History Main / Synchronization

* In ''Anime/EurekaSeven'', Coralians are linked to the Scab Coral. If the Scab is being attacked, all Coralians will feel the pain at the same time, hinting that Eureka will die if the Scab Coral is dead. It becomes an important reason for the protagonists to stop Dewey's plan to annihilate Scab Coral. This synchronization caused Renton [[spoiler:to lose his beloved Eureka in the manga ending]], while in the movie ending, [[spoiler:Eureka managed to "work around" this fate (The explanation of how it happened is up to debate, but you can't deny that PowerOfLove plays a huge part in this happening).]]

* Used in one episode of ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker''.

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' gives us Echo Echo, essentially Ditto with a [[MakeMeWannaShout sonic scream]]. He ''doesn't'' have Synchronization, with the duplicates acting more like ''[[Manga/{{Naruto}} kage bunshin no jutsu]]'', as seen in "Singlehanded".

** It's more clearly the case for the people trapped into piloting the enemy Dolems. Ayato himself doesn't quite get this through his head until it's too late, though.

** [[spoiler:The [=HiME=] Childs are powered by the feelings their user has for another (their "Most Important Person"). When the Child dies, so too does the person (though not vice versa, apparently). When this comes into play in the anime (as it happens to pretty much every [=HiME=] by the end), the [=HiME=], whilst surviving, enters a HeroicBSOD (the first one even goes catatonic). There's also a sticky battle between two [=HiMEs=] who share their 'Most Important Person' -- it's the same guy for both of them. As a result, whoever wins kills their Important Person... and in the end, the guy ends dying.]]
** One later battle [[spoiler:between two [=HiMEs=] who each consider the other their most important person ends with both of them dying when their Childs are destroyed]].

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', [[spoiler:The [[PlayerCharacter Avatar]] was created as a living vessel for the [[BigBad fell dragon Grima]]. As such, s/he and Grima share the same soul. This becomes important around the endgame, as Naga revealed that her power could only put Grima back to slumber, and the only way for Grima to die is to kill himself. The Avatar can use this to put a permanent end to the fell dragon, but in doing so, [[HeroicSacrificethey would also die.]]]]

* Yuka and Mika, twin girls in ''Hot Tails'', share not only each other's pain, but also pleasure. Since ''Hot Tails'' is a {{Hentai}} manga, you can guess how this is applied.

** In Part 6, Stone Ocean, Xander McQueen has the Stand "Highway to Hell" which synchronizes him to his victim whenever he attempts to kill himself. This is coupled with zero control over his own suicidal tendencies.

* Quantum entanglement: AlbertEinstein famously derided the concept as "spooky action at a distance". But it turned out that this phenomenon really exists.

Frequently goes hand-in-hand with a PsychicLink, because YourMindMakesItReal, and sometimes with MindLinkMates. Compare MySignificanceSenseIsTingling. Often [[PowerPerversionPotential exploited]] for [[DirtyMindReading very]] [[FetishFuel interesting]] [[RuleThirtyFour effect]].

!!Examples

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', Captain Konmamura's bankai is a giant warrior that mirrors his movements, and any damage inflicted on the bankai will in turn be inflicted on Konmamura's body. Since no one else's bankai has this problem, it makes his power in particular a double-edged sword. His typical strategy is to finish his opponent with one blow.

* The SoBadItsGood Creator/JackieChan film ''Twin Dragons'' has him playing twins SeparatedAtBirth. They can influence each other's movements... somehow. The specifics aren't ironed out, but examples include Engineer Fighter Jackie finding his fingers tapping oddly while Musician Jackie is playing the piano in concert, and Musician Jackie being able to fight off {{Mooks}} while Engineer Jackie is in a cage because Engineer Jackie starts making the correct punch and kick motions.

* The Life Link concept in ''VideoGame/{{Blazblue}}''. What makes it unique is that so long as one lives, the other will continue to survive and the only way to kill them is to take out both individuals at the same time. Ragna/Nu-13 and Terumi/Mu-12 are known examples of this.

* The Life Link concept in ''VideoGame/Blazblue''. What makes it unique is that so long as one lives, the other will continue to survive and the only way to kill them is to take out both individuals at the same time. Ragna/Nu-13 and Terumi/Mu-12 are known examples of this.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'':
** The mecha pilots use neural links to control their Eva units. A meter shows the "synchronization ratio" which depends on several factors including plug depth (increases synch but puts the pilot under more strain as well as risking mental contamination by the Eva) and the pilot's psychological state (being depressed lowers the synch ratio). Low synchronization means you can't pilot the mech at all (it won't even move under 20%), and higher synchronization ratios give the pilot better and better control. It's made clear that higher synchronization ratios are dangerous in various ways, but it's not completely explained. Examples:

*** Similarly, after [[spoiler:descending to a dangerous plug depth in order to save Rei]] in ''[[RebuildOfEvangelion Evangelion 2.22]]'', [[spoiler:Shinji became trapped in the entry plug for ''[[TimeSkip fourteen years]]'', finally being recovered from Unit 01 in the beginning of ''Evangelion 3.33'']].

* A similar system is used on the [[HumongousMecha Endlaves]] in ''GuiltyCrown'': pilots are synchronised to their machines via remote interface, though they feel everything the machine does, and Ayase seems to show physical manifestations of damage to her Endlave on her actual body. How a machine is meant to feel pain (and indeed why you'd build in a system which incapacitates your pilots with extreme pain if their machines are destroyed when hot-swapping pilots between machines can be done instantly) is beyond explanation.
* Likewise Tamers and their partners in ''Anime/DigimonTamers'', once they reached a certain level.
* In ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'', Jogress Evolution (DNA Digivolution in the dub) was achieved (three times) when two of the human characters synched emotionally with each other, merging two Adult/Champion Digimon into a single Perfect/Ultimate. At least one of the three examples came along with a synchronized ''heartbeat'' from the two characters in question.
* ''FushigiYuugi'' featured twin brothers Amiboshi and Suboshi, who felt everything that happened to the other, a la ''The Corsican Brothers''. Also, for a while, Yui was synchronized to Miaka, so that (for instance) when the latter was drowning, the former couldn't breathe.
* At one point in ''VisionOfEscaflowne'', Van became synchronized to Escaflowne. While this allowed him to win the battle in that episode, it also resulted in him taking serious injuries, and the only way to treat them was to get Escaflowne fixed (with poor Van screaming and [[HeroicBSOD BSODing]] in pain as it's done, since fixing Escaflowne is almost like fixing any machine, only more complex and taking the mental/physical link in consideration. And considering that Escaflowne [[PaintItBlack turned black]] when it happened, synchronization could also count as a SuperpoweredEvilSide.
* ''Anime/YuGiOh'':

* The Emilys in ''SoukouNoStrain'' shared a psychic connection first seen when Sara encounters the doll and names it, and the girl takes the name as her own. [[spoiler:The Emily race initially mounted against the Union because they felt their compatriots' pain at being dissected.]]
* ''RahXephon'':

* Mai and the demons in ''{{Kanon}}''.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':

* ''{{Mai-Otome}}'':

* ''MagicKnightRayearth''

* The whole plot of ''{{Loveless}}'' revolved around the empathic connection between "Fighters" and "Sacrifices", in which the first are capable of commanding spells while the second suffer the effects of attacks in combat. The connection between both parties is vital to ensure victory and survival.
* Subverted in a rather cruel fashion in ''{{Mai-HiME}}'':
** [[spoiler: The [=HiME=] Childs are powered by the feelings their user has for another (their "Most Important Person"). When the Child dies, so too does the person (though not vice versa, apparently). When this comes into play in the anime (as it happens to pretty much every [=HiME=] by the end), the [=HiME=], whilst surviving, enters a HeroicBSOD (the first one even goes catatonic). There's also a sticky battle between two [=HiMEs=] who share their 'Most Important Person' -- it's the same guy for both of them. As a result, whoever wins kills their Important Person... and in the end, the guy ends dying.]]

* ''GunXSword'':

* In ''ShikabaneHime'', the death of a contracted monk usually leads to the death of his Shikabane Hime. If she goes on living, she is considered just another Shikabane and must be executed.

* Basil Hawkins, a minor character in ''OnePiece'', makes use of [[HollywoodVoodoo voodoo dolls]] that somehow transfer any damage done to him to whatever unlucky sap he managed to make a voodoo doll of.

* In ''BlackGod'', a Tera guardian and a human can form a pact to sync up their "Tera", granting the guardian great strength, though this can be physically tiring to the human partner.
* Played for laughs in ''SonicTheHedgehogTheMovie'', in which Sonic and Hyper Metal Sonic achieve synchronization while fighting each other. Cue a scene where Sonic suddenly grabs his head in pain while grinning mischievously. Hyper Metal Sonic just got a peek up Sara's skirt and got kicked in the head for it.

* ''Manga/DragonBall'':
** Piccolo and Kami. Killing one kills the other, but on the plus side you only have to resurrect one to get both back.
** By extension, the Dragon Balls are linked to Kami (or the current guardian) and go inert if he dies. The same applies to Namekian Dragon Balls and the current elder.
* In TheAnimeOfTheGame for ''{{Persona4}}'', [[AstralProjection Personas]] act more like [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Stands]] than in the games. The protagonists do all their fighting through their Personas, and feel any harm that afflicts said Personas.

[[folder:Comics -- Books]]
* Old Lace, the psychic velociraptor, in ''{{Runaways}}'', with her owner Gertrude [[spoiler:and later Chase]].

* In ''ComicBook/TransformersLastStandOfTheWreckers'', Topspin and Twin Twist have "vicarious preception" (basically a fancy name for this trope). [[spoiler:Eventually, Twin Twist ends up being tortured by Decepticons, and the other Wreckers are at a computer where the password-bypass system is for someone to sacrifice themselves. Topspin decides, knowing that his brother is in serious pain anyway, to [[HeroicSacrifice offer himself to the computer]].]]
* In the original Marvel Comics [[ComicBook/TheTransformers Transformers]] series, Megatron and Ratchet ended up fused together after a freak accident. They were seperated, but Ratchet wound up seeing (and feeling) what Megatron did.

* In the first two Heisei era ''{{Gamera}}'' movies, a [[AppliedPhlebotinum bead salvaged from ancient Mu]] psychically bonds a girl named Asagi to the title monster, resulting in her sharing proportional injuries when Gamera is wounded. This bond is broken at the end of the second movie, though in the third the ''enemy'' monster Irys gets [[EvilCounterpart its own psychic partner]].
* In ''Film/{{Dragonheart}}'', a dragon can bestow part of its heart on a person, making him immortal -- so long as the dragon lives.
* The SoBadItsGood JackieChan film ''Twin Dragons'' has him playing twins SeparatedAtBirth. They can influence each other's movements... somehow. The specifics aren't ironed out, but examples include Engineer Fighter Jackie finding his fingers tapping oddly while Musician Jackie is playing the piano in concert, and Musician Jackie being able to fight off {{Mooks}} while Engineer Jackie is in a cage because Engineer Jackie starts making the correct punch and kick motions.
* BigBad Prince Nuada and his sister Princess Nuala suffer from this in ''HellboyII: The Golden Army''. This ends in [[spoiler:Nuala performing a HeroicSacrifice by killing herself in order to stop her brother's plans]].
** It also makes the HostageForMacGuffin ultimatum the BigBad makes with his sister as the hostage rather stupid. And Abe even [[IdiotBall stupider]] for doing it anyway.

* ''CheechAndChong's The Corsican Brothers'' plays the classic tale for laughs.
* In the movie ''{{Pumpkinhead}}'', those who summon the eponymous vengeance demon feel the pain that the demon causes to its victims, and Pumpkinhead feels the pain caused to its summoner; the only way to kill Pumpkinhead, therefore, is to kill the summoner.
* [[Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial Eliott and E.T.]]

* It's one of the major plot points of the ''DragonridersOfPern'' books: Newly-hatched dragons bond with the candidate they feel the strongest empathic connection to ("Impression"). From then on, the pair can communicate telepathically and influence each other's emotions. If a dragon's rider dies, that dragon will immediately suicide by jumping ''between'' permanently. If a dragon dies, the shock will often kill his rider outright (or in one particular case, leave them catatonic).
* Humans and their daemons in ''HisDarkMaterials''.
* Many examples from MercedesLackey's ''HeraldsOfValdemar'' books, the foremost being the telepathic and empathic bond between Heralds and their [[BondCreatures Companions]]. Similar bonds exist between twins (those with mind-magic, anyway) and lifebonded couples.

* In one of TamoraPierce's ''[[TortallUniverse Protector of the Small]]'' books, Neal forces a cloak on a man that makes him feel the pain of the people he beats after he finds bruises and broken bones all over the man's indentured servant.
* In ''CircleOfMagic'', Jory says that every twin in the (admittedly magic) world knows where their twin is and if they're hurt. In the TortallUniverse, when Aly is kidnapped her parents are constantly writing to her twin Alan to ask him if she's still alive, as he would know the moment of her death.

* The protagonist of CharlesStross' ''[[TheLaundrySeries Jennifer Morgue]]'' is "destiny entangled" with his partner... this grants them useful tricks like telepathy and sensorium sharing (definitely FetishFuel when one half of the partnership is a succubus...) but with the downside that they [[spoiler: eventually lose all individuality and become a single mind in two bodies.]]
* A major point in ''[[SwordOfTruth Faith of the Fallen]]'' is the so called maternity spell, which causes that effect... useful for taking hostages.
* [[PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Percy]] and Grover's empathy link.

* The Elf and panther ''ClawBound'' pairs in James Barclay's ''Raven'' and ''Elves'' novels are linked in both this fashion and with MentalFusion. Although they don't necessarily die at ''exactly'' the same time, they don't outlive eachother for very long and are always buried together (or left to the rainforest, if they're on their home continent of Calaius).

* Used in one episode of ''LegendOfTheSeeker''.
* In ''TheVampireDiaries'' [[spoiler: Katherine has a witch create synchronization between herself and Elena to prevent the Salvatores from killing her. They end up stabbing Katherine non-fatally a couple times before being informed about what's happening to Elena.]]
* Multiple artifacts in ''{{Warehouse 13}}'' have this kind of effect.
* The Globbor monster on ''MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' had an energy link to Ninjor, making the Rangers fearful to attack him.

* ''TheDarkCrystal'': The [=urRu=] (Mystics) and Skeksis are connected, so that when a member of one race dies so does one of the other (so their numbers are always the same), and when a Skeksis is injured one of the urRu suddenly sustains an identical injury. The nature of this connection is a subtle clue to [[FusionDance the film's ending]].

** In a similar manner to the above, [[HumongousMecha Tau Battlesuit]] pilots suffer from this, including 'battlesuit psychosis', in which they are so linked to the suit, so used to it that they cannot function without the suit's sensors as filters for their own senses, and if the suit is damaged, (say by the loss of an arm), the pilot will find themselves unable to use that arm until the suit is repaired. The Tau also have a 'bonding ceremony' which can provide a kind of synchronicity between its members, to the extent that the death of a member of the bonded team can drive the survivors insane (by Tau standards), although the more survivors there are, the less trauma, apparently.
* ''DungeonsAndDragons''

** In the {{Ravenloft}} setting, Dr. Mordenheim and Adam are linked in such a way that they have to be killed at the same time, else they regenerate from any injury.

** Some races in ''D&D'' have their LifeForce linked to an item, plant or place, mostly nature spirits or descendants of some such, with direct inspiration from folklore or mythology. Nereids carry a shawl that contains their soul, and someone seizing it and threatening to destroy it can control the creature. Dryads and Hamadryads are linked to a single tree in the forest. Bamboo and River Spirit Folks, from the ''Oriental Adventures'', are synchronized with a specific bamboo grove or river, respectively. Damaging a linked tree or place will weaken or wound those spirits, and destroying it will kill them.
** 4th Edition actually has an entire race built on this -- the Dvati, a species consisting completely of identical twins, with "souls that burn so brightly one body is not enough to contain them". They don't share damage exactly, but are played as one character (with their HP divided in half between two bodies) and have some limitations on what both can do in one round. If one Dvati twin dies, the other takes unhealable ability damage from the shock and loss of the other half of their soul until either they die too or the other twin is [[BackFromTheDead raised/resurrected]].

* In the ''MegaManBattleNetwork'' series, Lan and his Net Navi [=MegaMan.EXE=] often synchronize with each other.

* ''Franchise/StarWars: KnightsOfTheOldRepublic 2'':

* ''BloodlineChampions'' has the Psychopomp's Soul Link ability, damaging and causing an effect on enemies hit to also cause their allies hit by the effect to take an additional 20% of the damage they personally take while the effect is on. The Guardian had an ability called Thrust, which would cause an ally you hit to have part of the damage they take while affected be done to the Guardian, with the damage the Guardian taking from that being also reduced.
* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'':

* The final boss in ''PlanescapeTorment'' is [[spoiler:The Transcendent One, the Mortality of the Nameless One]]. Both it and the protagonist are immortal [[spoiler:due to being separated magically]] and one way to end the game is to [[spoiler:use a weapon that can permanently kill the Nameless One, the Blade of the Immortal, on yourself; this will destroy both of them.]]
* ''MechWarrior'' pilots wear neurohelmets which link their consciousness to their Mechs and lets the Mech use the pilot's sense of balance to keep upright. It also functions as a security system, to prevent other pilots from stealing a Mech. The link is explicitly and wisely not two-way in most occasions, but "neurofeedback" can result from ammunition explosions. It is described as extremely painful, and frequently renders the pilot unconscious from sensory overload. If it happens too much in a short time, it can even kill the pilot, similar to how a strong shock across the heart can stop it.
* In ''{{Metroid}} Fusion'', it's stated that when Samus puts on her semi-organic Power Suit, it bonds to her nervous system, which is why no one can remove her suit but her; this leads to problems when she needs emergency medical attention, like when the X Parasite infect her through the suit. It's also why when she is infused with Metroid DNA to save her life, her suit grows a layer of Metroid flesh; it couldn't be removed entirely and she had to be treated with it on. Fan speculation states her relationship with it may be more symbiotic: it's the reason why she feels pain when her suit is hit, why she regains health if she picks up energy, and why she can go hours or days on end non-stop without rest or eating (she siphons energy from her suit).
* ''{{Pokemon}}'':

* In ''{{Tsukihime}}'', the maids Hisui and Kohaku are known as Synchronizers. It is known they can give other people energy and maintain their sanity [[spoiler: or remove it little by little...]] Also Shiki and SHIKI in Hisui's route connect during dreams and feel the pain/take the damage of the other. Unfortunately, SHIKI has something of a HealingFactor...
* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'':
** [[spoiler:The Shadow and Sakura]]. [[spoiler:The Shadow is actually her subconscious mixed with and powered by the Tainted Grail (most likely, it is a shadow familiar of hers). So although she is usually not actually leaving her room, the Shadow is going out and eating people, providing her with prana. Although, she does go out herself sometimes as well.]]
** [[spoiler:Also Shirou and Archer. Because Archer is the (possible) future version of Shirou, being in the same timeline as his past self causes Shirou to unconsciously leech Archer's power's and skill's. This allows Shirou to gain several [[TookALevelInBadass level's in badassery]] (Although it largely depends on the route.)]]
* In ''ShinMegamiTenseiI'', the Hero is linked to [[spoiler:the Heroine]]. AfterTheEnd, he remains linked to her reincarnation, and whenever there is a full moon he takes damage from [[spoiler:the fact that a demon is currently devouring her from the inside out]].
* Rynn and Arokh make a "Bond" in ''{{Drakan}}: Order of the Flame'' that effectively synchs their hit points with each other (in-game it is described as "merging their existences into one"). It doesn't seem like a fair trade at first, since Rynn is a mere mortal and Arokh is a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent nigh-unstoppable dragon]] but apparently, only killing Arokh kills Rynns as well, not vice versa. This is also supported by the fact that the human who originally made a Bond with Arokh (a certain Heron) has been dead for centuries when Rynn meets Arokh.

* In Videogame/KidIcarusUprising, Dark Pit is connected to Pit, since he's really the physical manifestation of Pit's "dark side" (not that Dark Pit is actually dark - more neutral than anything). When Pit [[spoiler:gets trapped in a ring]] for three years, Dark Pit is unconscious the whole time - so he realizes that he's connected to Pit, much as he dislikes it.
* The Life Link concept in {{Blazblue}}. What makes it unique is that so long as one lives, the other will continue to survive and the only way to kill them is to take out both individuals at the same time. Ragna/Nu-13 and Terumi/Mu-12 are known examples of this.

* Two of the main characters of ''{{Darken}}'', Gort and Mink, share such a bond. Mink is rather annoyed by it, due to Gort's tendency to [[LeeroyJenkins charge into trouble]] with his sword raised, often commenting "He's going to get us BOTH killed!" Gort was the one who agreed to the creation of this link, in order to [[PetTheDog save Mink's life]], and nobody's entirely sure why (since he's basically a supervillain), though allegations of a romantic relationship between the two HAVE been made.

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'':
** Gil and Tarvek wind up synchronized by a "Si Vales Valeo" procedure intended to save Tarvek's life.
** And then Agatha comes down with the same disease Tarvek has, which means she gets hooked into the procedure as well.
* Happens both ways in ''TheDragonDoctors.'' When Kili's soul is plunged into darkness and imminent death by an evil spirit, her empathically-bonded lover Greg nearly dies along with her, but is able to use his connection to save her and himself.

* ''WhateleyUniverse'' example: Tennyo and Generator are now psychically linked so when one get really badly hurt, the other feels it. Not really helpful so far.

* The Eta and Iota AI in [[{{RedvsBlue}} Red vs Blue's]] 10th season have synchorinized movements for the little amount of time they are seen on screen.

* Tomax and Xamot from ''GIJoe'' are an example of synchronized twins. It seems to end at pain (and possibly pleasure), though -- Xamot has a facial scar that Tomax lacks.

'''Brian:''' ''(after Stewie steps on his foot)'' Ow!\\
'''Stewie''': No Brian, I'm supposed to say 'ow!' You ruin everything!\\
'''Brian:''' ''(after punching Stewie)'' Ow.

* ''CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'': Captain Planet is synchronized with Gaia (whenever she's hurt, his powers fail). Gaia is linked to the Planeteers (if they turn on her or abandon her, she loses her powers). And of course the whole team is connected through Ma-Ti, and Gaia is synchronized with the whole Earth... oh... as they say on ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', everything is connected. Example: When Gaia temporarily lost her powers, Captain Planet was depowered and couldn't dissipate, meaning that the Planeteers rings didn't work.

* In "CodeLyoko", Aelita and X.A.N.A. from "Code: Earth"/"Fasle Starts" to "The Key".