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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|''"I'm an insect who dreamt he was a man and loved it. But now the dream is over... and the insect is awake."''
[[Our Monsters Are Different|Monsters]] are pretty damn scary. Horrible, bug-eyed, slobbering, and in ''no way'' '''''ever''''' human. Therefore, it's all the more [[Nightmare Fuel|unsettling]] when it's revealed that a monstrous creature (almost never the main character) was once human, but became a monster through some sort of [[The Virus|infection]], [[The Corruption|curse]], sheer [[Evil Makes You Monstrous|personal evil]] or [[Transformation Trauma|transformation]]. And there's no means of changing them back.
Related to [[Body Horror]] and [[Face Monster Turn]], but distinct in that while [[Body Horror]] deals with the fact of the monstrosity itself and usually follows it from beginning to end,
Sometimes the mind is not affected; [[Viral Transformation|only the body is]]. And sometimes [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight|the original mind can be reached.]] This does not undermine the horror of it. Indeed, in certain ways, it [[Tragic Monster|makes the horror even]] ''[[And I Must Scream|worse]]''.
See also: [[Body Horror]], [[Viral Transformation]], [[The Virus]], [[Tragic Monster]] and [[Stages of Monster Grief]]. Compare ''and'' contrast [[Uncanny Valley]]. Not to be confused with any tropes related to [[Gender Bender]]. Has [[I Thought It Meant|nothing to do with]] the aftermath of [[Squick|particularly ugly]] [[Groin Attack
{{examples}}
▲== Anime and Manga ==
* The manga of ''[[Chrono Crusade]]'' has an unusual example revealed towards the end: {{spoiler|[[Hive Queen|Pandaemonium]] was once a human woman pregnant with twins. The demons kidnapped her and transformed her into the monstrous, [[Mind Rape]]-using queen she is -- and transformed her human children, Chrono and Aion, into demons as well.}}
* In ''[[Xam'd: Lost Memories]]'', it becomes clear fairly early on that both humanform weapons and Hiruko are former humans.
* Each and every of the Awakened Beings in ''[[Claymore]]''. And, perhaps more shockingly, the Abyss Eaters.
* Every demon in the ''[[Berserk]]'' universe was once a human. Humans become demons when a creepy little egg-like item called a Behelit comes into their possession and they hit an [[Despair Event Horizon|emotional nadir]] where they will do anything to get out of their current situation. At this point, the Behelit rearranges the features scattered upon its surface into a human face and screams, which summons the demonic gods of the Godhand, who proceed to [[Deal with the Devil|offer him the chance to become a demon in exchange for the sacrifice of those closest to them]]. It also turns out that
* Anna from ''[[Elfen Lied]]''... Dear ''God'', Anna. {{spoiler|When first introduced, she is an adorable and happy, if dimwitted, young girl who loves to run. [[Complete Monster|Her father]] is disappointed with her lack of intelligence, and transforms her into an enormous, horribly mutated creature with super-intelligence and precognitive ability. She cannot support the weight of her gigantic head, and so must remain virtually immobile in a pool. Remember how she loved to run? [[Blessed with Suck|Yeah.]]}}
** {{spoiler|She gets better, and in perhaps the [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]] of a very dark story, she is overjoyed when she realizes she can't do simple math.}}
* ''[[King of Thorn]]'' has the "mother monster", which is eventually revealed to have been a human ({{spoiler|Shizuku}}) who succumbed to [[The Virus]].
* ''[[World Embryo]]''
* ''[[Bleach]]''
* Similarly, the Akuma of ''[[D.Gray-man|D Gray Man]]''. As with Hollows, their hunters know, at least in abstract that they contain the souls of innocent people forever tortured until the Akuma are destroyed and they're released, but only Allen has to confront the vision of them on a daily basis. As with Hollows (though in Bleach it's a different story), leveling up obscures more and more the original souls, until even Allen can't see them anymore. It also makes new souls in the process.
* Some of the monsters in ''[[Sailor Moon]]
*
▲** Though he's not terribly monstrous or ''in''human now, even in his demon form, and only really has to avoid it because ''the minus wave currently makes demons [[Ax Crazy]]''.
* In ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'', it turns out that {{spoiler|[[Awful Truth|every single one of the Witches that the magical girls fight (those that aren't ex-familiars, anyway) was once a magical girl herself]]}}, and to make things even worse, {{spoiler|[[Nightmare Fuel|every magical girl is ultimately doomed]] [[And Then John Was a Zombie|to become one of the very monsters they've been fighting]].}}
* In both the animes of ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'',
* From ''[[Assassination Classroom]]'', {{spoiler|this ''might'' apply to [[Villain Protagonist]] Koro-sensei. Koro is a weird octopus-like alien who at least ''claims'' to have been born on Earth, but whether that means he was formerly a human or some species of animal (or possibly even some species of plant) is not known.}}
* Invoked in ''[[Strikeforce Morituri]]'' with the "mutants", four humans who were accidentally turned into super-powered monstrosities when they underwent the Morituri Process without proper supervision.▼
* In ''Camelot 3000'', Morgan la Fay keeps an ape-like animal on a leash as a [[Right-Hand Attack Dog]]. At one point, she informs an underling that it was once a man, until [[You Have Failed Me|he got on her nerves]].▼
* Galactus of the [[Marvel Universe]] was once a man of the previous universe named Galan. As his universe died to pave way for the new, current one, Galan journeyed into the center of the Big Bang refusing to give in to destruction. The powers that be were impressed and transformed him into Galactus.▼
== Comic
▲* Invoked in ''[[Strikeforce: Morituri]]'' with the "mutants", four humans who were accidentally turned into super-powered monstrosities when they underwent the Morituri Process without proper supervision.
▲* In ''[[Camelot 3000]]'', Morgan la Fay keeps an ape-like animal on a leash as a [[Right-Hand Attack Dog]]. At one point, she informs an underling that it was once a man, until [[You Have Failed Me...|he got on her nerves]].
▲* Galactus of the [[Marvel Universe]] was once a man of the previous universe named Galan. As his universe died to pave way for the new, current one, Galan journeyed into the center of the Big
* ''[[Daredevil]]'' villain Leland Owlsley (aka The Owl) was originally human, but whether he still is now is debatable. Years of biological and chemical experiments on himself have given him some bird-like powers, but also an owl-like appearance. It has also affected his sanity, causing him to adopt some bird-like habits. One minute he's holding a civilized conversation while sipping expensive cognac, the next he's about to eat a live mouse.
* Tigra of ''[[The Avengers]]'' was once able to switch from her [[Cat Girl]] form to human again, but not anymore. Exactly how much this has affected her psychologically seems [[Depending on the Writer]]; in some stories she acts and talks completely human (aside from sticking to a carnivorous diet and possibly rolling her Rs when she talks) and in others she's chasing mice and doesn't talk at all.
* [[M.O.D.O.K.]] was once a rank-and-file mook for A.I.M., until they turned him into the horrific and super-intelligent [[Fun with Acronyms|Mental Organism Designed Only for Computation]]. Unfortunately for them, he didn't like being treated like an object [[The Starscream|and took over]], changing the "C" in his name to "K", for "Killing".
* Much like Owlsley, Poison Ivy from ''[[Batman]]'' comics and adaptations is a grey area. Hatred for humans and biochemistry experiments have made her, at least in her own eyes, more a plant than human, and biologically speaking, that may be true.
** ''However'', the question of whether she is truly human or not seems to have been answered in the ''[[No Man's Land]]'' arc. The police planned to take Ivy out (after she had seized control of Gotham City Park) with a powerful defoliant that would have killed all plant life in the park, including Ivy's monsters and Ivy herself, suggesting that she wasn't exactly human anymore. Whether it would have worked or not is unknown, because Ivy surrendered to save the children she was protecting. Batman seemed to answer the question pretty directly afterwards, saying that the act proved she was "still more human than plant."
** The ''[[Harley Quinn (TV series)|Harley Quinn]]'' series Zigzags this, as in this version, Ivy seems to have been born with her powers and odd physical condition. Whether this makes her more or less human is debatable - she certainly acts more human (with more respect towarda humanity in general) than ''a lot'' of villains in the series.
== Fan Works ==
* ''[[
* ''[[Final Stand of Death]]'': Fusion Gundam used to be {{spoiler|[[Spice Girls|a certain girl group]]}} that fell victim to defeat on ''[[Celebrity Deathmatch]]''. They're a group of [[Badass Automaton|sentient]] [[Mini-Mecha]]s mixed with [[Robot Dog|wolf-like]] [[Petting Zoo People|humanoids]], and their souls are still inside. Luckily, they're nowhere near interested in any [[Robot War]]s, as they still have their human personalities.
== Films -- Live-Action ==
* In the horror film ''[[The Cave]]'', one of the monsters bears the same tattoo on its hand as one of the cavers previously seen entombed within the cave system at the beginning of the movie.
*
* The Cenobites in ''[[Hellraiser]]'' films were all formerly human, the only exception being Angelique.
* In the 1973 thriller b-movie ''[[Sssssss]]'', mad scientist Dr. Carl Stoner (Strother Martin) turns his lab assistants
* [[Star Wars|Darth Vader]] probably qualifies, certainly in spirit:
** [[Cyborg| General Grievous]] certainly does... well, he was Once A Kaleesh, but you get the idea.
* The lizard-monster in ''[[The Relic (film)|The Relic]]'' is revealed at the end to be a human explorer who ate a concoction of some particularly funky herbs in South America.
* Davy Jones in the second and third installments of ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]''. Lampshaded by Calypso, who describes Jones in this manner (and is responsible for the curse that transformed him).
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* Freddy Krueger from the ''[[A Nightmare on Elm Street]]'' movies. Once a human serial killer, he turned into something resembling a nightmare god after his death.
* Vlad Tepes from the 1992 movie ''[[Bram Stoker's Dracula]]'', apparently forsaking God turned him into a bloodsucking beast with power to turn others into vampires just like him.
* ''[[Lost in Space (film)|Lost in Space]]'': This fate happens to
*
▲== Literature ==
* [[J. R. R.
▲* The quote from the top of the page (now on the quotes page) is from ''The Beast in the Cave'' by [[H.P. Lovecraft]], written at some point around 1908. Similar themes can be found in ''The Rats in the Walls'', ''Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and his Family'', and ''[[The Shadow Over Innsmouth]]''.
* In ''[[The Relic]]'',
▲* [[J. R. R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]]'s Middle-earth (''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', etc): As individuals, there are the Nazgul (once human leaders) and Gollum (once just an ordinary proto-hobbit). In Tolkien's concept, evil and the various [[Big Bad|Big Bads]] cannot create, only pervert: therefore almost every evil creature (e.g. those used as mooks) is a corrution or mockery of a pre-existing being. The [[Our Orcs Are Different|orcs]] are descendants of elves twisted by Sauron's predecessor Morgoth. If you really want a [[Squick|squicky]] thought, it's rumoured that the Uruk-hai were partly Man in some fashion. Trolls are a mockery of Ents. Subverted in the case of the undead Barrow-wights, who only possessed the dead bodies of those buried.
* In William King's [[Warhammer
▲* In ''[[The Relic]]'', {{spoiler|the museum beast is revealed to be a scientist mutated by an ancient retrovirus}}.
** In [[Lee Lightner]]'s ''Sons of Fenris'', when the Space Wolves and Dark Angels go up against Cadmus's elite forces, the tattered remnants of their uniforms is the only evidence they had once been human; some still wield weapons, but only those merged with their flesh.▼
▲* In William King's [[Warhammer 40000]] novel ''[[Space Wolf]]'', Ragnor is most horrified about the nightgangers that they find in a [[Mordor|Chaos-tainted cave]] because they, or their ancestors, had been human once.
* In [[Graham McNeill]]'s [[Warhammer
▲** In Lee Lightner's ''Sons of Fenris'' when the Space Wolves and Dark Angels go up against Cadmus's elite forces, the tattered remnants of their uniforms is the only evidence they had once been human; some still wield weapons, but only those merged with their flesh.
* In [[James Swallow]]'s [[Warhammer
▲* In [[Graham McNeill]]'s [[Warhammer 40000]] [[Ultramarines (novel)|Ultramarines]] novel ''Dead Sky Black Sun'', Uriel realizes the Unfleshed -- monstrous, gigantic (next to him, a [[Space Marine]]), and flesh-eating -- were once not only human but {{spoiler|[[Children Are Innocent|children]]. When they are willing to speak with him, having [[The Nose Knows|smells that he came from the same place they were made]], he finds that they are still good and will help him in his [[The Quest|his quest]]. One sadly confesses to him that they loathe themselves because of their forms. In ''The Killing Ground'', Uriel must [[Mercy Kill]] the last survivor and is left deeply melancholy thereafter.}}
* [[Gav Thorpe]]'s [[Warhammer
▲* In [[James Swallow]]'s [[Warhammer 40000]] ''[[Blood Angels|Red Fury]]'', the Bloodfiends have fragmentary [[Genetic Memory|memories]] of the Blood Angels whose [[Blood Magic|blood they have drunk]]; Rafen, fighting one, is reminded of his dead mentor Koris, and when he kills it, its last breath [[Dying as Yourself|might have been a word]]: Brother.
▲* [[Gav Thorpe]]'s [[Warhammer 40000]] novel ''The Path of the Warrior'' reveals that Eldar Exarchs were once Eldar, but lost themselves in the struggle to control their rage and became part of a gestalt consciousness dominated by the first Exarch to lead their shrine, trapped and unable to die, subsumed into the whole, and speaking only in stream-of-consciousness.
* In ''[[Star Wars]]: [[New Jedi Order]]'', the mindless warbeasts known as the Vagh Rodiek were once Rodians. Then the planet fell to the Yuuzhan Vong.
** Abeloth. She was once a mortal woman (species unclear) who served [[Star Wars: The Clone Wars|The Father, The Son, and The Daughter]]. She was eventually promoted to The Mother and loved her new family. As she aged, she grew paranoid that her ageless family would abandon her, so she drank of the Font of Power and bathed in the Pool of Knowledge. While this granted her immortality and advanced Force powers, this also mutated her into an [[Eldritch Abomination]]. Sadly, this event caused her family to abandon her.
* In Neal Shusterman's ''Everlost'', the monster called the McGill is revealed to have been {{spoiler|Mary's brother, who sank down to the center of the earth and clawed his way back up. When he returned, he was a monster.}}
* The Steel Inquisitors of ''[[Mistborn]]'' are humans who have been transformed into immortal killing machines via the dark art of [[Black Magic|Hemalurgy]]. {{spoiler|The [[
** Also {{spoiler|The First Generation of kandra were ALSO former human Feruchemists who were friend of the Lord Ruler before his ascension, the other kandra are descended from mistwraiths that were ALSO Feruchemists, who weren't friends of the Lord Ruler and so didn't get to be sentient after the Lord Ruler was done with them. Kandra are made from mistwraiths using the same [[Black Magic]] that makes Inquisitors and koloss.}}
* In Book 5 of ''[[The Dresden Files]]'', Harry gets a nice shock to the system when he looks into the eyes of the latest monstrosity to cross his path and {{spoiler|sees the human soul it has.}}
* Played with in [[Discworld]]. Unseen Academicals marks the first appearance of {{spoiler|orcs}} in the series. During the course of the book it is revealed that they are a manufactured species made from {{spoiler|goblins. Only as it turns out, that's a misconception. As Vetinari puts it, "Goblins wouldn't have been nearly as ferocious." [[Humans Are
* In [[Robert E. Howard]]'s [[Conan the Barbarian]] story "[[Red Nails]]", Tolkemec.
{{quote|
** Also, Thak from "[[Rogues in the House]]." It's unclear whether he degenerated from humanity into his apelike form, or whether he ascended from apedom into something resembling humanity.
** The [[Eldritch Abomination]] in ''[[Black Colossus]]''
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** Most of the various types of Dead were originally human in body and/or spirit (though some of the weaker ones, like the gorecrows, were once animals). [[The Dragon|Hedge]] starts out as a human necromancer, but becomes progressively inhuman as the Destroyer's power over him increases (thankfully, we never learn what exactly he was turning into, though it doesn't seem to have been Dead).
* [[God-Emperor]] of [[Dune]] Leto II (mostly internally or to those close to him) laments his loss of humanity after becoming a giant [[Sand Worm]], but he knows this is necessary for the survival of the human race.
* Used in the ''[[Angel]]'' novel "Image", which has a guy who once was human but became more and more demon (and grotesque) in order to stay alive for hundreds of years.
* Isaac Asimov subverts it in his story ''Eyes do more than See''.
== Live-Action TV ==
* Several of the monsters on ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'', the most important being the demons.
* One later iteration of the Daleks in ''[[Doctor Who]]'' were produced by "filleting, sifting, and pulping" living humans to render a handful of cells judged strong enough to be shaped into Dalek form and welded into a travel machine.
** Another Dalek faction, the Imperials, were made from [[Human Popsicle
** The Toclafane are [[Axe Crazy]] flying metal spheres that are able to deploy knifes and laserguns. {{spoiler|Turns out that they once were humans living at the time of the universe's end. They turned themselves into metal spheres in hopes of surviving the end of the universe.}}
** And of course the Cybermen, more than any of the others. It's arguably the whole conception behind the way they were originally written in the 1960s.
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** Poor little Jaimie from "The Empty Child" / "The Doctor Dances".
** The Face of Boe may have once been {{spoiler|Jack Harkness, or maybe Jack was just messing with the Doctor, and Martha, when he said that.}}
* ''[[Power Rangers]]'':
** In ''[[Power Rangers Time Force]]'', Frax, the robot who worked for Ransik but would eventually go solo, was once a human named Dr. Fericks who saved Ransik's life in the past, but was rewarded with the destruction of his lab and body. After using his own technology to rebuild himself, Frax vowed revenge on Ransik, and infiltrated his organization to bring him down from within.
** Master Org in ''[[Power Rangers Wild Force]]'' was a Doctor before taking on the powers and identity of the original Master Org. His minions weren't happy when they found out, but he proved to be too much for them when they tried to rebel.
** Zeltrax was transformed into a cyborg after a lab explosion. He is ''not happy'' about the loss of his body, and has decided that it is (in a roundabout manner) Tommy's fault. Mesogog was once a human scientist too.
** In ''[[Power Rangers Samurai]],'' Deker and Dayu were once human. Dayu sold her soul to save the life of the then-human Deker, but Deker has lost his memory and is now a [[Blood Knight]] who fights to satisfy his bloodlust, either by defeating a worthy opponent or by being put out of his misery. {{spoiler|Last time he fought the Red Ranger, it looks as if the latter has finally happened. However, the season's only half over...}}
* All Borg in ''[[Star Trek]]'' started as other species, usually humanoid.
** And Seven Of Nine is an actual human from the Federation.
* {{spoiler|The Man in Black}} on ''[[Lost]]'' claims to have once been a human before becoming {{spoiler|a sentient cloud of smoke.}} He's now human again, only able to switch between his monster form and {{spoiler|John Locke.}}
* In the cult [[One-Episode Wonder]] series ''[[Heat Vision and Jack]]'', the [[Cool Bike]] Heat Vision used to be Jack's friend Owen, before he got hit with an experimental ray gun that caused him to merge with his motorcycle.
* Many monsters and demons in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' are former humans. Vampires and werewolves, of course, plus vengeance demons. Plus the Harbingers of Death, a cult that worshipped the First Evil; while stated to have once been human, their servitude turned them into something different, Spike's ability to fight them without the chip in his head activating confirmed it.
== Music ==
* The eponymous character in the [[Black Sabbath]] song "Iron Man" was a well-intentioned human given metallic form by a "great magnetic field" while traveling time to save the future of humanity. He went on to {{spoiler|go cuckoo and decimate the human race}} because after he saves them, they won't help him or accept him.
== Myth And Legend ==
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*** Scylla and Charybdis also fall into this category.
** For a full list, read Ovid's ''Metamorphoses''.
* Fafnir, aka the dragon from Wagner's Ring cycle, aka the inspiration for Smaug in ''[[The Hobbit]]'',
** ...his siblings, fyi, were a dwarf and an otter. No reason given.
== New Media ==
* This happens sometimes in the ''[[Descendant of a Demon Lord]]'' setting, in fact such a large amount of sapient monsters were either humans themselves, or are descendants of former humans, that there is debate in setting as to if they should be classified as humans. [https://fiction.live/stories/threads/chat/fhJFj9mDo2qqbRfed]. Non-sapient monsters are similarly often mutated animals. Lia becomes a monster by her own request during the story.
== Newspaper Comics ==
* [[The Devil Is a Loser|Phil the Prince of Insufficient Light]] from ''[[Dilbert]]''. Seeing as he and the [[Pointy-Haired Boss]] are brothers, one can assume Phil used to be human. Or maybe the PHB used to be a demon, which if true, might explain a lot...
== Toys ==
* {{spoiler|The Bohrok}} in ''[[Bionicle]]'' {{spoiler|were Once Av-Matoran}}. goes into [[Nightmare Fuel]] territory when you realize that Nuparu made the Boxor machines out of {{spoiler|Bohrok parts, so the Boxors are made out of [[Human Resources|dead Av-Matoran]]... and are piloted by Matoran who use them to fight still functioning Bohrok. While he didn't pilot Boxors, one of the topmost fighters in the war against the Bohrok was Takua, himself an Av-Matoran!}}
** {{spoiler|[[Soylent Green|They're people]]. Boxors are people!}} Sorry, it had to be done.
== Tabletop Games ==
* A large number of ''[[Dungeons
* In ''Mortasheen'', this is the case with the Arthropoids, a class of creature made from humans fused with various type of insects ala [[The Fly]]. This also applies to several of the player races, like the [[Cyborg|Borg]], the Sectillians and the Zombies.
* The Necrons of
** Also from ''40k'', the [[Mad Scientist|Haemonculi]] [[Mad Artist|fleshcrafters]] turn some of their prisoners into Grotesques, massive hypertrophied ''things'' with iron plates [[The Blank|fused over their faces]] and weapons grafted into their limbs. They are treated as [[Cannon Fodder]] in battle, and frequently used against their own species. Given how the Dark Eldar feed on physical and emotional anguish, it is quite likely that Grotesques retain their original minds but are [[And I Must Scream|trapped in bodies no longer under their control]].
==
* All of the {{spoiler|Feldragons}} in ''[[Arc Rise Fantasia]]'' are heavily implied to be people of the {{spoiler|Divine Race}} exposed to hozone without a {{spoiler|dragon gem}} to protect them.
** Those that aren't {{spoiler|Divine Race turned dragons}} are implied to be the results of [[Complete Monster|Ignacy]]'s experiments on {{spoiler|Common Race people}}, including orphans.
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** A specific mutant in ''[[Fallout 3]]'' actually says word-for-word "I was once a man" {{spoiler|but he's referring less to his mutation and more to his being fused with a tree.}}
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=810JiQQ7G-w#t=1m24s These things look - I think they really used to be people].
** Possibly worst of all is The Master, the [[Big Bad]] from the original game. Originally, he was a human scientist named Richard Grey, who was kicked out of Vault City after being accused of murder (whether or not he was guilty is not confirmed) discovered the Mariposa Military Base, and while exploring it, was attacked by mutants and fell into a vat of F.E.V, Forced Evolutionary Virus. After a full month of being submerged in this vile substance, he emerged as a disgusting, tentacled heap of flesh with a human-like face; having been driven insane, what was once Grey then sought to “unify” the rest of wasteland by consuming and assimilating its residents. As revolting as the Master is, even more revolting is its speech and mannerisms, [[Voice of the Legion| taking in four voices]] (two male, one female, and one computerized) with four personalities, switching between them in a seemingly random manner as it tries to convince the protagonist to ''"Join us..."'''
* ''[[Dead Space (series)|Dead Space]]''. Every single zombie enemy you fight was once a human. The tentacle-baby monsters are implied to be embryos that were being vat-
* ''[[City of Heroes]]'' has several, notably the Devoured,
** {{spoiler|The Hamidon}} is definitely the worst case, being
*** {{spoiler|Giant [[Blob Monster]]}} doesn't do it justice. It's
* An in-universe theory toward the Thorn bloodline of ''[[Bloodline Champions]]''.
* This is fairly common in the ''[[Warcraft]]'' universe. Notable is the Demon Hunter Illidan Stormrage, who, after using a demonic artifact to gain power, was transformed into a demon.
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** Hell, any of the marines that flood infect could be an example of this.
* Most, if not all, of the monsters from ''[[Clive Barker's Jericho]]''.
* Kokiri are said to turn into the race of skullkids when lost. They're usually shown as more tragic enemies, you being able to talk with them as a child in ''[[The Legend of Zelda:
** The same game mentions that Hylians would eventually be transformed into Stalfos when lost in the woods. Not as creepy though.
** All the NPCs in the Dark World of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|The Legend of Zelda a Link To T He Past]]'', as the Dark World has the effect of transforming anyone who enters it into a form that matches his personality. Link is transformed into a rabbit without magical protection.
** Similarly, the Twilight in ''[[The Legend of Zelda:
*** Even better known as [[Goddamned Bats|'Those Bastards Who Sound Like The Iron Giant Being Beaten To Death And Refuse To Stay Dead For More Than Five Seconds']].
*** Described by the [[Freelance Astronauts]] as "Rastafarian squid-dudes".
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** One of the gifted somehow turned into a dragon, originally being a hume.
* Necrid in ''[[Soul Calibur]] 2''
{{quote|
** And for crying out loud, [[Big Bad|Nightmare.]]
*** Subverted in the next game, when {{spoiler|Siegfried is human again, and his [[Animated Armor|armor]] lives on as the new Nightmare.}}
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** The fiends you fight in random encounters were once human souls. In fact, in the cutscene where the party reunites with Yuna in Home, you can see fiends forming from the souls of recently killed [[Innocent Bystanders]] in the background. And, of course, to top it all off, there's {{spoiler|Sin, aka Jecht}}.
* Pretty much everybody in ''[[Nexus War]]'': Demons, angels, undead, and several others. All were once human and have become utterly inhuman. Just about the only characters that ''don't'' fit this trope are Eternal Soldiers.
* ''[[
* In ''[[Quake II]]'' and ''[[Quake 4|Quake IV]]'', the majority of the enemies you face are people who have been captured and [[You Will Be Assimilated|forcibly turned into cyborgs]]. Some aren't even turned into troops, they just get their limbs hacked off and used as ''scenery'' (but they still twitch and bleed when shot). In ''Quake IV'', this happens to the ''player character'', and [[Nightmare Fuel|you get to see it happen, from his point of view]]. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3clVvh5gbGE&feature=related Curious?]
* In ''[[Knights of the Old Republic]]'', rakghouls all used to be human before being [[Viral Transformation|bitten and infected]]. The player gets to meet some Outcasts and a terrified Republic soldier before they transform. Other parts of the EU use the rakghouls again, only this time there's a deranged Dark Jedi with a talisman that instantly transforms non Force-Sensitives into them. An old clone trooper [[Heroic Willpower|holds out longer than most]], but doesn't quite manage to kill her.
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** The Archie comics give us a much straighter example in Jules.
* Many ''[[Neopets]]'' characters like Edna the witch (now a green Zafara) and the Island Mystic (now a yellow Kyrii).
* Rapture's Big Daddies are revealed to be this in ''[[
* {{spoiler|Arakune}} (of ''[[
* The trope's name was used word-for-word in ''[[Prince of Persia]]: The Two Thrones'' by the Prince to describe the giant, jawless boss he has to fight. And just like said boss, most of your enemies from the first and third game from the series are this.
* The Many in ''[[System Shock 2]]''. It's really unnerving to having your enemy viciously assault you while screaming for you to run away or put them out of their misery.
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* All of the main characters in ''[[Final Fantasy XIII]]'' are normal humans who were turned into {{spoiler|l'Cie (servants of fal'Cie, the providers for Cocoon/Gran Pulse), which grants them strength and magical powers, as well as resulting in them being ostracised by the people of Cocoon. Also, it is revealed early on that any l'Cie who fail their task are turned into Cie'th, deformed flesh-monsters who wonder the world until they eventually loose their will and turn to stone}}.
* Version 6 of ''[[Ao Oni]]'' has all three of the four main characters converted into one of the monsters when they were killed.
* At the end of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
* ''[[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim]]'' has the Falmer, former Snow Elves who after losing a war against humans sought refuge with the Dwemer, [[Our Dwarves Are Different|a technologically-advanced race of underground elves]]. Despite their early hospitality, the Dwemer suddenly turned on and enslaved their kin, feeding them strange mushrooms and torturing them for their amusement. Not only did the Snow Elves degenerate into something like [[The Time Machine|Morlocks]], but what the Falmer went through fundamentally changed their very souls; theirs can be trapped in normal soul gems like any other beast, while sentient beings like humans or elves require black soul gems. The Dwemer literally devolved the Falmer into animals.
* A major part of the Reapers' modus operandi in the ''[[Mass Effect]]'' series. It begins with their Husk grunt troopers in the first game, which are augmented by variations and husks made from alien species in the others. But the crowning achievement is the revelation in the climax of the Suicide Mission that {{spoiler|Reapers are made by pasting up sapient species and implanting them in metallic superstructures -- and their next target is humanity}}.
* Most enemies - from Mooks to Bosses - in the ''[[Resident Evil]]'' series are human victims of bio-weapons like the T-virus or hosts of parasites like Las Plagas, although a few of them were once animals.
== Web Comics ==
* The page image is from ''[[Nedroid]]'', "[http://nedroid.com/2010/12/face-it/ Face It]".
* ''[[
* Demons in ''[[Dominic Deegan]]''
** Then there's Karnak, who is revealed to have been human near the end of the Ecstasy & Evil storyline, very casually by a former friend who has apparently given up even being sad about losing him. His back story is fleshed out as the comic progressed, and so far the only really bad thing he ever did in his ''life'' he repented halfway through and ran away to sacrifice himself heroically. May be the only being in hell not rightfully damned there.
*** Demon Karnak, however, is both evil and a total [[Jerkass]], although he ''has'' been having some character development. Had a Rorschach Moment in December 2010 and appointed himself ''Warden'' of Hell and informed the damned that they were all trapped in there with him.
*** Without becoming much less despicable, Karnak in the [[Comic Book Time|last couple years]] has scaled the heights of [[Crazy Awesome]]. His [[Grievous Harm with a Body|Siggy-flail]] was choice, as was his [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]] at his [[Kangaroo Court]] trial. And then there's the simple things:
{{quote|
** A more typical progression of this is probably provided by Lady Loxo, who used to be soulbound to the Demon of Treachery back before Karnak exploded Hell into submission, and who becomes all serpentine and scaly after beginning to consume souls out of the 'feeding pits.' Bulgak Adrak is much more conflicted and his transformation doesn't progress nearly so smoothly, even once he gives in. Then he has an epiphany and [[Stuff Blowing Up|his soul explodes]].
** Then there's TIM, the eyeless, nameless infernomancer who provided the first evil in the comic and ''kept coming back'' with [[Took a Level
** This trope is ''not'' applied to benevolent synthetic entities like Quilt and Acibek who were made out of unwilling human victims. [[Political Correctness Gone Mad]], possibly, but while the Acibek thing was tragic and the Quilt thing creepy, the focus is intentionally on who they themselves are, not their antecedents.
** Jacob Deegan, in his extremely long 'quest to become The Zombie Alive' phase, is explicitly trying for this effect as hard as he possibly can. The universal [[Squick]] is a ''perk''.
* Addressed in ''[[The Fancy Adventures of Jack Cannon]]''; as a combined punishment-and-strategy, Frankie is turned into a monster, shaped roughly like his old human self, but bigger, stronger, and uglier, with glowing red eyes. Gavin remarks that the eyes were a mistake; they made him ''too'' monstrous, making him easier for Jack and his family to deal with. Gavin restores his original human eyes so that the next time they make him fight someone, his opponents will be thrown off balance.
* ''[[El Goonish Shive]]'' has Aberrations
* In ''[[Girl Genius]]'' "constructs" usually are humans modified by [[Mad Scientist]]s — often even voluntarily. Jägermonsters undergo a painful transformation with low survival rate in exchange for the oath of indefinite military service and still think they got a good deal centuries later… but then, they become tough enough to survive for centuries while fighting, don't age, and are the most feared [[Super Soldier]]s around.
== Web Originals ==
* [[SCP Foundation]]
*
* {{spoiler|All the monsters}} in ''[[Ruby Quest]]''▼
** [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-2148 SCP-2148], aka Mr. Stripes (one of Dr. Wondertainment's "Little Misters") claims to have once been human; possibly this Trope might apply to the other known SCPs in this group.
* According to his song, [[Homestar Runner|Trogdor]] was originally a man, but then turned into a dragon-man before finally becoming a dragon completely.▼
** Possibly [https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-811 SCP-811] ("Swamp Woman"). If her own account of her past is accurate (she can talk, but seems to have the personality and mentality of a young child) she vaguely remembers being much smaller than she is now, being given some sort of drug by a "large man" that made her very hungry, resulting in attacking and eating him - which caused her to turn green, and presumably into the [[Plant Person]] she is now.
▲* {{spoiler|All the monsters}} in ''[[Ruby Quest]]''.
▲* ''[[Homestar Runner]]'': According to his song,
* {{spoiler|Salem's Hound}} from Volume 8 of ''[[RWBY]]'' {{spoiler|turned out to have been "built" around a man possessing the same mystical silver eyes as Ruby. After its defeat, Ruby and Yang speculate that Salem probably turned their mother Summer Rose into such a creature—and that it's why she wants Ruby captured alive}}.
== Western Animation ==
* The creepiest part of ''[[Ben 10:
** Except for one where an amnesiac man who can only recall being taken by the aliens turns out to be a disguised DNAlien and is restored to being a human again at the end of the episode.
* In one episode of ''[[Invader Zim]]'' ("Gameslave 2"), the rat people in the labyrinthine parking complex Dib gets lost in claim this happened to them, but Dib is unconvinced. A female one actually ''says'' "I was once a man," causing Dib to respond, bewildered, "But... you're a woman."
** Also, from "The Sad, Sad, Tale of ChickenFoot", we have this:
{{quote|
'''Dib''': "I don't work in a Chicky-Licky hut."
'''ChickenFoot''' "DON'T LOOK AT ME!" }}
* Parodied in ''[[Sealab 2021]]'', in which a talking tree cobra claims "I was once...a man!" before saying "Just kidding, I've always been a snake."
* After Cobra Commander gets hit with altered fungus in ''[[G.I. Joe: The Movie]]'' and starts turning into a snake, all he can hiss is "I was once a man!" until the transformation is complete. Definitely the [[Trope Namer]] and what Sealab referenced in the above quote, despite not being "human" in the first place in this continuity.
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* In an episode of the 1990s ''[[Silver Surfer]]'' animated series, the Surfer and a group of researches come across an enormous green blob monster on a universal library planet built by [[Precursors]]. It's the precursors (and the crew of a pirate ship) themselves after they devolved into this form and linked up with each other in a hive mind of knowledge.
* Played for Laughs in the ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' short "Mutiny on the Bunny". A horrid-looking and clearly insane man runs down the gangplank from Yosemite "Shanghai" Sam's ship and has just enough time to turn to the audience and declare "I was a human being once!" before running off screaming into the night.
* In ''[[The Owl House]]'', {{spoiler|Emperor Belos was originally an Earth resident named Phillip Wittebane; whether he can still be considered human anymore given the monster (physically or psychologically) he has become is debatable.}}
* All of the main cast of ''[[Hazbin Hotel]]'' except Charlie are the damned souls of humans, given demonic forms after death - most seem to have adapted to it reasonably well.
** Also true for many one-shot characters in the sister-series ''[[Helluva Boss]]'', including most of I.M.P.'s clients, but the main cast are native demons.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Otherness Tropes]]
[[Category:Vampire Tropes]]
[[Category:Werebeast Tropes]]
[[Category:Shapeshifting]]
▲[[Category:Was Once a Man]]
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