Tron Lines: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:
When your technology isn't just bleeding-edge, but laser-edged, disruption-fielded-with-motorized-teeth high-tech. [[Power Glows]], and now so does your tech. A common design scheme used for this glow is a series of lines along the edges or between panels of the machine. Others will have flat surfaces crossed by circuit-like lines that glow when activated, or have occasional pulses of light race down their length in tandem. Others have glowing components such as engines, weapon barrels, forcefield projectors and the like.
"Tron Lines" are strongly influenced from the [
If taking place in a physical world, this is all pretty inefficient. A big waste of power to maintain the glow (assuming this was electricity and not some power source that glowed on its own), and impossible to conceal, but damn, [[Rule of Cool|it looks cool]]. When your tech uses this, [[Hard Light]] systems and [[Holographic Terminal
Of course, Tron Lines are [[Color Coded for Your Convenience]]. Usually blue is "good" or at least standard; if they turn red or purple the [[
The ultimate expression of [[Shiny
{{examples|Examples}}▼
== Anime
* ''[[Tower of God
* In ''[[
* In ''[[
* In ''[[Infinite Ryvius]]'', the Ryvius lights up with Tron Lines when first activated.
* ''[[
* Appears on ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (
* In ''[[
* Since ''[[
* The ultra-tech STRAINs in ''[[
* ''[[
** {{spoiler|Post-[[Time Skip]] Nia}} gets these when she becomes {{spoiler|an Anti-Spiral}}.
** The Mugann mech/attack craft as well.
* Most of the Majeran technology (especially anything upgraded by the Paksis) in ''[[
* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh (
** In the earlier seasons of the anime, whenever a card was played onto one of the many hologram-generator playfields present in the series, Tron Lines would flash briefly around it. [[Justified]] in that the field (or Duel Disk, for that matter) has to read the microchip that's embedded within the card, and a full scan is necessary to locate said chip.
** In ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!
** The [[Cosmic Horror|Earthbound Immortals]] are also covered in them, themed after the Nazca Lines.
* Just about every mecha in ''[[
* People with the Boson Jump-enabling [[Nanomachines]] in ''[[
* ''[[
== Card Games ==▼
* In ''[[The Spoils]]'' [[Collectible Card Game]], the Gearsmith artifacts such as the Runic Cannon or the Runic Whale often have curly glowing runes of power running around their surface.▼
* from the ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' OCG, any paraphernalia coming from the 5D's era (Deckboxes, Binders, Sleeves, Deckmats, etc.) would have Tron Lines all over it, designed so that it looks like a microchip. ▼
== Comic Books ==
* Non-Technological example: the runes on ''[[Hellboy]]'
* ''[[
* Grant Morrison's redesign of DC's ''[[New Gods]]'' feature this, particularly Darkseid, Metron, and Mister Miracle.
* In honor of ''[[Tron
* The latest big Marvel storyline has some ancient evil Norse god creating a bunch of knockoffs of Mjolnir and giving them to carious characters such as Hulk and Juggernaut, [http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/7251/ff1legioncps037038.jpg with varying levels of Tron Lines accompanying them].
* The current ''[[
== Films -- Animation ==
* Laputa's technology in ''[[Laputa: Castle in
* The Atlantian technology in ''[[Atlantis:
* Also from Disney, ''[[
* In the Dreamworks film ''[[
* In ''[[Cloudy
* [[Megamind]] has blue Tron Lines on his "Black Mamba" outfit.
== Films -- Live-Action ==
* [[Trope Namer|Named, of course]], after the computer world of ''[[
** It's worth pointing out that one shot in TRON in the real world includes a black Encom helicopter with fluorescent red paint stripes, effectively real-life Tron lines.
* It shouldn't seem surprising that ''[[Tron
** Interestingly, [[Technology Marches On|Technology Marched Sufficiently Onward]] that what was expensive visual effects in the original film was replaced by ''actual glowing light strips'' sewn into the costumes. Yes, you now can have [[Tron Lines]] in the real world with relatively little effort.
* Based on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20131028131221/http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/07/15/green-lantern-ryan-reynolds/ first image], it seems Ryan Reynolds will sport lines that look a bit like muscle striations on his uniform in the ''[[Green Lantern (
* The Fallen from ''[[Transformers
* [[Busby Berkeley]] used an early version of this aesthetic during the "Shadow Waltz" sequence in ''[[Gold Diggers of 1933]]'', by outlining a few dozen violins with neon lights; unfortunately, the visible electrical cords coming from each violin (which apparently shocked more than a couple dancers, who were wearing dresses that were lined with metal wire) undermines the effect.
== Live-Action TV ==
* ''[[
* Present in all the riders of the ''[[Kamen Rider Faiz]]'' universe, which powers all the gears. The lines only glow during the [[Transformation Sequence]], although the [[Finishing Move|finishers]] all involve a pulse of energy traveling from the [[Transformation Trinket|Rider Belt]] to an arm or leg. The [[All There in the Manual|supplementary materials]] say that these lines carry a substance known as [[Applied Phlebotinum|Photon Blood]], which may explain why [[Justified Trope|they need actual 'lines' to carry it]]. It's part of Faiz's the slightly more "realistic" idea of the way a Rider suit works. Energy is always seen traveling from the power source to the place it's going to be used (not just the arm or leg, but specific devices on it). For Rider Kick finishers, it's the circle on the boot with the Rider's emblem.
* ''[[Power Rangers]]''
** In ''[[Power Rangers in Space]]'', Ecliptor's body is covered with green Tron Lines. The Dark Fortress is also half-solid and half-green Tron Lines (as in, half of it seems to be ''made'' of green Tron Lines) in many scenes. Interestingly, most establishment shots make it appear to be in another dimension, and when it's in normal space, the Tron Line half becomes solid before it actually interacts with the outside world (such as sending out fighters or putting the Rangers' ship in that web thing). It stays Tronified during [[Make My Monster Grow]] scenes, though.
** In ''[[Power Rangers Operation Overdrive]],'' the in-scene non-[[Transformation Sequence]] morphs and demorphs are very much like ''[[Kamen Rider Faiz]]'', though a lot faster and with optional dramatic use of [[Sigil Spam|the Overdrive logo]].
* In ''[[Star Trek
== Music Videos ==
* ''[[Mega Man (
* A rap song by [[
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPAVDHo1Elc "12:51" by The Strokes.]
* Another video clip heavily influenced by ''[[
* No surprise: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4cgLL8JaVI the clip for "Derezzed"], the main score for ''[[Tron
== Tabletop Games ==
=== Board Games ===
* ''[[
* The Necrons in ''[[Warhammer
▲=== Card Games ===
▲* In ''[[The Spoils]]'' [[Collectible Card Game]], the Gearsmith artifacts such as the Runic Cannon or the Runic Whale often have curly glowing runes of power running around their surface.
▲* from the ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' OCG, any paraphernalia coming from the 5D's era (Deckboxes, Binders, Sleeves, Deckmats, etc.) would have Tron Lines all over it, designed so that it looks like a microchip.
== Video Games ==
* The Ur-example would be [
* All over the place in the video game sequel to the ''[[
* Naturally, "Space Paranoids", the ''TRON''-themed world of ''[[
* ''[[Tron Evolution]]''
* Happens a lot in ''[[.hack GU]]''. Then again, it is in a MMORPG setting, so impracticality doesn't need to count.
* El Vibrato Island in ''[[
* Orbital Frames in ''[[Zone of the Enders]]''. The color changes as the frame becomes more and more damaged.
* Several ships, especially [[Lost Technology]], in the ''[[Galaxy Angel (
* Added to most of the Balmarian/Aerogater mecha in ''[[
* The Stonehenge base in ''[[
* ''[[
** The Tower of the Gods boss in ''[[The Legend of Zelda:
** And in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
* A common puzzle design in many games, such as ''[[
* The Prince in ''[[
* As does the protagonist of ''[[
* ''[[Halo (
** Cortana is practically made of these.
** Forerunner artifacts (and the Covenant technology styled after them) often have tiny geometric patterns carved on most flat surfaces. These lines often glow, or have tiny lights flickering behind them.
* ''[[
* The ruins found in ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[
** Much of the tech in the ''[[
** Not to mention the green glowing lines between the panels in Samus' armor.
** Sanctuary Fortress, a [[Punk Punk|Cyberpunk-styled]] city in ''Metroid Prime 2'', had its share of Tron Lines.
** Let's not forget the third game. When Samus's Phazon corruption reaches the highest levels near the end of the game, her suit really starts to show those blue lines.
* Every single character and object in ''[[
* Some areas in ''[[
* The Black Omen and some of the Zeal kingdom in ''[[
* Likewise for Chronopolis in ''[[
* In the game ''[[
* ''[[
** In a game that heavily influenced ''Project Snowblind'', nano-augmented individuals have silvery lines across their bodies.
** Also, thermoptic camos, which render the wearer invisible, are covered with light blue, glowing patches and lines.
* Justified in ''[[Phantasy Star]] Universe'', as the "Tron Lines" woven into all clothing are part of a protection system called a "line shield" they perform the same effect of looking cool as most Tron Lines, but also perform the function of being the means by which energy barriers are projected, the game's form of armour.
* The agents' suits in ''[[
* In ''[[Fable (
* ''[[
** Specifically: VI holograms have brighter lines going through them. Additionally, the Geth Armory Medium and Heavy suits for the Krogan Wrex has glowing cables and lines.
** In ''[[
** Also from ''Mass Effect 2'' is Shepard's glowing orange scars. A case of [[Evil Is Sexy]] (YMMV), [[Evil Is Cool]], and [[Made of Evil]] all wrapped into one if you pursue the renegade path.
* Beowulf from ''[[
* Baldur in ''[[Too Human]]''.
* The tutorial and final levels of ''[[
* Digital Circuit and Mad Matrix in ''[[Shadow the Hedgehog (
* In ''[[
* The main character in ''[[Shin Megami Tensei III
* ''[[
** The "VR Training" level of the "[[
** There's also an unlockable skin and helmet that are clearly evocative of ''TRON''; they even glow in the dark!
* Some of the instances and bosses in the Ulduar area of ''[[
* ''[[Red Faction]] 2'' gives us the nano-soldiers with glowing lines on their skin. The lines appear and pulse when they show strong emotions and when they are healing. The nano-based weapons also tend to have pulsing Tron Lines.
* ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron]]'', by all indications, loves this trope immensely, given how it's used on pretty much all the characters and lots of the scenery.
* ''[[
** Yami has these, with the color (red, blue, orange, or green) being indicative of which form and powers he's using.
** The [[The Very Definitely Final Dungeon]], {{spoiler|a spaceship made by moon people}}.
* ''[[Rez]]'', and how.
* The Cuotl units and buildings from ''[[Rise of Legends]]'' combine this trope with [[Mayincatec]] deisgns for some [[Rule of Cool|really cool looking stuff]]
* ''[[God of War (
* ''[[
** Ghosts and Spectres have these. [[Cold Sniper|Ghosts]] are blue and [[Psycho for Hire|Spectres]] are red; which ones are "good" and "evil" is largely a question of your [[Grey and Gray Morality|perspective]].
** Protoss technology also tends to include glowing blue bits, although they seem to have an aversion to straight lines.
* In ''[[Achron]]'', units are depicted as mostly-translucent silhouettes with edges that glow with the unit's team colour. This is an [[Justified Trope|interface concession]] to make your troops easier to spot: according to the setting, all three of the species use advanced camouflage on their military units, making them near invisible. This doubles as an explanation for why your units have extremely short sight (insofar as they have RTS-standard near-blind line of sight radii). [[The Dev Team Thinks of Everything|You can actually ''hear'' battles occurring outside your vision radius.]]
* ''[[
** Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza all have these as natural markings. They only glow on the title screens, though. Additionally, the fake Groudon from ''[[Pokémon
** Dialga and Palkia.
** Umbreon has Tron ''Rings''. And (in the anime at least) they glow in the dark.
** The Embedded Tower in ''[[Pokémon Gold and Silver
** Opelucid City in ''[[Pokémon Black and White
* The "Aegis" ship equipment set in ''[[
* All of ''[[
* Tomorrow City from ''[[
** It should be noted Petetronic's suit is specifically modeled after Sark, [[The Dragon]] of the original ''TRON'', and his "purified" form uses Kevin Flynn's. Tomorrow City also borrows heavily from the movie in more than just the lines.
* The Virtual theme in the ''[[Time Splitters 2]]'' mapmaker has Tron Lines as decorations.
* Most of the armor in ''[[
* ''[[Epic Battle Fantasy]]'' has Cosmic Monoliths, an [[Demonic Spiders|enemy from the "monolith" line.]] It is black and has red Tron Lines on it. Those also have really high Evasion and drop an immensely damaging attack every three turns. [[Shout
* Althena's Tower in ''[[Lunar Silver Star Story Complete]]'' sports these.
* Shows up a lot on ancient [[Magitek]] manipulated by the heroes in ''[[
** A recurring puzzle is a broken circut, and a few movable blocks lying around that happen to have corresponding circut lines etched on them. When finished, the circut glows, and [[What Do You Mean
** ''[[Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
** Zol nothing, the Mountain Roc's ''guts'' have Tron Lines on them.
* In ''[[
** {{spoiler|Desmond himself gains them in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it scene at the end of ''[[Assassin's Creed
* The [[Save Point|Spirit Stones]] and the titular Ark in ''[[
* It's subtle, but Spider-Man 2099 in ''[[
* The Demigods from ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[Saints Row:
* Nezha from [[
== Visual Novels ==▼
* Lisa Basil from ''[[Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney (Visual Novel)|Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney]]: Trials and Tribulations'' has a futuristic suit with flashing lights running up and down the sides and front of it. It's implied that she may or may not be a robot (yes, the game is that vague).▼
▲=== Visual Novels ===
▲* Lisa Basil from ''[[Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
== Web Comics ==
* Alice's more advanced forms in the webcomic ''Comedity'' have these around her face, and her "upgraded body" displays them when her holographic clothing generation system isn't covering them. Presumably, as a computer with conscious awareness of her own power consumption, she deactivates them when they aren't needed.
* Eve from ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[
* Trawn from ''[[
== Web Original ==
* ''[[
== Western Animation ==
* ''[[
* ''[[
* The future Batsuit from ''[[
* ''[[Teen Titans (
* ''[[Danny Phantom]]''. Valerie Grey gets ''loads'' of these, color-coded red, when Technus upgrades her battle suit.
* ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[
* The kids' fluorescent costumes give off this effect in the dark.
* In ''[[
== Real Life ==
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** This has even bled into the world of computing, there is no modder unfamiliar with blue CCFLs.
* The Luxor casino/hotel in Las Vegas was designed as a huge black glass pyramid with Tron Lines flowing to and from the giant column of light at the peak.
* The [https://web.archive.org/web/20051127090340/http://bradley.csail.mit.edu/~bradley/cm5/ Connection Machine], a supercomputer which was never as amazing as its price would indicate, but which looked damn cool.
** Though those are more [
** The Connection Machine is one of the most beautiful computers ever made, but pretty much every supercomputer made after the '70s looks pretty awesome. After all, if a machine's going to cost over a million dollars, why not throw a few thousand into the case?
** It looks like someone [[Pimp My Ride|Pimped]] [[2001: A Space Odyssey|the monolith...]]
* [[Truth in Television]]: Try looking at your feet next time you ride an escalator. They are actually there to warn you not to put your feet there as you may fall, but still pretty cool.
* The [
* The Wii console: the disc slot has a steady blue glow around the edge when powered on, and will pulse when a system upgrade is availible or a new message is in your inbox. Possible connection of [[Everything Is an iPod In The Future]].
* This trope is practically the reason EL-wire exists.
* [http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-10-flexible-implanting-skin.html Waterproof LEDs that can be implanted underneath your skin].
* [http://www.razerzone.com/ Razer products], particularly the company's logo, a glowing blue or green triquetra made of
**
* The Motorola RAZR cellphone has this on its keypad.
* While neon accents on buildings have existed well before this trope came into existence Metreon in San Francisco is clearly inspired by it with plenty of lines to showcase how high-tech and cyberpunk it was intended to be.
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[[Category:Cyberpunk Tropes]]
[[Category:Spectacle]]
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