio-etheric energy" was extracted. {{spoiler|The power pack of some long dead [[Red Shirt]]'s weapon turns out to be one of the [[Plot Coupon|spirits]].}}

 

* The best devices of ''[[The Tommyknockers]]'' were powered by lifeforce.

* "Lose Now, Pay Later" by Carol Farley has aliens who powered their tech with human fat from special slimming machines they invented—and to ensure an adequate supply, they also came out with some beverage that was irresistibly delicious but also super-fattening.

* In the [[Ravenloft]] novel ''Dance of the Dead'', a magical riverboat turns out to be powered by magical creatures and benign spirits imprisoned in its hold.

 

* The titular "beast" from the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode "The Beast Below". It was revealed that {{spoiler|the entire cityship was being powered entirely by its own energy.}}

* In the fourth season of [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]], there was an episode where Buffy and Riley were living batteries in a frat house via nonstop sex.

* Occurs accidentally in [[Farscape]] when a Luxan priestess needs D'Argo's help to perform her death ritual, but chooses instead to make herself younger when she realizes how strong he is. Turns out she was actually sensing and stealing Moya's life energy.

 

* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''. The Spelljammer campaign setting had Lifejammer and Death Helms, which powered their ship's flight by draining the [[Life Energy]] of the victim strapped into them (in game terms they drained [[Hit Points]]).

* In ''[[Genius: The Transgression]]'', Geniuses can take the merit "Calculus Vampire" which allows them to drain [[Magic-Powered Pseudoscience|mania]] from living creatures (or other things). [[Artificial Human|Manes]] also have the ability to do so automatically.

* ''[[Shadowrun]]''. Most cyberware is powered by the owner's bioelectric energy.

 

* The webcomic ''[[Machine Gun Angel]]'' has the [[Mega Corp]] who took over the world [[After the End]] running power plants on energy harvested from genetically manipulated humans (originally, they used sentient human clones, but they caved to public pressure and made clones that were [[Empty Shell]]s).

* The Psiioniic from ''[[Homestuck]]'' was forced to [[Cast from Hit Points]] to fuel the Condense's intergalactic ship.

* In ''[[Breakfast of the Gods]]'', Cookie Jarvis the Wizard forsaw the coming of [[It Makes Sense in Context|Count Chocula and his forces]] and needed someone pure of heart to act as a battery to boost Cerelia's defenses. This turns out to be the reason {{spoiler|King Vitaman was missing for nearly the entire story}}: he volunteered to be the battery.

 

* The badniks of early ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' games were powered by little animals, making it Sonic's mission to destroy them, freeing his friends inside. This played a large ([[Heroic Sacrifice|and tragic]]) part in E-102 Gamma's story in ''[[Sonic Adventure]]''.

** In ''[[Shadow the Hedgehog]]'', Black Doom wants to use ''humans'' as a power source instead.

* While they don't require one to ''operate'', {{spoiler|Lares and Lemures}} from ''[[Solatorobo]]'' will turn you into one in exchange for controlling them.

 

* The Synchronizers in ''[[Tsukihime]]'', e.g. {{spoiler|Hisui and Kohaku}}, are living magical batteries that can accumulate and transfer life energy to other people, such as {{spoiler|Akiha, who has to live off a half of normal human life energy, and Shiki, after his [[Evil Twin]] starts parasitizing him}}.

 

* In ''[[Generator Rex]]'' there's a whole country that gets its electricity from a single EVO.

* [[The Secret Saturdays]] once visited a small nation that got its power from two imprisoned cryptids. What's more, they're ''baby'' cryptids, [[Monster Is a Mommy|and momma isn't happy about it.]]

* In ''[[Ben 10]]'', Max met his future wife Verdona when a group of aliens meant to use her (an [[Energy Being]]) as a power source, which would be painful and eventually kill her.

 

* A [[wikipedia:biobattery|biobattery]] is an implantable power source that breaks down glucose in the blood.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Applied Phlebotinum]]

[[Category:Magic and Powers]]

[[Category:Power]]