History Main / AuraVision

* The Creator/MarvelComics ''ComicBook/TheNewUniverse'' character Justice could read auras to determine if people were good or evil.

* ''Fanfic/ColosseumOfTheHeart'': [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora]] has the same ability to see Shadow Pokémon as Rui in ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum]].

* ''FanFic/FrailEquilibrium'': Tess' ability to see auras is what lets her immediately know what Dante really is.
* ''FanFic/AdviceAndTrust'': Unsurprisingly, Rei, her being a HalfHumanHybrid. The special thing about her Aura Vision is that it allows her to [[spoiler:''see everyone's bonds.'' For example, Asuka and Shinji's loving relationship is like a blazing fire to her eyes]].

* In ''FanFic/TheApprenticeTheStudentAndTheCharlatan'', energy sensing is apparently a skill anyone can learn, though unicorns learn it most easily as they are more sensitive to magic around them. In addition to simply sensing magical energy, some of the practical applications include knowing when someone is lying, concealing themselves up with magic to hide it, and an ability to sense who other ponies are based on their aura, assuming they already know who they are. Protagonist Nova Shine gets the most opportunity to show his skill with it off.
* Shows up in the ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom''/''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'' {{crossover}} story, ''FanFic/SayItThrice''. Distinctively different than Danny's [[SpiderSense Ghost Sense]], some ghosts can sense things about other ghosts and supernatural stuff. According to Betelgeuse's narrative, ectoplasm-based ghosts practically have a spotlight on them while humans have a faint aura (though the ones who get involved with the supernatural are a little brighter). Apparently, Danny, being half-human and half ectoplasm-based ghost, is really distinctive.

* In ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'' Geralt can you his Witcher Sense to locate important clues and objects. New interactive objects are highlighted in a red glow. Objects that have already been interacted with will glow yellow.

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* Briefly, Franchise/{{Superman}} had this power.
** It, and all of Superman's vision powers, are given quite the spotlight in the Superman origin graphic novel ''ComicBook/SupermanBirthright''. Whether another form of the many frequencies of light Clark can see or something else entirely, all living things emit an ethereal glow that tragically fades as soon as they die. The aura is equally strong for all animals, and is mentioned as influencing Clark's decision to become a vegetarian.
** He had this power in Creator/ElliotSMaggin's novel ''Literature/MiracleMonday''.

* In Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} story ''Comicbook/DemonSpawn'' villain Nightflame can sense the titular heroine because Supergirl's aura guides Nightflame towards her.
* The Creator/MarvelComics ''ComicBook/TheNewUniverse'' character Justice could read auras to determine if people were good or evil.
* The graphic novel ''Walk In'', where everyone has a different colored aura.

* ''Franchise/GreenLantern'': The Black Lanterns can apparently see where individuals fall on the emotional spectrum at any one time; in order to harvest a person, that individual must be driven entirely towards one emotion or another (given that we're talking super zombies here, it's more often than not fear). Failing that, the Black rings often try to [[MoralEventHorizon possess the bodies and mimic the memories of friends and loved ones of their victims]] to screw with their heads before ripping out their hearts.
* ComicBook/{{Madman}} can do this as well, it seems. "Bad vibes" is a phrase he often uses.

* Blackjak of ''ComicBook/AtariForce'' temporarily had this ability with the organic eye that the Tazlings had given him.

* Thomas from the "Bride and Groom" arc of the ''Comicbook/{{Nightwing}}'' series can see auras and can [[PeoplePuppets control people]] by manipulating them. He mostly uses his powers to find victims that are suitable for his beloved Violet to [[LifeDrinker drain the life force]] from.

* In ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'', Shinji is capable of seeing souls due to his ''[[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Tzeentchian]]'' training. When he met Asuka, he could see -and taste- her soul before seeing her physically: "She was bright and active and so filled with beautiful rage and pain and confidence and so many delicious emotions to experience."

* In the work ''Strandpiel'' by Creator/AAPessimal, eight-year-old Ruth Smith-Rhodes-Stibbons has a terrifying "dream" where she revisits a desperate fight from many years before she was born; she is forced, by a malevolent external agency, to spectate the desperate fight her mother had[[note]]Her mother, normally a lethal weapon, was handicapped by being heavily pregnant, with Ruth's oldest sister: go to the tale ''Hyperemesis Gravidarum''[[/note]] with a brutal psychopathic killer intent on murder. Despite being terrified, Ruth - who has a streak of magic inherited from her father, Ponder Stibbons - realizes everybody has an aura and can be seen as enclosed in a halo of colored light. A gifted artist, she resolves to try and paint this later. Ruth watches as the angry and evil colors surrounding the killer gather themselves. And then send out lightning flashes of scarlet light aimed at that part of her mother where her unborn sister is. She also sees her mother's BattleAura put out everything it can to deflect this. She realizes, then, that fights are not just conducted on the physical level with swords. Being the daughter of an Assassin, she grasps this too.
* The ''Assassin's Creed'' and ''Temeraire'' crossover fanfiction ''Fanfic/TradeWinds'', as narrated by a post-''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' Desmond, heavily features the Assassins' Eagle Vision from the former work. The Chinese delegation from the second novel of ''Temeraire'' know what Eagle Vision is- they call it the "Dragon's Eye" -and can tell Desmond has it, which gets him into hot water because they believe the ability to be limited to the Imperial Family and dragons, of which Desmond is neither. Things get even more complicated when William Laurence develops the ability independently during the events of the story when he's in his thirties, and still yet more complicated when Laurence and Desmond are fed a serum that enhances their Dragon's Eye/Eagle Vision and makes them see auras in even more colors than the AC-canon's red, blue, gray, and gold.

* In ''Film/TheMatrix'' sequels, Neo can see Smith's aura [[spoiler: when Smith hitches a ride into the real world.]] Neo retains this ability even after [[spoiler: he becomes blind, allowing him to see the Machines.]]
* In ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', once a time-travelling Thor tries duping his mother, Frigga reveals that given her upbringing by witches, "I see with more than eyes, you know that."

* Cornelia Karlsson in ''Literature/TheCaseCorneliaKarlsson'' has this. It allows her to see a person's character and magical abilities. Her friend Ville notably has none because he is not human.
* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', Oreg can do this, to an extent. (It is of limited usefulness, as some people, like Ward, had their magical talent deactivated by extreme violence, and can't access it; such things Oreg can't see.) Ward is able to sense magic, too, but in his case, he can only sense magic he ''knows''. Oreg (who is bound to, and something like the GeniusLoci of the castle Ward grew up in) doing magic feels to him like something filling the empty spaces in his soul where his home used to be.

* Wizard's Sight in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' is this, but has the catch that ''the memory of it never fades''. The full true nature of the world around you, including ThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow, will always remain as fresh as the instant you saw it, and every time you use it, one more wonder or horror is added to the list of things you're as good as ''still looking at forever.'' Wizards who overuse their Sight go insane as a result. Nonhumans can have an aura that can actually drive wizards insane - this is one reason to make and use creams that penetrate {{Glamour}}s.
* Aura vision is generally the first sign that someone has magical talent in Literature/TheFarsideTrilogy. If you learn to use it properly, it can tell you what sort of person you're looking at, and their emotional state. It's used to guide therapy in the right direction, and can even be used to see ghosts when they want to be seen.
* Others in the ''Literature/NightWatchSeries'' books are able to see and read people's auras. The Others' auras reflect their allegiance. The Light and the Dark ones have their auras' primary colors reflect this. Uninitiated Others have grey auras. Humans have fairly simple, smooth auras, almost like an eggshell. One of the first things the Other initiates are taught is reading and remembering auras. In ''Last Watch'', Anton uses a computer database to search for auras. Since magic and technology don't exactly work together, he has to use a search function to filter the results based on key parameters (e.g. is there a sharp curve at the top?). To actually enter an aura into the database, the Night Watch employs a low-level Other who's a professional painter. It frequently takes up to 3 days to get a detailed image of an aura that can then be scanned into the computer. When the Watch equivalent of an APB is sent out, the patrolmen memorize the aura image and compare it with the passersby.
* From ''Literature/GoodOmens'', Anathema Device, occultist and professional descendant, is psychic enough to see auras. She, unfortunately, misses the Antichrist's, "for the same reason that people in Trafalgar Square can't see England."
* In ''Literature/ThievesWorld'', [[http://www.thievesworld.info/characters/people_n.htm#nikodemos Nikodemos]] once demonstrated that a [[PsychicPowers Bandaran Adept]] can not merely see an aura, but reliably track known individuals by traces of aura left on the environment through the city (i.e. mess of spurious signals). Then again, Niko "Stealth" is the spec. ops. guy in the elite company, so it's one of the powers he ''needed'' to refine.
* In the novel ''Golden'' by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Lissy not only sees auras, but she also has the ability to manipulate them. She can matchmake people, thwart a bad guy, and disentangle a siren from her prey if necessary.

* Luna and Orlene from ''Literature/IncarnationsOfImmortality''.
* This is one of the powers of vampires in Mario Acevedo's ''Felix Gomez'' novels.
* Dragonbait has this power in ''[[TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms Azure Bonds]]'' instead of the paladin's traditional "detect evil" ability.

* The character Morning Star from the ''Noble Warriors'' Trilogy by William Nicholson is able to read peoples "colors", an aura that hangs around them that can tell her what they are feeling.
* There's an equivalent for this in some of Creator/TimothyZahn's ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' books. Jedi can feel someone's presence or "sense", which is like a second face which changes to reflect emotions and mental states - if someone has a sudden idea or comes to a resolution, a Jedi will notice. It's an ''equivalent'' because it's not really visual - Luke talks about "listening" and feeling someone's sense, though he does mention a few times that it's dark.
** Matthew Stover's ''Literature/RevengeOfTheSith'' novelization has a genuine version, however. Count Dooku looks upon everyone present during his final duel with the Force and sees Obi-Wan as a window into a sunlit meadow, Anakin as a thunderstorm, and Palpatine as a black hole.
* [[spoiler: Michael]]'s ability to feel magic in things develops into this at the end of the first book in the ''Literature/KnightAndRogueSeries''. He treats this new, incredibly convenient power like [[CursedWithAwesome the end of the world]].
* In ''[[Literature/AuntDimity Aunt Dimity: Detective]]'', Finch's resident Wiccan Miranda Morrow says she reads auras; she says this ability showed her that [[spoiler: Nicholas Fox, Lilian Bunting's nephew, was a police officer]]. In ''Aunt Dimity Goes West'', local Colorado psychic Amanda Barrow says much the same [[spoiler: and actually sees the ghost of Cyril Pennyfeather standing behind Lori in her shop]].
* Oakelves in ''Literature/TheEdgeChronicles'' have this.
* Characters with powers in ''Literature/TheSecretsOfTheImmortalNicholasFlamel'' series have Aura Vision. As well as Aura Smelling.
* Some players in a Literature/DreamPark game (Creator/LarryNiven) can request a visible status check hologram to be displayed around each character and NPC: "check auras".
* The Tila in Creator/RobertReed's ''Literature/GreatShip'' universe have extremely fine structures in their optical nerve which are so small that they are affected by quantum changes; the Tila perceive this as a faint aura or haze around objects, which they interpret as being glimpses into [[TheMultiverse thousands and thousands of alternate planes of reality.]]

%% * Shaylin from ''Literature/TheHouseOfNight'' has this ability.
* Some magic-users in ''Literature/TheBoneSeason'' have this ability, which allows them to identify other magic-users and gives them an idea of what their powers are.
* In ''Literature/TheLegendsongSaga'' soulweavers gain this when they give up their regular sight during their final initiation.
* ''Literature/{{Pact}}'' has an interesting variation-rather than auras, the Sight allows practitioners to see the connections that tie people together, which can be cut to create a PerceptionFilter, or manipulated as a form of EmotionControl.
* In the ''Literature/ParadoxTrilogy'', Novascape Starchild's plasmex power allows her to perceive auras.
* Nearly all spirit users in the ''Literature/VampireAcademy'' series demonstrate the ability to see auras.
* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'':
** Mages can learn the spell "Magic Sight" which enables them to see {{mana}} in the world around them. This is useful for spotting hidden runes, magical amplifiers, and other supernatural things like invisible people.
** The "Third Eye" technique practiced by Retina and Tiza turns their own aura into an additional eye with which to see the world. It also works on ambient {{mana}} instead of reflected light like a physical human eye.

* In Creator/StephenKing novel ''Literature/{{Insomnia}}'', as the protagonist's titular insomnia gets worse he begins to see auras coming from everything, from plants to people, and can even see when they're about to die. Eventually he realizes he can siphon aura from people to replenish himself.

* After she [[spoiler: becomes the Chosen of Asmodeus]], [[DarkIsNotEvil Farideh]] of ''Literature/BrimstoneAngels'' gains a version of this ability that lets her see how corrupt a given individual's soul is [[spoiler: and by extension, how close they are to falling into Asmodeus's sphere of influence]] as well as what magical powers and god or gods have touched them in a significant way.

* ''Literature/TheArtsOfDarkAndLight'': The brethren of the [[TheOrder Order of Saint Michael]] have the gift of detecting magic, so that they can more easily combat it. This is called the Fifth Eye, and manifests as them seeing auras around wizards and magical artifacts, whose colors and brightness depend on the type and magnitude of the magic.

* ''Series/YediYuz'': Celebrity hypnotist Oşa of "Hayatın Musikisi" possesses the power to both see and feel auras, which he uses to guide his clients to a path of self-actualization. [[SnakeOilSalesman Or so he claims]].

* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': In "Alien Radio", Stan Harbinger gains the ability to see the aliens that live inside the bodies of certain humans. He typically sees a golden outline of the alien superimposed over the relevant human.
* Played with in ''Series/AreYouBeingServed''. Miss Brahms is trying to convince a customer to buy a horrid cardigan:
-->'''Customer:''' I'm not sure it's really me.\\
'''Miss Brahms:''' Oh but it is madam! You see, everybody has an aura what goes with their personality. Some people have an aura what is pink, others have an aura what is blue. And as soon as I saw madam, I said to myself, madam has an aura what is purple with white stripes.

* All magicians (and some "physical adepts", a.k.a. Superpowered Martial Artists) in ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' get this for free.

* The Detect power in ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' can give any character this power, mages get a minor version for free with Magery.
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Daemonic creatures]], [[DemonicPossession including the ones hiding inside people]], see this way all the time. Because of this, they are never affected by low light situations.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': This is how [[{{Cyclops}} Cygors]] see the world, with spellcasters glowing particularly brightly. This often ends badly for the spellcaster, since the Cygors do so enjoy killing them.

* The spell ''Deathwatch'' in ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' lets the caster see auras around other beings that shows whether they're healthy, wounded, fragile (5 hit points or lower), dead, undead, or none in the case of constructs.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Lucario, at least in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl''. [[VideoGame/MetalGear Snake's]] box just wasn't enough...
** Rui, from ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum''. She's the only character able to see the dark purple glow Shadow Pokémon give off. Or, she was until Michael gets his [[Anime/DragonBallZ scouter]]-esque Aura Reader in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness Gale of Darkness]].''
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', at the cost of making him nearsighted, Link's senses can be honed so he can see spirits, insects of darkness, and digging spots when in wolf form. The game claims it's just a visual representation of his keen sense of smell while in wolf form, but the [[Manga/TheLegendOfZelda manga adaptation]] refines it to be a more supernatural power specific to the Sacred Beast (hence the third-eye pattern on his facial fur).
* The title superpowered psychopath from the ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' mod ''VideoGame/TheHidden'' has an "aura view" vision mode, letting him easily spot other players in the dark or even through obstacles and walls.

* In ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'', you can see outlines of your team-mates that tell you of their status.
** In Versus mode, members of the Infected team can also see the survivors' auras, which clues about their health.
** Realism mode in the sequel removes the aura visions for an added challenge.

* Rayne from ''VideoGame/BloodRayne'' can use this to assess health and if someone is aware of her presence.
** It returns in ''VideoGame/BloodRayne2'', sans awareness sense but with the added ability to see and access vampire gates, pinpoint objectives and indicate climbable surfaces.
* Nick Scryer from ''VideoGame/PsiOpsTheMindgateConspiracy'', allows him to see levels of awareness, the past, [[FaceHugger aura beasts]] and stealth mines.
* Nanaya Kiri in the ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' supplementary material had eyes that could detect the emotions and, apparently, the humanity of people he was near. It's unknown how this really helped him apart from "this guy, Kishima Kouma, is immensely dangerous because his aura is bright red." Blue and silver were similarly inhuman but were noble and possessed by allies.
* ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'' has Infected Vision, allowing you to see active/inactive infected, and water towers that are currently incubating hunters.
** It also has Thermal Vision, which highlights heat signatures (non-combatants aren't highlighted).
* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'': Batman has built-in lenses in his cowl that when activated give him an almost X-Ray like view of any nearby characters or surroundings. Enemies carrying guns are marked as entirely red. Anyone else, whether they be enemy or not; are marked as light blue. Objects that can be affected by one of Batman's tools are similarly highlighted. Every other playable character has a version of this. The Joker in Arkham Asylum has to stand in place to use his X-Ray Specs as well as be in First-Person mode. Others have less advanced vision, especially those without access to [=WayneTech=] such as Catwoman and Harley Quinn, whose vision doesn't highlight armed enemies apart from unarmed ones.
* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'', your crewmate Visas Marr is a Miralukan, a Force-Sensitive species that due to the bizarre ambient lighting of their homeworld, evolved to see entirely by the Force and have only empty vestigial eye-sockets where a normal humanoid being's eyes would be.
** If the Exile gets on good terms with Visas Marr, she will teach you this ability. During the trip to Telos at the end of the game, she will ask to the Exile to meditate with her whilst using Force-Sight, so they can see each other as they really are.
** Your mentor Kreia likewise mentions that her own overuse of this ability is how she lost sight, although given her deceptive nature and her frequently telling of only half-truths, this might be taken with a grain of salt.

* Pyan Pau from ''VideoGame/TheSpiritEngine2'' claims to have this, though we must take his word for it. Mostly it tells him there's something wrong with Ionae, in case it wasn't already obvious.
* In ''VideoGame/BeyondTwoSouls'', Jodie's [[{{Poltergeist}} poltergeist-like]] companion spirit Aiden can see glowing, [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience color-coded]] auras around people. Blue is the standard color, meaning that Aiden cannot directly affect the person in question. Red indicates that the person can be [[PsychicStrangle choked]], orange indicates that they can be [[DemonicPossession possessed]], and green indicates a sickness or injury that can be [[HealingHands healed]]. Purple is Jodie's color and the color of the spiritual "umbilical cord" that connects the two. Additionally, memories connected to certain objects show up as glowing green wisps.

* Rex's Cyber Eye in ''VideoGame/FarCry3BloodDragon'' tags, tracks, and identifies enemies and animals.
* ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'' has the Dark Vision ability, which highlights enemies through walls as well as showing their cone of vision.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': in ''Heavensward'', Y'shtola gains the ability to see the aether around her after being rescued from the Lifestream. Unfortunately, it becomes the ''only'' was she can see: the aforementioned trip through the Lifestream robbed her of her vision, so without the ability to see aether, she's completely blind. It is also stated that seeing the aether around her [[CastFromLifespan will reduce her lifespan]].
* In ''VideoGame/FridayThe13thTheGame'', Jason's "Sense" ability highlights counselors in red. The more fearful a counselor is, the more easily they will show up when Sense is activated. If counselors are hiding in a house, the house will be highlighted. Jason can also see expanding circles that indicate noise generated by the counselors, an ability that isn't reliant on his Sense skill.
* In ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'', [[DullEyesOfUnhappiness Yandere]] [[EmptyEyes Vision]] functions similarly to Eagle Vision. People Yandere-chan has taken pictures of and gotten info from Info-chan about show up in green, Senpai shows up in pink, rivals and those who have witnessed Yandere-chan do nasty things show up in red, and people who have seen Yandere-chan acting suspicious show up in yellow. Objects also show up in Yandere Vision, useful ones being outlined in cyan and parts of corpses being outlined in orange. Yandere-chan herself is outlined in black when she uses this power.
* Demon Hunters in ''{{VideoGame/Warcraft}}'', including fan favorite Illidan, have their eyeballs burned out of their sockets and replaced with magical demonic fire, usually covered with a blindfold. This lets them see magic and spellwork. In gameplay terms, it allows Demon Hunters in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' to see enemies that are invisible or on the other side of a wall.
* The Auspex power in ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'' reveals people's auras regardless of intervening barriers, distinguishing normal humans from supernaturals and showing whether they're alert or aggressive.
* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'': The "Third Eye" ability lets you see the danger level of enemies, which receptacles are hiding treasure, and the identities of potential Confidants by displaying various color-coded auras around the person or item in question.

* The monsters in ''VideoGame/{{Evolve}}'' can use their scent ability to see the outlines of various things through walls. It's also color-coordinated, wildlife is yellow, dangerous creatures and technological items are orange, hunters and their tracks are red, and map objectives are purple.
* Both the Survivors and the Killers of ''VideoGame/DeadByDaylight'' can unlock Perks and/or Items that let them see the auras of allies, enemies, and objectives.

* From ''VideoGame/HitmanAbsolution'' onwards, 47 has "Instinct", which was initially used to slow down time, highlight useful tools, NPC's, items and guard paths that 47 can use to his advantage, and was a perishable resource that required KO'ing people to replenish. Beginning with ''VideoGame/Hitman2016'', it can be used without any limits, removes the ability to see guard trails, and is more used for seeing where a target is in a level, and ''VideoGame/Hitman2'' nerfed Instinct to no longer slow down time when it's activated.

* Tina from ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'', who find reading emotions easier than figuring out expressions and body language.
* Vanity Thorn from ''Webcomic/SequentialArt'' can apparently see Auras as well as ghosts.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Widdershins}}'', [[http://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/november-4th-2011 Gren]] can [[TheNoseKnows smell magic.]] Also, O'Malley can see the spirits that makeup magic and emotion as physical entities.
* To clarify that Bam from ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'' has a subconscious sense for Shinsu, he sees a white, milky aura around Anaak. Because of this, he picks her for a bet he had going on with Lero Ro and says his choice was based on intuition.

* Trayen from ''Literature/{{Phaeton}}'' gained this power between series, he uses it to see elemental forces, it can also be used for empathic forces but the elemental forces tend to engulf these before he sees them.

* The main character of ''Podcast/KakosIndustries'' develops this sort of ability due to what is called an "imbalance of Evil" in his system. He is able to see shadowy images of malevolent energy that follow people around and project their memories if he is to stumble into it. Also doubles as a case of DetectEvil as he is a CardCarryingVillain who finds the power to be a sign of him being a superior Evil being.

* In the first season of ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'' Bloom discovers that when she's on Earth, she can see people's auras. This power was shown again in an episode of season two, but it seems that the writers forgot that she had this power in season four...

* There is a medical condition related to migraine called ''hemicrania sine dolorosa'' (HSD). This is a disturbance to the visual field which, in a full-blown migraine, is suffered alongside a crippling headache. Luckier sufferers of HSD get only the visual disturbance and light show without the headache[[note]]Hence "sine dolorosa" - ''without misery''[[/note]], although there may be a "tightening" of the head and a sense of an alternate state of reality intruding. The visual disturbance takes the form of a growing circle of jagged-edged light radiating out from a single point. As it grows into a circular aura of dancing light, everything within it looks pale and washed-out. It is impossible in this state to drive a car, for instance, and rest is advised as with a migraine sufferer. The Magazine/ForteanTimes explored this phenomenon, and offered space for the suggestion that many visions suffered by Christian mystics might well have been due to HSD, trying to look at the world through an aura of dancing light, and the state of altered reality and hallucinatory perception engendered in the brain at the same time.
* Since sufficiently advanced living things emit all sorts of EMR, it's quite possible to extract all kinds of information from it, down to emotions and current activity. Provided you can get a clear enough signal - which is currently a problem at any range practical for spying. Lie detectors and encephalograms work like this among other things - not to mention medical thermometers.

* A ''ComicBook/TheTwilightZone'' comic had a story about a CorruptCorporateExecutive trying on a pair of prototype smartglasses that he discovers allows him to see the aura of people's souls. After being denied help from a monk, he looks in the mirror to find he has no aura.

* A Twilight Zone comic had a story about a CorruptCorporateExecutive trying on a pair of prototype smartglasses that he discovers allows him to see the aura of people's souls. After being denied help from a monk, he looks in the mirror to find he has no aura.

* Cornelia Karlsson in Literature/TheCaseCorneliaKarlsson has this. It allows her to see a person's character and magical abilities. Her friend Ville notably has none because he is not human.

* Not auras, exactly, but many aquatic animals such as [[ThreateningShark sharks]], dolphins, and platypi are able to detect the electrical energy generated by the nervous system of living animals using their ampullae of Lorenzini, effectively functioning as a "life-detector".

* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicII'', your crewmate Visas Marr is a Miralukan, a Force-Sensitive species that due to the bizarre ambient lighting of their homeworld, evolved to see entirely by the Force and have only empty vestigial eye-sockets where a normal humanoid being's eyes would be.

* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'': The main cast has the ability to sense ki. Many enemies, on the other hand, require Scouters to detect PowerLevels.

* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries''; Batman has built-in lenses in his cowl that when activated give him an almost X-Ray like view of any nearby characters or surroundings. Enemies carrying guns are marked as entirely red. Anyone else, whether they be enemy or not; are marked as light blue. Objects that can be affected by one of Batman's tools are similarly highlighted. Every other playable character has a version of this. The Joker in Arkham Asylum has to stand in place to use his X-Ray Specs as well as be in First-Person mode. Others have less advanced vision, especially those without access to [=WayneTech=] such as Catwoman and Harley Quinn, whose vision doesn't highlight armed enemies apart from unarmed ones.

The ability to perceive normally invisible LifeEnergy of others, often [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience colour-coded]] for [[GoodColorsEvilColors good/evil]], [[ColourCodedEmotions emotions]], amount of life, PowerLevel, etc. This can be presented as FunctionalMagic, PsychicPowers, [[ThirdEye related to spirituality]], a biological gift, or even technological.

* From ''VideoGame/HitmanAbsolution'' onwards, 47 has "Instinct", which was initially used to slow down time, highlight useful tools, NPC's, items and guard paths that 47 can use to his advantage as was a perishable resource that required KO'ing people to replenish. Beginning with ''VideoGame/Hitman2016'', it can be used without any limits, removes the ability to see guard trails, and is more used for seeing where a target is in a level, and ''VideoGame/Hitman2'' nerfed Instinct to no longer slow down time when it's activated.