History Main / BrainwashedAndCrazy

* Rosmaster does this to Almond in the third chapter of ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest''. Almond is brainwashed into viewing LovableCoward Carrot as so weak and useless that he might as ''well'' be a villain for her to fight, and strikes at him with her sword until he's driven over the edge of a cliff. Afterwards, Almond is incredibly shaken and simply runs into Carrot's arms, crying. She also becomes very angry when the others (who were knocked out at the time) edge towards CryForTheDevil.

-->--'''Steve Rogers''' on '''Bucky Barnes''', ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar''

* In ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe2'', [[spoiler:Eduardo and Dr Nefario kidnap some of Gru's Minions and mutate them, turning them into mindless, indestructible monsters. This is reversed later by Nefario's antidote]]

%% Image replaced per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1307261717038100100
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

* ''Podcast/DiceFunk'': The campaign really doesn't begin until mind-controlled miners show up and attack the party in the street.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
** Nale, the EvilTwin brother of the bard Elan, casts [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0383.html Charm Person]] on the party's halfling ranger, Belkar Bitterleaf. The first attempt ("If you see any of your allies before I get back, kill them and bring me their magic items") fails because the spell won't allow the command to go against the character's basic nature, but the second ("If you see any of your allies before I get back, kill them and keep their magic items for yourself") succeeds, even when Nale adds, "While singing the complete score to ''Meet Me in St. Louis''." HilarityEnsues, of the actually hilarious variety.
** A more serious example is Tsukiko's use of [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0516.html Dominate Person]] on Thanh (mentioned above), and an outright disturbing example is what Xykon [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0448.html did to a roomful of paladins]].
* This trope is a huge theme of Oasis's in ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance''.
* This tropes causes major plot twists in ''Webcomic/ItsWalky''.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', {{Satan}} can BOMF people to bad. Except that the power appears to be decreasing as the strip gets LighterAndSofter.

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Dex is [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-05-23 manipulated]] into [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-05-17 attempting to kill]] [[spoiler: Noah]], Grace and Greg (even though it would kill him too).
* Subverted in ''{{Webcomic/Exiern}}'': Niels is attacked by a magic user and controlled to steal Peonie, then it's revealed that the spell is just controlling his body and while he can still talk and think, he's powerless to stop it, he apologizes, and then says that he can't do anything about it, so he's gonna have fun playing a bad guy.
* Happens to [[spoiler: Spock]] in ''Webcomic/EnsignSueMustDie''.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'', the WildCard bordering on ChaoticStupid behavior of Jillian Zamussels, notorious for attacking pretty much anyone at random, makes a lot more sense when you read the prequel [[spoiler:and learn that her mind was tampered with [[MindRape to try and forcibly remold her base personality to one that her captors considered more suitable]] during a procedure to cure her addition to heroine buds]].
* Rosmaster does this to Almond in the third chapter of ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest''. Almond is brainwashed into viewing LovableCoward Carrot as so weak and useless that he might as ''well'' be a villain for her to fight, and strikes at him with her sword until he's driven over the edge of a cliff. Afterwards, Almond is incredibly shaken and simply runs into Carrot's arms, crying. She also becomes very angry when the others (who were knocked out at the time) edge towards CryForTheDevil.
* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'': Some of the main characters are survivors of an island settlement got an outbreak of ThePlague from one of its inhabitants getting brainwashed into smuggling a PlagueZombie rat past the island's security measures, deliberately infecting themselves, then going to a bake sale while the disease's TyphoidMary phase was well underway.
* ''Webcomic/JoJopolis'': Those who use Butterfly's Dream gain a [[FightingSpirit Stand]], but also get implanted with a brain tumor that makes them subservient to [[BigBad Reverend Fred]]. Thankfully, Sonny's Stand, Murder Most Foul, is able to get rid of these tumors (including in himself), so most of the enemies pull a HeelFaceTurn once they're defeated and cured.

* In ''Literature/ChronoHustle'' [[spoiler:Melinda was brainwashed by the TDD to bring them Jack and Mary in order to erase all of their memories of the situation in 2347, as well as capturing Aphrodite for some reason not yet revealed. They had also attempted this on her partner, the second Jack, but he was immune, unbeknownst to them.]]

* This happens to WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick and WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows in ''WebVideo/ToBoldlyFlee'' when they underwent UnwillingRoboticisation through [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Mechakara]].

Please '''do not add RealLife examples''' here. It is sufficient to say they ''do'' exist, but they find their place better under the trope TykeBomb, which overlaps heavily with this trope.

* Piofiore no Banshou -Episodio 1926- [[spoiler: Henri Lambert]]'s bad route ends with him being kidnapped, drugged, and psychological tortured until [[spoiler: he goes insane, completely yields to the villain, ends up killing everyone, and repeatedly rapes the heroine, an act most in opposition to who he is prior to the brainwashing.]]

* Rosmaster does this to Almond in the third chapter of ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest''. Almond is brainwashed into viewing LoveableCoward Carrot as so weak and useless that he might as ''well'' be a villain for her to fight, and strikes at him with her sword until he's driven over the edge of a cliff. Afterwards, Almond is incredibly shaken and simply runs into Carrot's arms, crying. She also becomes very angry when the others (who were knocked out at the time) edge towards CryForTheDevil.

This trope has been tested and [[JustForFun/TropesExaminedByTheMythbusters busted]] by ''Series/MythBusters'' in regard to hypnosis; most hypnotists and hypnotherapists (and plenty of fictional villains, for that matter) agree that this kind of mind control through hypnosis isn't possible, as the subject must [[MoreThanMindControl want]] to go through with the suggestion for it to work or, at least, have no good reason to object. Which means an alternate interpretation would be that [[MoreThanMindControl the brainwashing victim]] ''[[MoreThanMindControl wanted]]'' [[MoreThanMindControl to go through with it,]] ''[[MoreThanMindControl if "hypnosis" is used as the explanation for such behavior.]]''

[[folder:Toys]]
* In ''Toys/SDGundamUltimateBattle'', [[spoiler:Knight Unicorn Gundam was the reason behind the events of the story all along and, as Full Armor Knight Unicorn Gundam, plans to turn everyone into cards to use their power...except not really. Turns out that the armor Full Armor Knight Unicorn Gundam is donning is actually Red Majin Shamblo, and he's possessing him.]]
[[/folder]]

* Disney-Pixar's ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', when [[spoiler:Lotso has Buzz reset into demo mode and convinces him that Jessie and co. are enemy prisoners.]] Later, when Woody returns to Sunnyside to save everyone, the gang tries to re-reset him [[spoiler:and somehow turn him Spanish]].
* In ''Disney/WreckItRalph'', it's later revealed that [[spoiler: the ''Sugar Rush'' characters were made like this thanks to King Candy, who is actually Turbo in disguise, hacking into the system and turning Vanellope into a glitch.]]
* In the ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' [[Anime/SakuraWarsTheMovie movie]], [[spoiler: Orihime Soletta gets ambushed by Patrick Hamilton, who then brainwashes her, and later controls her to fight the other members of Flower Division. She snaps out of it after her fire energy attack that meant for the Flower Division blows up and wrecks her Eisenkleid. She then says to Leni (Reni) after regaining consciousness, "I'm so sorry. I guess I really blew it this time."]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'', [[spoiler: Toothless gets brainjacked by the King/Alpha Dragon. Starts off with him attempting to kill Hiccup -- Stoick pushes him out of the way and takes the fatal hit. Later, Toothless serves as Drago's mount until Hiccup saves him with ThePowerOfFriendship.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2'', the [[BigBad Screenslaver]] uses EpilepticFlashingLights to control people. [[spoiler: She also uses goggles for constant brainwashing, using them to control various superheroes with the intent of preventing the SuperRegistrationAct from being overturned.]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

In ''Toys/SDGundamUltimateBattle'', [[spoiler:Knight Unicorn Gundam was the reason behind the events of the story all along and, as Full Armor Knight Unicorn Gundam, plans to turn everyone into cards to use their power...except not really. Turns out that the armor Full Armor Knight Unicorn Gundam is donning is actually Red Majin Shamblo, and he's possessing him.]]

!!Examples:

* BrainwashedAndCrazy/{{Fanfiction}}
* BrainwashedAndCrazy/LiveActionFilms

[[folder:Film — Animation]]

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls2013'': [[spoiler:After Sunset Shimmer finally puts on Twilight's crown in the human world and turns into "a raging she demon" she brainwashes everyone in the school, turning them all into her own personal zombie army that she plans to use to invade Equestria and conquer it. Everyone is released after Sunset Shimmer is defeated.]]
** This shows up again in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks'' when The Dazzlings use their magic to spread a HatePlague around the school, turning everyone who doesn't have their own equestrian magic into a CompetitionFreak and overall jerks. The longer they are under their spell the more power they get until [[spoiler:they eventually regain their true magic and their siren forms. Their spell is broken in the finals when they are defeated and robbed of their magic, making them HollywoodToneDeaf]].

--> '''Pastor Drom:''' Okay, so you take the hypotenuse of the worthiness of the two sides MORD LOOK OUT I’VE GOT A STUN ROD AFTER ALL

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In the ''[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick Order of the Stick]]''. Nale, the EvilTwin brother of the bard Elan, casts [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0383.html Charm Person]] on the party's halfling ranger, Belkar Bitterleaf. The first attempt ("If you see any of your allies before I get back, kill them and bring me their magic items") fails because the spell won't allow the command to go against the character's basic nature, but the second ("If you see any of your allies before I get back, kill them and keep their magic items for yourself") succeeds, even when Nale adds, "While singing the complete score to ''Meet Me in St. Louis''." HilarityEnsues, of the actually hilarious variety.

* Podcast/DiceFunk: The campaign really doesn't begin until mind-controlled miners show up and attack the party in the street.

* In ''Roleplay/TheGamersAlliance'', [[LovableRogue Jessica]] ends up brainwashed by the Clergy of Mardük and is sent to steal a magic sword from her friend Refan and kill Refan in order to leave no witnesses. [[{{Pirate}} Kaizoku]] and [[FriendToAllLivingThings Tanya]] also end up brainwashed by the same clergy although Kaizoku eventually breaks free from the clergy's control.

* This happens to WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick and WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows in ''WebVideo/ToBoldlyFlee'' when they underwent UnwillingRoboticisation through [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Mechakara]].
* What has happened to [[WebAnimation/{{TOME}} Alpha]], Fen, [[Webcomic/{{Homestuck}} Karkat Vantas]], [[VideoGame/DarkSouls Solaire of Astora]] and [[Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde Jekyll/Hyde]] in the Keep the Flag Flying arc of ''Roleplay/OurAvatarsWereInARoomTheContinuation'', thanks to some ColdBloodedTorture
* [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/Prolecto Prolecto]] has this as the MO of Azazel. Anyone infected by Azazel's Ichor is turned into a slave of Azazel, and has their personality warped under the control of the core.

* The Legendary Birds are forcibly evolved and brainwashed by special armor created by Team Rocket during the Team Rocket arc of ''Roleplay/WeAreOurAdventuringAvatars''. If this armor is broken, the mind control is lifted.
* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': The Overlord of Evil is capable of inflicting this on people to do his bidding, such as [[spoiler: Melissa.]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Lucifer in ''Anime/AngelCop''. Already a powerful psychic she'd actually [[spoiler: volunteered to be experimented on and turned into a psychic super soldier because she believed she was ''helping mankind''. Sadly, she's brainwashed to the point that she believes viciously murdering innocent people and her former allies who ''woke up'' from the brainwashing is all for humanity's sake.]]
* In ''Manga/AoNoFuuin'', Soko gets brainwashed by [[spoiler: Takao]] to make her more willing in resurrecting the Oni tribe and it causes her to attack Akira when he tries to rescue her.
* The [[spoiler:eponymous drug]] in ''Manga/BananaFish'' is used to brainwash people into doing things they would normally never do, including committing suicide or attacking their friends.
* In ''[[Anime/BattleSpiritsShonenGekihaDan Battle Spirits Brave]]'': [[spoiler: Duc is turned into The Prison General by Zazie and Geraid, becoming outright sadistically murderous.]]
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** In a filler arc, the zanpakuto of most or all of the soul reapers in Soul Society are turned against their masters by a rogue zanpakuto named Muramasa.
** This happens to Rukia in the third movie thanks to [[spoiler: Shizuku and Homura]].
** And this is also the modus operandi of one [[spoiler: Shukuro Tsukishima]], who does this via [[spoiler: using his memory-altering powers to convince his victim that he's their dearest person ever]].
** Later, [[spoiler: the Vandereich either brainwash Jidanbou and the MissionControl squad members into killing each other so they can't relay information anymore, or use them as PeoplePuppets so they start killing each other.]]
* In ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'', [[spoiler: Kouichi is brainwashed by the BigBad into believing that he is a digimon and into forgetting about his human life. Later on, Kouichi remembers that he's human, and [[MoreThanMindControl Cherubimon has to start manipulating his emotions and memories]]]].
** In ''Anime/DigimonXrosWars'', Kiriha is brainwashed for a while. Also, anyone hit by EBEmon's attack becomes brainwashed.
* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':
** In the Majin Buu arc, [[spoiler:it is Vegeta who]] is brainwashed and made to fight against his former allies. The brainwashing also gives him a major power boost. In fact, that's why [[spoiler:Vegeta decided to let Babidi]] take control of him: so that he could be on even ground with [[spoiler:Goku at long last.]] He eventually manages to break free of the mind control, but [[spoiler:the trope is subverted before then, as Vegeta reveals that he could break free at any time.]]
** In the Garlic Jr. filler, the black water mist does this to all the supporting characters, turning them evil. [[spoiler: Piccolo and later Krillin]] fake being infected, in order to free the currently captured and bottled-up Kami and Mr. Popo.
** In the second movie, Piccolo is captured by Dr. Wheelo and Dr. Kochin and forced to fight Goku.
* It is played in ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' when Baby controls almost all the Earth population. The only ones that weren't controlled were [[spoiler:Goku, Pan, Mr. Satan, Majin Buu and Uub]].
* Lelouch from ''Anime/CodeGeass'' has the power to [[CompellingVoice give commands that cannot be resisted]], meaning that he can do this at will. Unfortunately, he's not always able to control it, as evidenced when he [[spoiler:accidentally Geassed Princess Euphemia into killing the Japanese, leading to the Euphinator incident]].
** It also happens to him, twice, thanks to his father who possesses a Geass that lets him manipulate memories. The first time he tried turning him into a military strategist for Britannia. Second time he just made him an ordinary high school student to bait a trap for C.C. Both times it fails ultimately.
* Jellal, a massive expy from ''Manga/FairyTail'', is made out in flashbacks of when he was a kid to be perfect hero material. He has a strong sense for justice, he risks everything for his friends, and he doesn't bow down to the enemies. At the time the story begins, though, he's trying to revive the ''Fairy Tail'' world equivalent of [[Literature/HarryPotter Voldemort]] using forbidden resurrection magic by sacrificing his childhood friend. Three guesses why.
** Juvia Lockser also became a victim of this trope when, while fighting against Vidaldus Taka, she was almost completely transformed by the magic of the enemy into a sadistic version more self-confident of herself (and whose rocker clothing was a reflection of that of her manipulator ).
* Played for laughs in ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'', where Sousuke puts his high school rugby team through TrainingFromHell (fit for [[TheSpartanWay navy seals]]), which results in them becoming brainwashed and crazy killers that completely annihilate the other team. Their eyes are even shown ''[[GlowingEyesOfDoom glowing red]]''.
* ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' is fond of this device.
** [[BigBad Nakago]] tricks Yui into giving Tamahome a magic potion to brainwash him into: breaking Miaka's arm, [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown nearly beating Tasuki to death]], '''and''' challenging [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething the Emperor himself]] to a fight to the death, in which Hotohori fights ''seriously'' and almost kills Tamahome. Luckily, Miaka challenges Tamahome into [[GoThroughMe trying to kill her instead]], which breaks the brainwashing and ThePowerOfLove averts tragedy.
** Later, TeenGenius Chiriko is possessed by the enemy warrior Miboshi. [[spoiler:This one [[DrivenToSuicide doesn't end so well]].]]
* In ''Anime/GaoGaiGar FINAL'', Guy is captured and chemically brainwashed into a berserk destroyer by the villains, placed in a copy of his HumongousMecha [=GaoFighGar=], and sicced on SixthRanger J along with similarly reprogrammed copies of the rest of the robot team. Right as Repli-[=GaoFighGar=] is about to DropTheHammer on King J-Der, the Repli-Nakama resist the reprogramming and sacrifice themselves to stop Guy and give the remaining heroes a chance to get him back.
** In the original series, [[spoiler:all four of the machine kings are all subject to this trope, with all eventually getting redeemed some time into the show, with Primada and Polonaise suffering RedemptionEqualsDeath sort of, while Pizza and Penchinon both get restored to their original forms, Soldato J and the main computer of the J-Ark, respectively]].
* In ''Animation/GuardianFairyMichel'', this happens to any fairy forcibly transformed into a monster.
* This was the modus operandi of Goldie Musou in multiple arcs of the ''Manga/GunsmithCats'' manga. It's explained fairly well by her use of the drug Kerasine and her skills in hypnotism to convince her tools that their targets (ranging from complete strangers to beloved family) are [[DemonicPossession possessed by demons]], shapeshifting aliens bent on conquest, and the like. Indeed, the murders often cement her hold, by making a return to reality too painful for the subconscious to permit.
* In ''Manga/HekikaiNoAion'', [[MindControlDevice the mushis]] infect a human host. The victims look normal but them become this when they take a look at Seine's face.
* In ''Manhua/InfinityGame'', the previous DM caused all the [=NPCs=] to go completely insane and kill everybody, though they were somewhat aware of what was happening as Trishia's sisters beg her to kill them or else they'll kill her first.
* ''Manga/InuYasha'':
** BigBad Naraku uses this on ActionGirl BadassNormal Sango's brother Kohaku nearly every time he appears on the show.
** This happens to poor Inuyasha an awful lot, given how many times he gets forced into his homicidal [[SuperPoweredEvilSide full demon form]] by various villains.
** Happened to Kagome once, when Tsubaki the evil {{Miko}} contaminated the Shikon no Tama shards with her own dark energy. She then tries to make Kagome attack Inuyasha with her own arrows, despite Kagome's own struggles to not harm him.
** Happens to Sango in episode 131. She gets possessed by a demon egg, resulting in an epic battle where Miroku fights to free her from demon control.
* In ''Anime/KillLaKill'', Ragyo's Mental Refitting forces special Life Fibres called Marionette Threads into her victim's brain, turning them into mindless drones that do her bidding without question. In Episode 18, we first see this used to [[spoiler: enslave the entire 1-Star student body of Honnouji Academy.]] Made even worse when she used it on [[spoiler: Ryuuko. She managed to fight it off, though, and ''physically pull the Marionette Threads out of her own brain with her bare hands!'']]
** This also happens when somebody is "worn by their clothes", and the Life Fibres in their garments forcibly bend the wearer's will to their own. [[spoiler: This happens to Ryuuko when she's forced to don Junketsu in Episode 20, with the aforementioned Mental Refitting.]]
* In the AlternateUniverse manga ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters: G'', ''several'' people are in this state at one moment or another. When [[spoiler: Goenitz arrives to the GrandFinale and starts wreaking havoc]], almost at the same time [[spoiler: Kim Kaphwan and Robert Garcia are briefly brainwashed but bring themselves out on their own (Kim beats [[ButtMonkey Chang and Choi]] but is released immediately afterwards; Robert attacks Ryo, but reacts when the other doesn't even flinch at the sight)]]; similarly, [[spoiler: the maddened Mr. Big is [[CurbStompBattle easily defeated]] by Wolfgang Krauser.]]
** There are also several cases of MoreThanMindControl; specifically [[spoiler: Benimaru, Mai and Leona]]. In the first two cases, [[spoiler: their inner struggles are greatly amplified by Goenitz's powers and they're sent into temporal {{Unstoppable Rage}}s]]; in the third, [[spoiler: Goenitz himself awakens Leona's Orochi blood.]]
* In the ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' [[Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa anime]] Knuckle Joe's father, a renowned Star Warrior, is kidnapped and brainwashed by Nightmare himself. He is sent to attack his former allies, and his best friend Meta Knight is forced to kill him.
* ''Manga/KishinDoujiZenki'':
** A living being infected with a Karuma Seed will soon start behaving like this. His or her most annoying habit to others [[CharacterExaggeration will completely take over them]], soon they'll be seen making {{Nightmare Face}}s, and in a short while they [[BalefulPolymorph will be forcibly turned into monsters]].
** [[spoiler: When a teenaged Anju was lost in the mountains and about to fall victim to SnowMeansDeath, Karuma herself seized her. Then she erased Anju's memories and brainwashed her into becoming her servant.]]
* In the ''Manga/TheLegendOfZelda'' manga adaptation of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', Link befriends a baby dragon. Seven years later, Ganondorf brainwashes the dragon, and [[spoiler: Link is forced to kill him.]] It's not just ''any'' baby dragon. [[spoiler:It's Volvagia.]]
* In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'', [[spoiler:[[CoolBigSis Ginga]] is brainwashed by the villains, and is then sent to kill her younger sister Subaru]]. In [[DefeatMeansFriendship typical Nanoha fashion]], she is subsequently cured of this by the application of a WaveMotionGun at point-blank range.
* In both version of ''Anime/MaiHiME'', this happens to [[spoiler:Mikoto Minagi]], where it takes [[spoiler:a CooldownHug from Mai]] to undo the brainwashing.
** In the anime, [[spoiler:Mikoto is controlled by a pendant similar to the one worn by her older brother Reito, who himself is possessed by the [[BigBad Obsidian Lord]]]].
** In the manga, [[spoiler:she's possessed by one of the spores from Shiho's CHILD, and attacks the heroes as they attempt to rescue Mashiro from kidnappers]].
* ''Anime/MashinHeroWataruSeries'': [[spoiler: Almost all floor bosses and their subordinates are normal residents of Soukaizan and Seikaizan whom the Big Bad turned into their minions. Upon clearing a floor level, those affect are turned back to normal.]]
* It happened several times in the ''Mazinger'' trilogy:
** ''Anime/MazingerZ'': TheHero Kouji Kabuto was brainwashed by Viscount Pygman, and later by the Vegans in the ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'' Creator/GoNagai manga, the UFO Robot Grendizer tai Great Mazinger movie and ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsMX'' in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFeKFc0peH8 Chapter 10]]. Professors Morimori, Sewashi and Nossori also were brainwashed by Baron Ashura into one of the earlier episodes of the original anime series. AND in another episode three workers of the Institute were brainwashed into piloting several Mechanical Beasts.
** ''Anime/GreatMazinger'': Boss was brainwashed by [[{{Robeast}} Warrior Monster Psychoveia]] in one of the first episodes to kill TheHero Tetsuya. Tetsuya himself also was brainwashed by Vegans along Kouji in the ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'' manga.
** ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'': Brunhild, Duke's best friend back in Fleed was brainwashed by the Vegans into murdering Duke. Also, Kouji and Tetsuya were brainwashed to destroy Grendizer with their own HumongousMecha.
* [[TheVirus DG Cells]] have this effect in ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam''. Once the metal plague gets into the victim's brain, they become subject to the Dark/Devil Gundam's will. It's also known as the Devil Gundam's ability to self-multiply.
* Neo Roanoke in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'' is yet another example, as he's truly [[spoiler:Mu La Flaga]] from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'', after having miraculously survived [[spoiler:the utter annihilation of his mobile suit... in space]]. Go figure.
** [[spoiler:Stella]], who is really just emotionally fragile and naive, but is [[spoiler:brainwashed into freezing up or panicking whenever someone mentions death, and to calm down and absolutely trust anyone who [[DeclarationOfProtection vows to protect her]]. After being programmed and deprogrammed so many times by Phantom Pain, then Shinn, then Phantom Pain ''again'', her main response now is to go crazy and panic over anything she even ''loosely'' relates to death. Which is bad if she's at the controls of a truly [[HumongousMecha giant mecha]] with about fifty-bazillion {{Wave Motion Gun}}s and no-one can talk her down.]]
* In ''Anime/{{Monster}}'', Gillen hypnotizes Nina in order to draw out her childhood memories. She refuses to tell him anything, and attempts to strangle him for good measure.
* This is what happens to four of the main characters [[spoiler:Gainer, Cynthia, Gauli and Sara]] in ''Anime/OvermanKingGainer'' forcing the last main character, and the supporting cast to fight the Overdevil and them at the same time.
* ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'':
** Happens to [[spoiler: Annabel]] during the Emerald arc.
** This happened to [[spoiler: Blue]] during the RGB arc.
** This was revealed to be the reason that [[spoiler:Bruno is in the Elite Four]].
* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Arguably, also happens to [[spoiler: Celebi]] in the fourth movie.
** Happens to Pikachu a few times: Once from Cassidy and [[RunningGag Bunch]] ("Pikachu Re-Volts"), thrice from Colress in the N arc. And when his NiceGuy tendencies are subverted, he gets ''scary''.
* ''Franchise/PrettyCure''
** In the second ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure MAX HEART'' movie, [[BigBad Freezer and Frozen]] use their powers to turn Cure White against Cure Black. Cure Black constantly pulls a IKnowYouAreSomewhereInThereFight, but refuses to actually lay a hand on her friend. This bores them and causes them to turn Cure Black. Thankfully, they shake off the brainwashing just in time to save each other from a painful death.
** In ''Anime/SuitePrettyCure'', Seiren suffers this partway through the first half of the series as she starts having doubts over their mission.
* The wolves (and possibly sharks) in ''Anime/ProfessorLaytonAndTheEternalDiva'', making it so that Luke is unable to [[SpeaksFluentAnimal talk to them]].
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'':
** The super-ninja Konatsu is brainwashed by his Evil Stepmother (who bears a scary resemblance to Edward G Robinson) into attempting to kill Ranma. It is only the PowerOfLove that undoes it.
** The Phoenix People are also able to use something like this (or possibly MoreThanMindControl); they have magical eggs that they can throw at people, which then expand and envelop the person. When the egg is cracked open (it doesn't hatch otherwise, but thankfully seems to put the victim in a state of suspended animation), the victim "imprints" on the first person they see, becoming their helpless slave. Kiima does this to Shampoo and then orders her to kill Ranma. To her credit, Shampoo manages to ask Ranma to instead allow her to use one of the eggs on him, so that she won't have to fulfill her orders, but Ranma (understandably) refuses. She then attempts to get Ranma to have sex with her (whereas, up until now, she's always aimed for romance and at one point actually got offended when she was made out to be trying to seduce him), going so far as to threaten Akane Tendo's life to make this happen. Ranma cures her by sticking her in another egg, and Mousse then shows her a mirror, so she imprints on herself. She later cures Genma, who she had managed to capture in an egg of her own, by telling him to snap out of it.
* ''Manga/SailorMoon'':
** Mamoru was at least twice brainwashed into doing this to the Senshi. [[spoiler: in the Stars manga, Sailor Galaxia does this not only to him, but to ''all the Seishi'' who are mind-controlled to attack Usagi. In the manga, it's made abundantly clear that the senshi are actually already dead.]]
** Ami is also brainwashed in a [[Anime/SailorMoon R episode]] where she is made to think all of her friends hate her for being a nerd. She sees through the ploy and blasts the monster.
** Also in ''Sailor Moon R'', [[spoiler:Chibiusa]] is brainwashed into attacking the rest of the cast, ''and'' is made to believe everyone hated her (thanks to the BigBad altering her memories/taking out important bits of them).
** There's also Professor Tomoe [[AdaptationalHeroism in the anime,]] who gets brainwashed and crazy as a consequence of [[spoiler:a DealWithTheDevil with BigBad Pharaoh 90 to save Hotaru from death.]]
** In the Stars anime, [[spoiler: [[KnightTemplar Haruka and Michiru]] ''pretend'' that they]] are brainwashed by Galaxia to actually attempt to fight her (going as far as [[spoiler:killing Setsuna and Hotaru with their own hands]]) but [[spoiler:fail and ultimately die.]] This event is redone multiple times in the musical adaptations based on the Stars series.
** In the manga the Shitennou/Generals of the Dark Kingdom (Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite, And Kunzite) are this. Unfortunately, Jadeite, Nephrite, and Zoisite are [[spoiler: revived by the Silver Crystal with the memories of their past lives only to [[DieAsYourSelf turn into their respective stones]]]]. Poor Kunzite is re-brainwashed and dies fighting the Inner Senshi as Beryl's puppet and also [[spoiler: turns into his stone]]. But hey, after all that they eventually are reunited with the person they were born to serve [[spoiler: Mamoru/ Prince Endymion]] and get to hang out with him from [[spoiler: the stones their [[SpiritAdvisor spirits]] now reside in]].
** In the [[Series/PrettyGuardianSailorMoon live action version]], [[spoiler: Mercury is kidnapped by Kunzite and brainwashed, becoming [[DarkMagicalGirl Dark Sailor Mercury]]. She is later healed by Sailor Moon (with a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment included), with no memory of the events]] In the finale [[spoiler: Mamoru takes the [[BigBad Queen Meteira]] into his body and thus is brainwashed by her.]]
* Both the Crystal Saint (anime only) and Leo Aiolia in ''Manga/SaintSeiya''. [[spoiler: Their brainwashing was so through that it took ''death'' to release them. Crystal had to die, Aiolia had to see someone else die. Both cases [[TearJerker end up in tears]].]]
* [[spoiler:Ikuto]] from ''Manga/ShugoChara'' [[spoiler:when controlled by his evil jerkass of a stepfather and forced to transform into Death Rebel. He's not ''necessarily'' crazy when brainwashed at first, just rather cold and emotionless. But, sadly, the control over him eventually escalates to he point where he's trying to murder his childhood friend Tadase and the girl he loves, Amu. Luckily, in more recent chapters of the manga, he's shown to be back to normal thanks to Amu.]]
* Happens very briefly in most parts of any ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' media, usually to townspeople. There's Rezo controlling Zelgadis during season 1, and [[spoiler:Hellmaster Fibrizzo]] controlling Gourry during season 2.
* In ''Manga/SoulEater'' a student named [[TheWoobie Crona]] debuted in the series by attempting to kill the two protagonists. This was because Crona was infected with a substance called Black Blood, which is a blood replacement fluid that can be controlled by a human weapon, which sacrifices the user's sanity for invincibility. After being restored to sanity, Crona was allowed to attend the DWMA, but as of recent chapters has [[spoiler: been recaptured and rebrainwashed by Medusa and in chapter 104 was revealed to be the series BigBad]], much to the dismay of characters and audience. [[spoiler:Until chapter 106, anyway.]]
* All of Zaitel's followers in ''Anime/SpaceCarrierBlueNoah'' have been brainwashed into believing he is their savior.
* Happens briefly to [[ThoseTwoGuys Izawa and Isurugi]] in ''Anime/TomicaHyperRescueDriveHeadKidouKyuukyuuKeisatsu'', as a result of over-exposure to the Evil AI's sound.
* In ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'', Joa the Dark Chef has this power. Joa can "cook" others with a few slices to alter their "flavor", changing them into completely different people. [[spoiler:Teppei]] falls victim to this and is now an emotionless fighting machine under Joa's command.
* In ''Anime/UmiMonogatari'', Sedna does this to sea creatures and eventually Marin and Kanon's friends.
* ''Anime/VariableGeo'': [[spoiler: [[{{deuteragonist}} Satomi]]]] and [[spoiler: [[{{ninja}} Chiho]]]] both wind up being enslaved by [[NebulousEvilOrganization The Jahana Group]], albeit for different purposes:
** They had selected [[spoiler: Satomi]] for [[CodeName the "Black Goddess"]] project[[note]]their plan to bring Miranda Jahana back to life by placing her consciousness inside of a compatible ''[[GrandTheftMe and powerful]]'' new host body. Damian chose Satomi for the project after discovering that [[AlmightyJanitor she had one of the highest latent fighting potentials on record]][[/note]] and used the [[HauntedTechnology cyber drive]] gradually superimpose [[spoiler: [[BigBad Miranda]]]]'s [[TheDisembodied consciousness]] over hers. Once the process was complete, her eyes changed from their usual grey color, to being blank white like [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII M. Bison's.]]
** [[spoiler: Chiho]] gets injected with mind control serum, [[HeKnowsTooMuch after being captured]] and subsequently [[ATasteOfTheLash tortured]] by Siritahi. Though ''her'' eyes simply become [[EmptyEyes dull and lifeless]], rather than change color. Afterwards, [[TheDragon Damian]] uses her to stall [[TheProtagonist Yuka]] and her friends when they arrive at the research facility, to try to save [[spoiler: Satomi]].
* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
** Original series:
*** Marik brainwashes Joey and Tea. Marik released Tea only when she put herself in a DeathTrap whereas Joey broke free over the course of the duel with [[ThePowerOfFriendship Yugi]].
*** To a degree, also used by Pegasus against [[spoiler:Kaiba]]. When [[spoiler:Kaiba]] got ready to duel him, Pegasus showed him that he had captured and de-souled [[spoiler:Mokuba]]... via [[spoiler: [[KickTheDog making the brainwashed kid come into their presences and hand Pegasus his deck]], in front of a very pissed Kaiba and the ''horrified'' Yugi and his friends (Yugi himself even is driven to TenderTears at the sight).]]
*** There's also Shadi, who uses his Millennium Key to brainwash Sugoroku's friend Professor Yoshimori into attacking Yugi's friends in the manga. In the Toei series, Shadi brainwashes Honda instead; he'd already [[DeathByAdaptation disposed of Yoshimori]] prior.
*** Let's not forget about Dartz doing this to Mai. Even worse, [[spoiler:Dartz himself is brainwashed by the Orichalchos]].
** ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'':
*** Chazz/Manjoume in ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' was brainwashed by the Society of Light and sent to force-recruit everyone else at the Academy, including his friends. Not quite the same, but considering the Society was an [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt apocalyptic cult]], it might as well be.
*** Happened to Bastion and Alexis as well. In Alexis' case, she was much more dangerous because she was ''serious'' about it, unlike Chazz's "I've seen the light!" cult ranting. Meanwhile, Bastion released himself by realizing that what he thought he wanted wasn't what he really wanted after all.
*** In fact, Saiou himself, the leader of the cult, qualifies, maybe ''especially'' so. He was brainwashed by the [[GreaterScopeVillain greater evil]] directing the cult and became its pawn. At times, there was a conflict within him, and occasionally, his sanity broke through temporarily but his madness always returned until the climax of the arc.
%%** Anyone in ''Anime/YuGiOhZexal'' who is corrupted by a [[ClingyMacGuffin Number]] falls into this trope.
** In ''Anime/YuGiOhCapsuleMonsters'', Joey and a Red-Eyes Black Dragon are corrupted by an evil sword in episode 7.
* Kolulu and Koko fall under this trope in ''Manga/ZatchBell'': the former has a psychotic personality that comes out when her bookkeeper reads spells, and latter becomes sadistic and evil because Zofis tampers with her heart, although he claims he couldn't have done it if the impulses weren't in Koko to begin with. [[ManipulativeBastard He lies,]] as revealed after his defeat - the only difference between Koko and his other mind slaves, who had no memories of their time spent brainwashed and crazy, was [[ForTheEvulz special tampering intended to drive Koko mad with guilt by keeping all the horrible memories with her]], in case she survives Zofis' defeat.
* In the manga series ''Manga/ZodiacPI'', Lili's rival, Sirius, is brainwashed into trying to kill her, her friend, and her father. [[spoiler:Finally broken thanks to both ThePowerOfLove and the shock of cold water.]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
!! ''Franchise/TheDCU'':
* This sort of thing seems to happen to Franchise/{{Superman}} on a semi-regular basis. Probably the fact that Superman is glaringly not immune to magic and mental powers, coupled with the possibilities inherent in showing just how badass a character is by having him/her hold off frickin' ''Superman'' while at the same time giving the character in question a good reason for why they're fighting a good guy, makes this kind of story just too big a temptation for comic writers to resist.
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** An old ''World's Finest'' comic in which Batman is brainwashed into being a sadistic warder at a prison for Franchise/{{Superman}} has him reflect that hypnotism cannot make anyone do something against their nature, before the narration explains "But this is ''super''-hypnotism, of a kind never before experienced by anyone on Earth!" (It's almost a shame that this was written in the days of simpler storytelling, as a modern telling of the story would have it revealed that Batman would certainly be a warder on Superman's prison if he thought Superman went rogue...)
** In ''ComicBook/DeathOfTheFamily'', Damian "Robin" Wayne finds himself facing...[[spoiler:his father Batman?! Ultimately subverted: it's a martial-arts master in costume who fell behind on a debt to Joker.]] However, Joker ''does'' come dangerously close to pulling this on [[spoiler:the entire Batfamily.]]
** After massive reader backlash, this explanation was used as a hasty AuthorsSavingThrow to explain the massive FaceHeelTurn of [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl|2000}} Cassandra Cain]].
** In ''ComicBook/{{Gothtopia}}'', The Scarecrow has all of Gotham in a gas-induced hallucination, making them think everything is wonderful while attacking anyone who thinks otherwise. This includes the heroes, they eventually break free of the hallucinations and try to figure out what's going on.
** Jean-Paul Valley has what is known as The System, a deep brainwashing program used by the Order of St. Dumas for those chosen to be their Avenging Angel, ComicBook/{{Azrael}}. The trance is ''usually'' activated when the person dons the Azrael costume, turning them into an efficient, though very brutal, assassin. However, when Jean-Paul [[ComicBook/{{Knightfall}} took over for Bruce Wayne]], his first supervillain encounter happened to be the Scarecrow. When he got nailed by Crane's Fear Gas-coated barbs, the System kicked in to get him through it... and never shut off. This sent Jean-Paul over the edge as time passed, leading to him getting more and more brutal with his enemies, nearly killing ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}} when he tried to stop him and culminating in the death of Abattoir and Bruce Wayne needing to come back in order to fix things.
* In ''ComicBook/SecretSix'' Vol 2, the Riddler did ''something'' to [[spoiler:Sue Dibny]] to convince her that she's in love with him and to attempt to blow up the Six.
* ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'':
** In ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton'' ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} brainwashes Kara into becoming one of his Furies and attacking her cousin.
** In ''Superman/Batman'' issue #77, Scarecrow's fear toxin makes Kara believe that Robin is her parents' killer Reactron so she fights him.
* ''Comicbook/{{Justice}}'': Most of the Second Generation of heroes -Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}, Comicbook/{{Batgirl}}, Comicbook/{{Robin}}, Comicbook/WonderGirl, Aqualad, Captain Marvel Jr., ComicBook/MaryMarvel...- were mind-controlled by the Comicbook/{{Brainiac}}'s worms and forced to fight the Justice League.
* In ''Comicbook/SupermanVsTheAmazingSpiderMan'', Comicbook/LexLuthor kidnapped a Masai warrior and brainwashed him into guarding his secret lair's hidden door.
* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'':
** Comicbook/{{Superboy}} gets a heavy case of this in ''Teen Titans'', courtesy of his genetic progenitor Lex Luthor. Highlights include shaving his head, cutting an 'L' into his T-shirt, and kicking the shit out of the entire team.
** Originally Terra from ''[[ComicBook/TeenTitans The New Teen Titans]]'' arc "The Judas Contract" was a pure example of an unapologetically evil and antagonistic [[TheMole mole]]. A flashback from a 2000s comic decided to give her some more backstory and {{retcon}}ned it so that ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} had injected Terra with drugs to make her psychopathic, much like he later did with his daughter Ravager.
* In ''[[ComicBook/JonahHex Hex]]'', Jonah's girlfriend Stiletta was kidnapped and brainwashed into become a bloodthirsty competitor in the GladiatorGames. Jonah is later forced into the arena and Stiletta attempts to kill him.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': While ComicBook/{{Cheetah}} is far from a hero and fully capable of acting as a bloodthirsty monster all on her own she was developing a sort of friendship with Diana and ''hated'' Thomas Randolph when he zapped her with magic to make her into a mindless monsterous version of herself that would attack whomever he directed her to, which included Diana and ComicBook/{{Artemis}}.
* ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'':
** The team including ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}}, ComicBook/{{Superboy|1994}}, ComicBook/WonderGirl and Arrowette fall victim mind control that makes them fight ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} at one point, and she helps snap them out of it.
** ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} himself takes an interest in Secret's vast powers and manipulates her mind to make her fight alongside him against her friends and allies.
** At one point a cult worshiping the evil goddess Kali does this to ''a million children'' via a television show, and compels them to try and ''kill'' their parents.
!! ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'':
* ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'':
** [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] has been turned against his [[ComicBook/MightyAvengers allies]] many times over the years, usually delivering a CurbStompBattle until he comes to his senses.
** During the "ComicBook/EndsOfTheEarth" story arc, Doctor Octopus does this to all the Avengers at once, [[spoiler:but is tricked into increasing this to VillainOverride over Thor, which renders him [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield unworthy]] to wield his hammer.]]
* ComicBook/BettyRoss. By ComicBook/{{MODOK}} when she was Harpy and The Leader early in her time as Red She-Hulk.
* The ''ComicBook/BlackPanther'' storyline "Return of the Dragon" has the title hero fighting [[ComicBook/ImmortalIronFist Iron Fist]] after the latter is brainwashed by the brother of the Dragon King.
* In ''ComicBook/CableAndDeadpool'', ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} is brainwashed by the Black Box to kill the biggest threat to the public safety. After managing to convince Deadpool that this is not a) clowns; b) Simon Cowell; c) Galactus; or d) Karl Rove, Deadpool goes off to kill [[spoiler: Cable]], who he sees as the next biggest threat. After fighting Prester John and then going through several alternate universes in order to find (and save) that person, he then gets back and tells everyone that he was only looking for him to kill him. He is restrained until the others can remove the effects of the brainwashing. If you understand DP at all, a), b), c) and d) shouldn't have been too much of a surprise.
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'':
** The reporter Ned Leeds once is captured by Hobgoblin (the original, Robert Kingsley) that brainwashes him making believe him to be Hobglobin, deciding it would be better to have a scapegoat in case he is unmasked. Ned's regular brainwashings by Kingsley cause his marriage and professional relationships to fall apart. Only years after Ned's death, his name is cleared.
** Mr. Negative, a new Spidey's villain on the block since ''Brand New Day'', has this of a superpower to do to other people. [[MeaningfulName Inverting their colour scheme]], and having them proclaim glory for Mr. Negative while beating the tar out of others they're sent after.
* The title character of ''Comicbook/ThePunisher'', Frank Castle, premiered as a [[VigilanteMan vigilante who kills criminals]]. Writers who disagreed with the concept sometimes took it, and Castle [[ExaggeratedTrope over the top]], having him kill or attempt to kill petty criminals such as jaywalkers. When Marvel made the decision to give The Punisher his [[Comicbook/ThePunisherCircleOfBlood own series]], they had to [[{{Retcon}} retcon]] this to make him acceptable even as a dark hero. So they declared that during his crazy periods he had been under the influence of mind-altering drugs.
* ''ComicBook/XMen'':
** One storyline in ''ComicBook/XFactor'' concerned a villain using brainwashed and crazy assassins to kill targets -- including a woman's own mother, [[spoiler: Monet]], and [[spoiler: Shatterstar]].
** Pick pretty much ''anyone'' hijacked by ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}} to serve as one of his Horsemen. Even after they're rescued and deprogrammed, the former Horsemen suffer lingering emotional and physical effects, particularly [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone over the things they were made to do while under Apocalypse's control]].
* One of the scariest and most effective instances of this trope occurred when Hydra and the Hand teamed up under the Gorgon to target and kill low-powered but highly-skilled heroes, then resurrect them as Hand assassins. Their first target was ''ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'', who tore through most of Marvel's New York heroes before he was brought down. One of his victims, [[spoiler: Northstar]] took years to get their brain unscrambled, and SHIELD had to resort to ''decapitating corpses'' to keep the Hand from getting at them.
** The Gorgon himself was recruited to the Hand through the same method. He was already bad though, the Hand just made him ''[[GoneHorriblyRight worse]]''.
* Laura Kinney aka ComicBook/{{X23}} falls victim to this whenever she is exposed to the Trigger Scent. Thanks to the Facility's conditioning, Laura suffers a Pavlovian response to the scent that makes her into a true LivingWeapon who will not stop until the people marked with the scent are dead. She blacks out all conscious thought during these times and only comes back after the scent is gone. Just to illustrate how powerful her response to the scent is, in her origin story ''ComicBook/InnocenceLost'' she killed the only two people she ever really cared for and who cared for her under the influence of the scent. She also nearly killed her aunt and cousin who only survived because they were able to wash off the scent in time. Emma Frost once claimed that the Trigger Scent response is so deeply ingrained into Laura's brain that Emma can't remove it with her PsychicPowers.

!!Other
* ''ComicBook/AllFallDown'': Along with [[spoiler:receiving a new pair of legs, Pronto]] is conditioned to attack his closest friends, and to love the idea.
* ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog''
** During the "Enerjak Reborn" arc, Knuckles was brainwashed by [[MadScientist Dr. Finitevus]] into absorbing the Master Emerald's power and becoming the new [[PhysicalGod Enerjak]]. It took his father's HeroicSacrifice to snap him out of it.
** This happens twice during the Iron Dominion arc: First, the Iron Queen uses her {{Magitek}} powers to take control of [[{{Cyborg}} Monkey Khan]] and use him to destroy the Dragon Kingdom Freedom Fighters. Then, she uses those powers to reprogram NICOLE and use her to effortlessly take over New Mobotropolis. Khan was released by the Queen when [[CruelMercy she didn't need him anymore]], and NICOLE was soon returned to normal by Sally (though she continued to [[ReverseMole pretend]] to be brainwashed for a while).
* The brainwave scanner in the ''Franchise/GIJoe'' comic was a feared--and painful--method of brainwashing. It could eventually be broken by a strong-willed individual, and if one was a master of the "Arashikage mind-set" one could free others as well.
* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': Judge Death likes to do this to some of his victims, mind controlling them to go on killing sprees. He made Judge Kraken an honorary Dark Judge to help in carrying out "judgment" on the people, leaving Kraken [[AndIMustScream aware enough to know what he's doing]] and being able to do nothing but weep as he slayed. Several Death impersonators also went crazy and started to think they actually were Death.
* Comicbook/LadyBlackhawk was brainwashed by Killer Shark into becoming the villainous Queen Killer Shark in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} and it was even hinted that [[spoiler: she had a sexual relationship with Killer Shark when she was brainwashed.]]
* In ''ComicBook/{{Violine}}'', [[spoiler:Violine's father]] is hypnotized into killing Violine.
* In ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'' Yorick's sister Hero falls under the influence of Victoria, the man-hating cult leader of the Daughters of the Amazon, so much that she's prepared to kill her own brother, as well as shooting a young girl in the head on Victoria's order. [[spoiler:Even after Victoria is killed Hero still has her voice inside her head.]]

[[folder:Fanfiction]]
%%* [[spoiler: Yamane Jun]] from ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero''. Bizarrely, the brainwashing was completely unintended and it's dubious if the brainwasher even knew of their ''existence''.
* ''Fanfic/LastChildOfKrypton'': It turns out that [[spoiler:Kaworu is this when he transforms into Black Adam, courtesy of a Mister Mind {{Expy}}.]] Shinji manages to resolve the situation with some well placed heat-vision.
* [[spoiler:[[Fanfic/PastSins Twilight Sparkle]] has raised Nyx like a daughter, but eventually [[EvilSorceror Spell Nexus]] [[TheCorruption blesses her]] in order to get her to attack her...]]
* [[spoiler: Neo]] in ''Fanfic/RubyAndNora''.
* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has a lot of telepaths and villains who dabble in other forms of mind control, so this happens semi-frequently.
** The Winter Soldier a.k.a. Bucky Barnes, though he steadily breaks through the control and conditioning... before being brainwashed again. It's indicated that this was a semi-regular occurrence throughout his time as the Winter Soldier, though his partnership (and relationship) with Natasha accelerated it. Eventually, with the help of Doctor Strange, he breaks free completely at the end of the first book.
** The sequel has the Red Son, the Winter Soldier's SuperiorSuccessor, appear to be this - specifically, [[spoiler: Harry]]. As it turns out, he's actually [[spoiler: an EmptyShell, with Harry's mind having been removed and hidden by Maddie]].
** Peter Parker, also in the sequel, spends the first half of the ''Bloody Hell'' arc as this, as [[spoiler: a {{Dhampyr}} of the Grey Court, one of Dracula's minions]]. Harry breaks [[spoiler: his sire's]] telepathic control, though it is reasserted by [[spoiler: Dracula]], and its further restoration is a constant risk, triggering the CrazyEnoughToWork plan to [[spoiler: cure him and break the link with a goblet of Harry's blood]].
* Averted in ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached''; Bayanis orders the ensorcelled Paul to go kill the others, but [[spoiler: whoops, it turns out he's been faking it all along and ties her up instead]].
** Unfortunately played straight in ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World'', when a brainwashed Ringo throws John off the mesa.
* The writer of ''Fanfic/UndertaleTheSurface'' seems to be a little TOO fond of this trope, most notably happening to Chara, who winds up [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone traumatized]] afterwards.
* All of the ghosts in Fanfic/SweetiesMansion are under the control of Specter Yield including the ghosts of the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Mane cast.]] All of them, save for [[ApologeticAttacker Ghost!Fluttershy]], are happy to carry out the order to capture or kill Sweetie Belle to become a ghost, until they are brought back to normal.
* In ''FanFic/ClashOfTheElements'', this is {{implied}} to be the case with [[spoiler: The Sin Samurai]]
* ''FanFic/TheImmortalGame'': Rainbow Dash spends the first portion of the story controlled by a MindRape spell called the Insanity, which forces her to obey [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nihilus]]. She's eventually able to [[FightingFromTheInside break free]] [[spoiler: thanks to help from Fluttershy's [[DeathGlare Stare]].]]
* In the MLP AU story ''FanFic/RainboomsAndRoyalty'', [[spoiler: Shining Armor, two of his pegasus guards, and Ditzy Doo/Derpy Hooves]] are all corrupted into Nightmare Moon's servants -- the former as her [[TheDragon Dragon]], the latter three as the first Shadowbolts.
* Thanks to Danzo, this happens to Hinata in ''Naruto:Asunder''. In her case however she channels the crazy (along with lust) to one person and only one person: Naruto.
* In {{the climax}} of ''FanFic/PaperMarioX 2'', shortly after taking over [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Peach]]'s body, [[spoiler:the Shadow Queen brainwashes [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]] and [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog Amy]] to be on her side and fight their friends]]. The others (especially Link) were not happy by this.
-->'''Link''': It's one thing to possess one girl, but three is definitely crossing the line!
* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in ''FanFic/FrigidWindsAndBurningHearts'': Luna acknowledges that her long imprisonment drove her mad, but [[spoiler:Celestia messing with her mind to make her assume the role of Nightmare Moon]] didn't help, either.
* Occurs a few times in ''Fanfic/TheLionKingAdventures'':
** Nala is [[spoiler: [[WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker kidnapped by Hago and tortured into becoming a killer.]] It ends badly for the villain.]]
** Haiba is brainwashed by the Family of Blood in ''The Blood Line''. It's played for laughs here, though.
--->'''Haiba:''' Quiet, infidel, or I might just have to administer the Kiss of Death.\\
'''Simba:''' Please, no! [[AnythingButThat Anything but that!]]
* The Disgaea fanfic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7947702/1/The-Curse-of-Blood The Curse of Blood]] has [[spoiler: the mother of Laharl controlled by original charcter, [[BigBad Milady]]]]. Later on a previously killed [[spoiler: Laharl becomes mind controlled as well.]]
* ''FanFic/QueenOfAllOni'': During the second half of the story, [[spoiler: Jade abducts Viper and force feeds her Ikazuki's chi, transforming her into the Shadowkhan General [[TheDragon Hebi]], who's conditioned to be utterly loyal to Jade]].
* ''FanFic/FallenKing'' has Yami Bakura brainwash Tea to attack Joey and Tristan, thanks to the Change of Heart card.
* ''Fanfic/{{Pokeumans}}'': Minions of Pokextinction are fanatically loyal to Mr. X and his ideals, thanks to a little mind control.
* In ''FanFic/MegaManRecut'', this happens to any robot affected by Wily's reprogramming gun.
* In ''FanFic/CrownsOfTheKingdom'' this happens to King Louie and his servants, who are brainwashed by the Dispirations.
* In ''FanFic/MegaManDefenderOfTheHumanRace'', Splash Woman's song does this to Mega Man, Rush, and Plum, as well as sharkbots and other mechanical fish.
* FanFic/GraduateMeetingOfMutualKilling implies that NebulousEvilOrganization Diavolos Avante uses [[spoiler:an early version of the Junko Enoshima AI to brainwash the Main Board members. The exact purpose is unclear for now, but it's hinted that it may be to break down any moral inconveniences the Board Members may have]].
* In ''Roleplay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers'':
** Missingno and 'M end up possessing numerous beings and having them attack the proto-J-Team during the J-Team Assemble Saga.
** What happens what Pokémon are {{Mind Rape}}d into becoming Shadow Pokémon.
* ''Fanfic/MirrorsImage'': Princess Celestia, of all ponies, thanks to the previous Changeling Queen being a KnightTemplarParent. Usually whenever something triggers it, she suddenly enters an UnstoppableRage and tries to petrify whoever's standing in front of her. Like say, Twilight Sparkle. Even worse, any attempt to remove the brainwashing also triggers it, which is bad news for one unfortunate doctor (though he manages to avoid being turned to stone).
** Later on, Prince Blueblood ''thinks'' this is what's happened to everypony else, and refuses to believe otherwise. It doesn't end well.
* From ''Fanfic/MaimDeMaim'': [[spoiler: Ryuuko and Senketsu]]. Through some help, they get better.
** [[spoiler: Izanami Nishimura, the fiance of Satsuki's late ex-bofriend Masanori Kakinomoto, is also this in the second half of the fic and is convinced by Dr. Richard Batty that Satsuki killed her lover out of jealousy.]]
* ''Fanfic/StreetSharksRedux'' has this happen to [[spoiler:Slammu]]. The exact mechanics of the mechanism used for the job are never explained, but given the mention of its prototype rendering a test subject braindead, it seems to be a more... direct form of mind control.
* In ''FanFic/OriginStory'', Hydra dosed Carol Danvers and other characters with the Puppet Master's mind-control compound.
* In the MagicalGirl CrisisCrossover ''FanFic/ShatteredSkiesTheMorningLights'', at least one person from each of the five MagicalGirl universes has been brainwashed into serving [[LegionOfDoom Dead End]], including [[Franchise/SailorMoon Sailor Uranus]], [[Manga/CardcaptorSakura twenty of the Clow]][=/=][[Manga/CardcaptorSakura Sakura Cards]], [[Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure Cure Moonlight]], and [[Franchise/LyricalNanoha the Wolkenritter]]. [[spoiler:The [[Franchise/MadokaMagica Madokaverse]] is the one exception: Mami and Kyoko are turned into near-mindless Hybrid-Witches and thus can't be said to be truly brainwashed, and Sayaka [[FaceHeelTurn joins Dead End willingly]] to get revenge on Homura.]]
* ''The Darth Vader Saga'' has Jason, Kimberly, Katherine, Karone and Ryan get turned into ThePsychoRangers along with Tommy, Hunter and Blake turning into evil Rangers for the villains. This is due to all of them having been evil at some point of time, as the villains wanted to rewake that evil.
* ''Fanfic/BreakItDownButterfly'': [[WesternAnimation/{{MiraculousLadybug}} Paon Bleu's]] first power "Golden Eye", allowing her to control civilians (the number of civilians at a time making it harder to maintain).
* ''Fanfic/InfinityCrisis'':
** Happens in ''Gamma Relations'' when Captain Marvel briefly falls under the Leader's control and attacks Iron Man and War Machine.
** A downplayed example in ''Powers and Marvels'': the Mandarin uses his mento ring to take control of Kimberly's mind, but he 'just' threatens to make her kill herself unless the other Rangers hand over their power coins.
* Victor in ''Fanfic/{{Kaleidoscope}}'' gets a dose of this courtesy of [[spoiler:Eros, a MonsterFromBeyondTheVeil equipped with Yuuri's skillset/physical attributes and none of the humanity. He gets better via a TapOnTheHead.]]
* In ''Fanfic/APrizeForThreeEmpires'', an alien spirit known as Zennan mind-controls ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} into attacking ComicBook/CarolDanvers.
--->Wolverine had lashed out with his six claws of bone and torn three gashes in Carol Danvers's stomach.\\
For a nanosecond, she wondered why he had done it. He must, some rational, stand-apart portion of her mind said, be under outside control. Logan was a bosom friend of hers from before she had even gone to work at NASA.

[[folder:Film — Animation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe2'', [[spoiler:Eduardo and Dr Nefario kidnap some of Gru's Minions and mutate them, turning them into mindless, indestructible monsters. This is reversed later by Nefario's antidote]]
* Disney-Pixar's ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', when [[spoiler:Lotso has Buzz reset into demo mode and convinces him that Jessie and co. are enemy prisoners.]] Later, when Woody returns to Sunnyside to save everyone, the gang tries to re-reset him [[spoiler:and somehow turn him Spanish]].
* In ''Disney/WreckItRalph'', it's later revealed that [[spoiler: the ''Sugar Rush'' characters were made like this thanks to King Candy, who is actually Turbo in disguise, hacking into the system and turning Vanellope into a glitch.]]
* In the ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' [[Anime/SakuraWarsTheMovie movie]], [[spoiler: Orihime Soletta gets ambushed by Patrick Hamilton, who then brainwashes her, and later controls her to fight the other members of Flower Division. She snaps out of it after her fire energy attack that meant for the Flower Division blows up and wrecks her Eisenkleid. She then says to Leni (Reni) after regaining consciousness, "I'm so sorry. I guess I really blew it this time."]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'', [[spoiler: Toothless gets brainjacked by the King/Alpha Dragon. Starts off with him attempting to kill Hiccup -- Stoick pushes him out of the way and takes the fatal hit. Later, Toothless serves as Drago's mount until Hiccup saves him with ThePowerOfFriendship.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/HeavyMetal2000'': Tyler is shown to be a normal asteroid miner before he came in contact with the [[ArtifactOfDoom Loc-Nar]]. As soon as he does, he immediately murders his co-worker with [[ThisIsADrill an ore drill]] while having a SlasherSmile on his face.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls2013'': [[spoiler:After Sunset Shimmer finally puts on Twilight's crown in the human world and turns into "a raging she demon" she brainwashes everyone in the school, turning them all into her own personal zombie army that she plans to use to invade Equestria and conquer it. Everyone is released after Sunset Shimmer is defeated.]]
** This shows up again in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks'' when The Dazzlings use their magic to spread a HatePlague around the school, turning everyone who doesn't have their own equestrian magic into a CompetitionFreak and overall jerks. The longer they are under their spell the more power they get until [[spoiler:they eventually regain their true magic and their siren forms. Their spell is broken in the finals when they are defeated and robbed of their magic, making them HollywoodToneDeaf]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2'', the [[BigBad Screenslaver]] uses EpilepticFlashingLights to control people. [[spoiler: She also uses goggles for constant brainwashing, using them to control various superheroes with the intent of preventing the SuperRegistrationAct from being overturned.]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGoToTheMovies'', this is [[BigBad Slade's]] ultimate plan: using a powerful machine and [[spoiler:Robin's movie]], he wants to put the entire world under his control. He succeeds during the climax, and uses the newly-brainwashed superheroes [[spoiler:(and Robin)]] to keep the Titans from destroying the machine.

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
* Probably the most iconic example is Cesare from ''Film/TheCabinetOfDrCaligari'', who is hypnotized into killing people in his sleep as part of a psychological experiment. [[spoiler: Or is he?]]
* In ''Film/{{Carefree}}'' (1938), Tony hypnotizes Amanda into believing she hates him and loves Stephen. Tony gives Amanda a suggestion that "men like him should be shot down like dogs." Later, Amanda grabs Stephen's skeet-shooting rifle and attempts to shoot Tony with it. It's PlayedForLaughs.
* In the first ''Film/TheNakedGun'' movie, Reggie Jackson is brainwashed to kill Queen Elizabeth II during a baseball game, and Jane Spencer is brainwashed to kill Frank Drebin. (And later in the series, she'd inflict upon him a fate worse than death: marriage.)
* The central plot of Creator/WoodyAllen's ''Film/TheCurseOfTheJadeScorpion''. Allen and his prickly female counterpart are hypnotized at an office party. What at first seems like a simple joke (the hypnotist makes them pretend to be newlyweds on their honeymoon) is really a plot to make them rob their employer on the hypnotist's behalf. [[spoiler: Lampshaded in that another character points out at the end that you can't make a hypnotized person do anything they don't really want to...]]
* In the 1994 movie ''Film/TheShadow'', Shiwan Khan sends a mind-controlled Margo on a mission to kill the Shadow. The Shadow breaks her hypnotic trance after she mistakenly shoots a mirror showing his reflection. Margo realizes that, despite Khan never mentioning The Shadow's name, it was Lamont Cranston she tried to kill, because Lamont and The Shadow are one and the same. [[spoiler:It turns out that Khan counted on her learning The Shadow's identity, though he didn't count on The Shadow not killing her to keep it a secret.]]
* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':
** ''Film/X2XMenUnited'':
*** Done to Nightcrawler with a mind-control serum to make him kill/try to kill the President (it's not clear if he was meant to succeed or die in the attempt). He snaps out of it and escapes when a bodyguard shoots him. This is also done to [[spoiler:Cyclops]] later in the movie and had already been done to Lady Deathstrike.
*** Also [[spoiler:Charles Xavier]], by William Stryker's mutant son Jason, who is himself Lobotomized and Crazy.
** ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'': The prototype Sentinels were constructed entirely from polymer, but Magneto controls them through metal he fused to their components.
** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': [[spoiler:Wolverine, when he's discovered by Jean, Scott and Kurt in the Alkali Lake base, has been turned into a mindless weapon. Jean mentions that Logan has lost his humanity and been experimented on. When he emerges, he massacres Stryker's troops in a rage without hesitation, and is only stopped when Jean reminds him of his humanity and removes his helmet.]]
*** Unlike most versions of the character, the film version of Apocalypse notably does not use this method to "recruit" his Horsemen. [[spoiler: This comes back to bite him during the final battle when two of his Horsemen turn on him and side with the X-Men, helping them to ultimately defeat him.]]
* Revealed to be the reason why [[spoiler: TheBaroness]] was working with Destro in ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra''.
* The major plot point of ''Film/{{Zoolander}}'' is that Mugatu offers Derek a trip to a "day spa" to prepare for his runway show, the spa is actually a facility where Derek is brainwashed to attack the Malaysian Prime Minister when the song "Relax" by Music/FrankieGoesToHollywood is played. MakesSenseInContext.
* In ''Film/TronLegacy'', [[spoiler: Tron attempted to hold off and defeat Clu while Flynn escaped, seemingly being derezzed in the process. In actuality, Tron was brainwashed by Clu into becoming Rinzler, and evidently became a merciless killing machine until Flynn wonders what Clu did to him during the chase, in which he regains his original memories and turns against Clu.]]
* During one scene in the ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' movie ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', River, the resident heroic AxCrazy and whimsical-in-the-brainpan [[TheWoobie Woobie]], is exposed to a subliminal message buried in a Fruity Oaty Bars commercial. This activates River's deadly [[WaifFu martial-arts-killing-machine programming]] put into her mind by the Alliance, and she proceeds to methodically wipe out a whole bar full of people, even taking down Jayne when he tries to restrain her, and is only stopped when her brother intervenes with a code-phrase in Russian that serves to put her to sleep.
* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
** ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' gives Loki the ability to easily turn people over to his side by tapping their heart with his scepter. Unusually for this trope, the brainwashing seems to simply change their perspective on the world rather than actual mind control or manipulation, and they maintain their usual personality and knowledge while working for the other side. It utterly fails when he attempts to do it to Tony Stark, thanks to his Arc reactor blocking the heart. All we hear is a "ding" of metal on metal. Tony makes a joke about "[[TheLoinsSleepTonight performance issues]]", further pissing off Loki.
** In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', the title Winter Soldier (who oscillates between WalkingSpoiler and ItWasHisSled depending on whether you've read the comics) is revealed to have been brainwashed and turned into a weapon by [[spoiler:HYDRA, and that he is really ComicBook/BuckyBarnes, Steve's best friend]].
* In the first ''Film/{{Wishmaster}}'', a cop wishes that a criminal who has gotten away on seven counts for a crime (not stated what kind) would just commit something that the cops could easily nail him for. The Djinn then controls his body from a distance, and causes the guy to turn into an almost-supernatural killer who immediately grabs a cop's gun and starts a shooting frenzy in the police station. He kills a half-dozen cops before he dies from his own wounds.
* In ''Film/{{Videodrome}}'', [[spoiler:Max eventually becomes compelled by the Videodrome tapes to murder his partners at Civic TV in cold blood. When he goes after Bianca O'Blivion, she reprograms him to kill her enemies (the people who programmed Max to become an assassin in the first place) for her.]]
* In ''Film/CubeZero'', [[spoiler:Haskell]] is remotely reprogrammed by activating the military chip placed into his brain from when he was a soldier. He tries to kill Wynn and Rains before they escape him.
* Played with in ''Film/AngelHeart''. [[spoiler:Johnny/]]Harry kills several people under Satan's influence, but it's left deliberately vague whether the Devil is directly compelling him to commit the murders or if he's allowing [[spoiler:Johnny Favourite's vile personality some freedom to indulge in these acts and Johnny is keeping Harry from finding out the truth about himself.]]
* In ''Bollywood/RaOne'', Sonia is brainwashed by the titular villain, via a glowing ball of "electricity" to the head, and sent off at the helm of a RunawayTrain.
* ''Film/ScannerCop'': Various people around the city are brainwashed by the villain to respond to a hallucinatory trigger. This will make them perceive police officers as monsters and murderers so they will kill the innocent cops in what seems like self-defense.
* In ''Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjayPart1'', [[spoiler:Peeta has been tortured and conditioned to associate Katniss with mortal danger, so upon seeing her he immediately attacks her and tries to kill her]].
* ''Film/HardcoreHenry'': All of [[BigBad Akan's]] cyborg soldiers have had their memories altered in order to induce loyalty to him [[spoiler: and [[BitchInSheepsClothing Estelle]]]].
* ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'': The [[MartyrdomCulture War Boys]] are conditioned and trained by [[BigBad Immortan Joe]] to see him as a godlike figure BackFromTheDead. They believe that if they "[[DyingMomentOfAwesome die historic]]" and "[[ThisMeansWarpaint shiny and chrome]]" in service to him, that he has the power to resurrect them in [[WarriorHeaven Valhalla]]. This makes merely wounding a War Boy an extremely dangerous prospect as they have no moral compunctions against a SuicideAttack.
* In ''Film/PacificRimUprising'' when the [[MegaCorp Shao Industries]] drones, which were created to replace the Jaeger program as earth's sole defense against [[HiveMind the Precursors]] and their {{Kaiju}}, go haywire and start attacking the Jaeger instalations, Newton "Newt" Geizler and Hermann Gotlieb investigate and try shut them down, only for [[spoiler: [[BigBad "Newt",]] who had kept a Kaiju brain in his apartment, [[TheReveal to reveal]] that [[FaceHeelTurn he was orchestrating the return of the Kaiju]] to finish the job [[HostileTerraforming of making earth habitable for the Precursors.]] When Hermann tells him to not obey the precursors' commands, "Newt" says he's not strong enough to do so, and escapes to set the plan in motion.]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* An example in Daniel Handler's ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'', with Klaus in Book the Fourth; he even appears to have MindControlEyes on the cover.
* One early example is Richard Condon's book (twice adapted to film), ''Literature/TheManchurianCandidate'', wherein a group of soldiers captured by the Chinese in the Korean War are brainwashed. (The term brainwashing is, in fact, believed to have originated during the Korean War, in reference to the coercion that the Chinese would use on prisoners.) One of them becomes a ManchurianAgent for the Chinese, against his will and without his knowledge.
* Creator/DeanKoontz used this in ''Literature/FalseMemory'', in which the victims had two sets of code words to prevent accidental triggering: a particular haiku (specific to each person), and the name of a character - sometimes a very obscure character - from ''Film/TheManchurianCandidate''.
** Also used in ''Night Chills'' and in a way in ''Mr. Murder'' where the assassin Alfie is controlled by a special phrase.
* [[spoiler:Peeta]] in ''Literature/TheHungerGames'', using a toxin that causes any memories invoked while under its influence to be associated with intense feelings of fear, and therefore making anyone included in those memories (in this case, [[spoiler: Katniss]]) seem like a threat to be destroyed.
* Appears several times in literature set in the ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' 'verse. Unusually and unfortunately, killing the controller does ''not'' [[NoOntologicalInertia cure his victims]]; they either die immediately afterwards or continue doing the dead villain's bidding.
** In Creator/DanAbnett's ''[[Literature/GauntsGhosts Sabbat Martyr]]'', Pater Sin's child psykers have the ability to turn soldiers of the Imperium against their comrades. Only a single individual manages to throw it off through an oddly straight version of the PowerOfFriendship, as his friends and comrades care too much about him to allow him to be swayed. In an interesting variety, the bad guys realize this and decide to just skip over that guy completely.
** And in Creator/SandyMitchell's ''[[Literature/CiaphasCain Cain's Last Stand]]'', [[spoiler: Warmaster Varan has the psychic ability to corrupt anyone he speaks with into his service. Even Adeptus Sororitas, a loyal and likable governor, and a Commissar-in-training, all of whom were portrayed as innocent victims but remembered forever in history as foul traitors. On the other hand, the commissar-in-training, broken free by Jurgen's blank ability, managed [[DrivenToSuicide kill himself before he succumbed again]], and Cain fulfills his last request.]]
** It's also used liberally in the background by both the powers of chaos (dominating psy powers) and the Imperium's Ecclesiarchy - the latter using a combination of mind control, lobotomy, combat drugs and cybernetic implants to turn heretics into arco-flagellants, AxCrazy combat monsters sent into battle against other enemies.
* Happens in the 2nd and 3rd ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'' books. Emphasis on "crazy".
* The Imperius Curse in ''Literature/HarryPotter'', one of the three Unforgivable Curses and essentially the magical equivalent of your average mind control device. [[spoiler:Bartimus Crouch, Jr. (alias Professor Moody)]] was quite fond of it.
* ''Literature/TheHouseOfTheScorpion'': Takes place [[BadFuture 100 years into the future]], where clones are raised to provide organs for a corrupt drug lord and victims trying to cross the border to the United States or Aztlan are forced to become opium-picking zombies programmed by computer chips in their heads.
* Early in ''[[Literature/LegacyOfTheDrowSeries The Legacy]]'', Wulfgar is convinced that his fiancée, Catti-Brie, has been cheating on him with Drizzt, so he goes and tries to kill Drizzt. Later in the book, it's revealed that he was hypnotized into thinking this and into feeling homicidally angry about it.
* [[spoiler: Stevie]] of ''Literature/TheFallen'' becomes like this, poor kid.
* In the ''Literature/TimeScout'' series, this is one of the [[spoiler:effects ''and'' causes]] of UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper.
* ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'':
** [[spoiler:In ''City of Fallen Angels'', after his rebirth, Jace is left vulnerable to demonic possession; his death erased the protective effects of a magic ritual all newborn Shadowhunters are given to protect them demonic possession. Lilith takes advantage of his new Achilles' heel, sending him nightmares and forcing him to do her bidding. Even after she's defeated, Jace is then forced into a corrupted form of the ''parabatai'' bond, wherein Sebastian imposes his will and beliefs onto Jace]].
** [[spoiler: Amatis Herondale in ''City of Lost Souls'', after Sebastian captures her and forces her to drink from the Infernal Cup, turning her into a Dark Shadowhunter]].
* A double subversion in ''Literature/AClockworkOrange'', where VillainProtagonist Alex is already TheSociopath and an incredibly dangerous human being, and is brainwashed into harmlessness by a Pavlovian reflex that makes him cripplingly ill when he thinks of violence. Unfortunately, this [[NiceJobBreakingItHero just makes him crazier and angrier]], and [[spoiler: [[DrivenToSuicide though he can no longer harm others]]...]]
* ''Everyone'' under the control of the Ix in [[Literature/{{Dragons}} The Last Dragon Chronicles]].
* [[Literature/{{Reckless}} The Mirrorworld Series]]: [[spoiler: Will]], who nearly [[spoiler: kills his own brother ''after smashing through a wall'' while unable to recognize him.]]
* Happens to George in a ''Literature/NancyDrew'' book, though she doesn't harm anyone, just spends the book bed-ridden and terrified and constantly begging Nancy to drop the case, lest harm come to her.
* This is what happens to the listeners in ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' when they evolve into stormform or one of their other [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Voidbringer forms]], since those forms can only be entered by bonding with a fragment of the Cosmic Principle Of Hatred.
* There are a couple ways of accomplishing this in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime''.
** Compulsion is a magical technique that in its most basic form causes the victim to adore and desire to serve the user and can be further adapted for more subtle, complex commands; many of [[QuirkyMinibossSquad the Forsaken]] are fond of it, particularly Graendal, who in the last book [[spoiler: actually creates a small, mobile army from Compelled good guys]]. Compulsion can be reversed by a skilled healer, though if it was strong enough it can leave permanent psychological damage.
** Turning is even nastier. A circle of thirteen [[EvilSorcerer dreadlords]] working in concert with thirteen [[HumanoidAbomination Myrddraal]] can force any [[WitchSpecies channeler]] into the Dark One's service. This process turns the victim into a twisted reflection of themselves and is apparently irreversible, though those who knew the victim well can usually tell that [[UncannyValley there is something very, very wrong with them]]. This technique is talked up heavily throughout the series but never shown [[spoiler: until the last book, when it turns out [[TheMole Mazrim Taim]] has been using it heavily to recruit for the Shadow]].
** Finally, [[WildCard Padan Fain]] can induce this effect in people he interacts with, thanks to being a walking HatePlague. However, while his influence can drive people mad with hate and paranoia, it doesn't actually let him ''control'' them directly; he has to fall back on being a ManipulativeBastard for that.
* ''Literature/{{Harahpin}}'' has both Eyrco and Euron start acting uncharacteristically aggressive not long after arriving on Untoria's surface. They snip at each other more frequently and become easily irritated by Saphillin. It eventually gets to a breaking point when Saphillin's innocent question causes Euron to react in fury, which in turn causes Eyrco to get sucked into the conflict and try to ''bite out his throat''. Only the shine of Euron's feather was enough to break them out of the spell.
* In the Literature/StarTrekShatnerverse novel ''The Return'', Kirk is brainwashed by Romulans to become a [[TheFaceless masked]] agent.
* In the ''Literature/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'', Emperor Palpatine, as he's falling down the reactor shaft to his death, puts a compulsion into the head of Emperor's Hand Mara Jade to kill Luke Skywalker. She can fight it, but it makes working together the next few times they meet a bit dangerous. Eventually, Luke helps her get the compulsion purged from her mind. Mara makes light of it after they fall in love, saying it isn't exactly the best way to start a relationship.
* Clip from ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'' spends most of his time in the books annoying people and getting himself into entirely avoidable trouble. Then he [[spoiler: gets posessed by the Dying God]] and starts [[spoiler: murdering Nimander's group]] one by one and trying the same with [[spoiler: ''Mother Dark'' upon her return]]. For a character who was at best a minor nuisance up to that point, it takes considerable resources to stop him.
* ''Literature/VillainsDontDateHeroes'': [[spoiler:Rex and CORVAC brainwash Fialux into trying to [[OutWithABang sex Night Terror to death]]. She snaps out of it once Night Terror cuts the power to the mind control device]].

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/AceLightning'' gets one of these in episode thirteen of his first series complete with dreary monotone voice. He was snapped out of it by a data transfer, because you know, he's a video game character, they can do that.
* In ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', [[ThoseWackyNazis Daniel Whitehall]] uses the Faustus Device to brainwash valuble "assets" into working for HYDRA, often as hired thugs or assassins, including [[ElementalShapeshifter Carl Creel]], [[AnIcePerson Donnie Gill]] and [[DarkActionGirl Agent 33]].
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'' has Jasmine brainwashing the entire town of L.A. into becoming her servants. When Fred, later Angel, and then the rest of the team are freed from her control, she proceeds to send all her possessed minions after them.
* In season 7 of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' Spike is brainwashed by the First Evil to start killing again whenever he hears the tune "Early One Morning."
** In ''[[ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Season 8]]'' this happens to [[spoiler:Angel, who kills Giles under the control of [[BigBad Twilight]].]]
* Two different episodes of ''Series/CharliesAngels'' has one of the Angels being hypnotized into killing people; in "The Séance" it is a spur-of-the-moment tactical decision by the villain, while "Attack Angels" has the villain running a business that turns women into programmed killers-for-hire.
* ''Series/Charmed1998'': Prue was brainwashed by the demon of fear and Paige was brainwashed by the Source of All Evil. [[RecycledScript All the sisters and their boyfriends and children have at times]] been collectively brainwashed, such as the time they became warlocks, became "too good", had their morality reversed, etc. etc.
* In ''Series/ChinesePaladin'', this happens to Ah Nu near the end of the series, due to making a DealWithTheDevil to save her lover Tang Yu. [[spoiler: She unknowingly kills her own father in this state.]]
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** Jo Grant, in her first appearance ([[Recap/DoctorWhoS8E1TerrorOfTheAutons "Terror of the Autons"]]), gets brainwashed by the Master and sent to open a box at UNIT HQ — which contains a bomb. The Doctor specifically defines it as this trope, saying that an ordinary hypnotist can't force anyone to do something they don't want to do. Yet the Master can manipulate people any way he likes.
** The series contains numerous other examples; the instance in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E1TheMasqueOfMandragora "The Masque of Mandragora"]] is interesting, as Sarah Jane, in her altered state of mind, becomes after thirteen years the first companion to notice the oddity of [[TranslatorMicrobes everyone in the universe speaking English]].
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E7TheUnicornAndTheWasp "The Unicorn and the Wasp"]] contains an ''accidental'' example: [[spoiler:The villain is acting like a typical Creator/AgathaChristie murderer taken ''way'' over the top. This is because he's a HalfHumanHybrid whose human birth mother was left with a necklace designed to [[ExpositionBeam beam him]] his true identity the first time he assumed his alien form. However, she happened to have been reading ''Literature/TheMurderOfRogerAckroyd'' at the time, thus adding in Christie's murder mystery format and making him think that's how the world works.]]
** A particularly serious example of this is [[spoiler:the Twelfth Doctor]] in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E8TheLieOfTheLand "The Lie of the Land"]], who is not only brainwashed along with the rest of humanity by the RealityWarper Monks but becomes their PropagandaMachine, ensuring their continued hold on Earth. [[spoiler:Though it turns out he's just faking it.]]
* In ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'', this is what happens to [[spoiler:[[ApocalypseHow the entire world]] in ten years' time.]]
* ''Series/TheEqualizer''. The episode "Splinters" features an experimental setup in which sidekick Mickey's memories of [=McCall=] saving his life are switched out for a scenario of cruel betrayal, thus giving him the motivation to assassinate [=McCall=]. And it still doesn't work, since it turns out that [[spoiler:ThePowerOfFriendship is enough to break through his conditioning.]]
%%* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Theon, to the point of TwoPlusTortureEqualsFive.
* Used in several episodes of ''Series/HawaiiFiveO''. One episode explicitly made the "can't do something they wouldn't do otherwise" statement, but then showed a theoretical way around it when, as a demonstration, one character was hypnotized to "shoot" another (with an unloaded weapon) by the hypnotist telling him the person was a double who was about to start a nuclear war and shooting him was the only way to stop it. Other episodes, however, including the PilotMovie, used the standard fictional "make 'em do anything" portrayals.
* In ''Series/{{Helix}}'', TheVirus NARVIK-B has incredibly "focused behavioral patterns" that cause its victims to behave in this way, as they are compelled to spread the contagion. Though violent and paranoid, Vectors are also cognizant enough to form plans to access uninfected, like PatientZero Peter Farragut, who manages to find a workaround for a biometric lock via BorrowedBiometricBypass, severing the arm of a security tech at the research base where he works.
* Most of the ''Franchise/KamenRider'' [[BodyHorror "construction"]] involves this as a stage in the building, however, before that stage usually happens, they get out. There are a few exceptions, such as [[Film/KamenRiderZX ZX]], [[Series/KamenRiderBlack Shadow Moon]], and [[Film/KamenRiderTheFirst Ichigo]].
* ''Series/KnightRider''. The Villain Of The Week does this to Bonnie in order to get his hands on KITT. It gets bad enough that she pulls a gun on Michael.
* In an episode of ''Series/LoisAndClark'', Lois is one of a group in a medical facility who are brainwashed into being contract killers before being killed their selves by the doctor at the facility.
* ''Series/LogansRun'': In "Carousel", Logan is struck with a dart containing a memory warp. He loses his memory of the past year and is convinced that he is still a loyal Runner-killing Sandman.
* The main antagonist of ''Series/{{Lost}}'', the Man in Black infects certain people with a sickness which turns them into [[AxeCrazy crazy psychopaths]]. Known victims of the Sickness are [[spoiler:Claire, Sayid and most of Rousseau's science team.]]
* In the ''Series/MagnumPI'' episode "Did You See the Sunrise" it turns out that Magnum's friend TC was brainwashed to become a sleeper assassin by Russian agents while he was a P.O.W. of the North Vietnamese.
* In the BBC'S ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'':
** Merlin is infected with a snake creature by Morgana and brainwashed to kill Arthur. Fortunately, the snake apparently makes him forget about his magic, and he proves to be the single worst assassin in the history of mankind.
** Several of Arthur's knights later suffer this at the hands of [[spoiler:Lamia]].
** In season 5, [[spoiler: Gwen]] falls prey to this at the hands of Morgana.
* The newer series of ''Series/MissionImpossible'' had a psychiatrist at his facility "hypnotizing" select patients, with a combo of [[AppliedPhlebotinum drugs and bio-microchips]], then sending them out as hitmen. [[spoiler:He gets ahold of undercover Nick.]]
* ''Series/{{NTSFSDSUV}}'': The team thinks that Trent has been brainwashed to assassinate the President of the Navy when he returns from his holiday in Hawaii with a SurferDude persona. Meanwhile, Alphone has just returned from his holiday "with the great and hospitable people of Yemen", but everybody just ignores how obviously robotic he acts.
* ''Series/TheOutpost'': In Season 2, Garrett is captured by the Prime Order. They then proceed to use a combination of torture, drugged medication, a "[[BitchInSheepsClothing friendly]]" nurse, and [[{{Gaslighting}} faked evidence]] to break his will and convince him that [[RightfulKingReturns Gwynn]] is an imposter who deceived him into serving her. By the time they're done with him, Garrett has been rendered an utter fanatic dedicated to serving [[BigBadDuumvirate The Three]].
* Easily half of ''Franchise/PowerRangers''' main characters have had this happen to them at least once. Tommy Oliver, the first Green Ranger, had it happen ''three'' times. (In fact, that's how his whole career as a Ranger started.) Brainwashing tends to be magic-based, not hypnotic, in this show, and numerous characters have had "spells" make them act a certain way until [[NoOntologicalInertia the monster-of-the-week who placed it on them has been destroyed.]] Sometimes the MonsterOfTheWeek ''is'' a character who was forcibly transformed and brainwashed and crazy all at once.
** And by extension ''Franchise/SuperSentai''. You can watch most of them on Website/YouTube if you type in the heroines names.
** Actually, in Super Sentai, being put in Blue color almost guarantees you to be brainwashed and crazy. ''Series/HikariSentaiMaskman'', ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'' are a few examples whereas the Blue ranger gets brainwashed and crazy.
** In ''Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger'', the Blue ranger isn't subjected to this. However, the Pink ranger is. [[spoiler:As is Wolzard, who is in fact [[LukeIAmYourFather the ranger's father]]]]
** ''Series/PowerRangersSPD:'' It's ''strongly'' implied that Broodwing attempted to do this to the [[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Dino Rangers]] before they escaped.
** Astronema from ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'' was always the SuperPoweredEvilSide of Karone, but only fit this Trope for the second half (roughly) of the series. Originally, she simply had amnesia and didn't know who she was. When she remembered, she honestly tried to make a HeelFaceTurn, but the [[GreaterScopeVillain Dark Specter]] had other plans, and used brainwashing to keep her under his control until she was ultimately saved in the SeasonFinale.
*** One early episode features a crossover between ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'' and the then-current ''Series/NinjaTurtlesTheNextMutation'' in which Astronema brainwashes the Turtles to help her against the Rangers.
** ''Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder'': During the annual crossover episode with ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm'', the original three Ninja Storm Rangers are brainwashed by Lothor and sent to fight the Dino Rangers until the other three Ninja Storm Rangers arrive and break the spell.
* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', ''Delete'', Clark, Lana, Martha and Jonathan are brainwashed into attempting to murder Chloe violently.
* ''Series/StargateSG1'':
** In "Family" (2x08), Rya'c is brainwashed in this way by Apophis.
** In "Enemies" (5x01), Teal'c, Rya'c's father, has the same thing happen, again inflicted by Apophis. A whole episode is devoted to making Teal'c rethink his life and fight through the brainwashing. Initially, he manages to convince everyone on the base that he's been cured... until his mentor Bra'tac [[EyesNeverLie looks into his eyes.]]
** Za'tarcs are another form of brainwashing. This this case, the subject becomes a ManchurianAgent, acting normally until triggered by a specific event.
** Adria tries to do this to Daniel, but the remnant of Merlin in him protects Daniel from her powers, although he convinces Adria that she succeeded.
* In the ''Series/StarskyAndHutch'' episode "Murder on Voodoo Island", HollywoodVoodoo causes Starsky to try to kill Hutch. Weirdly, once he's shocked back to normal it's ignored for the rest of the episode.
* The ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "The Mind's Eye", in which Geordi [=LaForge=] is brainwashed by the Romulans to kill a Klingon dignitary, draws heavily on ''Literature/TheManchurianCandidate''.
* In ''Series/Supergirl2015'', the second season finale has [[spoiler:Superman brainwashed into fighting Supergirl]]. Specifically, he [[spoiler:has been made to think Supergirl is General Zod]].
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
** Sirens can evoke this trope with their saliva, as once dosed (usually through kissing, but [[spoiler:sharing a drink]] also works just fine) the victim becomes [[{{Yandere}} obsessively devoted]] to the Siren and will be perfectly willing to murder their own family members if the Siren wants them to.
** Castiel is this in season eight, having been "programmed" through some sort of [[PlayingWithSyringes horrifying process]] to obey Naomi, no matter how reprehensible he might find her instructions. Although the "and Crazy" bit really only manifests a couple of times -- when he's ordered to kill [[spoiler:[[TheCutie Samandriel]] and then [[TrueCompanions Dean]]]] . Most of the time he's a ManchurianAgent who just gathers intel. Interestingly, even at his most brainwashed there's [[FightingFromTheInside some part of him]] that's still completely rational and can make contact with Naomi [[PleaseSpareHimMyLiege to beg her to stop making him hurt people]].
* ''Series/TeenWolf'':
** In "Night School", Scott gets this from Alpha Peter Hale. He snaps out of it pretty quickly, but still...
** Jackson as the Kanima. Can be snapped out of it when people he cares about are in danger to be hurt by him.
* In ''Series/{{Titans}}'', the Nuclear Family are a group of brainwashed assassins, conditioned to perform horrific acts of [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]] and murder without question or remorse, all while acting like a [[DissonantSerenity cheerful, polite]] old-fashioned NuclearFamily.
* ''Series/TotalRecall2070'': A mine worker is implanted with a brain chip that forces him to assassinate a union leader in public.
%%* ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' has this when it happened to Justin in "Wizards vs. Angels".

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* In ''Podcast/TheHiddenAlmanac'', Drom spends most of the Fathers arc as this, having to doublethink her way into helping Mord. Unfortunately, the doublethink doesn't hold out forever.
--> '''Pastor Drom:''' Okay, so you take the hypotenuse of the worthiness of the two sides MORD LOOK OUT I’VE GOT A STUN ROD AFTER ALL
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* Common in Wrestling/FightingOperaHustle, where most of the more successful members of the [[Wrestling/NobuhikoTakada Takada]] Monster army where well known professional wrestlers brainwashed and turned into monsters.
* At ''Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} The Bobliographon'' on May 24, 2009, The Order of the Neo-Solar Temple (Wrestling/{{UltraMantis Black}} and Wrestling/{{Crossbones|TheWrestler}}) confronted [[Wrestling/HunterJohnston Delirious]] and used the [[ArtifactOfDoom Eye of Tyr]] to force him into the group. As a result, he [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness lost his usual manic energy]].
** At ''CHIKARA Disk'' on April 2nd, 2016, Wrestling/{{Hallowicked}} and Wrestling/{{Frightmare}} used the Eye[[note]]Delirious destroyed it at the start of the 2012 Season Premiere ''The Thirteenth Hat'' on January 28th. At ''King of Trios 2014 Night I'' on September 20, 2014, Jakob Hammermeier of Wrestling/DieBruderschaftDesKreuzes revealed that he had the Eye, alluding only to some vague DealWithTheDevil. At the 2014 SeasonFinale [=iPPV=] ''Tomorrow Never Dies'' on December 6th, Mantis defeated Delirious in a [[LoserLeavesTown Loser Leaves CHIKARA]] match. Mantis' Spectral Envoy allies Hallowicked and Frightmare made their way out to celebrate the win. In his last act, Delirious used the Eye on them to turn them against Mantis, fulfilling his promise to destroy Mantis in 2014 as revenge for losing two years of his life to the Eye, first due to Mantis in 2009 and then to the BDK's original leader Ares in 2010.[[/note]] on Mantis, causing him to be [[DemonicPossession possessed by Nazmaldun]]. This led to Mantis hexing Wrestling/TheBatiri, Icarus and [[Wrestling/MarkAngelosetti "Mr. Touchdown" Mark Angelosetti]], with their group being named the [=heXed=] Men.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': Most Exalted have a Presence charm that allows them to give other characters compulsions. If your character is an Abyssal, the result will probably be this trope.
* Various {{RPG}}s have various powers used to control or influence others, such as the TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons spell ''suggestion'', and the ''charm'' and ''dominate'' series of spells.
** At least in the third edition, ''Charm'' explicitly didn't work like this, despite being used as such in every game. It only makes the victim think of the caster as a friend, but it doesn't let them forget their other loyalties, meaning they'll likely be rather confused and anguished when their friends attack each other.
*** ''Dominate'' also cannot make a person do anything directly self-destructive ("stab yourself with your sword", "jump off the castle wall"), and if a dominated person is ordered to do something that is against their nature, they receive a new saving throw, with a cumulative +2 bonus. (A good [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0524.html demonstration]] is found in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' when they attempt to break the spell on a dominated paladin by disguising Belkar as lord Shojo, said paladin's master and lord.)
*** ''Order of the Stick'' also provides a good example of how ''Charm'' works, again with Belkar. He refuses to kill his friends and give their magic items to Nale... but since he's ChaoticEvil and a greedy bastard, he has no trouble killing them while singing the complete score to ''MeetMeInSaintLouis'' as long as he can keep their stuff.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
In ''Toys/SDGundamUltimateBattle'', [[spoiler:Knight Unicorn Gundam was the reason behind the events of the story all along and, as Full Armor Knight Unicorn Gundam, plans to turn everyone into cards to use their power...except not really. Turns out that the armor Full Armor Knight Unicorn Gundam is donning is actually Red Majin Shamblo, and he's possessing him.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/BendyAndTheInkMachine'', Alice "modifies" [[spoiler: Boris]], turning him into her brutish henchman and ordering him to kill Henry.
* It's hinted that this was [[spoiler:Sergeant Kelly]]'s fate in ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} 3''. Before you were sent to Hell, [[spoiler:Kelly]] gave you the mission to use a card with a plead for reinforcement to Mars. After either you send the message or not, [[spoiler:Kelly]] orders you to get yourself to the Delta Labs and meet him there, so that both he and you can take care of the portal. When you're there, he's nowhere to be seen and you have to take care of the portal yourself. Once you came back from Hell, you no longer have radio contact with him, and later, you find out that [[spoiler:Kelly had become a monster named Sabaoth]]. Whether he was allied with the demons in the first place or was simply brainwashed is unknown, but it should be the latter, since he seemed bent on defeating the demons, and [[spoiler:Dr. Betruger was shown to transform marines into elite demons]].
** And then, [[spoiler:Dr. Betruger, like Sergeant Kelly, [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie was a zombie.]]]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Everlong}}'', the main character (or rather, the character you started off as) was [[spoiler:taken over by the [[SuperpoweredEvilSide evil spirits planted within him]] and ends up trying to kill his friends... four times. ]]
* Happens with disturbing regularity in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'', with [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha Kusuha]], [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsCompact2 Excellen]], and [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha Seolla]]. Along with Ouka, Ingram, Tenzan (Even though he ''starts'' crazy), Tenzan again. And let's not get into the times it happens in a HumongousMecha series, and is replayed in one of the other ''SRW'' games...
** ''Original Generation Gaiden'' adds more people in this trope: Shouko, Lamia and Fernando (Though Fernando has actually fallen into this trope since his debut in Compact 3)
** Happens to Touma in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha 3'', though it's not like he's subjected into brainwashing by the enemy. Using his mecha's system too much caused him to gain an AxCrazy version of MindControlEyes, and he went really berserk as if the system brainwashes him... all because he's pumped with too much hot blood essences.
** And apparently, the first Banpresto Original to receive this treatment was Tytti Noorbuck in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsGaiden''. No, Shu, with all your MartyStu -ness, you don't count.
** Also happens to Brooklyn Luckfield (aka: Bullet) in ''Alpha 2''.
* In the ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'' anime and games, Sarah Bryant is kidnapped and brainwashed by the Judgment 6 organization into attacking her brother Jacky and (in the anime) their friends Pai and Akira.
* Takes place once in a while in ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
** The effect of the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin aptly named]] ''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Berserk Staff]]'' is this. It's usually [[ExclusiveEnemyEquipment enemy-only]], but in ''Genealogy of Holy War'', if Sylvia didn't have children, you can get Sharlow, and if you also recruit his adoptive father, they can talk, and Sharlow will get the staff. ([[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Time to have fun with the]] DemonicSpider. [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Enjoy.]])
*** Also, in the Jugdral games there is a Sword that has the same effect as the Berserk Staff, but doesn't cause the insanity as much, and [[UselessUsefulSpell often times is pointless]]-- enemies with or hit by the sword are still at range 1 when the effect kicks in, often attacking the sword wielder again.
** In the last chapter of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', [[TheManBehindTheMan Archbishop Manfroy]] kidnaps Julia and brainwashes her to attack your army. Since Julia is necessary for defeating the final boss, you must carefully distract her without killing her while sending the rest of your army to assassinate Manfroy and free her.
*** Making this even worse is [[spoiler: that Manfroy did the same to Julia, Julius ''and'' Seliph's mother, Deirdre, to make her marry Julia and Julius' dad Alvis. In her case, she stayed brainwashed for ''years'', only breaking through when Julius fatally struck her down.]]
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776'', a captured [[CuteBruiser Mareeta]] was given a cursed sword that consumes her mind and turns her into a battle-crazed swordswoman that attacks even her own adoptive mother [[MamaBear Eyvel]]. When she joins for good, she gains control over the sword, renames it [[ICallItVera "Mareeta's Sword"]] and [[GameBreaker breaks the game with it until she]] breaks it.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'', Ninian is brainwashed while in an HeroicBSOD into [[spoiler: almost opening the Dragon's Gate, which would bring TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. Nils, her little brother, snaps her out of it.]]
** This is a favorite tactic of [[spoiler:Anankos]], the GreaterScopeVillain of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates''.
*** Before the game's events, [[spoiler:Anankos had King Garon of Nohr killed and replaced with a monster loyal to him. He then had Garon kill King Sumeragi of Hoshido, and raised both him and Garon's second wife/Azura's mother Arete from the dead as his mindless servants.]]
*** In the ''Birthright'' route, [[spoiler:Takumi falls into the Bottomless Canyon and is placed under Anankos' thrall. Fortunately for him, Azura gets to him quickly enough to snap him out of it. It flares up again towards the end, but Azura breaks him out permanently this time.]]
*** In the ''Conquest'' route, [[spoiler:Anankos gets Takumi again. This time, however, there's no Azura to save him, and said brainwashing ultimately costs him his sanity and his life.]]
*** In the ''Revelation'' route, [[spoiler:Sumeragi and Arete are both properly revealed to the heroes. In addition, Anankos brings back Mikoto and Scarlet to serve as his minions and possesses Gunter the same way he got Takumi in the other routes; this time, it's Corrin who brings him back to his senses.]]
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'', it's said that [[spoiler: the members of the Royal House of the Emblian Empire are susceptible to fall victim to sort of evil influence that has plagued the royal family for generations. Two of the Emblian royals are seen, and they both manifest this brainwashing in different ways: the DarkMagicalGirl Veronica says that she sometimes hears a voice that speaks to her and compels her to "kill", whereas the "Mysterious Man" (later revealed to be Veronica's missing older brother, Prince Bruno) seems to be fully aware of it and actively trying to fight it, and even warns the heroes to stay away from him.]]
* King Dedede tends to get brainwashed often by the EldritchAbomination of the week in the ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' series ([[VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe or in another case]], a [[BigCreepyCrawlies spider-like]] being).
** Meta Knight tends to suffer from this, but less commonly. The [[VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot most notable example]] is when [[spoiler: Meta Knight was brainwashed into becoming Mecha Knight. Kirby returns Meta Knight to his senses by breaking the Mecha Knight mask.]]
* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' is fond of this trope, especially if being bitten by a vampire counts:
** Grant Danasty in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse'' was arguably the first victim.
** Soleil (Soleiyu) Belmont in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIBelmontsRevenge'' is a more clear-cut case.
** [[spoiler:Richter Belmont]] in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight''.
** [[spoiler:Rosa, Carrie's Cousin, and possibly Charlie Vincent]] in ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania 64}}''.
** [[spoiler:Hugh Baldwin]] in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCircleOfTheMoon''.
** [[spoiler:Maxim Kischine]] in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaHarmonyOfDissonance''.
** [[spoiler:Rinaldo's daughter]] in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence''.
** [[spoiler:Soma Cruz]] fights not to fall into such a state in ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Aria/Dawn of Sorrow]]''.
** As a minor example, a certain boss can inflict this on [[spoiler:Jonathan Morris]] in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaPortraitOfRuin'', which also features [[spoiler:Stella and Loretta Lecarde]].
** [[spoiler:Succubus Annette]] in ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood Dracula X Chronicles]]''.
** [[spoiler:Albus after assembling Dominus]] in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia,'' although ironically, [[spoiler:Shanoa's amnesia leaving her with only Barlowe's version of events could qualify ''her'' from Albus' viewpoint]].
** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaHarmonyOfDespair'' is equal opportunity about this, as [[spoiler:Astarte and Dracula]] can inflict this status on male and female characters, respectively.
* The majority of Count Bleck's direct army in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' are minions of Bowser's, working under Bleck courtesy of Nastasia and her mind controlling powers. The most notable use of her powers is using them on Luigi and giving him a PaperThinDisguise, resulting in Mr. L.
** During Chapter 5, the Floro Sapiens are using "Floro Sprouts" to enslave the Cragnons into working for them and their. [[spoiler: A rare non-malevolent example (or at least not entirely), since their primary reason for doing this is to stop the Cragnons from polluting the river the Floro Sapiens need to survive.]] Dimentio also employs one to use on O'Chunks near the end of the Chapter, resulting in "O'Cabbage", and he later [[spoiler: uses another on Luigi in order to fuse with him and the Chaos Heart to turn into [[OneWingedAngel Super Dimentio]].]]
* In the ''VideoGame/DragonballXenoverse'' series, the Time Breakers can subject others to brainwashing that makes them more powerful and more violent. So potent is their brainwashing that it can even turn '''''[[ButtMonkey Mr. Satan]]''''' into a legitimate threat! In ''VideoGame/DragonballXenoverse2'', this can also happen to the players during Expert Missions, causing the player to lose control of their character as their bodies attack their allies. They can break free of the brainwashing by either [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind beating the evil influence out of them]], or [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight having a teammate beat some sense back into them]].
* In ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', [[spoiler: multiple characters are brainwashed into attacking the main character; some of them, admittedly, already had done that once, but this time it was against their will. To list a few: Shiki, Uzuki, and Kariya.]]
* ''VideoGame/MetalSlug 6'' has one mini boss fight where you have to fight one of the other playable characters who is brainwashed by aliens.
* In ''VideoGame/VanguardBandits'', this is the special power of the Zulwarn ATAC. Falkner uses it in three of the endings: in the main "good" ending, he uses it on several of the minor heroes, forcing the heroes to [[BittersweetEnding sacrifice their friends for freedom]]; in the main "bad" ending, [[spoiler:he hits Bastion with it, forcing him to attack his allies]]; and in the [[spoiler:Cecelia]] ending, he attempts to use it on [[spoiler:Cecelia]] as punishment for her HeelFaceTurn = which torques off Bastion and causes his ATAC, Ultragunner, to blast Falkner with a counterattack.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' does this for [[spoiler: Adelle]] in one of the late story missions and Luso has to talk to her several times in battle to help her regain her senses.
* Early on in ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'', Guy gets stuck with a Curse Slot that allows the bad guys to control his actions. Later on they activate it, causing Guy to get MindControlEyes and attack Luke. However, this is revealed to be a subversion of this trope's usual modus operandi: [[spoiler:the Curse Slot cannot control a person's actions; rather it manipulates the person by stirring up certain memories. Long story short, Guy would never have attacked Luke unless, at some point in time, he ''wanted'' to kill Luke]].
* Three characters in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' qualify. Kain becomes mind-controlled by the villain Golbez. Although he later breaks free of Golbez' control and joins the party, still later in the game Golbez again takes control of him. This leads to Kain breaking free yet again at the time that Golbez is revealed to have been mind-controlled all along by the game's real villain, Zemus. Also, though a case of mind control, at one point in the game Yang winds up with amnesia and is recruited into Baron's guards. Being defeated by the party cures him.
** Unlike other examples, the way Kain and Golbez were mind-controlled actually relied on their internal weaknesses. Golbez exploited Kain's jealousy, which led to his brainwashing, while Golbez's weakness was his own self-loathing, which was how Zemus brainwashed him. Also unlike other examples, they also feel regret because it WAS their own weaknesses that led to their mind control.
** Cecil gets mind-controlled in ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears The After Years]]''.
* Cloud Strife of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', at the point in the game that the party has acquired the Black Materia needed to summon Meteor (Doomsday Spell), gets his mind broken by Sephiroth. Not only does he hand the Black Materia over to the original OneWingedAngel, he beats the ''tar'' out of [[InnocentFlowerGirl Aeris]], the [[WhiteMagicianGirl one person]] who [[BarrierMaiden could stop Meteor]] once it was summoned.
** This happens again later on [[spoiler:when Cloud nearly kills Aeris himself, only to snap himself out of it at the last second]].
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' has been big on this ever since the ''Wrath of the Lich King'' expansion, filling much of Northrend with [[HearingVoices mysterious whispers]] in certain locations; turns out the uniting element is the [[GreenRocks Saronite Ore]] being mined in all these locations provides a direct link to its creator, [[EldritchAbomination the Old God Yogg-Saron]]. He's managed to MindScrew everyone from newly-arrived homesteaders from the rest of Azeroth all the way up to his own Titan-appointed jail keepers through his years-long mental barrages.
** This is a major fight mechanic in the Yogg-Saron encounter. You start with a sanity meter at 100, depleting when you suffer from Yogg-Saron's various maddening abilities or stare directly at the laughing skulls within the hallucinations inside his mind. If it goes to zero or you remain trapped inside his head when the hallucination sequences end, you go mad for the remainder of the battle, attacking your allies. The players who suffer from this even perceive their allies as faceless horrors while Yogg-Saron whispers his insane drivel to them! This insanity persists even if they die and get resurrection during the fight by their allies, only destroying Yogg-Saron or a complete raid wipe removes this madness.
** The Sha in ''Mists of Pandaria'' use this. They feed on and exploit specific dark emotions, allowing them to drive a mortal mad and eventually controlling their actions through the emotion. The Sha of Fear was perhaps the most successful, managing to take control of nearly the entire Mantid swarm.
* ''VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories'': The sad thing about Shura and Serion is that [[spoiler:the seal placed on them by Imposter Zenon caused them to [[EmptyPromise forget the very promise they made to their son, Adell]] - the long-reaching psychological damage that caused him to be lifebound to every promise he makes, as well as the denial about his demon heritage. The few moments of lucidity they get to enjoy from then on out are used to help Adell carry on where they failed and ask for a MercyKill; otherwise they are completely bound to their new master's whims. To this day Adell still does not know that they are his parents; whether or not the others do is up to NIS to decide, but if the truth ever comes out, it won't be pretty.]]
* In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'', [[spoiler:Jill Valentine]] is captured by [[spoiler:[[BadassLongcoat Albert Wesker]] and brainwashed through a device attached to her chest that pumps some sort of mind-control drug into her. She is then set on Chris and Sheva and [[IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight does her best to kill them]]. Among other things, the device/drug allows her to [[AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome run up walls and do insane mid-air stunts]]. She also gets a [[SpandexLatexOrLeather vinyl body suit]].]]
* Towards the end of ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance'', Dr. Doom does this to several of the {{NPC}}s, turning them against their friends. Thanks to the fact that some of these characters were made playable in the next-gen versions as well as DLC content, namely Colossus, Cyclops, and the Hulk, [[SparedByTheAdaptation this keeps them from getting brainwashed and and the evil versions are instead presumably duplicates]].
** Happens again in the sequel, ''Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2'', only done by [[spoiler:the Fold]] instead. Seems like the programmers like forcing you to beat the crap out of everyone in the game, regardless of whether they're on your side.
* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'':
** In ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootTheWrathOfCortex'' Crunch is brainwashed by Cortex to work with the Elementals and try to kill Crash.
** In ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot2NTranced'', Crunch, Coco and Fake Crash are brainwashed by N. Trance into trying to kill Crash.
** In ''VideoGame/CrashNitroKart'', N. Trance brainwashes Polar, Pura and Dingodile to form a race team to put against the Bandicoot.
** In ''VideoGame/CrashOfTheTitans'', Coco is brainwashed to work on the Doominator (thus trying to wipe out Wumpa Island...and kill Crash).
** In ''VideoGame/CrashMindOverMutant'', Crunch, Coco, and a lot of mutants are brainwashed with the [=NVs=] to turn evil...and try to kill Crash.
*** Let's do some Maths; not counting the mutants, there have been TEN cases of brainwashing, SIX individuals involved, across FIVE games, with TWO of the individuals being brainwashed and crazy THREE times. This does not take into consideration all the mutants in the lattermost game, which could make the individuals and cases into the hundreds or thousands. Oh, and we haven't even mentioned the whole deal with the Cortex Vortex and Cortex Commandos. If Anime/CodeGeass is "Brainwashed: the Series", Crash Bandicoot is easily "Brainwashed and Crazy: the Series"
* In the "Rebirth" expansion for ''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'' this trope is applied to the PlayerCharacter. You end up losing contact with your squad and fightign ghosts, only to find that the "ghosts" were your squad, who're now trying to cure the crazy the only way they know how (i.e. euthanasia). The rest fof the game consists of fighting past them so you can [[spoiler: [[GrandTheftMe become]] the new [[TheDragon Paxton Fettal]]]].
* In ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}'', [[spoiler:Jack is programmed to find and kill his biological father. Is justified in that Atlas has manipulated him so well that his suggestions come across as reasonable, to the character and the player.]]
* This is known as indoctrination in the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' universe. Spend enough time in the presence of a [[EldritchAbomination Reaper]], and you will succumb to its will ''permanently''. More horribly, it's implied that you are fully conscious of the effect, but [[AndIMustScream can't do a thing about it]]. This is also known as "a sour note from space", with which Sovereign compelled the ancient rachni into fighting a BugWar until they became [[EndangeredSpecies (almost) extinct]].
** Don't think of Reaper indoctrination as mind control; [[FateWorseThanDeath think of it as someone forcefully destroying your free will]]. The worst part is that Reapers usually have it happen slowly: most of the time, their victim doesn't even realize they're being manipulated, and think that these thoughts, which ''just happen'' to help the Reapers, are their own and are perfectly reasonable.
** The Leviathan has a similar ability: the difference is that the Leviathan's mind control isn't permanent (it only lasts as long as the Leviathan is directly thinking about it), and it doesn't necessarily destroy a person's mental faculties (although it certainly ''can''). [[spoiler:Since the Reapers were built in the image of the Leviathans, their indoctrination is a more advanced and developed form of the Leviathan's control.]]
** Jack, aka Subject Zero, is a more direct version of this Trope in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2''. She was injected with drugs as a kid to equate killing with pleasure.
** In a strange twist, '''you''' can get this ability. If you [[spoiler:side with Morinth]], you can learn her loyalty ability, Dominate. It stuns enemies, gives them a biotic shield, and makes them attack their allies for a few seconds before they come to their senses. Essentially, it's AI hacking, but for organic opponents.
** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', it's revealed that [[spoiler: Cerberus troops are Indoctrinated and have been implanted with Reaper technology, making them appear semi-Huskified. The Illusive Man has also fallen under the spell of Indoctrination, which you can make him realise at the end of the game]].
** Somewhat subverted with Kai Leng. Despite being heavily Indoctrinated, it hasn't appeared to have altered [[KickTheDog his]] [[AxeCrazy personality]] [[EvilIsPetty whatsoever]].
* The pyramid in ''VideoGame/{{Stationfall}}'' [[spoiler:slowly turns all machinery, intelligent or not, against their creators]]. And that includes [[spoiler:your RobotBuddy, Floyd]].
* [[spoiler: Edgar]] in ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVII'', though he's stalling as much as he can.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'', Cynder is the unfortunate victim of this by The Dark Master. [[spoiler:He had her kidnapped and brainwashed her into his loyal and powerful (and also surprisingly literal) [[TheDragon Dragon]].]] Spyro finally beats her and returns her to her normal self, but she's so guilty over what she did, it haunts her most of the series. Then in the GrandFinale, [[spoiler:Malefor uses a HanibalLecture to confuse her enough for him to brainwash her again to turn her against Spyro.]] Thankfully, she's saved this time by the PowerOfLove.
* Venus, from the non-canonical ''VideoGame/MetalGearAcid2'', attempts to kill Snake 2.0 after recovering the Lucindia File because Wiseman ordered her to, and it is heavily implied, if not outright stated, that Wiseman removed her free will when creating her, meaning she really did not have any other choice but to comply.
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPortableOps'', there is Null, the Perfect Soldier: He used to be a war orphan named Frank Jaeger, but he ended up taken by CIA agents from a relief center as a test subject. As he was the only surviving and successful test subject, Null had no emotions, doubts or even memories, and presumably no free will, as he had only one purpose: to complete the mission.
* In ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'':
** The Ancient Devil, one of the {{Bonus Boss}}es, will sometimes take control of one of your party members and force him or her to fight by his side, making them an enemy. What's worse is that they can use everything they have against you, including weapon unleashes, items, Pysnergy, [[OhCrap and using your own summons against you]] should you have any Djinn on standby. This gets a whole lot worse if the manipulated character has powerful healing abilities or uses the all HP restoring Potion on the boss.
*** Tyrell or Eoleo: Big damage headed your way, but heal by items only. Go nuts. (Hint: [[ArtificialBrilliance this almost never happens]].)
*** Himi: Healing and Weapon Grace are your only concern. Go nuts. (Again, [[ArtificialBrilliance this almost never happens]].)
*** Matthew: Healing, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck Ragnarok/Odyssey]], and high attack power. You might actually want to take him down.
*** Amiti or Rief: Two words: [[OhCrap Pure Ply]]. KILL THEM NOW! ([[ArtificialBrilliance Big targets, but two others are bigger still]].)
*** Karis: Attack Psynergy and [[ThisIsGonnaSuck Healing Gale]] ahoy. Strangely, actually preferable compared to Rief. ([[ArtificialStupidity His priority two target]].)
*** Sveta: Nasty attacks and [[ThisIsGonnaSuck Vital Boon]]. Do not let this happen. ([[ArtificialBrilliance Priority one. Always.]])
*** [[GameBreaker Transformed Sveta]]: [[OhCrap FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF]][[AtomicFBomb UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU]]
** In the main game itself, we have [[spoiler: King Volcheck as the Chaos Hound.]]
* In ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'', it is revealed that [[spoiler:the player character, while interned in a labor camp,]] was mentally conditioned to [[spoiler:seek out and kill the President of The United States when read a certain string of numbers.]] However, his unusual degree of willpower allowed him to resist...[[spoiler: whereupon he was brainwashed into channeling the dying wishes of a Russian prisoner.]] Futhermore, he's one of hundreds [[spoiler: of sleeper agents scattered across the United States, all of whom have similar programming]]. The icing on the cake is when, in the ending cutscene, it's implied [[spoiler: that despite killing the man who imprisoned and hypnotised him, the player did end up succumbing to the conditioning and carrying out the assassination]].
* Eternity swords can be very difficult to handle properly in ''VisualNovel/EienNoAselia''. As evidence, [[spoiler:Kyouko's mind is devoured by Void almost as soon as she gets it]] and at the end of the game [[spoiler:the Shun that Yuuto once knew is dead, similarly devoured by The World.]]
* ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' has [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX Jecht]], and the prequel ''Duodecim'' has [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX Tidus]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Terra]], and reveals that in the original, [[spoiler: [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX Kuja]]]] was this as well. One wonders if Chaos just has recruiting problems or something.
** Averted, however, with [[spoiler: Cloud]], who is simply doing his job, [[spoiler: until Sephiroth attacks Tifa in an attempt to get Cloud to fight him.]] He defects in time for the last cycle.
* Strictly speaking, the Zerg in the original ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'' are this, as the Xel'Naga instilled them with an overriding biological imperative to absorb the genetic potential of other species into their own, whereas they were previously peaceful and harmless worms low on the food chain of their homeworld -- no, this isn't a spoiler, it's AllThereInTheManual. [[spoiler:''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' reveals that the Overmind actually orchestrated his own death and groomed Kerrigan as his successor in order to finally grant the Zerg true free will, as she was not hampered by the same imperative.]]
* Happens by accident in ''VideoGame/{{Drakensang}}'': [[spoiler:the Dragon Carbuncle you give to the Dwarf King Arombolosch turns out to be infested by a Demon, which eventually takes over the dwarf king, forcing you to defeat him in battle.]]
* ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars II'' reveals that [[spoiler:the Screamers are actually Morrigi who were turned against their own by Suul'ka.]]
* Kerrigan in ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'', for she was forcibly infested and transformed into a slave of the Overmind against her will.
* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' has [[spoiler:Tsubaki Yayoi]], who performs a FaceHeelTurn after being [[MindRape mind raped]] by [[BigBad Hazama]] and led to believe that her life and [[ClingyJealousGirl chance to be with her love]] are ruined by her best friend's very existence, [[MurderTheHypotenuse so she sets out to remedy it]]. [[spoiler:Thanks to said best friend, said love interest, and a mutual friend of all three, she returns to normal.]]
* In ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'', this happens to '''many''' characters. More exactly, there are two big cases:
** The whole deal with [[spoiler: Bison's BodyguardBabes the Dolls]] relays on [[spoiler: a group of teenage girls from all over the world being kidnapped and subjected to this treatment to end up as an AmazonBrigade. Only when one of them (Cammy, Bison's OppositeSexClone) starts breaking through, ''and'' the survival instincts of two Dolls (Juni and Juli) prove to be stronger than the brainwashing, the whole plan begins to crumble down. However, it takes ''much'' more than mere defusing to get them back to something similar to normalcy, as in the VideoGame/StreetFighterIV Juri OVA we see that the girls must receive extensive medical treatment [[GirlInABox in Shadaloo capsules]]. Later, T. Hawk and Cammy's paths reveal that Juli has become an EmptyShell EmotionlessGirl and Juni is amnesiac in a British hospital; while it's not certain that the first will ever get better, the second is in her path to a slow but sure recovery.]]
** Midway through ''Alpha 3'', several story paths intersect thanks to this trope. [[spoiler: Ryu is captured by Bison to become his "host body", then is infused forcibly with the Psycho Drive's energy and ends up like this. Sagat is ''horrified'' when he finds out, has a HeelRealization and [[IKnowyouAreInThereSomewhereFight tries to snap Ryu out of his state]]; meanwhile, Ryu's friends Ken and Sakura fight Bison off. It takes both Sagat's prodding and Sakura being seriously injured by Bison to fully get Ryu defused.]]
** To a smaller degree, there's also [[spoiler: Ken being caught and brainwashed by Bison in Ryu's path, in a ShoutOut to the animated movie.]]
* This is the reason why [[spoiler: Kyo's father Saisyu]] is seen as [[spoiler: TheDragon to Rugal Berstein]] in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters 95''. [[spoiler: You have to fight ''and'' defeat to get him out of such a state.]]
** In the KOF: KYO manga, this happens [[spoiler: to ''Kyo Kusanagi himself'', as during a fight with Iori he falls in a frenzied state that's actually ''Kyo's own version of the Riot of the Blood''; Athena says he's "entranced by Orochi" and both Mature and Vice confirm this to Iori and Billy, though unlike Iori and Leona's [[AxCrazy completely savage states]], Kyo is in an Orochi-empowered TranquilFury. Saisyu is the one who snaps him out of it via [[WarriorTherapist fighting Kyo on his own]] [[IKnowyouAreInThereSomewhereFight and reminding him of his purpose in life]].]]
** In the Tales of Ash saga, this happens to both [[spoiler: Chizuru Kagura]] in ''2003'' and [[spoiler: Rugal's daughter Rose]] in ''XI''. More exactly, [[spoiler: both are controlled as a sort of PeoplePuppets by Botan from Those of the Past. Chizuru is recovers almost at the end of ''2003'', right before the fight against Mukai; Rose remains like this and is freed only at the end of ''XIII''.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'' combines this with CyberneticsEatYourSoul for a truly [[TearJerker tear-jerking example]]: [[spoiler: Lucas's twin brother, Claus, goes missing early on in the game after leaving to avenge the death of their mother. Three years later, while Lucas is on his journey to save the world, they encounter a masked man on multiple occasions. This man is completely subject to [[BigBad Porky]]'s control, commands the army of [[FacelessMooks Pigmasks]], and has the ability to pull the [[MacGuffin Seven Needles]] just like Lucas can. After six of them are pulled, Lucas and the Masked Man confront each other in front of the seventh. The Masked Man is revealed to be none other than a thoroughly brainwashed Claus.]]
--> The Masked Man removed his mask
--> His face looked just like Lucas's
--> [[spoiler: It was [[TearJerker Claus]].]]
** In general, the humanoid and some of the animal enemies in the ''Videogame/{{MOTHER}}'' series are suffering this, leading them to attack the party. Once defeated, they "turn back to normal" or "regain all senses."
* A strange example in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' and ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic''. It's revealed in ''Revan'', the prequel novel to the latter that [[spoiler: the ''real'' reason that Revan and Malak originally fell to the Dark Side was the result of [[MoreThanMindControl torture and mind-control]] at the hands of the Sith Emperor, being sent back as [[ManchurianAgent vanguards]] for the Sith Empire's invasion, but with no memory of the event]]. In Revan's case, this ironically ended up being broken when [[spoiler: the Jedi ''also'' tried to brainwash him, causing the latter brainwashing not to entirely stick]].
** In the ''Foundry'' Flashpoint for ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', [[spoiler: Revan is ([[AmbiguousSituation possibly]]) implied to have undergone this ''again'' in the three centuries they've been held in stasis and tortured by the Emperor. His plan was to use the Foundry to create an army of Droids that will wipe out all those with Sith DNA, accounting for 98% of the Sith Empire (and a large amount of individuals in the Republic as well). It's left vague whether Revan's KillEmAll plan is due to SanitySlippage or if he might not be ''entirely'' correct about resisting [[OmnicidalManiac the Emperor's]] control]].
* This happens to the Romulan player character in ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'', who due to bad luck with an Iconian portal ends up falling into the Tal Shiar's hands and ends up a test-subject for brainwashing into a loyal agent. Fortunately, you get broken out of it before they do any real damage -- a deep-cover agent of the Republic manipulates the intricacies of what the brainwashing does to trick you into letting him un-brainwash you while you're still in the 'testing out how well the brainwashing took' stage of the process, and while you did some seriously bad stuff, they were bad stuff that would have happened (and just as easily) anyway -- the ''only'' reason why you specifically is tapped to [[spoiler: help put together a Thalaron weapon and implant Borg devices into a captive until she becomes a drone]] is to test how well the brainwashing took.
* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** The "Story" mode of ''VideoGame/SonicPinballParty'' begins with Dr. Robotnik having kidnapped Sonic the Hedgehog's companions, Tails and Amy, and hypnotized them against him. This leads to Tails and Amy acting violent towards Sonic and having [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] and a SlasherSmile. Knuckles is the only one not to fall under this, as he simply wants to beat Sonic. Sonic is able to snap Tails and Amy out of the trance by beating them.
%% ** In ''VideoGame/SonicRivals'' 2, [[spoiler:The [[FinalBoss Ifrit]] does this to either Sonic, Tails, Knuckles or Rouge, depending on whom you're playing as(I.E. You fight Tails as Sonic and vice-versa, same goes for Knuckles and Rouge).]]
* Everyone (or at least, all of Bowser's troops and all the native wildlife) in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory''. Fawful managed to hypnotise or mind control just about everyone in sight to worship him as some of celebrity/deity cross before physically altering their appearances to look exactly like himself, with the same creepy SlasherSmile and green colouring. You can even save the Chain Chomps from this fate by vacuuming away the parasites controlling them.
* In ''VideoGame/YuGiOhReshefOfDestruction'', after being kidnapped, the next time you see Mokuba, he's been brainwashed by Reshef. Kaiba won't duel him, so your character does instead.
** The ending reveals Pegasus was under Reshef's control the entire time.
* In ''VideoGame/KingdomOfParadise'', it is said that only the Ruthless Clans and the Kirin Lord can induce Chi Disruption on anyone, which is basically this trope. Sui Lin becomes victim to this... ''twice''. The first time this happens is in the Old Mine in Southern Suzaku, where she displays MindControlEyes, giggles madly and attacks Shinbu while "declaring" that she loves him. She ends up at the Suzaku throne room where Lord Xiuk Yu was able to suppress the Chi Disruption. However, this was only a temporary measure, as Sui Lin can only be freed from mind control if the user decides. If this keeps up, Sui Lin could die. The second time this happens ends up being a HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:It turns out that Lord Jok Xiu was controlling Sui Lin to try to get the clan swords before the Kirin got their hands on them. Under the influence of Chi Disruption, Sui Lin ends up killing Jok Xiu with the Byakko Clan Sword.]] After the act was committed, Sui Lin breaks down before being taken away by the Kirin.
* In ''VideoGame/YuGiOhMonsterCapsuleGB'', Seto Kaiba and his subordinates have been brainwashed by the Millennium Ring.
* In ''VideoGame/StarOcean1'', [[spoiler:Erys was kidnapped, had her memories repressed, and brainwashed into becoming an assassin.]]
* In ''VideoGame/YuGiOhNightmareTroubadour'', Para, Dox, and Pegasus were mind-controlled by Noah. After the brainwashing wears off, they become friendly to the player.
* ''VideoGame/YuGiOhBAM'' has an unusual example for a Yu-Gi-Oh game in that ''you'' get brainwashed and are forced to attack your friends, along with the usual plot of your friends being brainwashed to attack you.
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' provides the protagonist with a blowpipe that, among other things, can fire berserk darts, which cause the victim to go...[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin berserk]]...and attack their own allies, then fall over dead when the effects wear off. The sequel, ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRogue'', [[SequelEscalation ups the ante]] with berserk grenades, which release a gas that affects entire crowds, including civilians and even animals.
* In ''VideoGame/SandsOfDestruction'', [[spoiler:Morte]] ends up this way briefly, under the mind control of a certain Beastlord. The ensuing fight will net you a NonstandardGameOver if you accidentally kill your companion.
* In the first ''{{VideoGame/Bayonetta}}'' game, its revealed that [[spoiler:Jeanne]] was brainwashed by the BigBad, [[spoiler:Father Balder]], into being TheRival to Bayonetta in order to force her memories to return so that she would awaken the powers of the 'Left Eye of Darkness'. She's able to shake off the brainwashing, though, the moment before the big bad decided to dispose of her, and is able to escape her demise.
* In ''VideoGame/BlackDesertOnline'', [[spoiler:Chancellor Jordine]] goes out of his way to do this to himself (and combine it with Demonic Posession) in the interest of taking revenge against Calpheon. When you beat him up and snap him out of it, he's unapologetic.
* ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' has Widowmaker, a cold-blooded and heartless assassin who was once known as Amélie Lacroix, a perfectly sweet innocent civilian. However, she was married to high-ranking Overwatch member Gérard Lacroix, who foiled the schemes of terrorist organization Talon at every turn. So instead of fighting him head on, they instead kidnapped his wife, and subjected to her intense brainwashing, neural reconditioning, torture, and the complete obliteration of her original personality, and then returned her (seemingly) unchanged as a sleeper agent, who killed him in his sleep soon after. Afterwards, they completed the process and turned her into the perfect weapon for assassination through means of biological alteration. There is little to be left of the old Amélie at this point, making her one of the most [[CryForTheDevil tragic]] characters in a game that's not [[CrapsaccharineWorld lacking in tragedy]].
* The main villain of ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'', [[spoiler:Lusamine]], gets hit with this ''bad''. [[spoiler:She's infected with the toxin of UB-01 Symbiote, a.k.a. Nihilego, which causes those it infects to become aggressive towards those around them and protective towards the creature itself. As a result of the infection, Lusamine became abusive towards her children, Lillie and Gladion, until they ran away from home; by the end of the game, her obsession has become so great that she willingly fuses with one of them, [[EldritchAbomination creating one of the most horrifying entities ever seen in the series]]. Oh, and the ending implies that [[AndIMustScream she may have been at least partially conscious throughout all of this]], and that [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone she is horrified by what she did in this state]].]] However, in ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'', [[spoiler: this was removed, with Lusamine wanting to defeat Necrozma. Her Mother Beast form is never fought, and the battle is replaced with Necrozma, who subjects Solgaleo/Lunala under Necrozma's control to fuse into Necrozma's new forme. Solgaleo/Lunala comes to its senses after defeating Ultra Necrozma.]]
* In ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'', this is what happens to any android or robot afflicted with the [[RedEyesTakeWarning Logic Virus]]. They go crazy and attack absolutely everyone, leaving their friends and allies in despair.
* ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomClashOfTheSuperheroes'': The SecretCharacter known as Shadow Lady is [[VideoGame/StreetFighter Chun-Li]] from an AlternateUniverse where she was [[ReforgedIntoAMinion forcibly turned into a]] [[UnwillingRoboticization brainwashed cybernetic minion]] for Shadaloo. Before she was forcibly roboticized, Chun-Li routinely foiled Shadaloo's plans at every turn, and in retaliation, Shadaloo kidnapped, experimented and [[{{Cyborg}} cyborgized]] her for the sake of turning her into a pawn against Interpol. When the task was completed, they turned her into a living weapon, complete with a new name and transformed her into M. Bison's [[TheDragon top operative]]. Unlike Shadow--a roboticized Charlie Nash, who escaped shortly after being transformed--Shadaloo added a RestrainingBolt to Shadow Lady's programming and internal systems so the cyborg would [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul remain fully obedient and loyal to Bison]], and complete her missions by having her body be remotely controlled, essentially making her a [[DarkActionGirl Dark Action]] RobotGirl. As Shadow Lady, [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul Chun-Li's formerly cheerful personality was obliterated, and her body's physiology altered so it]] [[EmotionlessGirl experienced no emotion apart from being a ruthless but highly effective killing machine]] and assassin for Shadaloo - in essence, she is essentially a completely different person inhabiting her body and mind (being more machine than human), and serves as nothing but a weapon against her former allies and Interpol. It's also been implied that deep down, [[AndIMustScream the old Chun-Li is still there on some level]], and is at least partially aware of what she has done. Even if her allies ever managed to revive her, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Chun-Li would have to deal with the]] [[HeelRealization guilt of being a tool for Shadaloo]], not to mention the fact that [[RealityEnsues being a brainwashed robotic minion wouldn't go away overnight]] should she become a good person again. Aside from retaining a few moves from her non-cyborgified variant, she has built-in high tech weaponry, and all of this was augmented to her robotic body, like the T-X from the ''{{Franchise/Terminator}}'' series, thus making her more faster and stronger than Shadow, but at the cost of becoming a brainwashed minion for Shadaloo. She shoots [[HomingProjectile homing]]/[[MissileLockOn heat-seeking missiles]] from [[BackpackCannon her back]], thrusts forward with [[ThisIsADrill a drill]], encases herself in a [[ShockAndAwe electric barrier]] (that also [[DeflectorShield deflects attacks]] and stuns opponents), miniaturized Vernier thrusters in her feet that enable her to jump much higher (and allow her to kick more rapidly) and fires a large beam ([[ArmCannon Big Bang Laser]]) from [[HandBlast her palms]]. [[spoiler:In her ending however, she manages to [[HeroicWillpower overcome Shadaloo's brainwashing,]] [[HeelFaceTurn regain her original memories as Chun-Li]], and join forces with Shadow in taking down Shadaloo. Despite this, she retains her robotic parts even after the brainwashing broke.]]
* ''Ristar'' has the manual state that the leaders are brainwashed by Greedy to do his bidding. In reality, though, some of the bosses are sent by Greedy, for instance Riho, who controls the Elder who sent Ristar, and the only boss that Greedy '''does''' brainwash is Adahan, who gets an armor while he is brainwashed. According to the credits in the Genesis version, after Adahan's defeat, the other moles glare at Adahan.
* In ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' [[spoiler:Callie]] is brainwashed by DJ Octavio and his "hypnoshades", complete with an EvilCostumeSwitch. [[spoiler:She comes to her senses after Marie shoots the shades off with her Hero Charger.]]
** [[spoiler:Agent 3 also shares a similar fate in the ''Octo Expansion'' DLC when they are partially santized by Commander Tartar, and forced to fight Agent 8.]]
* ''VideoGame/MoshiMonsters'' has a downplayed example in one of the missions. The villain mesmerizes a university's students and they do go a bit insane, breaking items and making a mess, but they don't actually hurt or kill anyone.
* ''VideoGame/MegaMan1'' has the robot masters reprogrammed to fight alongside Wily, but Mega Man puts a stop to Wily's schemes.
** In another case, ''VideoGame/MegaMan8BitDeathmatch'' V5B onward has [[spoiler: Wily using a device to reprogram the robot masters from the first and sixth games again so that Mega Man would not die. The device is used on the player as well, but before this can complete, Mega Man uses the last of his strength with the Super Arm to completely destroy the device, freeing the player from Wily's grasp.]]
** In ''VideoGame/MegaManSuperFightingRobot'', Proto Man seems to be the main villain like Mega Man 5, but unlike Mega Man 5, [[spoiler: Wily had brainwashed Proto Man into turning against the heroes. He comes to his senses after Mega Man defeats him.]]
* ''VideoGame/DynamiteHeaddy'' has four bosses that have keys on them. It turned out that Dark Demon/[[spoiler: Smiley]] brainwashed them into going after Headdy.
-->'''Dark Demon/[[spoiler:Smiley]]''': Fingy...? As I suspected, hypnotizing the Key Masters was a failure.
* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'': An [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace accident in the Void]] drove all the adults on the ''Zariman 10-0'' insane, while the children [[spoiler:gained incredible Void powers and eventually became the Tenno]]. Rell, an autistic boy, seems to believe that the adults have been possessed by a Void entity that he later names the Man in the Wall. Whether he's right or not is unclear.
-->'''Rell's Mother:''' ''[[[KnifeNut wielding a knife]]]'' Mama's here.\\
'''Rell:''' Mmm. Not mama... not anymore. Mmm. Something... else. Haven't figured it out yet...
* A significant gameplay and story consideration in ''VideoGame/PhantomDoctrine'': any agent you hire, and any agent that you "lose track of" for any reason, may be brainwashed by your enemies, which effects including informing on your activities (making them more dangerous), turning against you during combat or an infiltration, or even sabotaging your base of operations. Canonically, in the CIA storyline, [[spoiler: Fender]] is this when you meet him. However, you get the opportunity to turn the tables by building the MKULTRA Facility, which allows you to interrogate and brainwash enemy agents to work for you in the same way (though you have to steal the enemy brainwashing technology to do so). Double and Triple Agents are possible, and killing captured agents quickly becomes a ''waste of resources''.
* ''VideoGame/EternalTwilight'': The Blood Magi have the ability to revive the dead into a seemingly living state, all while controlling them. [[spoiler:Verona, Zaryte, and Devi are killed by the Blood Council and revived as bosses for the party to defeat. Miranda was revived so that the Blood Magi have a means of infiltrating the Enclave and stealing the COSMOS relic.]]
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'':
** Primals. godlike beings made of aether, brainwash anyone they come in contact with known as tempering. Once someone is tempered, they completely lose their sense of self and do their primal's bidding. This can be extremely dangerous since a tempered person can attack innocents or steal crystals to give their primal more energy. Only death can sever the victim's link to the primal.
** Near the climax of the ''Shadowbringers'' story, the citizens [[spoiler: in Elumore]] start acting strangely and then attack the protagonists. It's soon discovered that [[spoiler: Vauthry]] was able to mind control his people by having them continuously eat a specific food that [[spoiler: is made out of Sin Eater flesh]].
* Nabooru in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' gets kidnapped by Koume and Kotake during the Young Link timeline. When Link finds her again in the Spirit Temple as an adult, she's in the suit of an [[EliteMook Iron Knuckle]] and attacks him due to her being brainwashed. When Link defeats her, the armor falls apart and she regains her senses before the twin witches kidnap her again.
* ''VideoGame/TaikoDrumMaster'': [[spoiler:Alumi]] from ''Dodon~! to Nidaime!'' is brainwashed by [[spoiler:her creator, Dr. Waruru,]] into wreaking havoc on the festival and fighting her friends. Don manages to bring her back to her senses, but she stops functioning as a result of her defeat.
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[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In the ''[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick Order of the Stick]]''. Nale, the EvilTwin brother of the bard Elan, casts [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0383.html Charm Person]] on the party's halfling ranger, Belkar Bitterleaf. The first attempt ("If you see any of your allies before I get back, kill them and bring me their magic items") fails because the spell won't allow the command to go against the character's basic nature, but the second ("If you see any of your allies before I get back, kill them and keep their magic items for yourself") succeeds, even when Nale adds, "While singing the complete score to ''Meet Me in St. Louis''." HilarityEnsues, of the actually hilarious variety.
** A more serious example is Tsukiko's use of [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0516.html Dominate Person]] on Thanh (mentioned above), and an outright disturbing example is what Xykon [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0448.html did to a roomful of paladins]].
* This trope is a huge theme of Oasis's in ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance''.
* This tropes causes major plot twists in ''Webcomic/ItsWalky''.
* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': One of Vriska's more impressive displays of her MindControl abilities is an example of this. [[spoiler:She controls Sollux and forces him into a SuperpowerMeltdown, and then uses the resulting EyeBeam explosion to kill Aradia.]] She later pulls off a fairly impressive "double psychic reacharound" to control [[spoiler:Tavros and his [[TheBeastMaster Beast Master]] skills to in turn mind control Terezi's lusus and permanently blind Terezi.]] However, Vriska soon finds her powers are far less useful on humans; the best she can do is make a human fall asleep instantly ([[spoiler: Jade's chronic narcolepsy was in fact Vriska testing the limits of her powers on humans]]).
** [[spoiler:The Condesce]] later takes this UpToEleven: [[spoiler:Because she possesses the combined abilities of all the trolls, including the aforementioned powers of Vriska and Tavros, she is able to give Dogtier Jade a [[HumanoidAbomination Grimdark]] form. She immediately commands [[IncrediblyLamePun Grimbark]] Jade to zap the Tiaratop onto Jane's head, converting her to the [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Borg]]-like Crockerdark form.]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', {{Satan}} can BOMF people to bad. Except that the power appears to be decreasing as the strip gets LighterAndSofter.
* In ''Webcomic/MSPaintMasterpieces'', Wily snuck in virus type programming into all the original robot master's to get them to defect. The POV comics with Cut Man's desperate struggles to remain himself are... disturbing and heartbreaking. Then you have the likes of Ice Man jumping headfirst into it and helping to spread the MindControl.
** Also, [[spoiler: anyone under Quintet's MindControl or using one of his support units.]]
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Dex is [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-05-23 manipulated]] into [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2011-05-17 attempting to kill]] [[spoiler: Noah]], Grace and Greg (even though it would kill him too).
* Subverted in ''{{Webcomic/Exiern}}'': Niels is attacked by a magic user and controlled to steal Peonie, then it's revealed that the spell is just controlling his body and while he can still talk and think, he's powerless to stop it, he apologizes, and then says that he can't do anything about it, so he's gonna have fun playing a bad guy.
* Happens to [[spoiler: Spock]] in ''Webcomic/EnsignSueMustDie''.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'', the WildCard bordering on ChaoticStupid behavior of Jillian Zamussels, notorious for attacking pretty much anyone at random, makes a lot more sense when you read the prequel [[spoiler:and learn that her mind was tampered with [[MindRape to try and forcibly remold her base personality to one that her captors considered more suitable]] during a procedure to cure her addition to heroine buds]].
* Rosmaster does this to Almond in the third chapter of ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest''. Almond is brainwashed into viewing LoveableCoward Carrot as so weak and useless that he might as ''well'' be a villain for her to fight, and strikes at him with her sword until he's driven over the edge of a cliff. Afterwards, Almond is incredibly shaken and simply runs into Carrot's arms, crying. She also becomes very angry when the others (who were knocked out at the time) edge towards CryForTheDevil.
* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'': Some of the main characters are survivors of an island settlement got an outbreak of ThePlague from one of its inhabitants getting brainwashed into smuggling a PlagueZombie rat past the island's security measures, deliberately infecting themselves, then going to a bake sale while the disease's TyphoidMary phase was well underway.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Podcast/DiceFunk: The campaign really doesn't begin until mind-controlled miners show up and attack the party in the street.
* Any and all dark Creturians who attack the protagonists in the web fiction serial ''Literature/DimensionHeroes''.
* In ''Roleplay/TheGamersAlliance'', [[LovableRogue Jessica]] ends up brainwashed by the Clergy of Mardük and is sent to steal a magic sword from her friend Refan and kill Refan in order to leave no witnesses. [[{{Pirate}} Kaizoku]] and [[FriendToAllLivingThings Tanya]] also end up brainwashed by the same clergy although Kaizoku eventually breaks free from the clergy's control.
* Kaori from ''Literature/TheImpossibleMan'' went through this when she fought Wolfgang alongside Yuki.
* This happens to WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick and WebVideo/ToddInTheShadows in ''WebVideo/ToBoldlyFlee'' when they underwent UnwillingRoboticisation through [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Mechakara]].
* What has happened to [[WebAnimation/{{TOME}} Alpha]], Fen, [[Webcomic/{{Homestuck}} Karkat Vantas]], [[VideoGame/DarkSouls Solaire of Astora]] and [[Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde Jekyll/Hyde]] in the Keep the Flag Flying arc of ''Roleplay/OurAvatarsWereInARoomTheContinuation'', thanks to some ColdBloodedTorture
* [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/Prolecto Prolecto]] has this as the MO of Azazel. Anyone infected by Azazel's Ichor is turned into a slave of Azazel, and has their personality warped under the control of the core.
* In ''Literature/ChronoHustle'' [[spoiler:Melinda was brainwashed by the TDD to bring them Jack and Mary in order to erase all of their memories of the situation in 2347, as well as capturing Aphrodite for some reason not yet revealed. They had also attempted this on her partner, the second Jack, but he was immune, unbeknownst to them.]]
* In ''[[WebVideo/TheCartoonMan Journey of the Cartoon Man]]'', Oswald Sherzikien uses the Glove of the Animator to turn cartoonified people into his mindless servants.
* The Legendary Birds are forcibly evolved and brainwashed by special armor created by Team Rocket during the Team Rocket arc of ''Roleplay/WeAreOurAdventuringAvatars''. If this armor is broken, the mind control is lifted.
* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': The Overlord of Evil is capable of inflicting this on people to do his bidding, such as [[spoiler: Melissa.]]
* ''LetsPlay/{{Mahu}}'': In "Second Chance", the alien Zracon use their psionic powers to turn some of the Galactic Commonwealth's people into sleeper agents.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko Happens almost everytime someone is xanafied. Special mention to Aelita, William and Jeremie.
* The Creator/{{Disney}} short film ''Disney/EducationForDeath'' describes this brainwashing process painfully well.
* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': This is [[BigBad Hawk Moth]]'s modus operandi; he finds normal people who are feeling negative emotions and turns them into supervillains under his command.
** It's surprisingly common for these brainwashed villains to have mind control powers of their own, and it's practically a RunningGag at this point that Chat Noir will fall victim to them.
* In the three-part pilot movie of ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'', Zurg uses this to send all of Star Command after Team Lightyear, the variation is that he actually uses a HiveMind technology to actually become everyone he possessed all at once.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster'', Eggplant Wizard and King Hippo brainwash Simon Belmont with a literal brainwashing machine (complete with detergent), changing him from Vampire Hunter to N-Team Hunter.
* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}: WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' saw Megatron inflict this trope on Rhinox, who became so evil Megatron was forced to change him back. Apparently learning his lesson, in Beast Machines he completely changes the personalities of [[spoiler:Silverbolt and Rhinox]] when he puts them in Vehicon bodies. So much so, in fact, that the Maximals don't recognize them until Rattrap hacks into [[spoiler:Rhinox]]'s memory banks. This time, unfortunately, [[spoiler:Rhinox]] does not become good again once his memories resurface.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': [[spoiler:Brother Blood brainwashed the Teen Titans East (Aqualad, Mas and Menos, Speedy and Bumblebee), and he plans on using them to destroy Cyborg and/or turn them into his new H.I.V.E. academy students.]] It was so well-done that they used to provide the picture above.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker'', Joker and Harley Quinn brainwashed Robin/Tim Drake in into essentially becoming another Joker. However, [[spoiler:this ended up backfiring when Tim broke through the brainwashing when ordered to kill Batman and instead killed the Joker.]]
** Also, no hypnosis was involved here at all; Joker turned Tim into "Joker Junior" through ColdBloodedTorture.
* In ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', Superman is brainwashed by Granny Goodness and Darkseid. Once he comes to, he is not happy.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', in the episode [[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderLakeLaogai Lake Laogai]], Jet is brainwashed by Long Feng into attacking Aang.
* The Human Torch gets brainwashed in ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFourWorldsGreatestHeroes'' "[[Recap/FantasticFourWorldsGreatestHeroesJohnnyStormAndThePotionOfFire Johnny Storm and the Potion of Fire]]" episode making him much more powerful and giving him more power over fire, but makes him attack his sister. [[spoiler:His willingness to end her life was what snapped him out of it.]] The increase in power might make this also WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhost'' episode "The Sandman". Jan and Jace are {{Brainwashed}} into capturing Space Ghost.
* In ''WesternAnimation/JimmyNeutron'''s "One of Us", an alien disguised as a kindly old lady uses televized mass hypnotism to turn all the citizens, including Jimmy's parents, into happy, mindless meat puppets forcing others to join the fold.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' episode "Moooving Day", Timmy wishes for his mother to sell whatever house she touches. It works, although she ends up selling her own house as well, forcing Timmy to move into a neighborhood where everyone, including his friends and family, act the same. It's revealed that the milk that comes with the new homes turns anyone who drinks it into a StepfordSmiler obsessed with milk, including his parents and godparents, who try to persuade Timmy into becoming like them. All orchestrated by [[CorruptCorporateExecutive wealthy businessman]] Doug Dimmadome to earn more cash.
* ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'': Gadget was once hypnotized by Claw's lackeys into robbing a bank, once again forcing Penny and Brain to clean up his mess.
%%* ''WesternAnimation/TotallySpies'': [[DesignatedVictim Sam falling victim]] to this sort of thing is a RunningGag on the show.
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': Ancient sorceress Morgaine le Fey partially brainwashes Martian Manhunter to steal the powerful Philosophers Stone with promises of reuniting with his home and dead family. He almost hands her the stone, but the memories of Etrigan the Demon (who was one of her earlier victims), finally allows him to break control of the spell and shatter the stone, noting that the price would be too high.
** In the ''Unlimited'' episode "Grudge Match", minor villainess Roulette uses Gorilla Grodd's mind control technology to "recruit" female heroes into fighting in gladiatorial combat games to fund Lex Luthor's machinations for reuniting with Brainiac. BC and Huntress have their work cut out for them trying to get the mind control devices off of their teammates, but once they do, the real fun begins as Roulette reveals the next contestant: Wonder Woman. It's all the four women can do to keep their heads attached as the League's number one warrior barrels into them like a female god of war. By the time Huntress and Black Canary shut down the mind control signal, Wonder Woman was a split second from smashing Vixen and Hawkgirls' skulls together.
* ''WesternAnimation/NedsNewt'': Newton becomes brainwashed by a group of sirens in "The Man Who Would Be Flemking" into rowing his and Ned's boat to the point of crashing into a rock.
-->"We just gotta learn a number that makes people applaud instead of rowing to their death."
* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': As Jack passes through a town, he discovers that all the children of the town are going to a rave party and have been hypnotized by Aku's music played by an evil DJ, which is being played on the outskirts of town, turning the children violent and keeping them away from their parents. In addition, with or without the brainwashing, the children are dressed in what seems to be a "candy raver" style.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures'' episode "Thoughtscape," Jessie is brainwashed by Jeremiah Surd via Questworld, so that she will destroy her family, or at least be the bait to bring Race Bannon to Questworld so Surd can kill him directly. It almost worked, too: She destroyed half the Quest Compound!
* In one ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' episode, the Fight King brainwashes Finn and commands him to kill Jake. [[spoiler: It's later revealed that Finn was faking it as part of a plan.]]
* In the ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'' episode "Le Purrrfect Crime", the episode's villain takes advantage of Dale's EasyAmnesia to turn him against his friends.
** And again in the episode "Chocolate Chips", where a mad chocolatier uses MindControl drugs to turn the rest of the Rangers against Dale, reversing the previous scenario.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' example: WordOfGod re: Nightmare Moon is that Princess Luna was jealous of how all the ponies pranced and played in her sister's bright daytime but slept her beautiful night away, but she kind of kept it to herself and tried to carry on as usual. But a dark force saw that jealousy and used it to invade her consciousness and wreak havoc as Nightmare Moon; when the mane six hit her with the Elements of Harmony it was driven out and all that was left was a remorseful Princess Luna. [[AssPull This dark force hasn't been seen or mentioned since]]. (Or ''ever;'' onscreen, Luna repeatedly references it as her greatest regret, with nary a hint of it being anything but a mistake she made because of jealousy and is now ashamed of.)
** Actually, WordOfGod simply states that Princess Luna had given up on [[PowerOfFriendship the harmony and magic of friendship]] the show is set in, and [[PowerOfHate turned to envy and spite]] towards her sister, Princess Celestia. And in a setting where [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve emotion is magic]], an ensuing [[PsychosomaticSuperpowerOutage Psychosomatic Superpower]][[SuperpoweredEvilSide ed Evil Side]] can be the only logical outcome.
** The "Nightmare Forces" do appear in the ExpandedUniverse [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW comic]], where they exploit Rarity's fears to turn her into the next Nightmare. Luna and the rest of the mane cast help her to defeat the Nightmare Forces [[{{Lunacy}} on the Moon]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' this happens to [[spoiler: the entire Justice League in the season 1 finale]]. The Team assumes its brainwashing initially, until its revealed to be more like a puppet-master controlling them; giving an advantage to the heroes, because the mind-controlled have to wait for instructions to do ''anything''.
** A more traditional case would be [[spoiler: Red Arrow]] who had specific subconscious commands plugged in. The same fate would have awaited Superboy if he hadn't been rescued in the first episode.
* More than one example in ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends''.
* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'' features EldritchAbomination Sh'Gora, who turns the Sorceress into a cackling [[HarpingOnAboutHarpies harpy-like]] creature and sics her on the other heroes.
* One of the last episodes of [[WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsnextDoor Codename: Kids Next Door]] reveals that [[spoiler: The Delightful Children from Down the Lane are actually the missing Sector Z of the Kids Next Door, abducted by [[BigBad Father]] and run through a process known as "delightfulization" that made them the creepy, adult-loving sycophants they are. Because the process was unstable, the condition is permanent; any attempt to revert them to their former selves will ultimately wear off.]]
* In ''Mega-Pinocchio'' {{WesternAnimation/Mega Man}} was controlled by Wily thanks to a mind-control chip. Under Wily's influence Mega Man destroyed a skyscraper, reprogrammed his father's robots, tried to kill his own family by crushing them in a dumpster, attacked Washington DC, and tried to kill his sister again.
* ''WesternAnimation/IvanhoeTheKingsKnight'': Rowena is given a potion by Prince John and sent to kill Ivanhoe in "The Assassin and the Potion." When she fails, Prince John attempts to make her marry him.
* The shtick of more than one villain on ''WesternAnimation/TotallySpies'', with Sam almost invariably being the victim.
* ''WesternAnimation/SuperRobotMonkeyTeamHyperforceGo'': During the final episodes of the series, [[spoiler: Sprx is corrupted by [[ArtifactOfDoom the Fire of Hate]], which causes him to have a FaceHeelTurn and join the villains. Eventually, however, Nova's [[ThePowerOfLove love for him]] snaps him out of it long enough for the rest of the team to use their Power Primate to purify him completely.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3'': In the episode "Oh Brother," Mario is kidnapped by King Koopa via a fishing rod whilst having an argument with his brother, Luigi. He is then brainwashed with a helmet to do the guy's plumbing, since his pipe burst that was being used in a device to slowly flood the Mushroom Kingdom through rain. When Luigi goes to save him, Mario is prompted to destroy Luigi, and he listens willingly, trying to whack Luigi with a wrench. Luigi tries to bring him back to reality by yelling about their childhood, but it doesn't work. He finally un-brainwashes him by pulling the helmet over his eyes, jerking on his suspenders, and tugging on his moustache to mess it up. Mario screams, "Oh, I hate when you do that!" and the helmet pops off, forcing him back to reality.
* In ''WesternAnimation/SonicSatAM'', anyone roboticized by Dr. Robotnik is compelled to follow his orders no matter what. To make it even worse, Uncle Chuck reveals that all roboticization victims are fully aware of what's going on and everything they're doing, [[AndIMustScream but they can't do anything about it]].
[[/folder]]

* ''Fanfic/BreakItDownButterfly'': Paon Bleu's first power "Golden Eye", allowing her to control civilians (the number of civilians at a time making it harder to maintain).

* In the AlternateUniverse manga ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters: G'', ''several'' people are in this state at one moment or another. When [[spoiler: Goenitz arrives to the GrandFinale and starts wreaking havoc]], almost at the same time [[spoiler: Kim Kaphwan and Robert Garcia are briefly brainwashed but bring themselves out on their own (Kim beats [[ButtMonkey Chang and Choi]] but is released immediately afterwards; Robert attacks Ryo, but reacts when the other [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome doesn't even flinch at the sight]])]]; similarly, [[spoiler: the maddened Mr. Big is [[CurbStompBattle easily defeated]] by Wolfgang Krauser.]]

* Disney-Pixar's ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', when [[spoiler:Lotso has Buzz reset into demo mode and convinces him that Jessie and co. are enemy prisoners.]] Later, when Woody returns to Sunnyside to save everyone, the gang tries to re-reset him [[spoiler: [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments and somehow turn him Spanish]]]].

** Merlin is infected with a snake creature by Morgana and brainwashed to kill Arthur. Fortunately, the snake apparently makes him forget about his magic, [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments and he proves to be the single worst assassin in the history of mankind.]]