History Main / TheEmpath

If TheHeart (from the FiveManBand) gets a superpower, it's often this. The likely reason is a [[WomenAreWiser gender-biased notion that they're "more in tune with emotions"]]. Plus, it allows the female in the cast to do all the fainting and emoting associated with powerful visions. Men with telepathic powers get cooler stuff, like mind control, though TheHeart might get that too.

** Indeed HK-47 in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicII'' notes people capable of projecting strong emotions are best able to hide their intent and surprise attack Jedi. Revan appreciates the irony that those who experienced emotion were best able to take on the Jedi who [[TheStoic suppressed it]].

* The Protege in ''Literature/{{Brennus}}'' is the only known 'sympathetic empath', able to interact with people piloting remote-controlled equipment in his range, regardless of their actual distance.
* Caleb from ''Podcast/TheBrightSessions''. He feels the emotions of others, [[BlessedWithSuck which is not a good ability to have]] when you're in high school, surrounded by other hormonal teens. Caleb has problems with handling anger and has lashed out on multiple occasions, his most notable one being [[spoiler: his NoHoldsBarredBeatdown against [[{{Jerkass}} Damien]] after the latter attempts to kidnap Caleb's boyfriend to use as blackmail]].

* WebVideo/EchoRose describes herself as such, claiming to pick up on the energy of others, whether or not they're human or even alive. She was able to pick up a strong feminine energy during her night in the bog and felt so sick upon seeing an animal skull that she was forced to stop filming.

* The Passion Path of Magic, from ''Literature/TheSaint'', allows a mage to feel other peoples emotions. When combined with the Connection Path of Magic a mage can heavily influence what others think and feel.
* Psyche in ''Literature/ThaliasMusings''. Revealing her observations to [[AlphaBitch Aphrodite]] may not have been her brightest move.

* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'':

%%* Morphea of ''ComicBook/AtariForce'' is described as this.

* The title character of ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'' is a male example.

** The villainous [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask Blue Diamond]] is an [[InvertedTrope inverted]] Empath. She doesn't perceive what other people are feeling--rather, she forces every Gem in the vicinity to feel and share ''her'' emotions. Since she's been [[BrokenBird horrifically depressed and angry]] over the loss of her "sister" Pink Diamond for almost 5,000 years, she has a ''lot'' of grief to spare. This ability usually manifests as Gems breaking down crying whenever she's nearby. The episode "Reunited" proves that she can [[EmotionBomb weaponize]] this power at will, reducing even the most powerful Gems to hopelessly sobbing wrecks who are [[AndIMustScream fully conscious of the pain, but unable to do anything about it.]] [[spoiler: The only Gem able to resist and overcome the power is Lapis Lazuli, whose [[TraumaCongaLine horribly traumatic past]] has rendered her immune to Blue Diamond's pain: "I've felt ''worse.''"]]

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': Taken deadly serious with an InvertedTrope version of it: Instead of sensing other’s emotions, it’s overriding other’s emotions with one’s own. There’s TheReveal [[spoiler:that all Old World Connectors like Akira and Katsuya do this unconsciously. For Akira, it resulted in spreading the view of himself as weak and his own suspicions being added to other’s natural suspicion, causing a TraumaCongaLine of betrayals due to growing up in the WrongSideOfTheTracks. For Katsuya, it results in extreme persuasiveness bordering on unconscious MindControl, even those who hate him believing he’s stronger than he really is, and amassing a BattleHarem who start to resemble a HiveMind with how they share his feelings.]]

* ComicBook/{{Raven}} in the original ''[[ComicBook/TeenTitans New Teen Titans]]'' comic book started out with this power, in addition to healing, teleportation, and some spellcasting. She was useless in combat and was always the first to be knocked out. It wasn't until the success of the cartoon that she was given flight and telekinesis.

* Franchise/WonderWoman's daughter Stephanie Trevor, who became ComicBook/WonderGirl and later the second Wonder Woman in ''ComicBook/SupermanAndBatmanGenerations'', is one who can sense when Kara Kent (Supergirl), who was born around the exact same time as her, experiences pain.

[[folder:Eastern Animation]]
* In ''Animation/FiringRange'', the tank being tested can sense hate and fear, and extends that sensing into reading minds in order to avoid attacks and how to kill the enemy.
[[/folder]]

* In the ''Literature/{{Temeraire}}'' and ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreed'' fanfic ''Fanfic/TradeWinds'', Laurence's Eagle Vision allows him to see others' pain and sickness, likely because it first manifests when [[BondCreature Temeraire]] falls ill. [[BlessedWithSuck Unfortunately, he feels that pain, too.]]

* In the ''Temeraire'' and ''Assassin's Creed'' fanfic ''Fanfic/TradeWinds'', Laurence's Eagle Vision allows him to see others' pain and sickness, likely because it first manifests when [[BondCreature Temeraire]] falls ill. [[BlessedWithSuck Unfortunately, he feels that pain, too.]]

* Shandala is not only The Empath in ''WebAnimation/BrokenSaints'', she's also TheHeart ''and'' (sometimes) The DistressedDamsel (and to a lesser extent a [[ThePollyanna Pollyanna]] -- though even she's capable of a HeroicBSOD). However, despite all of this, she never comes off as the stereotypical [[TheSmurfettePrinciple token girl]], and her abilities as an empath have a [[PlotTwist perfectly non-gender-oriented explanation]].

If TheChick (from the FiveManBand) gets a superpower, it's often this. The likely reason is a [[WomenAreWiser gender-biased notion that they're "more in tune with emotions"]]. Plus, it allows the female in the cast to do all the fainting and emoting associated with powerful visions. Men with telepathic powers get cooler stuff, like mind control, though TheChick might get that too.

* Teyla, TheChick from ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', has a cross between empathy and telepathy. The twist is that she can only sense the Wraith (the {{Big Bad}}s) with this power. This is subverted in that it does not lead to fainting spells, but rather to awesome asskicking when her power allows her to get possessed by the Wraith. A notable season 1 episode features her going berserk and flooring the whole team with an IV stand in the infirmary.

* Shandala is not only The Empath in ''WebAnimation/BrokenSaints'', she's also TheChick ''and'' (sometimes) The DistressedDamsel (and to a lesser extent a [[ThePollyanna Pollyanna]] -- though even she's capable of a HeroicBSOD). However, despite all of this, she never comes off as the stereotypical [[TheSmurfettePrinciple token girl]], and her abilities as an empath have a [[PlotTwist perfectly non-gender-oriented explanation]].

* Naoya in ''Night Head Genesis'', his case is probably one of the most extreme ever seen in any medium.
* Rare for a non-fantastic setting, but Yakumo Tsukamoto (Tenma's younger sister) from ''Manga/SchoolRumble'' is able to detect how boys are secretly feeling about her. TeenGenius Haruki Hanai, the one guy vocally interested in her, often escapes her notice.
* Shiho of ''Manga/PsychicSquad'' is of the touch-required type. Sakaki is also one, as well as [[BigBad Hyoubu Kyousuke]].
* This tends to be a trait among [[Franchise/{{Gundam}} New]][[TelepathicSpacemen types of both genders]]. It's not so much as they sense life as much as they sense death, though. Some of the better-known examples are Amuro, Char, and Lalah from the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam original series]], Kamille from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Zeta Gundam]]'', Judau and Haman from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ Gundam ZZ]]'', Quess from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack Char's Counterattack]]''; Usso, Queen Maria, [[spoiler: and Shakti]] from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam Victory Gundam]]''; Tiffa, Jamil, [[spoiler: Karis]], and [[spoiler: Lucille]] from ''[[Anime/AfterWarGundamX Gundam X]]'', etc.
* Mao from ''Anime/CodeGeass'' is this. Due to his [[PowerIncontinence inability to turn off his]] [[AMindIsATerribleThingToRead Mind Reading]] [[MagicalEye Geass]]. He uses his power to [[ManipulativeBastard convince Shirley to kill Lelouch]] [[BreakTheCutie after her father's death because]] of [[SecretIdentity Zero]] and again against Suzaku [[MindRape when he reveals his past]] leading to a [[HeroicBSOD temporary mental breakdown]].
* Anna in ''Anime/{{K}}'' has this as her Strain power. She has the gender element played straight - she's the TokenMiniMoe and the only girl in a gang of [[CastFullOfPrettyBoys (attractive) young men]] - but not the rest of it. She doesn't talk much, but when she does, what she says about her readings is direct ("You're a liar." "He doesn't know."). She also calls everyone [[FirstNameBasis by their given names]], even [[GenderBlenderName Misaki]], who hates his name. She also gets [[spoiler: more powers when she Awakens as the Red King]] in the movie between seasons 1 and 2.
* In ''Manga/OnePiece'' a Kenbushoku Haki user (called also Mantra) can work this way. Both Aisa and [[spoiler:Otohime]] are able to sense negative emotions of people around them. Some users, like [[spoiler:Otohime]], act upon these sensations and try to help. This power can also turn out to be a pretty nasty one if a user [[PowerIncontinence isn’t able to control it]]. [[spoiler: Coby]] learnt it the hard way.

* In ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', Ichigo can sense the feelings of his opponents when their blades clash. This is why he feels no real satisfaction after [[spoiler:defeating Aizen]]. He feels nothing but pity for his defeated foe after sensing his soul-crushing loneliness.
* This is one of Puck's powers in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', which he uses to sense the very chaotic mixture of emotions raging within Guts when he fights demons, acts cruelly toward others or faces particularly hated enemies such as Griffith.
* [[BigBad Ialda Baoth]] from ''Manga/UQHolder'' has the power of "Infinite Empathy" which allows her to sense the feelings of ''everyone in the present and the past'' ([[BlessedWithSuck and considering that there are always more miserable people than happy people...]]). It invariably breaks the will of every person she possesses.
* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': Taken deadly serious with an InvertedTrope version of it: Instead of sensing other’s emotions, it’s overriding other’s emotions with one’s own. There’s TheReveal [[spoiler:that all Old World Connectors like Akira and Katsuya do this unconsciously. For Akira, it resulted in spreading the view of himself as weak and his own suspicions being added to other’s natural suspicion, causing a TraumaCongaLine of betrayals due to growing up in the WrongSideOfTheTracks. For Katsuya, it results in extreme persuasiveness bordering on unconscious MindControl, even those who hate him believing he’s stronger than he really is, and amassing a BattleHarem who start to resemble a HiveMind with how they share his feelings.]]

* ComicBook/{{Raven}} in the original ''[[ComicBook/TeenTitans New Teen Titans]]'' comic book started out with this power, in addition to healing, teleportation, and some spellcasting. She was useless in combat and was always the first to be knocked out. It wasn't until the success of the cartoon that she was given flight and telekinesis.
* Empath (Manuel de la Rocha) from ''ComicBook/NewMutants'' is a gender flip. He could ''control'' emotions in addition to passively sensing them.
* Meggan, of the Marvel team ''ComicBook/{{Excalibur}}'', was The Empath and since her (mostly) VoluntaryShapeshifting powers were tied to her emotions, she often changed to reflect people's expectations of her. Eventually, other people's expectations no longer affected her.
* Cordelia Frost (sister of ''ComicBook/XMen'''s Emma Frost) possesses the power of empathy. Described as the "Professor X of empaths" Cordelia can not only sense the emotions of others but implant emotional states into them, shoot mind bullets and even use her powers for makeshift mind control by implanting an entirely new personality into someone. Somehow...
* Creator/CrossGen's ''ComicBook/TheFirst'' had Pyrem, a diplomat whose powers were described (but not often shown) as empathic. ''Crux'' had empathy as the fifth [[{{Atlantis}} Atlantean]] discipline named empathy, but it manifested as VoluntaryShapeshifting.

* This is sort of ComicBook/ManThing's deal. He's a super-strong being made of plant matter, and if his body's destroyed, he can reconstitute himself in his home swamp. But he also senses emotions; in general, he doesn't like negative ones. Specifically, fear causes him to immolate tings; hence the tagline "Whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch". Though despite the fact that he's a mindless swamp creature with an appearance that borders between terrifying and UglyCute, typically only bad guys get incinerated, bystanders don't.
* ComicBook/{{Madman}} has been able to do this, which helped him determine if an alien was aggressive or not.
* In the ''ComicBook/{{WITCH}}'' comics, Will had this power with animals; that is they react to her mood and at least one parrot who could speak in English/Italian (the latter being the original language) could literally read her mind. This power is missing in the [[WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}} show]] though.

* Morphea of ''ComicBook/AtariForce'' is described as this.

* [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13226631/1/Shigeko-Kageyama-AKA-Mob Shigeko Kageyama AKA Mob]] Reigen develops empath powers after borrowing Mob's powers in the 7th Division arc. It's nothing much in terms of powers. He can feel the emotions of others as his own leading to positive and negative feedback loops. A positive feedback loop almost leads him to kissing Mob, who has feelings for him, and this harms their relationship. A negative feedback loops leads to him and Mob screaming at each other and Mob almost taking their apartment complex down in the argument.

* In ''Fanfic/TheArianaBlackSeries'' the titular protagonist is one. And she won't stop talking about it.
* In ''[[Fanfic/TriangleOfMoonsMyLittlePony Triangle of Moons]]'' Gentle Touch is an empath. More than that, she is able to project emotions and change them in the others.

** Indeed HK-47 in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic II'' notes people capable of projecting strong emotions are best able to hide their intent and surprise attack Jedi. Revan appreciates the irony that those who experienced emotion were best able to take on the Jedi who [[TheStoic suppressed it]].

* Creator/IsaacAsimov
** "{{Literature/Flies}}": When they were in college, Polen believed that emotion is the common bond of life, rather than reason or intellect. They went into cybernetics and analyzed brainwaves and BodyLanguage until he could read the emotions of people and animals just by looking at them, even flies! However, seeing the unconscious violence roiling away underneath empty platitudes and white lies affixed JadeColoredGlasses to him permanently.
** ''Literature/FoundationSeries''' "Literature/TheMule": In addition to [[EmotionControl controlling emotions]], the Mule can understand a rough idea of what someone is feeling, but he can't read minds for specific information.

* In Creator/JamesWhite's ''Literature/SectorGeneral'' series, Doctor Prilicla is a member of an empathic insectoid race; he finds it distressing to be in the presence of strong emotion, and acts as a peacemaker in self-defense. He's a case of HeartIsAnAwesomePower; uses his empathy to pinpoint the locations of patients who need rescuing, and can use his power to help keep them alive by bolstering their spirits. While it wouldn't be useful for a superhero, it made Prilicla one of the most valuable members of Sector General. He is only able to use his empathy in that way because he has the personal courage to willingly expose himself to others' pain and desperation, not to mention physical danger.
* Valashu Elahad of the ''Literature/EaCycle'' possesses the power of empathy which can be not so useful when he's feeling the pain of someone he kills in battle. Potentially his gift could be a powerful weapon to break the wills of other people, but that would be going to TheDarkSide and becoming similar to the BigBad.
* Literature/HarryPotter gets the creepy version of sharing Voldemort's emotions when they are particularly strong.
* The "sensitives" in Ian Irvine's ''Literature/TheThreeWorldsCycle''. As one character puts it: "Whatever you feel, I feel more."

* Interesting version in Creator/RobertSilverberg's ''The Man in the Maze''. The titular man gains, as a result of contact with alien race, an inverted version of empathy -- he doesn't receive emotions, he constantly projects his own. All of them, down to and including subconscious ones. As it turns out, these deep human emotions are mostly quite unpleasant... As a result, nobody can stay close to him for any length of time (the strength of the psychic barrage is decreasing with distance), and he has to hide in the nigh-inaccessible maze.

* Sean Stewart has an interesting take on empaths in ''Passion Play.'' In the world of the book, there are tens of thousands of empaths all over the world, called shapers. Both the protagonist [[spoiler: and the villain]] are shapers, and the protagonist uses this ability in her job as a bounty hunter, so she can understand the people she is tracking and anticipate what they might do next. Shapers not only feel the emotions of others as if they were their own, they can also perceive people's personalities as a sort of mental image, which varies depending on the individual shaper's perceptions. For example, a shaper who encounters a young and naíve person may get a mental image of a young spring leaf, whereas meeting a cold, brilliant perfectionist may evoke the image of a gleaming diamond in that shaper's mind, and meeting an extremely religious person may evoke the image of a candle lighting up the surrounding darkness. Shapers can also experience a form of mental burnout or numbness from being overloaded by emotions, and some of the more psychopathic shapers may try to [[EmotionEater cause pain in others or commit violence just so that they can feel something again]] after they experience burnout for too long.
* Imriel de la Courcel of the ''Literature/KushielsLegacy'' series. His particular version allowed him to detect "fault lines" in a personality, which he could then exploit to manipulate them. A particularly interesting and well-written example, because it was a potentially tremendously powerful ability that he ''could have'' used to take over the kingdom, but never did -- principally because he was (thanks to being raised by his benevolent foster parents) such a nice guy. In fact, he almost never used it at all. His ''biological'' mother, on the other hand, was a thoroughly evil murderess who used the same ability to repeatedly try to take over the kingdom.
* A male example, in ''Literature/HiddenTalents'' and its sequel, the protagonist's power is the ability to sense emotions of others. he doesn't realize this power until the very end, and doesn't start using it until the sequel, True Talents, came out.
* [[WrenchWench Samella Connel]], from the ''Literature/ColSecTrilogy''.
* This is one of the secondary abilities of [[MakingASplash watercrafters]] in the ''Literature/CodexAlera'' series. This can often fall under BlessedWithSuck unless they have an equivalent talent for metalcrafting: While they can sense emotions and [[ConsummateLiar nearly]] always [[LivingLieDetector tell when someone's lying to them]], they can also be disabled by being overwhelmed with emotion, and [[UnhappyMedium don't tend to deal with crowds well]]. And then there's Odiana, who was raped just after her abilities manifested, [[AxCrazy and, well... the results are about what you'd expect.]]
** The Icemen use a variant form of watercrafting that has allowed them to develop their empathic abilities to the point of being effectively telepathy. Unfortunately, this also lead to their conflict with the Alerans -- their sensing human fear and hostility towards themselves, and sending it back magnified, wound up creating ''centuries'' of continuous, tactically pointless warfare.
* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'':
** Jasper Hale can infuse emotions of other sentient beings and can also feel them. One of the reasons he became a VegetarianVampire was because he could feel the pain of his many, many victims.
** Marcus, one of the Volturi leaders, can feel and identify the relationships between individuals. He can also feel what bonds are strong or weak.
** Subverted with Jane. She can make people feel stuff, mainly pain, but appears to be unable to feel what others feel. Renesmée Cullen, Bella's daughter with Edward, has a variation of this, in that she can share what she thinks to others (an opposite of Edward's mind-reading powers).
** Chelsea, a Volturi member introduced in the final novel, can change emotional bondings between people. She is among the most valued members of the coven because everyone else can be made to stay loyal through her power alone.
* [[CreepyChild Elva]], from ''Literature/InheritanceCycle''. Perhaps a deconstruction, as she is ''heavily'' burdened with the negative side effects of empathy, and starts as a BlessedWithSuck JerkassWoobie and eventually moves towards CursedWithAwesome [[AntiHero Antiheroine]].
* Played with in Creator/OctaviaButler's ''Literature/ParableOfTheSower'' and its sequel. People afflicted with hyperempathy syndrome only ''hallucinate'' that they are able to feel the pain of others. The effect is real to them, but they feel only what they imagine others are feeling, so it's more of a psychological condition.

* In the ''Literature/FirebirdTrilogy'', the Ehretans (the ancestors of the Sentinels and the Shuhr) created telepathy specifically to gain this power (and the ability to communicate from mind to mind); the [[MindOverMatter telekinesis]] and other abilities were just fringe benefits. The idea was that if everyone understood how everyone else was feeling and what they were thinking, there would be perfect understanding and no more war. It... didn't work out that way.[[note]]The ensuing civil war between the Altereds and the non-Altereds very nearly killed everyone on the planet, and left Ehret uninhabitable. And the upper classes of the Shuhr, one of the surviving branches of the Altered, are not a pleasant group of people.[[/note]]

* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', one of the attributes of the Aes Sedai/Warder bond (and its variations) gives those involved the ability to sense each other's emotions.
** Also, when channelers enter into a circle together, they can feel the others involved to a certain degree.
* Melissa the Mindcaster from ''Literature/{{Midnighters}}'' gets the BlessedWithSuck version of this trope. She feels the emotions of ''everyone'' around her, ''all the time'', without any way to [[PowerIncontinence tune out the mind noise]]. It leaves her barely able to function in a high school classroom and has given her a [[EmotionlessGirl pretty cynical]] [[SnarkKnight outlook on life]]. Her powers are useful, though, from [[MundaneUtility mundane]] things like avoiding cops when the Midnighters drive around past curfew to [[MindRape changing people's minds]] [[BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood in order to help the group]].

* Molly Carpenter of ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' evolves into this as she becomes more proficient with magic. Her skill set is very powerful; unfortunately, to use it against a person, she must go inside that person's mind and feel what they feel. When fighting criminals and {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, for example, her mental stability is adversely affected.
* Rachel Peng of the ''Literature/RachelPengNovels'' and the webcomic ''Webcomic/AGirlAndHerFed'' acquires empathic abilities after going blind. She sees emotions as colors -- everyone has a never-changing core color, with "conversational" or "surface" colors on top showing their current mood. Blue for calm, red for anger, and so on. As a cop, it comes in handy when she needs to talk someone down, interrogate a suspect, or watch for someone about to pull a gun.
* In ''The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake'', Rose can taste the emotions of whoever cooked her food in the food. This leads to her either cooking her own food or eating junk food.
* ''Literature/{{MARZENA}}'' has Dr. Lauren, who can [[TheProfiler put herself in the shoes of criminals]], as well as directly mind-merge with her boss.
* In ''Literature/SkinHunger'', Sadima can do this with animals. Only with animals, though, she cannot read the emotions of humans. It is a bit like [[SpeaksFluentAnimal talking to animals]], as she can communicate her own thoughts to the animals, too, but she doesn't use audible language.
* In ''Literature/{{Zeroes}}'', Mob can sense the emotions of crowds, and also influence them to a degree. Bellwether also has EmotionControl powers which include the ability to sense the emotions of others, but his power is more clinically distant: he doesn't personally experience those emotions the way Mob does.
* One of the main characters in ''Literature/TalesOfElethiya'' is a mysterious empath unsure of her abilities who, along with her gift of visions and dreams, is also able to sense the energy and motives of those around her. She may also have the ability to read animals, but is still unsure of her powers and afraid at times to use them, or share the information she's gained with others, in fear she may have gotten things wrong.

* Sachi Ishida of ''Literature/TokyoDemons'' needs to be able to have [[TouchTelepathy direct contact]] with a person in order to gauge their emotions effectively. His problem is that the way he does it causes people to think he's trying to [[CasanovaWannabe make a move on them]], so even when he's trying to help, he ends up pushing them away.
* Casper of ''Literature/Touch2017'' is one, who is unfortunately [[BlessedWithSuck unable to turn it off]], and consequently spends most of his time trying not to drown in other people's feelings.

* ''Literature/TalesFromTheMosEisleyCantina'': Feltipern Trevagg, as a Gotal, is able to sense other beings' emotions, plus people with the Force (like Obi-Wan Kenobi). He finds this annoying usually and doesn't sympathize when detecting sorrow from others over his actions.
* The Tesks in ''Literature/AlienInASmallTown'' have a non-mystical version of this. They were genetically engineered as {{Super Soldier}}s, but the fact that they incorporate DNA from various animals (including a heightened sense of smell and a nonverbal animal's instinctive skill at reading body language) and were designed with heightened situational awareness, had the unintended side effect that they can read almost anyone like an open book. Aliens (who are [[StarfishAliens always nonhumanoid]] in this setting) are a source of frustration to them because they're different enough to be unreadable. However, someone who spends enough time around aliens ''can'' start to pick up on their body language.
* In the ''Literature/WingsOfFire'' series, Blue is a non-psychic version. His hobby is "becoming" other dragons, where he spends time imagining their lives and figuring out what causes them to act the way they do. Because of this, he's one of the few [[SlaveRace SilkWings]] who doesn't perceive the [=HiveWings=] as AlwaysChaoticEvil -- which helps him become friends with Cricket.
* ''Literature/InCryptid'': Lilu (succubi and incubi) have this as a natural ability. Artie describes the emotions he perceives in a TastesLikePurple[=/=]MagicalSensoryEffect way.
* Ashley Morgan in ''Literature/TheMorganDetectiveAgency'' is an empath that was genetically engineered from a MageSpecies. She is also a low-level telekentic. Oddly, her ability to feel other people's emotions just makes her jaded due to New Detroit being a WretchedHive.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'':
** Counselor Deanna Troi is the archetype in most SF fans' minds. [[note]]At least one Empath appeared in ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''.[[/note]] Thus, she is the reason many of them think the empath is useless. Aliens could be invading the ship and she would say something like "I sense danger". This was lampshaded by her mother Lwaxana, who is an actual [[{{Telepathy}} telepath]] of considerable ability. In the episode "Manhunt", Lwaxana expresses astonishment that nobody else noticed that two alien "ambassadors" were actually assassins whose robes were laden with hidden explosives.
** At least the ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]]''-version in the episode, "The Empath", could [[spoiler:[[HealingHands heal]]]] using her empathy powers, treating [[spoiler:[[LifeEnergy health]]]] as LiquidAssets.
** There is also a rare example of a male Empath in the TNG episode "Tin Man" with Tam Elbrun (Harry Groener, [[AffablyEvil the Mayor]] in ''[[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Buffy]]''), although in his case he is actually a telepath so sensitive that he cannot block out the thoughts of everyone anywhere near him (even on other starships) that boards an alien life-form to get away from everybody else.
** In the episode "The Perfect Mate" there is an "empathic metamorph" whose powers tell her exactly what others would find sexually attractive. It's stated that this ability occurs more often in males of her species but we are not shown an example.
** Vulcan telepathy can also double as empathy, but both are limited to [[TouchTelepathy physical contact]]. (With the exception of [[MindlinkMates bonded couples]].)
* This is River's power in ''Series/{{Firefly}}''. It's unusually effective as she uses it to see things she can't possibly know, but her unstable psyche means they come out as what sounds like stereotypical crazy, symbolic phrases. Also she can sense thoughts directly, which leads to the plot of ''Film/{{Serenity}}''.

* Peter Petrelli of ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' is described by another character as an "empath", but this appears to refer to [[PowerCopying his ability to reproduce other characters' powers]] (nominally by recalling his emotional reaction/connection to those characters, though this has not been explored in depth), rather than directly psionically sensing their emotions or mental state.
** Matt Parkman is a much straighter version of this trope, as his power allows him to read the surface thoughts of nearby people, dig deeper into their minds to read the secrets they're actively trying to hide, and ultimately, to create realistic dreamscapes and trap people in them. As one character has said, "Anything the mind controls, you control."
** Lydia's empathy manifests as tattoos linked to what the person is feeling.
** The SerialKiller Sylar's power-copying abilities are actually based around this. If he is able to empathize deeply with a powered individual, he can copy their powers. However, his secondary ability is the "power to understand how things work", which manifests as a HorrorHunger to duplicate and collect abilities. Succumbing to the hunger makes him have to work around the whole needing-to-empathize limit by physically cutting into people's skulls to understand and duplicate their abilities.
* Teyla, TheChick from ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', has a cross between empathy and telepathy. The twist is that she can only sense the Wraith (the {{Big Bad}}s) with this power. This is subverted in that it does not lead to fainting spells, but rather to awesome asskicking when her power allows her to get possessed by the Wraith. A notable season 1 episode features her going berserk and flooring the whole team with an IV stand in the infirmary.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'' had a much better version of the traditional empath; instead of emotion sense à la downgraded telepathy, he had emotion manipulation à la downgraded mind control. It didn't work out very well for him, but running willy-nilly with the power on Garibaldi's watch was a bad idea.
* Raw, the "Cowardly Lion" analogue in ''Series/TinMan'' is a pretty powerful one of these, with clairvoyance as a "side." Also an EmpathicHealer.
* Both Stark and Zhaan from ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' had this to varying degrees and applications. Stark used his abilities to ease the passage of a person's life from this world to the next, and since he was part of a slave race, he had to do this quite a lot. Left him a bit weepy, cringing, and fatalistic. Zhaan had this and other abilities from her training as a Pa'au priestess, and while it would sometimes cause her some pain, she had an underlying core of tranquility to keep her strong.
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'':
** Lorne, whose empathic abilities came out when people sang. His future-telling skills were about as reliable as a cheap fortune cookie though.
** Also the demon Barney in "Parting Gifts".
** Illyria can sense (and is disgusted by) Wesley's grief. In later episodes, she also senses his desire for her when she takes Fred's form and calls him on it when he rejects the idea of sleeping with Fred!Illyria.
* ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'': Will Graham is a rare non-psychic example. His gift of "pure empathy" allows him to [[TheProfiler get into the minds of the criminals that he hunts]] and causes him many troubles along the way. As it turns out, reliving brutal murders from the eyes of the perpetrator can be quite harmful to one's mental health.
* ''Series/WireInTheBlood'' has [[TheProfiler Dr. Tony Hill]], who basically becomes the killers by seeing and understanding how they think and feel. He can't fight for crap but uses his weaponized empathy to save himself time and again when he inevitably attracts stalkers. Which he does. A lot.

* ''Series/{{Pandora}}'': Thomas frequently has to explain to people that, while his father has {{Telepathy}}, he only got half the telepath genes thanks to his non-telepathic mother, so he's just an Empath and can't actually read thoughts, just emotions.
* The main focus of ''Series/ZoeysExtraordinaryPlaylist'', except the titular Zoey can sense the emotions of others through seeing and hearing them sing and dance.
* All of the female Merriwicks seem to have some ability in this area in ''Series/GoodWitch.'' Along with their ContrivedCoincidence abilities, it makes them incredibly good at {{Batman Gambit}}s, although they're always benevolent.

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': A downplayed and ''painfully'' subverted trope with the Primarch Angron, who was initially supposed to be this; flashbacks to his youth as a gladiator show that he was able to take the pain, fear, and despair of his fellow slaves into himself, granting them peaceful sleep and restored spirits. Unfortunately, the nobility of Nuceria lobotomized him with the Butcher's Nails-a device meant to heighten his rage and hatred-as punishment for defying their commands to duel and kill his father figure, neutering his empathic abilities before the young demigod could reach his full potential. Thus he was reduced to the bloodthirsty maniac we know him as today, [[BigScrewedUpFamily and another tragedy was added to the already long list of the Imperial Household.]]

* Neku from ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou''...the very ''last'' person one would expect to wield such a power, given that he really doesn't like people.
* The Liir and the Zuul from ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars''. The former are a species of pacifistic dolphin telepaths to whom the concept of violence is abominable because they feel the pain of everyone hurt around them. The latter are a species of telepaths who ''like'' feeling other people's pain, and delight in causing as much of it as possible. It goes without saying that the two ''really'' don't get along (even when we don't take into account their history).
** The Liir's empathy is so strong that they consider everyone in their military to be sociopaths, and even then the suicide rate among Black Swimmers is high.
** In the sequel a faction of Zuul ally themselves with the Liir, they adapt their mind-ripping ability to psychotherapy.
** The Suul'Ka [[spoiler:(sociopathic Liir elders who enslaved the others so they could cheat death)]] are even worse than the Zuul. They actively reject empathy as a weakness. Their empathy is even stronger [[spoiler:than the average Liir's empathy]] and they still don't care about the suffering of their victims.

* Contrasting Mantis is The Sorrow who appears in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''. Unlike Mantis he hears the voices and feels the emotions of those who have died (more specifically been ''killed''), and very unlike Mantis he comes off as a fairly affable, soft-spoken, always smiling man who [[AboveGoodAndEvil doesn't seem to concern himself much with "sides"]].

* ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngel'': Mint Blancmanche and the entire Blancmanche family. Her father has used it to become incredibly wealthy, so much so that the enemy doesn't attack Blancmanche ships probably in fear of destroying the economy.
* DLC character Javik in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''. He can read the emotions [[{{Psychometry}} left over in an area inhabited by an individual]], and by [[TouchTelepathy touching]] someone, he can determine their personality, merits, and flaws within seconds. This was a power inherent to the Prothean race (evolving as a means to better track prey), and the various [[FlingALightIntoTheFuture beacons]] they left behind were built in the expectation that later species could do the same; Javik is a little put out to hear that the vitally important information his people put on them went disregarded because nobody could figure out what they were saying.
* [[OurSpiritsAreDifferent Cole]] from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' has the ability to sense people's hurts, and spends his free time helping people -- often in roundabout but clever ways. [[spoiler:Rather fitting for a spirit of Compassion.]] He was a somewhat darker version of this in the past when [[spoiler:his idea of 'compassion' was to MercyKill the mages being victimized by Templars.]] There's a reason someone who wants to help people all the time has Assassin as his specialization. Swift kills mean shorter pains, and he will immediately be compelled to help anyone who feels pain ''and'' especially compelled to eliminate people who inflict pain onto others.
* All [[{{Animorphism}} laguz]] in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Radiant Dawn]]'' are said to have this to various degrees during calm situations as a manifestation of seid magic, a form of magic far older than the tomes and staves used in gameplay. The heron clan is particularly well-known for this ability, while dragons are said to be even stronger. Some [[HalfHumanHybrid branded]], particularly those descended from the heron and dragon clans, are also known to display this ability.
* Alice Devonfort is supernaturally attuned to the emotions of others in interactive romance novel ''VideoGame/{{Moonrise}}''.

* The Oculots in ''Webcomic/EnemyQuest'' are a form of this, living in a perpetual state of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkoML0_FiV4 sonder]], constantly aware that everyone around them has a life outside of theirs, complete with their own thoughts, feelings, and emotions. They combine this with a form of sightline based {{telepathy}}, but using their telepathic power on a non-Oculot has [[YourHeadAsplode consequences]] for the non-Oculot. [[spoiler: The killing Oculot suffers too, as they receive feedback from the non-Oculot in the form of "Last thoughts. Bits of memories, [...] [[PsychicGlimpseOfDeath And how it feels to die.]]"]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Metanoia}}'', it was revealed that main character Star is an empath, which makes the fact that he worked as a (very efficient) assassin even worse, or as one character put it upon realizing this: "He dies with them. Every murder is a suicide."

* ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'':
** Faen from the Sullisin'rune clan in are Empaths, and known for going mad as a result. Besides [[EmpathicHealer healing]] and sensing/projecting emotions Faen turned a teacher into a vegetable mentally and seriously wounded another student when she had a [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?id=472 freakout]] that lead to her running away to the surface. She also turned an already dangerous, battle-trained direwolf into a [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=268 berserker]] thanks to an emotional feedback loop of fear (from her) and anger (from the wolf), apparently instinctively, in a fit of PowerIncontinence.
** Her mother Ash'waren is the same, only with control over her powers and about 1000 years of experience. Due to prejudices against dark elves, she does a {{masquerade}} and use her Empathy to [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=1253&overview=1&chibi=1&cover=1&extra=1&page=1&check=1 disguise herself]] as a drowolath, an illusion she has no problem to uphold in front of a council of great and small clans of the city they live in, a crowded market and her own clan. Exactly how powerful she is is not known, and if Faen's freakout is any indication, nobody wants to find out. It was mentioned by the creators in a podcast that if she doesn't shield her emotions, her mood might affect everyone living inside the Sullissin'rune clan's [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=148&overview=1&chibi=1&cover=1&extra=1&page=1&check=1 town-sized dome]]. Did we mention that she has the ''Drowtales'' version of Temujin/Ghenghis Khan more or less wrapped around her little finger?
* ''{{Webcomic/Sarilho}}'': the Lusitanians in general and Fausta in particular. [[spoiler:The Foreigner]] seems to be able to do it too.
* Parodied in ''Webcomic/{{Starslip}}''. Raquel turns out to have this ability due to being a telepathic [[HiveMind Quel]], but when she started doing Troi's "I'm sensing emotions" schtick, she had to clarify that it wasn't the emotions of the people they were talking to, and in fact she cannot sense emotions behind the room she's in.
* Kili of ''Webcomic/TheDragonDoctors'' is a shaman who doubles as a therapist (not far off from Deanna Troi of ''TNG'') and does possess certain empathic abilities. As a full-fledged shaman, though, she possesses a lot more tricks than merely stating the obvious emotional state of someone.
* In ''Webcomic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'' [[SuccubiAndIncubi Cubi]] can sense emotions, as they comprise their [[EmotionEater diet]]. It's often a disadvantage in combat, but not for the usual reason; rather than feeling everything their opponents feel, they get blinded by the emotions and fight like drunkards.

* A form of BlessedWithSuck in ''Webcomic/{{LeveL}}'', where empathy is treated as a severe disease. Probably because it drives you catatonic after a while.
* In ''Webcomic/SirensLament'', sirens can detect a human suffering heartache -- they literally see a glowing heart on the chest.
* ''Webcomic/EvilPlan'': [[spoiler:Anguish]] is a villain Empath; capable of psychically understanding the feelings of those around them, but too angry and ambitious to let the pain his victims feel from being betrayed and stabbed to death stop them.

* Psyche in ''Literature/ThaliasMusings''. Revealing her observations to [[AlphaBitch Aphrodite]] may not have been her brightest move.
-->'''Psyche:''' It sounds like you might have some unresolved issues. Have you considered the idea that your promiscuity is your way of establishing autonomy, something you’ve never truly had?\\
'''Aphrodite:''' [[http://thaliasmusingsnovels.wordpress.com/2011/07/10/1-7-please-be-seated/ Have you considered that I could snap my fingers and make sure you die a lonely, bitter, virgin crone, you presumptuous little bitch?]]

* ''Literature/MotherOfLearning'' has [[spoiler:Zorian]], an entertainingly misanthropic example.
* ''Literature/ChakonaSpace'': Chakats have innate empathic abilities. Some, mostly those with a Skunktaur parent, have other PsychicPowers.
* The Protege in ''Literature/{{Brennus}}'' is the only known 'sympathetic empath', able to interact with people piloting remote-controlled equipment in his range, regardless of their actual distance.
* The Passion Path of Magic, from ''Literature/TheSaint'', allows a mage to feel other peoples emotions. When combined with the Connection Path of Magic a mage can heavily influence what others think and feel.
* WebVideo/EchoRose describes herself as such, claiming to pick up on the energy of others, whether or not they're human or even alive. She was able to pick up a strong feminine energy during her night in the bog and felt so sick upon seeing an animal skull that she was forced to stop filming.

* Ty Lee, from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', says she can see a person's aura (although this may be just her teasing).

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' has Ezra Bridger, a Force-user with an unusually strong talent for empathic sensing, which usually takes the form of [[TheBeastmaster taming creatures]] and [[MagneticHero emotionally connecting with other people]]. While it's not as flashy as lightsaber skill or raw Force power, his ability to convince almost anyone and anything to fight with him is [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower just as powerful]] and invaluable to the growing rebellion.
* WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse eventually discovers the ability to psychically connect to people and feel their emotions, [[DreamWalker especially when he's sleeping]]. [[spoiler:He feels the Cluster's pain and agony when it gets drilled, which helps him sense that there is [[TakeAThirdOption another solution to the problem]], [[AllLovingHero one that won't involve killing anyone.]]]]
** The villainous [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask Blue Diamond]] is an [[InvertedTrope inverted]] Empath. She doesn't perceive what other people are feeling--rather, she forces every Gem in the vicinity to feel and share ''her'' emotions. Since she's been [[BrokenBird horrifically depressed and angry]] over the loss of her "sister" Pink Diamond for almost 5,000 years, she has a ''lot'' of grief to spare. This ability usually manifests as Gems breaking down crying whenever she's nearby. The episode "Reunited" proves that she can [[EmotionBomb weaponize]] this power at will, reducing even the most powerful Gems to hopelessly sobbing wrecks who are [[AndIMustScream fully conscious of the pain, but unable to do anything about it.]] [[spoiler: The only Gem able to resist and overcome the power is Lapis Lazuli, whose [[TraumaCongaLine horribly traumatic past]] has rendered her immune to Blue Diamond's pain: "I've felt ''worse.''"]]
* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': Sensing others' feelings is a power of the Butterfly Miraculous, as its SuperEmpowering magic works off of strong emotions. [[BigBad Hawk Moth]] uses this to be TheCorrupter; once he detects someone experiencing powerful negative emotions he uses his power to enhance those feelings and turn them into the MonsterOfTheWeek, promising them the ability to take revenge on whoever had wronged them or otherwise take what they want, as long as they get him what ''he'' wants in return.

* This tends to be a trait among [[Franchise/{{Gundam}} New]][[TelepathicSpacemen types of both genders]]. It's not so much as they sense life as much as they sense death, though. Some of the better known examples are Amuro, Char and Lalah from the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam original series]], Kamille from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Zeta Gundam]]'', Judau and Haman from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ Gundam ZZ]]'', Quess from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack Char's Counterattack]]''; Usso, Queen Maria, [[spoiler: and Shakti]] from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam Victory Gundam]]''; Tiffa, Jamil, [[spoiler: Karis]], and [[spoiler: Lucille]] from ''[[Anime/AfterWarGundamX Gundam X]]'', etc.

* Anna in ''Anime/{{K}}'' has this as her Strain power. She has the gender element played straight - she's the TokenMiniMoe and only girl in a gang of [[CastFullOfPrettyBoys (attractive) young men]] - but not the rest of it. She doesn't talk much, but when she does, what she says about her readings is direct ("You're a liar." "He doesn't know."). She also calls everyone [[FirstNameBasis by their given names]], even [[GenderBlenderName Misaki]], who hates his name. She also gets [[spoiler: more powers when she Awakens as the Red King]] in the movie between seasons 1 and 2.
* In ''Manga/OnePiece'' a Kenbushoku Haki user (called also Mantra) can work this way. Both Aisa and [[spoiler:Otohime]] are able to sense negative emotions of people around them. Some users, like [[spoiler:Otohime]], act upon these sensations and try to help. This power can also turn out to be pretty nasty one, if a user [[PowerIncontinence isn’t able to control it]]. [[spoiler: Coby]] learnt it the hard way.

** Dawn can sense the feelings of Pokémon, which is the reasons why Mespirt choose to connect with her on the first day of her journey.

** Bonnie has this ability as she knew that her new friend Squishy, Zygarde, was asking for help during the time they first met. Also, overtime, Bonnie's ability increased through her bond with Squishy as she was able to feel and sense its feelings or pain.

* This is one of Puck's powers in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', which he uses to sense the very chaotic mixture of emotions raging within Guts when he fights demons, acts cruelly toward others, or faces particularly hated enemies such as Griffith.

* Empath (Manuel de la Rocha) from ''ComicBook/NewMutants'' is a genderflip. He could ''control'' emotions in addition to passively sense them.

* Cordelia Frost (sister of ''ComicBook/XMen'''s Emma Frost) possesses the power of empathy. Described as the "Professor X of empaths" Cordelia can not only sense the emotions of others but implant emotional states into them, shoot mind bullets and even use her powers for makeshift mind control by implanting an entirely new personality into someone. Somehow....

* ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'''s shaman "the Doctor", had this power, as well as incredible amounts of magic, as a result of an acquired connection to all life. Particularly interesting for the origins of the various Doctors shown in the comic- an utopian anarchist, a dotcom billionaire drug addict, and an Islamic suicide bomber. It's explained that the powers go to the one person in the world who wants them the least. The suicide bomber was about to set himself off when he acquired his powers: Bang! instant HeelFaceTurn. Not only of himself, but he immediately used his powers to create peace in the Middle East

** In the same universe, Charis, sometimes called [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Nemesis]], is this. For a female with empathic powers, she is quite the opposite of useless. Her empathy allows her to briefly delve into the thoughts of a target, and allows her to anticipate and react against her universe's version of Superman. Yes, she was able to dodge and cut Mr. Majestic.

* ComicBook/{{Madman}} has been able to do this, which helped him determine of an alien was aggressive or not.

** Diana, in line with one version of her canon counterpart. It's quite powerful and leads to her being simultaneously WiseBeyondTheirYears, compassionate and good at forcibly calming people down - though she doesn't like doing that last because she's aware of how it can be used to manipulate people. She does suffer from one instance of PsychicNosebleed, but that's because Harry, being Jean Grey's cousin, had a powerful AngstNuke literally two feet away. She's fine once he manages to rein it in and, more to the point, empathy is only ''one'' of her powers, being a preteen version of Wonder Woman and therefore a BadassAdorable FlyingBrick (though, obviously, a relatively lightweight one, considering that she's about 11 and a half).

** Princess Brightglow, the "Stellar Diplomat", has empathic powers that help her with diplomacy by allowing her to read people. This combined with her [[PlayingWithFire ability to read heat differentials]] makes it difficult to lie around her. Emperor Blackthorn finds her an amusing diversion, and often tests her limits whenever she goes on diplomatic meetings with the Changelings.

** Belyolen and Temnobog, divine Deer twin brothers and co-rulers of the Bogolenya Deer pantheon, both have empathy, except they use them according to their portfolios - Belyolen uses his empathy to allieviate suffering and induce good feelings, while Temnobog uses his empathy to prolong suffering. Temnobog also admits that his brother's empathy is partially why he felt so close to him as fawns, because Belyolen saw a miserable, abused sibling who wanted love instead of the dark abomination everyone thought Temnobog was.

* ''Fanfic/{{Empathy}}'': Thanks to a technology accident, [[spoiler:Riley]] becomes this, able to sense not only others feelings, but hear the emotions inside their head. They also have the ability to use their emotions (namely anger) against others offensively, but [[PowerIncontinence have no real control over that aspect]]. When it does happen, it tends to be pretty draining.

* In the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' fanfic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3878848/1/Thorns Thorns]]'', written by Creator/{{Vathara}}, there is an OC that is later revealed to be an Empath. Originally, he kept it hidden because he didn't want Hojo interested and the organism had to have a spine before he could sense it. [[spoiler: Then he gets shot up with Mako.]] He generally uses it as CombatClairvoyance, but in certain cases it's a weakness; like around Hojo. He ends up using another person as an "anchor" to help him survive the power boost he got during the storyline.

* [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13226631/1/Shigeko-Kageyama-AKA-Mob Shigeko Kageyama AKA Mob]] Reigen develops empath powers after borrowing Mob's powers in the 7th Division arc. It's nothing much in terms of powers. He can feel the emotions of others as his own elading to positive and negative feedback loops. A positive feedback loop almost leads him to kissing Mob, who has feelings for him, and this harms their relationship. A negative feedback loops leads to him and Mob screaming at each other and Mob almost taking their apartment complex down in the argument.

* Sunset Shimmer, the ExBigBad ManipulativeBitch from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'' undergoes a rather humbling defeat, turns her life around and eventually becomes the series new HeroProtagonist, gradually developing into a TeamMom and TheConfidant for the main cast. When the whole group gains superpowers in ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsLegendOfEverfree Legend of Everfree]]'', Sunset gets a TouchTelepathy variant of this power, which does come with the ability to also see people's memories and thoughts. WordOfGod even spells it out as Empathy and the would-be seventh Element of Harmony.[[note]] There are six canon Elements of Harmony held by the Mane cast of the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic parent show]].[[/note]] While it initially seems [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway underwhelming]] compared to the [[SuperpowerLottery much flashier powers]] the others got, Sunset is the only one not to suffer PowerIncontinence, as she is in fact helping the others get them under control and uses her own to help her fulfill her role as TheLeader much better. She also had a [[FlightStrengthHeart rather impressive skillset]] even before these powers came into the picture.
* Parodied in ''Film/TeamAmericaWorldPolice'' where the resident empath would sense feelings that were bleeding obvious. Stuff like saying "I sense you're confused" to a person that has just been transported to a base inside Mount Rushmore by means of a flying limo. [[SmallGirlBigGun She was far more useful, however, when it came to just shooting people.]]

** Indeed HK-47 in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic II'' notes people capable of projecting strong emotions are best able to hide their intent and surprise attack jedi. Revan appreciates the irony that those who experienced emotion were best able to take on the jedi who [[TheStoic suppressed it]].
** The ExpandedUniverse has the Zeltrons, a race full of empaths. They're a slight subversion as it doesn't cripple their ability to fight, and it doesn't really cause them pain. Their society places a high value on joy and pleasure (especially sexual pleasure), and is widely considered a "party planet." Most invaders to Zeltros quickly found themselves partying with the natives instead of conquering the place. On the down side, it means Force-Sensitive Zeltrons aren't really suited to Jedi "there is no emotion; there is peace" stoicism, but the "deviant" ones who enjoy the pain of others make ''great'' Sith (who have embracing their passions as a philosophy).

* The treecats in ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' have an empathic link with their adopted humans, but can also sense basic emotions of other people around him. Combine that ability with their agility, claws and fiercely protective nature of their adopted human, and you get a cute, fuzzy KillerRabbit that tears out the throats of well armed, disguised assassins. With other treecats they're full-blown telepaths, but full communication with humans, even bonded ones, requires them to learn a form of sign language.

* Flinx, the star character of Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''Literature/HumanxCommonwealth'' series, is an Empath with apparently near-infinite potential, thanks to a group of [[EvilutionaryBiologist rogue geneticists]]. Too bad he has [[PowerIncontinence almost no]] [[SuperpowerMeltdown control]] over the power and is constantly hunted by people seeking to "fix", manipulate, or kill him for it. The series has gradually taken him from idealism to cynicism to [[{{Wangst}} near-pathological despair]] over time, and shows no signs of letting up, especially as his power is apparently [[TheChosenOne the key to saving the entire known universe]].

* Interesting version in Creator/RobertSilverberg's ''The Man in the Maze''. The titular man gains, as a result of a contact with alien race, an inverted version of empathy -- he doesn't receive emotions, he constantly projects his own. All of them, down to and including subconscious ones. As it turns out, these deep human emotions are mostly quite unpleasant... As a result, nobody can stay close to him for any length of time (the strength of the psychic barrage is decreasing with distance), and he has to hide in the nigh-inaccessible maze.

* Imriel de la Courcel of the ''Literature/KushielsLegacy'' series. His particular version allowed him to detect "fault lines" in a personality, which he could then exploit to manipulate them. A particularly interesting and well-written example, because it was a potentially tremendously powerful ability which he ''could have'' used to take over the kingdom, but never did -- principally because he was (thanks to being raised by his benevolent foster-parents) such a nice guy. In fact, he almost never used it at all. His ''biological'' mother, on the other hand, was a thoroughly evil murderess who used the same ability to repeatedly try to take over the kingdom.

** Chelsea, a Volturi member introduced in the final novel, can change emotional bondings between people. She is among the most valued members of the coven, because everyone else can be made to stay loyal through her power alone.

* ''Literature/TimeScout'''s Ianira and Margo have an instant connection thanks to their shared abilities and background, hence Ianira, prophetess and priestess of Artemis immediately wants to train Margo.

* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', one of the attributes of the Aes Sedai/Warder bond (and it's variations) gives those involved the ability to sense each other's emotions.

* ''Literature/TalesFromTheMosEisleyCantina'': Feltipern Trevagg, as a Gotal, is able to sense other beings' emotions, plus people with the Force (like Obi-Wan Kenobi). He finds this annoying usually, and doesn't sympathize when detecting sorrow from others over his actions.

* Ashley Morgan in ''Literature/TheMorganDetectiveAgency'' is a empath that was genetically engineered from a MageSpecies. She is also a low level telekentic. Oddly, her ability to feel other people's emotions just makes her jaded due to New Detroit being a WretchedHive.

* ''Series/AgentsOfShield'': Season 7 sees Melina May become one of these, due to her NearDeathExperience on an alien planet. She starts the season feeling noting at all herself, then begins to feel other people's emotions in place of her own. Then she gets her own emotions back, but still senses those of others.

** Lorne, whose empathic abilities came out when people sang. His future telling skills were about as reliable as a cheap fortune cookie though.

** Illyria can sense (and is disgusted by) Wesley's grief. In later episodes, she also senses his desire for her when she takes Fred's form, and calls him on it when he rejects the idea of sleeping with Fred!Illyria.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'': Empathy is a minor advantage that works only on people. Other versions work on Spirits, Animals and Plants. The most important effect is that even creatures who are normally immune to manipulation can be convinced of things by a person with the appropriate Empathy power.

* The Liir and the Zuul from ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars''. The former are a species of pacifistic dolphin telepaths to whom the concept of violence is abominable, because they feel the pain of everyone hurt around them. The latter are a species of telepaths who ''like'' feeling other people's pain, and delight in causing as much of it as possible. It goes without saying that the two ''really'' don't get along (even when we don't take into account their history).

* [[GasMaskLongcoat Psycho Mantis]] is this in the ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' series. However, he's unable to control whose thoughts he hears, so he was constantly assailed by everyone's mind since he was born, with [[AMindIsATerribleThingToRead 'evil thoughts']] in particular invading his mind. Considering how much of a CrapsackWorld the ''Metal Gear'' 'verse is, it's not surprising that by the time he was ten years old he already [[MisanthropeSupreme hated humanity]] and wanted to kill everyone. His powerful empath abilities also means he became the most blatant and iconic example in the ''Metal Gear'' series of [[BreakingTheFourthWall Breaking the Fourth Wall.]]

* DLC character Javik in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''. He can read the emotions [[{{Psychometry}} left over in an area inhabited by an individual]], and by [[TouchTelepathy touching]] someone, he can determine their personality, merits and flaws within seconds. This was a power inherent to the Prothean race (evolving as a means to better track prey), and the various [[FlingALightIntoTheFuture beacons]] they left behind were built in the expectation that later species could do the same; Javik is a little put out to hear that the vitally important information his people put on them went disregarded because nobody could figure out what they were saying.
* [[OurSpiritsAreDifferent Cole]] from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' has the ability to sense people's hurts, and spends his free time helping people -- often in roundabout but clever ways. [[spoiler:Rather fitting for a spirit of Compassion.]] He was a somewhat darker version of this in the past, when [[spoiler:his idea of 'compassion' was to MercyKill the mages being victimized by Templars.]] There's a reason someone who wants to help people all the time has Assassin as his specialization. Swift kills mean shorter pains, and he will immediately be compelled to help anyone who feels pain ''and'' especially compelled to eliminate people who inflict pain onto others.

** Faen from the Sullisin'rune clan in are Empaths, and known for going mad as a result. Besides [[EmpathicHealer healing]] and sensing/projecting emotions Faen turned a teacher into a vegetable mentally and seriously wounded another student when she had a [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?id=472 freakout]] that lead to her running away to the surface. She also turned a an already dangerous, battle-trained direwolf into a [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=268 berserker]] thanks to an emotional feedback loop of fear (from her) and anger (from the wolf), apparently instinctively, in a fit of PowerIncontinence.
** Her mother Ash'waren is the same, only with control over her powers and about 1000 years of experience. Due to prejudices against dark elves, she does a {{masquerade}} and use her Empathy to [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=1253&overview=1&chibi=1&cover=1&extra=1&page=1&check=1 disguise herself]] as a drowolath, an illusion she have no problem to uphold in front of a council of great and small clans of the city they live in, a crowded market and her own clan. Exactly how powerful she is is not known, and if Faen's freakout is any indication, nobody wants to find out. It was mentioned by the creators in a podcast that if she doesn't shield her emotions, her mood might affect everyone living inside the Sullissin'rune clan's [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=148&overview=1&chibi=1&cover=1&extra=1&page=1&check=1 town sized dome]]. Did we mention that she has the ''Drowtales'' version of Temujin/Ghenghis Khan more or less wrapped around her little finger?

* Richard Dark from ''Webcomic/{{Xenospora}}'' is a [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] [[RareMaleExample example]]. It manifests as a way for him to know his opponents intentions.

* Caleb from ''Podcast/TheBrightSessions''. He feels the emotions of others, [[BlessedWithSuck which is not a good ability to have]] when you're in high school, surrounded by other hormonal teens. Caleb has problems with handling anger, and has lashed out on multiple occasions, his most notable one being [[spoiler: his NoHoldsBarredBeatdown against [[{{Jerkass}} Damien]] after the latter attempts to kidnap Caleb's boyfriend to use as blackmail]].
* At [[SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy]] in the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'', there are a number of people with empathic or telepathic abilities. Most have other powers, so this is in general a subversion. Main character Fey is one of the most powerful mages around, has merged with an ancient [[TheFairFolk Sidhe]] queen, but also has the ability to read emotions around her. [[InhumanlyBeautifulRace Since she's also the most beautiful girl on earth]] ''and'' has a Faerie {{Glamour}} that makes her even more all that, this has a downside, since nearly everyone (regardless of sexual orientation) who sees her has pretty much the emotions you could guess.

* WebVideo/EchoRose describes herself as such, claiming to pick up on the energy of others, whether or not they're human or even alive. She was able to pick up a strong feminine energy during her night in the bog, and felt so sick upon seeing an animal skull that she was forced to stop filming.

* In ''Webcomic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'' [[HornyDevils Cubi]] can sense emotions, as they comprise their [[EmotionEater diet]]. It's often a disadvantage in combat, but not for the usual reason; rather than feeling everything their opponents feel, they get blinded by the emotions and fight like drunkards.

* [[OurSpiritsAreDifferent Cole]] from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' has the ability to sense people's hurts, and spends his free time helping people -- often in roundabout but clever ways. [[spoiler:Rather fitting for a spirit of Compassion.]] He was a somewhat darker version of this in the past, when [[spoiler:his idea of 'compassion' was to MercyKill the mages being victimized by Templars.]] There's a reason someone who wants to help people all the time has Assassin as his specialization. Swift kills mean shorter pains, and he will immediately be compelled to help anyone who feels pain ''and'' especially compelled eliminate people who inflict pain to others.

* [[OurSpiritsAreDifferent Cole]] from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' has the ability to sense people's hurts, and spends his free time helping people -- often in roundabout but clever ways. [[spoiler:Rather fitting for a spirit of Compassion.]] He was a somewhat darker version of this in the past, when [[spoiler:his idea of 'compassion' was to MercyKill the mages being victimized by Templars.]] There's a reason someone who wants to help people all the time has Assassin as his specialization. Swift kills means shorter pains, and he will immediately be compelled to help anyone who feels pain ''and'' especially compelled eliminate people who inflict pain to others.

* [[OurSpiritsAreDifferent Cole]] from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' has the ability to sense people's hurts, and spends his free time helping people -- often in roundabout but clever ways. [[spoiler:Rather fitting for a spirit of Compassion.]] He was a somewhat darker version of this in the past, when [[spoiler:his idea of 'compassion' was to MercyKill the mages being victimized by Templars.]] There's a reason someone who wants to help people all the time has Assassin as his specialization. Swift kills means shorter pains, and he will immediately be compelled to help anyone who feels pain ''and'' especially eliminate people who inflict pain to others.

* [[OurSpiritsAreDifferent Cole]] from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' has the ability to sense people's hurts, and spends his free time helping people -- often in roundabout but clever ways. [[spoiler:Rather fitting for a spirit of Compassion.]] He was a somewhat darker version of this in the past, when [[spoiler:his idea of 'compassion' was to MercyKill the mages being victimized by Templars.]] There's a reason someone who wants to help people all the time is an Assassin Rogue...

* In ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'':

* ComicBook/{{Raven}} in the original ''[[Comicbook/TeenTitans New Teen Titans]]'' comic book started out with this power, in addition to healing, teleportation, and some spellcasting. She was useless in combat and was always the first to be knocked out. It wasn't until the success of the cartoon that she was given flight and telekinesis.

* Meggan, of the Marvel team ''Comicbook/{{Excalibur}}'', was The Empath and since her (mostly) VoluntaryShapeshifting powers were tied to her emotions, she often changed to reflect people's expectations of her. Eventually, other people's expectations no longer affected her.
* Cordelia Frost (sister of ''Comicbook/XMen'''s Emma Frost) possesses the power of empathy. Described as the "Professor X of empaths" Cordelia can not only sense the emotions of others but implant emotional states into them, shoot mind bullets and even use her powers for makeshift mind control by implanting an entirely new personality into someone. Somehow....

* This is sort of Comicbook/ManThing's deal. He's a super-strong being made of plant matter, and if his body's destroyed, he can reconstitute himself in his home swamp. But he also senses emotions; in general, he doesn't like negative ones. Specifically, fear causes him to immolate tings; hence the tagline "Whatever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch". Though despite the fact that he's a mindless swamp creature with an appearance that borders between terrifying and UglyCute, typically only bad guys get incinerated, bystanders don't.

* In the Comicbook/{{WITCH}} comics, Will had this power with animals; that is they react to her mood and at least one parrot who could speak in English/Italian (the latter being the original language) could literally read her mind. This power is missing in the [[WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}} show]] though.

* The monsters in the ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' fanfic [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/Visiontale Visiontale]], [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/8779618/chapters/20125687 posted on Archive of Our Own]]. They suffer from PowerIncontinence, seeing as negative emotions inhibit their magic, and they cannot block other's emotions out.

* In [[Fanfic/TriangleOfMoonsMyLittlePony Triangle of Moons]] Gentle Touch is an empath. More than that, she is able to project emotions and change them in the others.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer40000}}'': A downplayed and ''painfully'' subverted trope with the Primarch Angron, who was initially supposed to be this; flashbacks to his youth as a gladiator show that he was able to take the pain, fear, and despair of his fellow slaves into himself, granting them peaceful sleep and restored spirits. Unfortunately, the nobility of Nuceria lobotomized him with the Butcher's Nails-a device meant to heighten his rage and hatred-as punishment for defying their commands to duel and kill his father figure, neutering his empathic abilities before the young demigod could reach his full potential. Thus he was reduced to the bloodthirsty maniac we know him as today, [[BigScrewedUpFamily and another tragedy was added to the already long list of the Imperial Household.]]

* All [[{{Animorphism}} laguz]] in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius'' are said to have this to various degrees during calm situations as a manifestation of seid magic, a form of magic far older than the tomes and staves used in gameplay. The heron clan is particularly well-known for this ability, while dragons are said to be even stronger. Some [[HalfHumanHybrid branded]], particularly those descended from the heron and dragon clans, are also known to display this ability.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''WebComic/ElGoonishShive'':

* Raven from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' has this as one of her powers, though it is not greatly focused on.

** Chelsea, a Volturi member [[AllThereInTheManual only mentioned in the official guide]], can change emotional bondings between people. She is among the most valued members of the coven, because everyone else can be made to stay loyal through her power alone.

* Jasper Hale, a vampire from ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'', can infuse emotions of other sentient beings and can also feel them. One of the reasons he became a VegetarianVampire was because he could feel the pain of his many, many victims.

** Subverted with Jane. She can make people feel stuff, mainly pain, but appears to be unable to feel what others feel. Renesmée later gets a telepath version of this.

* [[BigBad Ialda Baoth]] from ''Manga/UQHolder'' has the power of "Infinite Empathy" which allows her to sense the feelings of ''[[UpToEleven everyone in the present and the past]]'' ([[BlessedWithSuck and considering that there are always more miserable people than happy people...]]). It invariably breaks the will of every person she possesses.