History Main / Thunderbird

* ''Franchise/{{One Piece}}'': One of Enel's attacks is named ''30,000,000 Volt Hino'', which appears as a giant, eagle-shaped mass of electricity, named after "Hino" a thunder god in Iroquois (Native American) mythology. The kanji for the attack reads as raichō (雷鳥 lit. "thunder bird"), the Japanese name of the rock ptarmigan, a type of grouse; the separate translation of the kanji maybe a reference to the creature as Hino can be associated with it as they share the same powers.

* ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'': The penultimate boss of the entire game is called Thunderbird, though it actually attacks with fire magic and doesn't really seem to be incredibly avian in appearance. Its reason for being named after the mythological beast is a bit tenuous, as it is actually necessary to hit IT with the Thunder spell to allow Link to strike it with his sword.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'': During Goliath's world tour arc, the heroes run across a pair of [[OurFairiesAreDifferent Oberon's Children]] masquerading as Native Americans in an effort to protect/drive off a tribe inhabiting the area they were in. In an effort to convince the tribe's new, modern-thinking chief that AllMythsAreTrue, the benign one (Grandmother) takes the form of the Thunderbird to get him to engage in a ritual magic battle with the hostile one (Raven) for control of the land. This rather backfires when the heroes mistake the transformation as an attack and accidentally down the Thunderbird before the chief can see it.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': Zapdos, one of three legendary birds.

* Zapdos, one of three legendary birds from ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' probably counts.

Thunderbirds are originally from the mythologies of various native American peoples, and although broadly similar creatures have arisen in other cultures as well the North American kind is the one most likely to influence their modern portrayals.

Alternatively, thunderbird-like creatures can be derived from simply associating birds (the animals most commonly associated with heavens and the sky) with thunder, lightning, and storms (the most dangerous and dramatic phenomena to manifest in the sky), without direct derivation from Native American traditions.

* Downplayed example in ''VideoGame/MegaManV'': Jupiter is a humanoid robot with birdlike armor and the ability to shoot electricity.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_bird lightning bird]] or impundulu is a recurring figure in the folklore of the [[UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica Pondo, Xhosa, and Zulu peoples]], and is described as a human-sized black-and-white bird that can summon lightning with a flap of its wings. Unlike the American thunderbird, however, this is an evil creature and an avid drinker of human blood. Also rather than an eagle, it is said to resemble a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamerkop hammerkop]], a wading bird related to pelicans indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa.

*** In Ojibwe myth, the thunderbirds exist to war against evil underwater spirits, and arrange their seasonal migrations to coincide with the spirits' most active periods. They also punish humans who act in wicked or immoral ways.
* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_bird lightning bird]] or impundulu is a recurring figure in the folklore of South African tribes, and is described as a human-sized black-and-white bird that can summon lightning with a flap of its wings. Unlike the American thunderbird, however, this is an evil creature and an avid drinker of human blood. Also rather than an eagle, it is said to resemble a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamerkop hammerkop]], a wading bird related to pelicans indigenous to sub-Saharan African.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Thunderbirds are magical beasts resembling immense eagles capable of calling down lightning and creating fog. They're generally benevolent creatures and friendly to humanoids, who often worship them as nature spirits, but also have quick tempers and intensely dislike trespassers in their lairs.

** Tapu Koko is a looser interpretation. It's an Electric/Fairy-type with a rooster motif. Personality-wise it's noted to live by its own whims regardless of how it affects others, much like the weather.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Thunderbirds are magical, albatross-like birds, somewhat taller than a man, that create storms as they fly, and whose tailfeathers can be used to make wands. They can sense danger, and thunderbird-feather wands are known to fire of spells on their own during dangerous situations.

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* ''Literature/TheAreasOfMyExpertise'': The 51st state, Hohoq, is a clouded floating plateau inhabited by airplane-sized thunderbirds that shoot lightning from their eyes.

* The Thunderbird appears in ''Literature/TheHeartstrikers'' as one of the many powerful nature spirits who now work for Algonquin, Lady of the Lakes and ruler of the Detroit Free Zone. He's specifically the spirit of the storms that form over the Great Plains.

** Thunderbirds are large, {{Roc|Birds}}-like birds with magical control over wind and rain. They can cast ''control weather'' at will and are constantly wreathed in lightning and lashing winds, and are both hailed as bringers of rain and feared as heralds of hurricanes and destructive storms.

* The extinct Woodward's Eagle is another bird believed by scholars to be the inspiration for the thunderbird. One of the largest birds of prey known to science, with an estimated total wingspan of up to 55 inches, making it considerably larger than any living eagle.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': Thunderbirds are air elementals resembling immense raptorial birds who create wind with the beating of their wings and coax lightning out of clouds. They're passionate beings who thrive in both love and battle, and share other air elementals' hatred for spirits of water.

** Thunderbirds appear very often in the mythology and symbology of Pacific Nortwhest peoples. They are generally protective entities, and their physical remains and possessions are believed to have significant power and value, but can be dangerous if angered or offended. They are often at odds with sea creatures, especially whales, and make thunder with the beating of their wings. They are also very large; a single Thunderbird feather may be as long as an oar. In one myth, Thunderbird fought against a [[MonsterWhale monstrous whale]] that was killing other cetaceans, devouring fish stocks and attacking coastal villages. It dove into the sea, seized the whale in its claws and dropped it from a great height; the sound of the whale hitting the sea is the source of thunder.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_bird lightning bird]] is a recurring figure in the folklore of South African tribes, and is described as a human-sized black-and-white bird that can summon lightning with a flap of its wings. Unlike the American thunderbird, however, this is an evil creature and an avid drinker of human blood.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': Thunderbirds are large, {{Roc|Birds}}-like birds with magical control over wind and rain. They can cast ''control weather'' at will and are constantly wreathed in lightning and lashing winds, and are both hailed as bringers of rain and feared as heralds of hurricanes and destructive storms