Line #196 Main/BrainMonster


1	%%%
2	%%
3	%% The examples section has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct place in accordance with Administrivia/HowToAlphabetizeThings.
4	%%
5	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
6	%%
7	%%%
8
9	[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/MetalSlug https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/metal_slug_brain_monster.png]]]]
10	[[caption-width-right:350:[[WebOriginal/LOLCats I can has Metal Slug?]]]]
11
12	->'''Andross:''' Only I have the brains to rule Lylat!\
13	'''Fox [=McCloud=]:''' So, Andross, you show your true form.
14	-->-- ''VideoGame/StarFox64''
15
16	The brain. A big, juicy, wrinkled organ on our head that is protected by the skull for a good reason. Now, imagine when it's not...
17
18	There are two types of monstrous brains:
19	* '''Just Brain''': The brain moves around by itself. It might have some bits attached, such as legs, hovering jets or helicopter rudders, but its main "body" is a brain. Alternatively, it is stationary and attached to something. If these brain monsters have other body parts, like eyes, a mouth and/or appendages, they will be attached directly to their brain.
20	* '''Acranial Monster''': A monster that has an incomplete skull, thus exposing their brain.
21
22	A sister-trope of BrainInAJar, although a lot of these brains don't really need the jar life-support system, as well as the furthest extension of MyBrainIsBig.
23
24	SubTrope of EvilIsVisceral and BodyHorror, and thusly, is always played for NauseaFuel. Compare with {{Oculothorax}}, where the monster is a giant eye.
25	----
26	!!Examples:
27
28	[[foldercontrol]]
29
30	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
31	* Void, the oldest member and nominal leader of the God Hand in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', is a looming figure in a high-collared cape topped by ghastly head which is mostly bulging, exposed brain.
32	* Vademon from ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' has a huge exposed brain, seeing that he's an alien Digimon.
33	* In ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency'', the Pillar Man Esidisi's superhuman physiology allowed him to survive as just a disembodied brain and nerves after the rest of his body was destroyed by Joseph's Hamon.
34	* The [[HumanoidAbomination Nomus]] of ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' are former humans who have been bioengineered by the BigBad so that their bodies can support multiple Quirks. They all look almost completely different, but the one feature that ties them all together is their exposed brains. Characters who are unfamiliar with the term "Nomu"[[note]]which, ironically, is Japanese for "Brainless" -- a reference to how the bioengineering process destroyed their minds and left them as puppets who can only blindly follow commands[[/note]] refer to them as "brain guy" or some variation thereof.
35	* Tak from ''Anime/SpaceFamilyCarlvinson'' is a brain with a spinal column, plus arms and legs to move around and interact with stuff. For a brain creature, he's also pretty ditzy and goofy, though by no means the dumbest in the cast.
36	[[/folder]]
37
38	[[folder:Comic Books]]
39	* ''ComicBook/{{BPRD}}'': The short comic that introduced Lobster Johnson involves a scientist who gained PsychicPowers in an experiment, then used those powers to kill his colleagues. When the Lobster shoots the psychic in the head, his brain crawls out of the bullet hole, grows several times larger, then flies around the room. The Lobster barely kills the mutant brain before it strangles him with its spinal cord.
40	* ''Franchise/TheDCU'':
41	** Several incarnations of the Brain from ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'' -- as the disembodied, preserved, sentient BrainInAJar of a MadScientist. Together with his sentient gorilla servant/boyfriend Mallah, the two of them would go on to gather the Brotherhood of Evil.
42	** The Gil'Dishpan or Gil'Dan, who have fought ComicBook/{{Superboy}} and the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes and were part of the Alien Alliance in ''ComicBook/{{Invasion\|DCComics}}'', look like misshapen brain-tubeworm things in tentacle-covered bubbles.
43	** The leader of the Resource Raiders, one of the enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes in ''ComicBook/TheEarthwarSaga'', is a huge floating brain with a pair of bulging eyes and four prehensile tentacles.
44	** Some incarnations of the ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' villain [[Characters/SupermanBrainiacCharacter Brainiac]] have an exposed brain beneath his skull-diodes. The heroic Brainiac 417 of ''ComicBook/DCOneMillion'' is a disembodied brain encased in a humanoid force-field.
45	%%** The giant squid monster from ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''. '''Administrivia/ZeroContextExample'''
46	* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'':
47	** Amadeus Cho's subplot in ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules'' pits him against Boltzmann Brains; disembodied brains that are hypercomputer quantum constructs capable of creating virtual scenarios in pocket dimensions at will. They also shoot [[ShockAndAwe bolts of electricity]].
48	** One arc of ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}'' has the titular team stuck in hell due to the machinations of Blackheart. There, they encounter a MagicMirror that conjures the antithesis of whoever is reflected in it to fight them. The Red Hulk gets Encephalon, pretty much a Hulk in stature but made entirely out of brain.
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
52	* The titular terror in the ''ComicStrip/ThisModernWorld'' strip "[[https://images.dailykos.com/images/517153/story_image/TMW2018-03-14color.png?1520720102 The Thing That Ate America's Brain]]" (and [[https://images.dailykos.com/images/858490/story_image/TMW2020-09-23color.png?1600534632 its]] [[https://images.dailykos.com/images/996225/story_image/TMW2021-10-13color.png?1633900271 three]] [[https://images.dailykos.com/images/1154944/lightbox/TMW2023-01-23color.png?1674410238 sequels]]) is a tentacled EldritchAbomination that [[EmotionEater feeds on]] the "chaos, anger and turmoil" generated by UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump and his supporters.
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:Film -- Animation]]
56	* BigBad Dr. Wheelo of ''Anime/DragonBallZTheWorldsStrongest'' had his [[BrainInAJar brain preserved in a jar]] by his assistant before he died, and is currently searching for [[TitleDrop the world's strongest warrior]] to serve as [[GrandTheftMe a host body]]. [[FridgeLogic For some reason]], the process also made his brain gigantic; how he expects to transplant it into a human-sized skull is unknown.
57	* The principal antagonist of ''WesternAnimation/{{Gandahar}}'' is a giant brain, made by the people of the utopian city of Gandahar as a prototype [[WetwareCPU organic computer]]. When the superbrain didn't work out as planned, it was dumped in the ocean and forgotten. Interestingly, when the heroes first encounter this giant brain, it seems docile, and even gives the heroes the tool for its own destruction.
58	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'', Hogarth stays up past his bedtime watching TV, and the movie playing seems to be a ScienceFiction BMovie about killer brains. Just before the TV loses reception, it shows the scientist character being attacked by a [[SpecialEffectFailure brain with tentacles]]. This is probably an AffectionateParody of ''Film/FiendWithoutAFace''.
59	[[/folder]]
60
61	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
62	* ''Film/TheBrain1988'' features an alien that resembles a gigantic brain with a face as the titular monster.
63	* Gor and Vol from ''Film/TheBrainFromPlanetArous'' are aliens that resemble giant disembodied floating brains. The former wants to take over the universe, the latter wants to stop him.
64	* ''Film/FiendWithoutAFace'' features InvisibleMonsters that, when revealed, are actually slimy crawling human brains. Said brains strangle victims with their spinal cords.
65	* In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2'', [[spoiler:Ego's truest form, which also seems to function as his core, is a gigantic brain that glows with energy]]. Interestingly enough, this incarnation of him seems to be a literal [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boltzmann_brain Boltzmann brain]].
66	* The Supreme Martian Intelligence in ''Film/InvadersFromMars1986'' looks like a brain with two vestigial limbs and a face (his eyes also have two pupils each), attached to an appendage that comes out of a sphincter-like opening in its [[WombLevel organic-looking]] underground spaceship.
67	* The invading Martians from ''Film/MarsAttacks'' are the acranial type. Their brains visibly pulsate and explode inside their clear helmets when exposed to their WeaksauceWeakness -- really bad singing.
68	* In ''Film/TheTimeMachine2002'', the Morlock leader is of a [[HiveCasteSystem caste]] in which the brain has become so enlarged that it's not only visibly exposed on the back of his head, but its lobes extend halfway down his back as well.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Literature]]
72	* The Grand Lunar from ''Literature/TheFirstMenInTheMoon'' is the ruler of the "[[{{Lunarians}} Moonies]]", and rests in the throne room with his exposed brain taking up most of the cathedral-like ceiling space. There are lesser Moonies that hover around moistening this huge brain. The Grand Lunar is LawfulNeutral but takes Doctor Cavor prisoner on the belief that humans are intelligent anarchists.
73	* ''Literature/GalacticMilieu'': Jack Remillard's unique genetic makeup leads to cancer destroying his entire body except his brain, but he stays alive and aware throughout the entire process. His metapsychic abilities are so powerful that he can create a perfect illusion of having a body, but it's only an illusion. When he drops the illusion, he's just a disembodied brain - hence his epithet of "Jack the Bodiless".
74	* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'', Ron gets attacked by tentacled brains in the Department of Mysteries that MindRape and leave gouges behind when they touch someone.
75	* In the ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' series novel ''Galactic Patrol'', Mentor of Arisia is revealed to Kimball Kinnison to be (barring a few minor bits and appendages) "simply and solely a brain". Then, in ''Second Stage Lensmen'', the Boskonian Prime Minister Fossten is revealed to be a nearly identical brain, explained by his being a renegade Arisian, [[spoiler:except that this was a false appearance in both cases, arranged by Mentor to hide from Kinnison that Fossten was really Gharlane of Eddore]].
76	* In "Literature/TheManWhoEvolved", the protagonist [[EvolutionaryLevels evolves]] (after several intermediate passages) into a giant brain with tentacles, and ''[[SerialEscalation then]]'' into a giant brain with PsychicPowers that no longer even needs tentacles.
77	* In Creator/RudyRucker's ''Master of Space and Time'', a giant brain becomes the messiah of a ReligionOfEvil in an alternate dimension, spawning regular-sized brains that can move around by crawling, [[PuppeteerParasite attach to people's backs and mind-control them]].
78	* ''Literature/NewJediOrder'': The Yuuzhan Vong use a semi-telepathic creature called a yammosk to coordinate their forces. (Yammosk actually communicates through gravity pulses.) A massive yammosk, the World Brain, is introduced to manage the Vong-forming of Coruscant.
79	* ''Literature/PossibleTomorrows'': The 1973 Coronet cover seems to be a brain (with human-like eyes open in fear) as part of a radio tower. [[CoversAlwaysLie No, it doesn't show up in any of the stories]].
80	* In ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds1898'', the {{Martians}}, to the human eye, appear as huge brains with tentacles, having pared their bodies down to just the vital organs (brain, heart, lungs, and hands, "the agent and educator of the brain"). Their TripodTerror giant robots are "bodies" built for the needs of the moment, and they "eat" by draining the nutrient-rich blood of lesser animals, including people.
81	* ''Literature/AWrinkleInTime'': The BigBad IT is a huge, disembodied brain with mind-control abilities that involve making the victim think in repetitive patterns.
82	[[/folder]]
83
84	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
85	* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': In "[[Recap/AngelS03E02ThatVisionThing That Vision Thing]]", Wolfram & Hart hire a psychic with an exposed brain to torture Cordelia, forcing Angel to release a soul from torment in return for stopping the torture.
86	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
87	** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E1TimeAndTheRani Time and the Rani]]", the Rani grows a giant brain linked to the minds of every genius in the arcade in an attempt to collect the genius of the greatest scientific minds in the universe.
88	** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E4DaleksInManhattan Daleks in Manhattan]]"/"[[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E5EvolutionOfTheDaleks Evolution of the Daleks]]", Dalek Sec turns himself into a Dalek/Human hybrid, which has a large, exposed brain.
89	* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'': The future version of Crichton in "[[Recap/FarscapeS02E10MyThreeCrichtons My Three Crichtons]]" has a wrinkly head to show off his advanced brain lobes.
90	* ''Series/TheJimHensonHour'': Fern, the female monster in the "Hurting Something" skits, had an exposed brain with tendrils of skin holding it in place.
91	* ''Series/MuppetsTonight'': Craniac in the "Pigs in Space: Deep Dish Nine" skits has a head that looks like a brain with eyes and a mouth.
92	* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963'': The creature from "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1963S1E26TheGuests The Guests]]" splits the difference between this trope and BlobMonster.
93	* The GreaterScopeVillain from ''Series/PowerRangersSPD'' turns out to be "Omni", a massive brain with an eye on a stalk who's [[TheManBehindTheMan been controlling Gruumm for some time]]. His real plan is to turn Gruumm's massive spacecraft into a [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever giant body for itself]], "the Magnificence".
94	* A few alien invaders from ''Series/{{Ultraseven}}'', including Alien Cool and Alien Chibull, are just massive brains with tentacles growing from beneath.
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
98	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': This is a general theme of illithid-aligned creatures (although illithids merely exhibit MyBrainIsBig, perhaps because their octopoid heads are stretchy enough to contain them).
99	** Their rulers, [[http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Elder_brain Elder brains]], are literal giant [[BrainInAJar brains floating in large brine pools]] in illithid cities. They are made up of the combined brains of old illithids that sacrificed themselves to join it.
100	** The Intellect Devourer is basically a brain running around on four little legs. Its modus operandi is to crack a victim's skull open, remove the brain and then [[GrandTheftMe squeeze inside, taking over the body]]. Believe us, if you survive an encounter, you'll never want to go without Protection from Evil and Good again. Where intellect devourers come from depends on the edition. Some sources say that illithids create them by transforming a humanoid's brain, but according to other the intellect devourer is an alien species that starts life as a smaller, less intelligent brain creature that also has tentacles called an ustilagor which loses the tentacles when they become an adult.
101	** Grells resemble giant floating brains, except with squid-like beaks and ten tentacles that inject paralyzing venom into their prey. They are technically not a true brain monster, as their bodies only happen to ''look'' like brains.
102	** Cranium Rats are super-intelligent rats whose oversized brains are exposed. They have telepathic abilities that allow them to become smarter when large groups of them are close together.
103	** A BrainInAJar is classified as a type of undead and they have psychic powers.
104	* ''TabletopGame/EclipsePhase'': One of the usual adversaries are the Exhumans, a rather diverse group of radical body modificationists, {{Evilutionary Biologist}}s, and wannabe evil overlords, having very little in common besides all agreeing that (trans-) humanity has run its course and will be replaced by them. "DiabolicalMastermind brain on spider legs with a God complex" is common enough to be an in-universe category in itself.
105	* ''TabletopGame/GeniusTheTransgression'' throws in its own version of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boltzmann_brain Boltzmann Brains]]; this time, as super-intelligent and super-insane giant floating brains that, due to how Boltzmann Brains come into being, remember things that ''never'' happened, including massive crimes that the targets of their aggression never committed -- and being geniuses of their own, and quite insane at that, they tend to [[RealityWarper superimpose their own version of events over nearby reality]]. Notably, the thought experiment about them existing was what actually caused them to exist; disproven theories always leave a Mania-infused trace.
106	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': Several [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Tyranid]] creatures, especially those with strong psychic powers, have partially exposed brains.
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Video Games]]
110	* ''VideoGame/AlienSyndrome'''s level 1 boss is a big brain with a bonus supplemental brain attached.
111	* ''VideoGame/Ashes2063'': Haunts, hostile [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghost-like entities]], are actually a somehow-living brain and spine disguised behind a projection of a corpse, as can be seen when you kill one. Presumably, they're a type of {{mutant\|s}} like the Cannibals.
112	* The final boss of ''VideoGame/BeastBusters'' looks like a human scientist, but it's only the disguise of a floating one-eyed alien brain creature that phases through the wall. After you defeat it, however, the battle is not yet over -- its remains crawl into a massive contraption, powering it for the real final battle.
113	* ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac'':
114	** There are enemies simply called [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Brains]] that crawl around the floor, leaving a trail of blood that damages you if you step on it. There's also an even larger variant, called a [[PunnyName Membrain]], that [[AsteroidsMonster splits into two regular Brains when it dies]]. [[ExpansionPack Afterbirth Plus]] introduces a [[PaletteSwap green variant]] called "Toxic Mind" that moves diagonally rather than horizontally and vertically.
115	** On the player's side, there's the item/familiar Bob's Brain, a floating, green brain that flies towards enemies and explodes upon hitting them. While it is regarded by many to be [[ScrappyWeapon more harm than help]], careful usage will grant the player a [[DifficultButAwesome powerful weapon that poisons enemies and can blow up obstacles if launched right]].
116	* ''VideoGame/{{Blasphemous}}'' has Our Lady of the Charred Visage, whose pulsating brain is also her [[AttackItsWeakPoint weak point]].
117	* In ''VideoGame/BlasterMaster'' and its remake, ''VideoGame/BlasterMasterZero'', the boss of the Forest Area is a floating brain monster called Mother Brain. In the original, it's a standard WarmUpBoss with indestructible orbiting brain satellites. It loses those in ''Zero'' in exchange for gaining some [[BotanicalAbomination plant monster]] traits.
118	* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' has Amygdala and its brethren, whose head consists of a mostly exposed brain occasionally covered in eyes. In addition, the Brain of Mensis is a giant brain covered in eyes.
119	* ''VideoGame/ChaosHeat'' has a ''massive'' brain monster as a boss in the lab, as large as the pool it's spawned from with neural veins sticking out the pool's edges and its sole facial features being a single protruding eye. It's a difficult SequentialBoss that needs to be killed thrice, to boot.
120	* The Weirdboy in ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar 2'' has an upgrade called Bigger Brains, the icon for which shows his brain swelling out of his skull.
121	* ''VideoGame/DeadlyRoomsOfDeath'' has the brain enemy. It just sits there and doesn't attack. The problem is that it gives all other enemies much-improved pathfinding, greatly complicating avoiding being overrun by them.
122	* ''Franchise/{{Doom}}'':
123	** ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'': The final boss of the third and fourth episodes -- the Spider Mastermind -- is essentially a giant brain carried by a robot body.
124	** ''VideoGame/DoomII'':
125	*** The Spider Mastermind's children are the Arachnotrons, which are smaller versions with automatic plasma guns.
126	*** The final boss is the Icon of Sin, a giant skeletal goat face with an exposed brain as a weak point. It is only vulnerable to rockets fired into it from a certain angle, however.
127	** ''VideoGame/Doom3'': It's not immediately noticeable, but the Cacodemon design has an exposed brain on top of its head.
128	* The final form of Neibiros, the FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/DragonBlaze2000'' (it's a SequentialBoss, you'll need to defeat his draconic, behemoth and monster form first) is a massive brain-like form with Neibiros' head growing out from its side. Said giant brain also has horns, a giant central eye, and the ability to spam fireballs all over the screen. Upon defeat, it turns into a smaller, ''winged'' brain and continues fighting before finally going down for good.
129	* One of ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'''s monsters is Octobrain, a large floating brain-like creature with tentacles hanging down beneath, 3 red eyes and a large mandibled mouth.
130	* ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' has the Cerebrum, which looks like a BrainInAJar on two legs. It can cast just about any high-level PSI ability, which with its high speed and HP makes it a formidable late-game enemy, but a successful [[AntiMagic PSI Block]] will render it all but harmless and a ripe target for ManaDrain.
131	* ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'':
132	** These are featured in the first, third and fifth games. Many final bosses of the series are usually giant, brain-like beings. As a RunningGag through the series, they are often ridiculously easy to defeat.
133	** The SpinOff ''Salamander'' has the Brain Golem, a giant brain with an eye attached to the end.
134	** A frozen-over version of Brain Golem appears in the Platform/GameBoy version of ''VideoGame/{{Parodius}}'', '''another''' SpinOff.
135	* ''VideoGame/GunBuster'' inexplicably has a human-sized brain in a cylindrical tube as the mastermind of the cyborg villains and the game's last boss. The brain even taunts you verbally as you approach it.
136	* One boss in ''VideoGame/IronMeat'' is a tank coated with meat from the mutant spread; besides having flesh-like organs growing on its sides, it also has a gigantic, exposed brain growing out of the cockpit, which controls it into attacking the players.
137	* ''VideoGame/IsolatedWarrior'' has a giant, throbbing, floating brain as the third boss, who managed to construct a gigantic mechanical head for itself. It automatically encasing a shell around it as soon as you enter, and you'll need to bypass its defenses to shoot the brain until it blows up.
138	* ''VideoGame/MetalSlug'':
139	** In ''Metal Slug 3'', Rootmars, the FinalBoss, is an alien with a big, exposed brain that serves as his weak point. Said brain can occasionally emit a shockwave that is hard to dodge.
140	** ''Metal Slug 6'' has the Brain Robot, a giant mecha BrainInAJar and an AdvancingBossOfDoom, that pursue the players relentlessly in the Beijing sewer system.
141	* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'':
142	** In ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'', the final boss, Mother Brain, is a massive brain in a tank, with a laser-shooting eye. It's stated that she started off as a WetwareCPU built by the [[BenevolentPrecursors Chozo]], who took command of the SpacePirates.
143	** In ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'', Mother Brain reappears as the final boss, [[spoiler:this time as an "acranial" example, having gained a massive, mechanized body]].
144	* ''VideoGame/MonsterMaulers'' has Brain Golem from ''VideoGame/{{Salamander}}'' appear, now equipped with EyeBeams.
145	* ''VideoGame/MySingingMonsters'' has an example for both variations of the trope:
146	** The Reebro is essentially just a brain with face piloting a mechanized quadrupedal body.
147	** The Theremind is a pink humanoid monster with a giant exposed brain, blacked-out swirly eyes, and the ability to summon floating mouths at will.
148	* Dr. Brain's penultimate form in ''VideoGame/NotDyingToday''. At the first phase of the boss fight, he assumes a humanoid form, save for [[MyBrainIsBig his gigantic pulsating brain under a glass dome]], but once you defeat him the brain then supersizes and consumes him, turning into a gigantic floating brain controlling a hovering platform to attack.
149	%%* The final boss of ''VideoGame/QuakeIV'', the Nexus. '''ZCE'''
150	* The Lickers of ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' are [[OurZombiesAreDifferent T-Virus zombies]] which have mutated further and have had their brain extend out of their cranium. Despite the (relative) boost in intelligence, they also become more bestial, crawling on all fours and attacking based on sound with an [[OverlyLongTongue elongated tongue]]. Contrary to its [[RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain previous forms]], the brain of a Licker is not a particularly weak spot.
151	* ''VideoGame/ShadeWrathOfAngels'' contains floating, deformed brains in the Otherworld, who can blast you from afar with mental energy bolts.
152	* The demon [[http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Omoikane Omoikane]] from ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series isn't evil, but is a floating brain with tentacles nevertheless.
153	%%* ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}} 3'' final boss. '''ZCE'''
154	* ''VideoGame/SpiderTheVideoGame'' ends with its last boss being a gigantic, floating brain with two eyes and a metallic spine resembling a tail. The subsequent boss battle has the giant brain alternating between using EyeBeams and TailSlap on you.
155	* ''Franchise/StarCraft'': The [[MindHive Overmind]] is a gigantic brain with a thick carapace and some tentacles. It is immobile and only relocates by [[ColonyDrop teleporting itself into a planet's orbit and crashing onto the surface]]. To a lesser extent, Cerebrates are overgrown Zerg larvae which root themselves in place and only exist as giant brains. When the Overmind is killed, several Cerebrates merge to form a new one.
156	* In ''VideoGame/StarFox64'', the FinalBoss, Andross, is said to be a MadScientist, but the only thing left of him appears to be his ([[RoboticReveal possibly robotic?]]) giant monkey head with [[FloatingLimbs unattached hands]] that attacks the player's Arwing SpaceFighter with [[MindOverMatter telekinesis]]. After [[TurnsRed taking a certain amount of damage]], the surface layer of the... thing [[MadeOfExplodium explodes]] to reveal an equally giant brain with attached eyeballs. [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment No in-game explanation is given]] for how his brain got so large or why it can operate without a body.
157	* The first boss of ''VideoGame/Stinkoman20X6'' is the brain of the HumongousMecha Stinkoman defeated in the opening cutscene.
158	* In ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'', the boss of [[BloodyBowelsOfHell the Crimson]] is the Brain of Cthulhu, a giant demon brain with some tentacles and a few vertebrae sticking out of the bottom. Once you kill the Creepers surrounding it, the two hemispheres open up, revealing a beating heart with an eye on it.
159	* The Mind Cripplers in ''VideoGame/UnderworldAscendant'' are floating humanoid brains that aggressively attack the unwary with psychic powers.
160	* The fourth guardian in ''VideoGame/{{Unepic}}'', the aptly-named [[http://unepic.wikia.com/wiki/Neuron Neuron]], is a giant floating brain with a single eye which lives in the castle's library. It has an ungodly amount of PsychicPowers -- up to an including mind-controlling your character or causing an InterfaceScrew -- that make it one of the [[ThatOneBoss trickiest (and most annoying)]] enemies in the game.
161	* The final boss of ''VideoGame/{{Vectorman}} 2'' is a giant black widow spider with an exposed brain in her thorax. Sure enough, that exposed brain is [[AttackItsWeakPoint her weak point]].
162	* ''VideoGame/XCOMUFODefense'' features the Alien Brain on Mars as the BigBad.
163	[[/folder]]
164
165	[[folder:Webcomics]]
166	* The [[https://marblegate.webcomic.ws/comics/318 seerabellums]] from ''Webcomic/MarbleGateDungeon'' are brains protected by a gelatinous membrane, with eyes and some rudimentary limbs. They possess formidable telekinetic abilities, and often animate stone statues to act as their "bodies".
167	* Violet's monster in ''Webcomic/MonsterPulse''. It's literally her brain pulled out of her body and given monster form, like other monsters in the comic. Unlike other monsters, [[spoiler:it's also where her personality now resides, remote-controlling her human body]].
168	* ''Webcomic/{{Paranatural}}'': Hijack, the arc villain of chapter 5, is a spirit who has the appearance of a floating brain with a face and arms.
169	* Gestaltians from ''Webcomic/QuentynQuinnSpaceRanger'' are a non-villainous example. They are born as just a brain with eyes and rudimentary limbs, and [[BizarreAlienBiology assemble a body out of various symbiotes]].
170	* {{Parodied\|Trope}} in ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'', where a MadScientist discovers that his creation, a T-Rex with its brain in a giant jar, [[NightmareRetardant is anything but terrifying]].
171	* In a ''Webcomic/SequentialArt'' arc parodying ''Franchise/{{Fallout}}'', Pip is mistaken for an agent of Vault One Eleven and is brought to Spankaton Academy in a post-apocalypse London. There, he's brought before its administrator -- a ButterFace with a shapely body, one eye, and a huge, exposed brain. Her name is Dot, according to [[https://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=964 strip #964]]. In a world of barbaric moo-tants (sic) and {{Action Girl}}s with {{Multiboobage}}, Dot fits right in. Fortunately for Pip, it's all a DreamApocalypse.
172	[[/folder]]
173
174	[[folder:Websites]]
175	* A few stranger strains from ''Website/GoodbyeStrangers'', such as the Condroni, have bodies that appear to be completely filled with human brain tissue when cut open. This does not make them smart however, as like most strangers, their insides don't appear to have any function besides being creepy.
176	* ''Website/{{Mortasheen}}'' has many, ''many'' monsters based on brains, or just brain-like in appearance. They are often -- but not always -- associated with PsychicPowers of some kind.
177	** [[https://bogleech.com/mortasheen/encephalobe.htm Encephalobe]] is the result of a zombie's brain becoming an independent monster of its own -- although they start [[AndIMustScream trapped in their parent body]].
178	** [[https://bogleech.com/mortasheen/drainwave.htm Drainwave]] is a brain/balloon hybrid that feeds on other beings' minds.
179	** [[https://bogleech.com/mortasheen/abcoulix.htm Abcoulix]] is best described as a toad with a brain for a body, but the brain is for electricity generation rather than for intelligence.
180	** [[https://bogleech.com/mortasheen/corpusite.htm Corpusite]] is not normally this trope, but its brain can "escape" and take residence into another body (at least some Mortasheen citizens consider this a mutually beneficial relationship rather than [[GrandTheftMe pure body theft]]).
181	** [[https://bogleech.com/mortasheen/scumbat.htm Scumbat]] looks like this trope (at least in the mature phase), but it is actually a parasitic fungus with a brain-shaped "fruit".
182	** [[https://bogleech.com/mortasheen/necromon.htm Necromon]] is a monster that evolved from a homunculoid, the Mortasheen equivalent of {{Nanomachines}}. For some reason, it looks like a brain perched atop a tiny body.
183	** Several "garbage" monsters (leftovers from monster creation, useless and generally pitiful) are made of brain tissue. These include the unintelligent [[https://bogleech.com/mortasheen/huhhk.htm huhhk]] and [[https://bogleech.com/mortasheen/ekeblange.htm ekeblange]], as well as the massive [[https://bogleech.com/mortasheen/bleevus.htm bleevus]] which has a powerful mind but whose thoughts are entirely incoherent.
184	* ''Website/{{Neopets}}'':
185	** The [[http://images.neopets.com/halloween/braintree.gif Brain Tree]], which gives out quests in the form of questions you must answer. The rationale behind this behavior is that the Brain Tree loves knowledge, but being rooted to the spot, it must rely on others to find information.
186	** Mutant pets were subjected to a PainfulTransformation by the site's BigBad. As their name implies, their main trait is BodyHorror of all sorts, and two of them have their brain exposed, in different ways. [[http://www.sunnyneo.com/rainbowpool.php?species=kacheek&colour=mutant#info Mutant Kacheeks]] have theirs so swollen that it melds through the top of their heads. [[http://www.sunnyneo.com/rainbowpool.php?species=draik&colour=mutant#info Mutant Draiks]] have it showing through a visible skull fracture.
187	[[/folder]]
188
189	[[folder:Web Videos]]
190	* {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d in ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'''s [[Recap/DragonBallZAbridgedM10 version]] of ''Anime/DragonBallZTheWorldsStrongest''. Dr. Wheelo is unaware and has to be told that his brain has absorbed a lot of the embalming fluid it's suspended in, which caused it to grow, much to his dismay.
191	-->''"Why is it the size of a greyhound?"\
192	"'''THE BUS?!'''"''
193	[[/folder]]
194
195	[[folder:Western Animation]]
196	* The Brains from ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'', contestants in the Galactic Showdown game. They bragged on how they evolved to not need bodies anymore, as they consisted of nothing but floating brains.
197	* Gunter briefly becomes this leading up to the sixth season finale of ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', after a head injury literally splits his head open, and Gunter remembers that he is in fact [[spoiler:Orgalorg, an [[TheOldGods ancient]] EldritchAbomination from space]], prompting his brain to hijack Princess Bubblegum's spaceship.
198	* Ben's Alien Brainsorm from ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' can open his head to reveal his [[MyBrainIsBig oversized brain]] and [[ShockAndAwe shoot electricity from it]].
199	* In ''WesternAnimation/BigGuyAndRustyTheBoyRobot'', Dr. Neugog transforms into a GiantSpider monster with an exposed brain that drains other people's intelligence to make himself smarter.
200	* The ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' episode "[[Recap/DarkwingDuckS1E35HeavyMental Heavy Mental]]" revolves around a machine that gives the user PsychicPowers and [[MyBrainIsBig enlarges their brain]] as a side effect. At the episode's climax, the villain cranks the machine up and turns himself into a truck-sized, floating brain. Darkwing and his friends beat him by [[spoiler:making him think too much during the power-up process, which [[YourHeadASplode blows him up]]]], making this one of the {{Squick}}iest episodes of the series.
201	* The orange dragons of ''WesternAnimation/DragonBooster'' resemble tyrannosaurs with large, exposed brains. Fittingly, they have PsychicPowers which they use to enslave humans.
202	* What other show has such a creature as its [[VillainProtagonist main character]] other than ''WesternAnimation/EvilConCarne''?
203	%%* Big Brain (that's his name) from ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents''. '''ZCE'''
204	* The Lobe, the MadScientist and ArchEnemy of ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}''.
205	* The Brain Spawn of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' are a race of giant, flying, telekinetic brains with the ability to telepathically drain the intelligence of animals, robots, and some plants. Their goal is to store all knowledge in the universe in a giant database, then destroy the universe so that no new knowledge will be generated because apparently that's less work than making continual updates for all eternity.
206	* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeShrinks'' featured these in a BMovie.
207	* Mojo Jojo from ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' has his [[MyBrainIsBig enlarged brain]] protected by (and visible under) a helmet.
208	* Krang, as seen in ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'', has been reduced to a brain thanks to a judgment in his home dimension of Dimension X. He went through several iterations of armor to protect this squishy body until he reached a full robotic suit of armor.
209	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Tigtone}}'': The villainous Brainbow, who is a former human whose brain and nervous system were magically separated and act independently. He has an enmity with his other half, a rainbow-colored [[DemBones skeleton]] named Rainbone.
210	[[/folder]]
211
212	[[folder:Real Life]]
213	* The Barreleyes are a family of deep-sea fish that have evolved transparent heads so that their large, tube-shaped eyes can look straight up through their skulls to see potential prey imposed upon the light filtering down through the water above. This has the side effect of making it look like their brains are exposed.
214	[[/folder]]
215

Context Main / BrainMonster