History Main / TheHeartless

->''"Don't bother, your voice can no longer reach him where he is. His heart belongs again to darkness! All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it, it grows, consumes it. Such is its nature. In the end, every heart returns to the darkness whence it came! You see, darkness is the heart's true essence."''

* Though WordOfGod says that the Devilbirds are supposed to be ''WebOriginal/{{Mortasheen}}'s'' [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon-equivalents]], they fit equally well under this trope. For those who don't know, they're Boschian bird-monsters each embodying a negative emotion, which [[EmotionEater feed by inducing said emotions in other people]]. Let us take the [[http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/gluttony.htm Devilbird of Gluttony]] for example. It feeds by [[HorrorHunger inducing a hunger so fierce in a bystander that they will eat anything in sight]]. They then are psychically forced to go back to the Devilbird's nest and [[NauseaFuel vomit up what they've eaten in said Devilbird's mouth]]. In the advanced stages of this hunger, they may become so ravenous that they begin to eat themselves just to fill their hunger. And yes, almost all of the Devilbirds are this horrible. Even [[http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/phasmoria.htm the one based on positive emotions]] [[LightIsNotGood turns its victims into hopeless addicts]]. The only exception is the Devilbird of Sloth, which is so overcome with its negative emotion that it doesn't do ''anything'' -- harming and exploiting others or even ''hatching from its egg'' are far too much work for a creature that is completely slothful.

** ''Series/AvataroSentaiDonbrothers'' uses a very similar idea. The monsters are Hitotsuki, humans who spontaneously transformed into monsters by their desires.

The Heartless are monsters born out of people's negative emotions. They can be a special case of BodyHorror, but can also be a part of the victim's [[AnatomyOfTheSoul Soul Anatomy]] that has been [[EnemyWithout separated from them]], and like a [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost]] they [[LivingMemory may not]] [[IntangibleMan have a physical body at all]] -- in which case, they may be considered a kind of {{Tulpa}}. This part of the soul may represent all of a person's animalistic desires without any of the restraint, similar to a JekyllAndHyde situation, or all of their feelings of suffering, sadness and anger condensed into a distinct figure. They can be a convenient MonsterOfTheWeek, since they are an unlimited resource; there always seem to be plenty of [[VictimOfTheWeek victims]] loaded with problems and angst for The Heartless to feed on. They can also have a [[ViralTransformation self-propagating]] "[[TheVirus zombie]]" effect.

The AllLovingHero's power is usually to combat The Heartless, or even to heal them. The AntiHero or WellIntentionedExtremist usually insists the victims are [[MercyKill too far gone]] and [[IDidWhatIHadToDo should be put down]] before more people get hurt. Occasionally, a victim who is FightingFromTheInside can resist The Heartless' control.

* The ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' video games name the trope, with the manifestations of the darkness that exists in people's hearts; the darker the heart, the more powerful the resulting Heartless, which explains [[spoiler:why Sora's Heartless turned out to be a Shadow (a lowly {{mook|s}})]]. They mindlessly seek out other hearts to steal (and thus increase their ranks), and tend to allow themselves to be directed by those who have control over darkness, or simply by those powerful enough. However, they are described as having started out decidedly less destructive before the series' BigBad, Xehanort, started his experiments on them and created the Emblem Heartless.

* The emotional spectrum entities in ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'' are creatures born from, and embodying the emotions of sentient beings. Naturally, the ones born from fear, greed and rage are particularly nasty.

* The main villain of one ''ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'' story arc is "The Thirst", a golem which is animated as the [[EnemyWithout shadow self]] of the [[MessianicArchetype chosen waterbearer]] should they use their power to harm rather than heal. His only desire is to [[OmnicidalManiac drink life itself]]. They take this role to the waterbearer, their strength proportional to the bearer's negative emotions. Only after Aquaman finds it in his heart to forgive his archenemy can he muster the strength to defeat him. [[spoiler: And when he's then betrayed by said villain, the response leads to him doing a FusionDance with The Thirst, leading from a fake ending into a far worse scenario.]]

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has the Spirit of the Fallen Fortress, which is composed of the pain, and anger, and suffering of all the thousands of beings that died in the Fortress and aspects of their spirits were trapped there, before the resultant entity started hunting in earnest.

* ''Literature/TheCampHalfBloodSeries'': Monsters - as in, the monsters from Myth/ClassicalMythology - are frequently described as such. Chiron in ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' calls them "archetypes" who are born "from the chaos and barbarism that is always bubbling underneath civilization", just like the gods are the collective spirit of Western Civilization. As a result monsters can never truly be killed, as they have ResurrectiveImmortality and can only be sent back to Tartarus to regenerate.

** Dementors are a borderline case. We never learn how they came to be, or, indeed, if anyone knows this at all, but their presence drains the positive emotions of everyone around them, and they will swallow the souls of anyone too weak to fight back if given the chance. The Ministry actually uses them as prison guards, although some (such as Dumbledore) question the wisdom of this approach--with good reason, as they defect to Voldemort almost as soon as he asks, since he doesn't impose any restrictions on them.

* ''Literature/ForestKingdom'': Across the series, the demons [[spoiler: are just humans who've been taken over by the Darkness, completely against their will]]. There's also something of an extension on the the trope by having the Infernal Devices (swords) chosen to ''fight'' the demon armies capable of burning the humanity right out of the user, in essence making them the same or worse than the things they're fighting.

* ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'' is about how Jekyll tries to chemically rid himself of negative impulses and emotions, but instead leads to his transformation into the embodiment of them.

* The Fearlings in ''Literature/TheGuardiansOfChildhood'', shadowy wispy spirits that spread fear into the minds of children by turning their dreams into nightmares and convert them into their ranks if overdosed.
* The Voices from ''Literature/OfFearAndFaith'' are powerful demonic monsters created by humankind's negative emotions that instill these emotions on anyone who gets near them.
* The un-named shadow-creatures in ''Literature/{{Lamplight}}'' only prey upon those who have become completely socially isolated, both physically and electronically.

** In one episode, the crew land on a moon that forms itself to mimic the mind of Rimmer, who is... all the worst traits of humanity. They are trapped, and decide to build up Rimmer's self-esteem in order to escape. This culminates in giving Rimmer a group hug.
** "Polymorph", which features a monster which feeds on emotions such as fear, guilt, rage, and vanity, and changes its shape in response to each person's inner demon in order to elicit these emotions.
** Rimmerworld, which is populated entirely by descendants of Rimmer who have weeded out any trace of bravery, kindness or loyalty, in favor of all of Rimmer's worst qualities. They're all named Rimmer.

** The Mara are parasitic beings of pure hate and rage that requires the fear of its victims to survive. As the Doctor learns from a mystic in its second appearance, "fear is the only poison". When forced to reveal itself, it looks like a rather pathetic giant carnival snake.
** The Valeyard is the Doctor's worst possible future self, created by the Time Lords to condemn him. In return, he would get the Doctor's body. He's so bad, he terrifies the Master, who once held the universe to ransom.

** An interesting example in that Armus is defeated by confronting him with that fact that he is less heartless than he first appears.

* The Shadow (created as a side effect of the leyline Nexus under the manor), the Source (an evil bestowed on the Underworld's leader) and the Hollow (a parasitic entity AboveGoodAndEvil which feeds on both forms of magic) from ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}''. Cole became host to each power once.

** ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse'' also had Bane Spirits, spirits of violence, anger, misery, and corruption used to harrow humans and turn them into fomori and servants for the Wyrm. While the Bane Spirits are born of mankind, the gameline makes it clear that just shoving an anger spirit in someone doesn't make them the Hulk; they need to give into its subtle insinuations first...

* The four gods of Chaos in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' are born from base emotions. Khorne is the God of Hate, Rage, Blood, War, Honor and Killing. Tzeentch is the God of Change, Hope, Ambition, Manipulation, Scheming and Sorcery. Nurgle is the God of Decay, Despair, Love, Destruction, and Disease. Slaanesh is the God of Decadence, Excess, Pain, Pleasure and Self-Indulgence.

** The sorrowsworn are misshapen manifestations of negative emotions such as anger, hunger, loneliness and panic native to the Shadowfell. While in previous editions they were demons, in Fifth Edition they are Monstrosities that can be weakened by acting against the negative emotion they represent. For example, Angry sorrowsworn become confused and disoriented when their would-be victims don't attack them.

* The Nightmares from ''TabletopGame/DontRestYourHead'' are things from unfeeling bureaucracy to sleazy journalism to hatred itself given flesh, either by [[BodyHorror a person transforming into one due to severe insanity]], or by more exotic means -- the Ladies in Hating are either trained in the High School or created from young girls poisoned by the blood of other Ladies in Hating, while legend has it that Mother When came from... somewhere else when someone tried to pick the lock on a door out of the Mad City during the Thirteenth Hour. They are almost universally cruel, twisted, and vicious, incapable of mercy, compassion, or kindness... and the very fact that the Wax King ''doesn't'' match this description is sometimes taken as proof that he isn't actually a Nightmare at all.

** Demons, angels and devils are all created from mana (aka the magic-powering energy ''directly tied to your philosophy and emotions''), so potentially any of them can be born of negative emotions, provided there's enough mana.

* The strangers from ''Website/GoodbyeStrangers'' possibly are a form of the heartless. They do not appear to be alive and appear spontaneously when conditions are right and they come in a variety of strains that appear to be themed around different emotions and concepts, especially negative ones like loneliness, grief, rage, and lust. Although unlike a lot of other examples on this page, many of the ones based on negative emotions are {{Non Malicious Monster}}s or are entirely harmless, and sometime are so pathetic that they are kind of adorable. For example, the [[https://strangers.atrocityland.com/enter/site/module/primer/s_buledroni.html buledroni]] doesn't do much besides constantly crying and the only effect it has on humans is increasing the production of tears. But plenty of other strangers will attack and kill humans in gruesome ways or have effects that can leave people with permanent disabilities.

* Though WordOfGod says that the Devilbirds are supposed to be ''WebOriginal/{{Mortasheen}}'s'' [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demon-equivalents]], they fit equally well under this trope. For those who don't know, they're Boschian bird-monsters each embodying a negative emotion, which [[EmotionEater feed by inducing said emotions in other people]] . Let us take the [[http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/gluttony.htm Devilbird of Gluttony]] for example. It feeds by [[HorrorHunger inducing a hunger so fierce in a bystander that they will eat anything in sight]]. They then are psychically forced to go back to the Devilbird's nest and [[NauseaFuel vomit up what they've eaten in said Devilbird's mouth]]. In the advanced stages of this hunger they may become so ravenous that they begin to eat themselves just to fill their hunger. And yes, almost all of the Devilbirds are this horrible. Even [[http://www.bogleech.com/mortasheen/phasmoria.htm the one based on positive emotions]] [[LightIsNotGood turns its victims into hopeless addicts]]. The only exception is the Devilbird of Sloth, which is so overcome with its negative emotion that it doesn't do ''anything'' -- harming and exploiting others or even ''hatching from its egg'' are far too much work for a creature that completely slothful.

* [[spoiler:Ahsoka]] becomes this in the middle of the Mortis arc of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars''; complete with MindControlEyes and TaintedVeins. It could also be a supernatural case of MoreThanMindControl. Things get particularly heart breaking when [[spoiler:the Son decides YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness and kills her with a DeathTouch. Thankfully she is resurrected]].

!!Examples:

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Anime/SailorMoon'':
** Nephrite eschews using typical EnergyAbsorption tactics, preferring to concentrate dark power into a single highly motivated (and increasingly obsessive) person to get the best energy. His predecessor Jadeite worked in a similar way by amplifying negative traits in people, except he worked with large groups of people--{{Education Mama}}s, obsessive dieters, etc.--instead of just one person at a time. Zoisite and Kunzite just possess people.
** There is also Phages in the final season, and the Lemures of the one before it. The former are humans without a 'Star Seed' whereas the latter are appearently people without their dreams (in the anime version).
** The BigBad of the entire series is a GodOfEvil born from the malice of all living beings called Chaos, and he ends up having his essence scattered into the hearts of everybody across the universe... to defeat him. Chaos also spawned the Big Bads of all the previous four seasons, being lesser {{Eldritch Abomination}}s compared to Chaos.
* [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Runaway Spirits]] from ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'' are a variation of this. They do not originate as The Heartless, but become them after restoring spiritual power by hiding in their victim's bodies.
* The monsters [[spoiler: and the second season's BigBad]] in ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'' were born out the despair of Cephiro's citizens.
%%** [[spoiler: Nova, Hikaru's own personal one.]]
* ''Manga/ElfenLied''. The Diclonius's DNA Voice could be the result of their constant abuse at the hands of humans.
%%* The Mazoku "Monster" Race from ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}''.
%%* The Invaders of ''VideoGame/GateKeepers''.
* While technically made non-canon, in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', [[spoiler: The [[GodIsEvil Idea of Evil]] is a perfect example of what happens when [[MadeOfEvil all of humanity's negativity coalesces into a singular being]]. When people ask why bad things happen like death, war, famine, and plague, [[AbstractApotheosis The Idea of Evil answers it with its own existence]]. [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve It is a huge monster created out of humanity's need for a reason for all their suffering]]. As long as the setting of ''Berserk'' is a CrapsackWorld, The Idea of Evil will continue. Strangely enough, it does not seek to destroy humanity, and tells the Godhand to "do as thou wilt", so it's not actively malevolent as much as it is [[InherentInTheSystem inherently malignant]]. As long as humanity both exists and believes that all pain has a reason, it will live on.]].
** In addition, there's [[spoiler:the Hellhound, Guts's personal Heartless and SuperpoweredEvilSide, which was born from all the negative emotions that arose in Guts after the Eclipse went down, and which worked in concert with him during the Retribution/Conviction arc, but now works against him as his focus has turned to protecting Casca]].
** Qlippoth creatures, like [[OurOgresAreHungrier ogres]] and [[AllTrollsAreDifferent trolls]] are also reflections of humanity's darkest side, being Astral Creatures. They are born through subconscious emotions, nightmares, and rumors/tall tales of their existence.
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. When ghosts [[UnfinishedBusiness linger in the world]] too long, they become consumed by their emotions and transform into Hollows. Their hearts are transformed into masks that hide their faces, leaving holes in their chests, and they become creatures of base emotion and insatiable soul-hunger, driven to hunt and kill any humans with spiritual power. Powerful Hollows that lose their masks regain a part of their lost hearts and become capable of higher reasoning. They usually hunt other Hollows rather than humans, mostly because they're now too powerful to be sustained by human spiritual power. Soul Reapers and Quincies have warred for a thousand years over what to do about Hollows, with Soul Reapers purifying them back into the cycle of reincarnation and Quincies forever destroying them.
%%* The Virus from ''Manga/VenusVersusVirus''.
* A repeated, enigmatic symbol -- particularly suggestive shadows -- in the movie version of ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' hints that Anthy is missing her heart. However, in an inversion, it is because she is the victim/captive of a monster, not the monster itself. This (probably deliberately) echoes the line about "a doll without a heart" in the TV series.
* The Zonder, in the HumongousMecha series ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'' are a variation on this; they don't feed on or arise from negative emotions in general so much as they feed on stress specifically. The forms they take on when they transform into {{Robeast}}s typically have something to do with the source of their hosts' stress, and destroying them leaves the victim feeling quite mellow.
* ''Anime/MyHime''. Yatagarasu, [[spoiler:Shiho's Child,]] is described as residing in the darkness of the human heart.
%%* The fear of Shonen Bat/Lil' Slugger in ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent''.
* Akuma in ''Manga/DGrayMan'' are souls of the dead who have been bent to the will of the Millennium Earl. Often grieving for a lost loved one the bereaved person calls their soul down into an Akuma at which point the soul of the lost loved one is imprisoned and has no will of its own. The Millennium Earl orders the newly made Akuma to kill the person that made them an Akuma and [[ReplicantSnatching wear their body]]. So they're sad and in pain and become increasingly tortured and tormented as the Akuma develops its own personality around them. The main character, Allen Walker, has a special eye that allows him to see these trapped souls, and aims to release them from their pain... which means killing them. The rest of the Exorcists kill them just because they're monsters, and most of them wouldn't understand or take kindly to Allen's sympathy for them. It's not that the Exorcists don't ''know'' how the Akuma are made, but rather that they tend to forget, because they're not constantly seeing it.
** One of Noah claims that if an Akuma self-destructs, rather than freeing the soul, the human soul is ''destroyed''. She then demonstrates this to Allen, who watches in horror as [[FateWorseThanDeath the soul is torn into screaming pieces]].
** More generally, it's stated that the human soul will be released only if the Akuma are killed by an Innocence weapon. Any other method will destroy the soul. It's just that since normal humans don't have a chance of killing an Akuma in the first place, the question never comes up.
* Miss Michiko from ''Anime/DenNohCoil'', though not technically a monster, [[spoiler:is born from Isako's rage and hatred]].
* The ending of the ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'' anime strongly implies that [[CardCarryingVillain Aion]] was born from humans' negative emotions and as such, can resurrect himself at will [[AsLongAsThereIsEvil as long as people suffer or hate.]] [[CardCarryingVillain EVIL!]]
* Magatsuhi from ''Manga/InuYasha'' is a spirit born from the wicked and corrupted feelings of the Shikon Jewel.
* In ''Manga/KingOfThorn'', most of the grotesque monsters came to existence as embodiments of the deepest, primal fears of scientists infected with the Medusa virus.
* At a metaphorical level, Knives in the ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' manga fulfills the definition too, as he might be viewed as an embodiment of the worst 'sins' of humankind. It is significant that in ''Trigun Maximum'', he starts of as [[spoiler: a loving and philanthropic kid and grows extremely fast into a crazed sociopath as a result of trauma or, more symbolically, of absorbing humans' violence and hatred]]. As such, he fits the ShadowArchetype not only for Vash but also for humans.
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** The Zero-Tails from the second ''Naruto Shippuden'' movie is a demon made from the hate or other dark thoughts of others. [[spoiler: It can also [[DemonicPossession possess people]] feeling these emotions]].
** As part of Naruto's test at the Falls of Truth, the hatred that exists within Naruto's heart is given form for Naruto to confront it. He can't beat it in a battle but realizes the key is to [[SheatheYourSword accept the emotions he'd been repressing and avoiding]].
* At a metaphorical level, the homunculi from the first ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' anime may be seen as embodying the 'darkness' or despair in the heart of [[spoiler: the alchemists who created them and whose memories of a lost loved one they often carry]]. Or even of [[spoiler:the original person]] or humankind itself. Their ThemeNaming following the SevenDeadlySins helps this interpretation.
** In the manga, they are manifestations of [[spoiler: Father, the original Homunculus's]] cruelty and sins - what he is and whether he could be The Heartless himself is up for debate, though.
* The X-charas in ''Manga/ShugoChara'' can be seen as a form of this: Usually, when a child needs help in fulfilling their dreams, these dreams materialize and become a "Guardian-chara". However, if the child has already GIVEN UP all hope, the dreams instead get corrupted with lack of self-esteem, the feeling of being useless and other negative-emotions and become an "X-chara" instead: A little, black creature, determined to destroy everyone and everything around it with the power of the dream, it was originally supposed to embody. The owner of the X-chara usually falls in a comatose-state, with his or her inner voice mourning about how useless he/she is. Amu usually tries to heal such Charas, by using the powers of the humpty-lock, while others, like Ikuto and Rima (at least in the beginning) prefer to simply destroy them -- turning the owner into a child without any hopes for his/her life.
* The BigBad of ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' [[spoiler:started out as a [[AIIsACrapshoot computerized]] cleanup system that takes its programming [[GoneHorriblyRight a bit too seriously]]]], but once it [[spoiler:[[MindRape gets inside the head]] of [[BreakTheCutie Juri]], the [[{{Mooks}} agents]] it starts conjuring begin to take the shape of her worst memories. This is how it finally figures out how to "delete" organic matter]].
* In ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'', Dagomon's realm is formed by people's dark desires.
* Shikabane in ''Manga/CorpsePrincess'' are formed when someone dies with regrets or an attachment to this world, which turns them into a monster.
* In the original ''Anime/YuGiOh'' Duelist Kingdom arc, Ghost Kaiba was the embodiment of Kaiba's negative emotions, given life from Yami's Penalty Game. (Only in the dub; in the original, he was an Eliminator who was either a shapeshifter or a ''very'' convincing illusionist.)
* The Dark Signers from ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' are a third this, a third TheCorruption and a third TheVirus.
* In the ''Manga/ShamanKing'' manga, Oni, which are dangerous spirits conjured by a shaman's ridiculously strong negative emotions. Namely loneliness.
* The Gaichuu in ''Manga/TegamiBachiLetterBee''. They are large armored insects that lost their heart and are drawn to "heart," such as that contained within letters, which is why being a postman is such a dangerous job in Amberground. The only way to kill them is to use a Shindanjuu to shoot Shindan bullets powered by the user's heart, [[AttackItsWeakPoint at the gaps in the Gaichuu's armor]].
* The [[MonsterOfTheWeek witches]] of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' are embodiments of despair. [[spoiler:Specifically, the despair of the MagicalGirl they used to be and became unwillingly by being consumed by it. So they are only a part of their character, NOT the whole person.]] In the ending [[spoiler:Madoka {{Ret Gone}}d witches from existence and the despair of mankind instead manifested in different, separate creatures referred to as ''majuu''/[[{{Woolseyism}} wraiths]].]]
* The daemonia from ''Anime/DayBreakIllusion'' are a deconstruction of how this trope is usually handled in MagicalGirl anime... killing them kills the person they're born from as well.
* In ''Anime/UmiMonogatari'', Sedna is revealed to be [[spoiler:the combined form of the islanders' sorrow]].
* ''Anime/LadyJewelpet'' has the Beasts, born of the world's negative emotions and residing inside the Door to Chaos.
* ''Manga/QQSweeper'' has bugs and stains in people's minds that are made of negative emotions and energy, and if they linger too long they'll devour it completely.
* Unicron's portrayal in ''Anime/TransformersArmada'' claims that he feeds on hatred, violence, et cetera. He's a PlanetEater, but the energy from hatred and violence is what gives him the strength to metaphorically get out of bed in the morning. The planet eating is mostly because ''[[OmnicidalManiac all life offends him]]'' and he wants it gone. This is part of his upgrade from GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere in G1 (eventually revealed to have been whipped up by some MadScientist on a whim) to GodOfEvil in the modern TF franchises. He'll exist AsLongAsThereIsEvil (well, so long as there's hate), and his goal is the complete eradication of all universes in TheMultiverse, resulting in a Void so empty that even ''space itself as we think of it'' no longer exists. He's done this to entire universes before.
* ''Anime/PrettyCure'':
** The Desertrians from ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure'' are created by fusing a [[OurSoulsAreDifferent wilting Flower Heart]], signifying a person under heavy distress and grief, and a random object.
** The Jikuchuus from ''Anime/DokiDokiPrettyCure'' are created with the selfish and petty thoughts of a person's heart without the need of possessing anything, making them a more straight example.
** The Saiaks from ''Anime/HappinessChargePrettyCure'' are a rare inversion: they are created with the ''positive'' thoughts of a person that will eventually turn terrible if the monster is not defeated.
** The Zetsuborgs from ''Anime/GoPrincessPrettyCure'' are another inversion: they are created by stealing the dream of the victim to power up the monster. The dream will be gone forever if the monster is not purified.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* The [[spoiler: Malice-class enemies]] from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4|A Promise Unforgotten}}'' are [[spoiler: a rare occurrence where instead of being fueled by rage, sadness, anger or any other usual negative emotion that you’d normally see with this trope, the Malice-class enemies are only fueled by one emotion: Malice (or spite, if that's what you want to call it). Also, unlike most other examples, they are only fueled by one guy instead of humanity itself. Plus, they only appear at the end of the game, wich is again unusual because The Heartless usually appear as the main enemies of the story itself instead of simply appearing only at the end]].
* In the first ''TabletopGame/{{Bakugan}}'' video game (known simply as ''Bakugan Battle Brawlers'', just like the anime), it’s revealed later on that [[spoiler: Leonidas]] is this. [[spoiler: He was born from the anger, hatred and despair of the Bakugan trapped in the Doom Dimension. However, despite that (and some rather [[BloodKnight violent]] [[UnscrupulousHero tendencies]]), he’s actually not an enemy and is actually on the PlayerCharacter’s side as their partner Bakugan. Thanks to [[MoralityPet the Player]]’s influence, he [[CharacterDevelopment starts to change]], becomes [[TookALevelInKindness a bit less aggressive]] and [[DefrostingIceKing defrosts as the story progresses]].]]
* In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow'', the SatanicArchetype Chaos is an EldritchAbomination born from humanity's collective malice that acts as the source of Dracula's power. AsLongAsThereIsEvil, Dracula can always come BackFromTheDead through it.
* Dark Force from ''VideoGame/PhantasyStar'' is a variation of this. While the ultimate villain of the series, the Profound Darkness, is [[SealedEvilInACan locked in another dimension]], its hatred is strong enough to break through the seal and take physical form, manifesting as the series's reoccurring nemesis.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** The Poes, which are described in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' as spirits of hatred. Also, Dark Link.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures'' has Shadow Link, who according to WordOfGod is a {{Tulpa}} formed from Ganondorf's hatred for the normal Link.
** According to ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'', [[spoiler:Demise cursed the descendants of Zelda and Link to forever have to face an incarnation of his hatred, implied to be Ganon]].
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', Calamity Ganon is an amalgamation of a grotesque substance called "Malice," which it spreads across Hyrule to keep the kingdom under its influence. Compared to previous SorcerousOverlord incarnations of Ganon, this one is basically the evil emotions without the intellect.
* The spawn of Dark Gaia in ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' are, according the the in-game bestiary, negative emotions which have manifested physically using Dark Gaia's energy. In addition, they'll also possess people at night, completely turning their personalities arounds, usually for the worse.
* ''VideoGame/MonsterRancherEvo'' has these, but it's only apparent on the overworld stand-ins, as during actual battle the enemy monsters looks the same as if you were controlling them.
* The Fiends from ''Videogame/FinalFantasyX'' are the souls of anyone who died without being purified, either in the lack of regret in their soul in death, or via ritual after.
** The Aeons on the other hand are the manifestation of the souls in a more positive way. By technicality they still are pretty darn close to the monsters in concept because they chose to become an unsent. However, unlike the monsters, they willingly gave up their bodies to aid the summoners so they retain their humanity.
** The fiends a particularly tragic example, as unlike most they are not forcibly converted. Rather, they're left in an AndIMustScream state until the combination of their latent emotions and the solitude drives them [[AxCrazy completely insane]].
* A good many monsters in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' were also created by powerful negative emotions.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'', Cecil must battle [[spoiler: the very incarnation of his own sinful past]] at the top of Mount Ordeals in order to [[spoiler: become a Paladin.]]
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV''
** This is a key element of the [[BlackKnight Dark Knight]] questline: [[spoiler:The person introduced to you as Fray Myste is, in truth, DeadAllAlong, their body taken over by a malevolent spirit born from your character's resentment over their ChronicHeroSyndrome leading them to minimal reward for all of the good they do for the realm, and their desire to become TheUnfettered and mete out justice without being constrained by morality. Your discovery of the deceased Fray's soul stone allows this dark side of your personality to manifest in Fray's body and try to coax you to act out your desire for unrestrained justice -- and when that doesn't go to plan, to attempt a GrandTheftMe.]]
** The Terminus beasts encountered in the final dungeon of the ''Shadowbringers'' expansion are apocalyptic manifestations of the deepest fears of [[spoiler:the ancient Ascians]], who had lost control of their ability to create anything with a thought due to a cataclysmic event.
* The monsters in the ''Franchise/SilentHill'' series.
** Amusingly deconstructed in ''[[VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour Downpour]]'', as the Bogeyman represents [[spoiler: the dehumanization of an object of revenge, hence why Anne sees Murphy as the Bogeyman at the end of the game.]]
%%* The Gnosis in the ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' trilogy.
* The Shadows in the Persona series, {{Anthropomorphic Personification}}s of the negative aspects of humanity's [[UsefulNotes/CarlJung Collective Unconsciousness]]:
** In ''VideoGame/{{Persona 2}}'', [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Nyarlathotep]] is revealed to be [[spoiler: the grand AnthropomorphicPersonification of the negative emotions of ''humanity as a whole'' -- fear, hatred, anger, and every other flaw of the species. He's the EvilCounterpart to Philemon, who is similarly an AnthropomorphicPersonification of human strength and positive emotions... and it's further revealed that the entire series up to that point was little more than a pissing contest between the two to see which was truly the more powerful aspect of humanity. And you ''do'' actually get to punch Philemon for this.]]
*** At one point during the events of ''Innocent Sin'', Nyarlathotep also uses his power to make rumors reality to bring out Shadow versions of your entire party.
** The Shadows of Tartarus in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' are essentially this, being born from the collective desires of any human who ever wished for death. [[spoiler:This eventually brings about the TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt when a mentally unstable man opens the door for them to call forth an EldritchAbomination-level Shadow like Nyarlathotep: [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Nyx]], the manifestation of death. In the end, the hero gives up his/her soul, not to heal the heart of humanity, but to seal Nyx away from the collected weight of their negative emotions until such a time that humanity can stop wishing for death.]]
** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' takes it even further: The game features Shadows born from collected negative emotions of all people, Shadows formed from individuals, [[EnemyWithout born from the parts of themselves they tried to repress or deny]], Shadows who [[spoiler:[[HeelFaceTurn don't want to be Shadows anymore and try to become human instead]], and yet another EldritchAbomination-level Shadow: [[Myth/JapaneseMythology Izanami]], an avatar of humanity's desire for self-deception and lies.]]
** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'' builds upon ''Persona 4'', with your party targeting dozens of Shadows that represent corrupt individuals repressed emotions, who can in turn be forced into seeing the error of their ways in order to reform their human selves. Further, you can talk to pretty much any Shadow now, as they all are pieces of human consciousness. [[spoiler:And as usual, the BigBad turns out to be an EldritchAbomination level Shadow. This time, he was born from the collective desire to maintain social order, but has gone so out of control he plans to absorb reality and "save" humanity from TheEvilsOfFreeWill.]]
*** Interesting enough, ''VideoGame/Persona5'' actually provided two inversions with [[spoiler:Shadow Futaba and Morgana. Shadow Futaba is made out of the positive emotions Futaba has due to how self-loathing she was, and Morgana is literately [[EmbodimentOfVirtue made of humanity's hope]].]]
* In ''VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsTheSoullessArmy'', the Hiruko are what happens when The Heartless gets combined with BodyHorror, resulting in a race of parasitic monsters bred from the despair, hate and fear of the residents of the Capital who at the slightest provocation will erupt in a NightmareFuel-laden scene, converting the hapless victim into a Red Cape, or outright bursting out of the body. Neither variant is particularly pleasant.
* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' shows a twist on this: [[spoiler: the citizens of the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado turn into demons merely by reading the Literature the Black Samurai freely gives away. Turns out that for Casualries, who have been deprived of certain ideas (the most basic of socialist principles is treated as dangerous sedition), the realization that the system is heavily dependent on the Casualries being GullibleLemmings drives them to demonic insanity. ]]
* The Noise in ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' follow this trope to a tee. Not only are they created from negative thoughts and feelings, they are drawn to them and can covertly possess people so that they appear to be "in a rut." Unsurprisingly, this game was directed by Tetsuya Nomura and much of the team who made ''Kingdom Hearts''.
* [[spoiler:Matias]] in ''VideoGame/TalesOfInnocence'' formed [[spoiler:from Asras' collected pain and anger when he was stabbed by his own lover with his {{BFS}}]].
** Zerom in ''VideoGame/TalesOfHearts'' are creatures that feed on life force, causing a wasting disease called Despir Sickness that not only puts the victim into depression, but eventually leaves it a petrified husk. They are apparently drawn to people who are in the grip of negative emotions like fear, doubt, and grief, because people who have had such emotions amplified by {{MacGuffin}}s invariably come down with a bad case of the disease.
** In the second half of ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'', every member ends up fighting a despair driven doppelgänger of themselves in their own respective character quest.
* Darth Nihilus from ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' became a living entity of pure hunger when TheDarkSide consumed him. His most infamous power is a life drain that can instantly cause the extinction of a planet.
%%* Darkling from ''VideoGame/GhostMaster''
* The Shades in ''VideoGame/{{NieR}}''. [[spoiler:They are actually the spirits of humans that were seperated from their bodies and kept in storage as part of Project Gestalt, a plan to save humanity from a deadly plague. Unfortunately, the plan didn't quite pan out, leading the souls to go insane from being disembodied for too long and transforming them into monsters.]]
* Dark Brain of ''The Great Battle'' and later ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', who feeds on negative energy and gets more powerful. He CAN get punched out by the heroes, but they can't kill him, since there's no way they can destroy the negative energies of humanity.
** To that extension, ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsDestiny Destiny]]'''s evil group Ruina also feeds on negative energies to make them powerful, doubled that they reside in a CrapsackWorld where lots of such things exist.
* It's suggested several times that the power infusing [=DarkChips=] in ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork 4'' and ''5'' comes from people's hatred. (It also seems to come from a dark dimension called Murkland, but the two aren't necessarily contradictory.) As usual in these [[DarkWorld dark/light games]], the bad guys are always ranting at you about how everyone is evil deep down, which makes it ''very'' satisfying when Mega Man [[ShutUpHannibal smacks down Duo]] in the ending of 4:
-->'''Mega Man:''' Living creatures all have both good and evil in their heart. No duh!
* The original-series antecedent of the above storyline is ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'''s "Evil Energy". Rather than coming from dark thoughts, this stuff feeds on them -- and it finds [[BigBad Wily]] an excellent source.
* The demons of the ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts'' universe thrive on and are fueled by the negative emotions and hatred of the world, Malice. One of the perils of being a Harmonixer, one who [[VoluntaryShapeshifting takes on demonic form]] to fight against the demons, is that killing them causes Malice to build up in one's soul, as well, risking [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity the destruction of the Harmonixer's mind]].
* The Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Shuppet feeds on the negative emotions of people.
--> '''Pokedex''': "Shuppet grows by feeding on dark emotions, such as vengefulness and envy, in the hearts of people. It roams through cities in search of grudges that taint people."
** In the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime, this seems to be a good thing. When a shuppet feeds off someone's dark emotions, they feel a lot better. The Shuppet also means no harm.
** While not a true creature, the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Bittercold]] from ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonGatesToInfinity'' is a corruptive force in the form of an immense snowflake. It's created from the hopelessness, despair, and bitterness of the [[CrapsaccharineWorld Pokemon world]] that's powerful enough to cause its end. It's so strong that [[spoiler:anything near it is so overwhelmed with its power that ''it suffocates from the negativity.'' Even the player character, who is supposed to be ''immune'' to it!]]
** In a similar vein, ''VideoGame/PokemonSuperMysteryDungeon'' has [[spoiler:Dark Matter, a manifestation of the anger, hatred, jealousy, and other such negativity found in the hearts of all Pokémon that is capable of [[TakenForGranite turning Pokémon into stone]] -- even [[OlympusMons Legendary Pokémon]] -- and feeding on their energy to empower itself.]]
* ''VideoGame/DigimonSurvive'' has [[spoiler:[[OutsideContextProblem the Kenzoku]], shadowy "offspring" of the EldritchAbomination BigBad that are manifestations of people's fear and self-doubts]].
* The Final Boss Devil in ''VideoGame/BattleMoonWars'' is a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere that is the this trope, also apparently any land area that has magic will generate evil spirits that oddly looks like {{Shout Out}}s to various anime series.
* Bogmire in ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion''. More precisely, as the quote says, it's a manifestation of the fear and despair of the mansion itself: ''A product of the mansion's fear and despair. He's not sure who to fear or what to despair these days.''
* One of the bosses in ''VideoGame/HypeTheTimeQuest'' is the titular character's dark side, although it is never elaborated upon, and as such may not satisfy the trope fully.
* Since ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' takes place largely inside people's minds---in particular, the patients of a mental hospital---''most'' enemies in the Mental Worlds are this in some form. Perhaps most explicit are the Nightmares, demonic-looking beasts that appear in [[MilkmanConspiracy Boyd]]'s mind and locked up inside [[OrphanageOfLove Milla]]'s.
** The Censors are, in some ways, the ''opposite'' of this---they're essentially antibodies of the mind that destroy thoughts that don't belong, such as forms of insanity. Unfortunately, since ''you'' don't belong in other people's minds, they consider you fair game.
* Dracula in the ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' series is occasionally described as this; people describe him as the product/manifestation of [[HumansAreBastards the collective evil in humankind]] and our bastardry is what's bringing him back, and as of the ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow'' duology, he's described as God's EvilCounterpart who comes back because the balance of nature requires it (or something like that).
** The Lords of Shadow from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'' also count. When [[spoiler:the three founders of the Brotherhood of Light ascended to Heaven as beings of pure good]], the evil they abandoned possessed their mortal bodies and became the Lords of Shadow responsible for so much misery in the world.
%%* The "blot" versions of eaten residents of wasteland in the final level of ''VideoGame/EpicMickey''.
* The Ixupi from ''VideoGame/{{Shivers}}'' are ancient {{Mayincatec}} demons that suck away the life essence of any nearby human beings.
* The Negativitron of ''VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet 2'' was born of the negative personality aspects of the creators of Craftworld. This is technically a spoiler, but the name alone is kind of a giveaway, and it's foreshadowed along the way besides.
* In ''Videogame/UltimaIX'', the Guardian, dimension conquering threat from the previous several games, is revealed to be the Avatar's EnemyWithout: specifically, the embodiment of all the evil and darkness he cast off when he became the Avatar.
* The Sha in ''Videogame/WorldOfWarcraft: Mists of Pandaria'' are born from the negative emotions of the people in Pandaria. Each Sha is aligned with a specific negative emotion, and their size is a direct measure of how strong that emotion is among the populace of Pandaria. At least six Shas are known at present: Anger, Despair, Doubt, Fear, Hatred, and Violence. [[spoiler: The seventh is Pride]].
** Turns out that they are [[spoiler:the aimless breath of an Old God's corpse that only stops spreading when the corpse is drained completely of power. They're still The Heartless but they aren't actual negative emotions but rather parasitic [[EmotionEater Emotion Eaters]] [[MadeOfEvil Made of Dead Old God Breath]]]].
* The Gohma from ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' are a combination of this and GaiasVengeance, being the embodiment of the planet's suffering sent to KillAllHumans.
* [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Demons]] in ''VideoGame/{{Albion}}'' are physical beings intentionally created out of emotions of fear for use as living weapons.
* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' has Angra Mainyu, which was apparently created from the soul of a man who was made to suffer the burden of all of the evils of humanity. This soul later came into contact with a wish-granting artifact (the Holy Grail) which resulted in the soul graduating to full blown EldritchAbomination, becoming an embodiment of all mankind's evil in ''fact'' rather than figuratively.
* ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'' gives us the Underworld Army who are an extreme case [[spoiler: Chapter 22 reveals that Hades uses the souls of fallen soldiers to create Underworld monsters, and thousands of souls are used to create one monster, thus wasting them entirely.]]
* The Inkies in ''VideoGame/{{de Blob}}'' are a cross between The Heartless and MechaMooks. The ink they're made out of is [[spoiler:harvested from Greydians who've been made utterly miserable, and the Inkies are then assembled out of said ink on a factory production line.]]
* The first antagonist you meet in ''VideoGame/TheLongestJourney'' is the Chaos Vortex, a black thick cloud that menaces Arcadia. [[spoiler: It's one half of Gordon Halloway's LiteralSplitPersonality - his chaotic, emotional part. The other, back in Stark, is TheSoulless, coldly logical and speaking in a creepy monotone. It's also quite deadly.]]
* ''VisualNovel/ShallWeDateDestinyNinja2'' has "Ayakashis," which are black monsters in various forms. They are made of a black mist coming from the symbols of the four seasons, and they began to manifest because of the negative emotions of nearby humans. When killed, they turn back into mist.
[[/folder]]

** There are also the sorrowsworn, misshapen manifestations of negative emotions such as anger, hunger, loneliness and panic native to the Shadowfell. While in previous editions they were demons, in 5e they are Monstrosities that can be weakened by acting against the negative emotion they represent. For example, Angry sorrowsworn become confused and disoriented when their would-be victims don't attack it.

* The Shadow (created as a side effect of the leyline Nexus under the manor), the Source (an UltimateEvil bestowed on the Underworld's leader) and the Hollow (a parasitic entity AboveGoodAndEvil which feeds on both forms of magic) from ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}''. Cole became host to each power once.

** As part of Naruto's test at the Falls of Truth, the hatred that exists within Naruto's heart is given form for Naruto to confront it. He can't beat it in a battle but realizes the key is to [[ImNotAfraidOfYou accept the emotions he'd been repressing and avoiding]].

** In addition, there's [[spoiler:the Hellhound, Guts's personal Heartless and SuperpoweredEvilSide, which was born from all the negative emotions that arose in Guts after the Eclipse went down, and which worked in concert with him during the Retribution/Conviction arc, but now works against him as his focus has turned to protecting Casca]].

* ''Literature/TheCampHalfBloodSeries'': Monsters - as in, the monsters from Myth/ClassicalMythology - are frequently described as such. Chiron in ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' calls them "archetypes" who are both "from the chaos and barbarism that is always bubbling underneath civilization", just like the gods are the collective spirit of Western Civilization. As a result monsters can never truly be killed, as they have ResurrectiveImmortality and can only be sent back to Tartarus to regenerate.

[[folder:Trope Namer]]

* ''Literature/TheCampHalfBloodSeries'': Monsters - as in, the monsters from Myth/ClassialMythology - are frequently described as such. Chiron in ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' calls them "archetypes" who are both "from the chaos and barbarism that is always bubbling underneath civilization", just like the gods are the collective spirit of Western Civilization. As a result monsters can never truly be killed, as they have ResurrectiveImmortality and can only be sent back to Tartarus to regenerate.

%% Image used with permission.

[[caption-width-right:306:[-[[https://www.deviantart.com/scarecrowartist/art/8th-Evil-Ex-NEGA-SCOTT-175965440 "Nega-Scott"]] artwork by [[https://www.deviantart.com/scarecrowartist ScarecrowArtist]]-]]]

* The [[spoiler: Malice-class enemies]] from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4|A Promise Unforgotten}}'' are [[spoiler: a rare occurrence where instead of being fueled by rage, sadness, anger or any other usual negative emotion that you’d normally see with this trope, the Malice-class enemies are only fueled by one emotion: Malice (or spite, if that's what you want to call it). Also, unlike most other examples, they are only fueled by one guy instead of humanity itself. Plus, they only appear at the end of the game, wich is again unusual because TheHeartless usually appear as the main enemies of the story itself instead of simply appearing only at the end]].