History Main / BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind

* In the Guy Ritchie film ''Film/{{Revolver}}'', the protagonist Jake Green, who is claustrophobic, battles his [[MindScrew ego]] when he gets trapped in an elevator. What follows is a scene that looks straight out of the last episode of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''.

** An odd example where ''you're the invader'' is in the fight with the monster [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu of dubious quality]], Yogg-Saron. During the fight with him, portals into his mind open up, where you to disperse projections visions of an important event in Warcraft lore so that you can access his brain. Of course, he knows you're in there, and he will attempt to [[SanityMeter whittle down your sanity]] and put you under ''permanent'' MindControl, so you have to inflict damage on Yogg-Saron's brain as soon as possible and leave quickly.
** In ''Arthas: Rise of the Lich King'', Arthas winds up in a rather one-sided battle when he dons the helm of domination; he's in a room in his mind with Ner'Zhul, the orc Shaman that became the Lich King, and a cowering child that represents the last of Arthas' humanity. After all is explained, Arthas runs his humanity through without hesitation... [[ICanRuleAlone and then does the same to Ner'Zhul when he approaches to congratulate him.]] It doesn't end here though, as it's revealed in the game proper that the fragment of Arthas' humanity survived as [[SignificantAnagram Matthias Lehner]], who kept Arthas just human enough in the depths of his heart that he held the VillainBall instead of annihilating all life on Azeroth as easily as he should have been able to.

* The final battle in ''VideoGame/DeadSpace2'', where Isaac fights [[spoiler: Nicole and the Marker]]

* Happens twice ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' when Batman gets drugged by The Scarecrow, resulting in massive InterfaceScrew and a FissionMailed before entering a twisted world based on his psyche. However Batman fights it off due to HeroicWillpower, to the horror of Scarecrow. It also happens in the sequel with [[spoiler:the Mad Hatter and Ra's al-Ghul]] and one last time in ''Arkham Knight'' [[spoiler:which involves Batman fighting off the last memories of the Joker and sealing them away.]]

* ‘’Series/{{Seinfeld}}’’: Jerry dates a girl who is extremely attractive, but with a terrible personality. He describes the process of deciding whether to break up with her as “my brain playing my penis in a chess game.” Subsequent scenes show two Jerrys in a brain and penis costume playing chess. The episode ends with the brain Jerry checkmating penis Jerry, and Jerry dumps the girl.

* ''FanFic/QueenOfAllOni'': Throughout the story, we get [[GhostInTheMachine glimpses inside of]] [[VillainProtagonist Jade's]] mind, where we watch as Hero (the [[AnthropomorphicPersonification Aspect]] representing Jade's heroic nature) gather together as many uncorrupted Aspects as he can into a LaResistance aimed at regaining control of Jade's mind from [[SuperpoweredEvilSide The Queen]]. They eventually launch an attack on the ship representing Jade's consciousness, but before Hero and The Queen can fight each other, the trope ends up being subverted -- in the real world, Jade is captured by the EvilSorcerer Lung, whose attempts to break Jade to his will end up driving her insane, which cause the mindscape to literally fall apart, forcing the Aspects to focus on their own survival. [[spoiler: When Jade's mind is restored, The Queen captures Hero, ensuring her continued dominance of Jade's mind.]]

* In ''Series/{{Blindspot}}'', in episode 4.09 "Check your Ed", to avoid terrorist-old-personality-before-the-mindwipe "Remi" to take over instead of newly-constructed-FBI-agent-personality "Jane", the team resorts to a technobabbly method which results [[spoiler: in "Remi" fighting with "Jane" inside their shared brain via cliched flashbacks, forced metaphores, gunfire, explosions, a zombie version of Remi's dead brother Roman and imagined versions of the team members reciting feel-good platitudes which somehow made the plot advance. In the end, predictably, her personalities merge and she keeps all her memories in her "good" identity. Yes, it's as bad as it sounds.]]

** In ''ComicBook/XMen'', the only way to save a person infected by the Brood is to kill the parasite's mind; unless you are a very good telepath you won't be able to save yourself. HeroicResolve won't solve the matter--it is necessary for the help to be able to arrive in time in the first place. (Or, you need to be Wolverine. Or Rogue with Wolverine nearby.)

[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/MahouSenseiNegima https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/battle_mind.jpg]]]]

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' has Negi fighting Evangeline (or at least a being created from his memories of her) inside his own head as part of his test for learning BlackMagic.

* Crops up in ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent''; Or is it a LotusEaterMachine?

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

** In ''Comicbook/XMen'', the only way to save a person infected by the Brood is to kill the parasite's mind; unless you are a very good telepath you won't be able to save yourself. HeroicResolve won't solve the matter--it is necessary for the help to be able to arrive in time in the first place. (Or, you need to be Wolverine. Or Rogue with Wolverine nearby.)
** ComicBook/{{X 23}} is drawn into one in ''The Killing Dream''. A demon attempting to recruit Laura to his service tells her that as a clone she has no soul. When she refuses and denies this accusation he fatally wounds [[spoiler: Julian]] to force her hand, offering to spare [[spoiler: him]] if she accepts a place as leader of his armies. Laura once again denies him, so the demon [[TakeAThirdOption offers her another option]]: Prove him wrong. When she agrees to this the demon drags her into a hellish landscape within her own mind, presenting her with images of all the death she has caused and will yet cause to break her will. However Laura encounters her inner self, who reveals that she wasn't ''born'' an emotionless killing machine but that it took the conscious effort of the Facility to break her. [[spoiler: This revelation, and the memory she is shown of defying her orders to spare the young son of Martin Sutter (actually the son of one of her creators, Zander Rice, through an affair with Sutter's wife) when sent to kill the entire Sutter family, shows Laura she ''is'' more than just a weapon and gives her the power to escape the demon's influence, saving both herself and Julian.]]

* ''{{ComicBook/Thunderstrike}}'': When Eric is possessed by the Bloodaxe, he battles its personification on the psychic plane before it completely takes him over, [[spoiler:though it costs him his life]].

** Illusion spells 'Phantasmal Killer' and 'Weird' work a lot like this trope, in that they create a personalized ImaginaryEnemy that get killed the targets who fail to resist their terrors.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In ''RolePlay/YuGiOhEastAcademy'' Sigmund has one against his partner spirit Freed. However, it's inside ''Freed's'' mind rather than his own.

* This happens in the ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'' episode "T.K.O." When the titular SuperpoweredEvilSide tries to attack K.O.'s (and technically his own) mother, his fist freezes in place because K.O. is FightingFromTheInside. After a moment, K.O. manages to regain control of that arm just long enough to punch his ''own'' lights out instead; he then fights his counterpart inside of his mind while unconscious.
** When K.O. goes inside his mind again in "You're In Control", T.K.O. attacks him, fighting him for a bit [[spoiler:before ultimately agreeing to help him]].

* In ''Fanfic/WithThisRing'', through using magical LSD, [[spoiler:OL facilitates Black Adam and Teth Adom's judgement by the gods to determine who gets the gods' blessing and who gets their soul eaten.]]

* In the Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}, reality marbles make the landscape in your mind into an actual battlefield to teleport your enemy to.

* Franchise/MarvelUniverse

* Franchise/{{DCU}}

** Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}:
*** In ''Comicbook/DemonSpawn'', Supergirl and one-time villain Nightflame fight into Supergirl's mind an illusory, hellish psychic landscape called Innerverse that represents Supergirl's dark side.
--->Finally, the drama within her reaches a fever pitch... thoughts are pushed and pulled back and forth within her mind at ever-increasing speed... and, at last, the landscape can take no more and erupts with fantastic fury...
*** In ''Superman Family #206: Strangers at the Heart’s Core'', Kara fights her old nemesis Lesla-Lar, who is trying to take over her mind. The battle takes place in Supergirl's head.

** In ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' storyline ''ComicBook/TheThirdKryptonian'', villain Amalak uses a mind-probe to invade Superman's mind and discover Kandor's location. However, Superman's strong-willed enough to fight back, and he's even able to exploit the mind-link to figure out why Amalak hates Kryptonians.

* ''ComicBook/StarWarsLegacy'' features a power struggle of two Sith Lords in each other's minds. Lightsaber fights are blank compared to what they can achieve in that state.

* ''Series/Diablero'': In season two, Lupe engages Keta in one in order to teach her [[spoiler: how to use her full power as the avatar of Coatlicue]].

* 'Series/Diablero'': In season two, Lupe engages Keta in one in order to teach her [[spoiler: how to use her full power as the avatar of Coatlicue]].

* In an episode of the 90s' ''WesternAnimation/{{The Incredible Hulk|1996}}'' cartoon, Banner was possessed by a demon; Green Hulk and Grey Hulk joined forces to kick him out of their shared body. Several episodes also showed the two Hulks fighting for control when Banner hulked out.

* In an episode of the 90s' ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibleHulk'' cartoon, Banner was possessed by a demon; Green Hulk and Grey Hulk joined forces to kick him out of their shared body. Several episodes also showed the two Hulks fighting for control when Banner hulked out.

* In Sergei Lukyanenko's ''Literature/NightWatch'' series, the battle for dominance between Vampires apparently works like this. To an outsider, however, it looks like a glorified staring contest.

** Later, Ichigo has one with [[spoiler:[[EmpathicWeapon Tensa Zangetsu]]]].
*** It eventually turns into [[spoiler:Ichigo vs. the combined form of Tensa Zangetsu and [[FanNickname Shirosaki]].]]

* ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'' makes good use of this in sequences throughout, especially at the end when Voldemort attempts to possess Harry. Voldemort imprints Harry with the memories of all the loved ones he has seen die by that point at Voldemort's hands, before Harry turns it back on him by noting that he truly pities him for his inability to feel love or the joy of friendship.

* In ''FanFic/WithThisRing'', through using magical LSD, [[spoiler:OL facilitates Black Adam and Teth Adom's judgement by the gods to determine who gets the gods' blessing and who gets their soul eaten.]]

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial ''The Deadly Assassin'', the Doctor and the Master tap into [[HilariousInHindsight The Matrix]] (a psychic computation matrix) and have a battle of the wills--the landscape in the Matrix is created by their brainwaves, so the Master can basically create an entire world through his will and makes the Doctor suffer various tortures in it, nearly killing him.
** In ''The Three Doctors'', the Third Doctor and Omega have a mental battle in which Omega is represented by a goblin-like creature.
** Recently one in ''Nightmare In Silver'' where the Doctor and Mr. Clever battle for full control of the mind, although they use a physical game of chess in place of a psychic battle.
** There's one of these going on throughout ''Asylum of the Daleks''. [[spoiler: Oswin Oswald was converted into a Dalek like the rest of her crew, but she was able to resist the branwashing that came with it. All her scenes in her escape pod take place in her head, and the Daleks trying to break in is actually the Dalek programming trying to make her mentally into a Dalek. The ''Carmen'' music and the souffles are her reasserting her humanity.]]

* The ''Series/RedDwarf'' episode "Gunmen of the Apocalypse" has the main characters enter Kryten's subconscious to help him fight off a computer virus.
** Also in "Terrorform" when the crew face off with Rimmer's Self Loathing monster and later when Rimmer's resurrected self-confidence defeats his inner demons, saving the crew.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''

* In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'', you find a young girl ([[spoiler:actually the reincarnation of the Heroine]]) whose mind has been infested by a demon that is devouring her from the inside-out. You have to dive into her mind in order to kill the demon and save her.

* Every boss fight in ''VideoGame/Persona4'' is this until close to the end of the game. Although it's more like "Battle In The Center Of The Collective Unconscious".
* The Palaces of ''VideoGame/Persona5'' are twisted manifestations of a person's corrupt desires. In these cases, the "center of the mind" is a Treasure that the Phantom Thieves set their sights on stealing in order to force someone to have a change of heart.
* Not quite the same, but not quite anything else either: In ''[[Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei Maken X]]'', Kei's consciousness (using Kei's form) spends most of the game standing on a glassy-looking disc in her brain yelling/screeching at her body, now possessed by the Maken.