Line #18 Main/SymbioticPossession


1	%%%
2	%%
3	%% The examples have been alphabetized. Please put any new example in its proper place in the folder rather than at the end.
4	%%
5	%%%
6
7	[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shadow_of_war_troy_baker_talion.jpg]]]]
8	[[caption-width-right:350: Left: Talion, a [[BadassNormal ranger]] bleeding out from being [[HumanSacrifice sacrificed]]. Right: [[OurGhostsAreDifferent a ghost]] who's BarredFromTheAfterlife. Both are eager to [[OpposeWhatYouSuffered make sure their killers die]], no matter [[ResurrectiveImmortality how many times they have to themselves]].]]
9
10	When [[DemonicPossession a demon (or any other invading, mind-controlling force) possesses someone]], it can get pretty nasty. The host will have no control over their actions, they'll be forced to do the demon's bidding, or even fight their former friends. It's not a pretty picture...
11
12	...unless the demon and its host are pals.
13
14	Sometimes a demon, spirit, or any other entity that is forcefully placed into someone's body (willingly or otherwise) befriends its host, and they form a symbiotic, mutually beneficial relationship. Maybe the demon [[HeelFaceTurn lightens up a bit]] once his host [[ThePowerOfFriendship befriends him]]. Maybe HumanityIsInfectious, and the demon can't help but pick up his host's better qualities. Maybe he realizes that [[RousseauWasRight humans in general are all around good creatures]] that should be befriended, not taken over. Maybe he's not fond of his host, but [[EnemyMine there's a greater threat that can't be conquered unless they combine their efforts]]. Maybe he was [[PunchClockVillain never evil in the first place]], and after being crammed into someone's body against his will, he felt that he might as well make friends with his fellow captive. Maybe [[VillainousFriendship they're both evil]], and they realize that two evil heads are better than one.
15
16	Whatever the case is, the two become less of a parasite and host, and more like two allies in one body. They view each other on equal ground and are willing to pass control of the body between each other when the situation calls for it.
17
18	Compare WillingChanneler, when the host willingly accepts the demon into his body in the first place and HeroicHost where the partnership grants fantastic ablities. Contrast with DemonicPossession, when it certainly ''isn't'' a fair relationship, SharingABody, for when it's two people in the same body, and not a possessor and a host, and BondCreatures, which involves a PsychicLink but no possession. Might overlap with MonsterAndTheMaiden, if the host is female and the entity possessing her is male/masculine.
19
20	----
21	!! Examples:
22
23	[[foldercontrol]]
24
25	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
26	* ''Manga/AfterGod'': Alula is content within Waka's body and doesn't come out unless when in combat. While she has her own agenda, her motives and way of thinking are generally aligned with Waka's.
27	* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' has two situations like this in the original manga and the second anime:
28	** Greed ([[spoiler:in his second incarnation]]) is born by being injected into [[spoiler:WarriorPrince Ling Yao]]'s body. He takes it over, but [[spoiler:Ling]]'s mind survives because he willingly allows Greed into him. While Greed remains in control early on, [[spoiler:Ling]] slowly breaks through him. By the end of the series, the two see eye to eye, [[SnarkToSnarkCombat throwing witty banter between each other]] and switching off control based on whether Greed's Ultimate Shield or [[spoiler:Ling's chi-sense]] is more useful at the moment, and Greed finally realizes that [[spoiler:it was friends that he wanted all along, not 'possessions'. He dies by willingly giving up his life to save Ling's]].
29	** A case could also be made for [[spoiler:Van Hohenheim, Ed and Al's father]], who is now merged with over 500,000 souls -- all citizens of the lost nation of Xerxes, with [[spoiler:Hohenheim]] as its SoleSurvivor. He's gotten to know each and every single one of them over the centuries, and they ''all'' agree that they'll take down the BigBad, the cause of their collective misery.
30	* ''Anime/KurauPhantomMemory'': A Rynax is a being from another world; if one comes to our world it needs to find a host (a human) to survive or it will die.
31	* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', most of the Tailed Beasts are either treated as wild, mindless creatures, or as ChaoticEvil monsters intent on complete destruction. However, Killer B and his companion, the Eight-Tailed Ox, are on equal terms with each other, viewing each other as friends, which makes Naruto want to have the same relationship with his own Tailed Beast, Kurama the Nine-Tailed Fox. [[spoiler:He ultimately succeeds.]]
32	* ''Manga/{{Parasyte}}'':
33	** Shinichi and Migi ended up this way eventually, although Migi always was rather disagreeable at times. Normally, the aliens take over a person's head, but in this case, Shinichi kept it from moving further up than his arm long enough that it couldn't move anywhere else.
34	** A second such example is Mamoru and Jaw. Jaw only took over Mamoru's [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin mouth]] instead of his entire head, because at the exact moment he attempted possession, Mamoru fell off a cliff into the ocean. To keep their shared body from drowning, Jaw had to stretch out Mamoru's mouth above the water's surface and thus failed to spread into the brain.
35	* In ''Anime/UmiMonogatari'', [[spoiler:Urin]]'s relationship with Sedna after the former does a FaceHeelTurn works like this. [[spoiler:Urin]] gets Sedna's powers, while Sedna inhabits [[spoiler:Urin]]'s body.
36	* This is a recurring notion in the ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' series:
37	** Yugi and Yami Yugi/[[spoiler:Pharaoh Atem]]'s relationship in ''Anime/YuGiOh'' quickly turns into this, especially once it's discovered that Yami is less SealedEvilInACan and more SealedGoodInACan.
38	** Similarly, in ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', Judai and the far more demonic [[spoiler:Yubel]] become this by the story's end.
39	** In ''Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL'', Yuma and Astral end up sharing a body, though it's clear from the start that the latter is a SealedGoodInACan or at least he's suffering from severe AmnesiacDissonance, given that the Numbers born from his missing memories are supposedly seeking to [[ApocalypseHow/ClassX4 destroy the universe]].
40	[[/folder]]
41
42	[[folder:Audio Plays]]
43	* In ''AudioPlay/ASlendermanMusical'', a ghost possesses a teenager on the run from the Slenderman. Already friends before this incident, their friendship only grows stronger throughout the course of the possession as they rely on each other to get both of them through the strange new world they've found themselves in.
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder:Comic Books]]
47	* ComicBook/{{Ghost Rider}}s when the host and Spirit can talk to each other, like Johnny Blaze and Zarathos. They started out hating each other, with Zarathos being a kind of SuperpoweredEvilSide, but in later comics, the relationship is more VitriolicBestBuds. Zarathos gets annoyed with Johnny's heroics, but still enjoys their adventures ([[InLoveWithYourCarnage especially how he deals with their foes]]). Johnny, on the other hand, sees Zarathos as part of his [[BloodKnight bloodlust]]. They agree that they're better together.
48	* ''ComicBook/{{Monstress}}'' has the case of main protagonist [[AntiHero Maika]] and Zinn, the [[EldritchAbomination Monstra]] living inside her body. When Zinn first awakens, he takes complete control of Maika for short stretches of time (during which she blacks out), but as time goes on, they learn to coexist, with Maika having control of her body and Zinn lending her his raw strength and CombatTentacles whenever needed.
49	* ComicBook/TheSpectre is often presented this way, [[DependingOnTheWriter at least when it's established that he and his host are separate entities]].
50	* The various alien symbiotes from ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' all fit this trope to some degree.
51	** ComicBook/{{Venom}} is a complicated case. Random people bonded with the symbiote usually get [[DemonicPossession completely dominated]] by it. Eddie Brock ''appears'' to fit this trope, but when he's separated from the symbiote, his Catholic guilt kicks in and he thinks of it as a curse. Mac Gargan fit the trope, but he was [[AxCrazy bloodthirsty]] to begin with, so the symbiote's influence didn't really matter other than giving him [[ImAHumanitarian a taste for human flesh]]. The current Venom, Flash Thompson, manages to fit this trope through chemical controls and sheer will [[spoiler:until the symbiote gets an intervention from its species and has a HeelFaceTurn]].
52	** When teenager Andi Benton bonds to a Venom clone, becoming Mania, it influences her behavior to a certain extent, but by and large Andi takes to symbiosis like she was born for it.
53	** Cletus Kasady, of course, ''loves'' being bonded with the Carnage symbiote. They get along so well that they used to be considered one being. Unfortunately, this is because they're both vicious mass-murdering psychopaths.
54	** [[AndZoidberg And Toxin]]. Patrick Mulligan's relationship with his symbiote is best described as ''parenting.''
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder:Fan Works]]
58	* ''Fanfic/AllAssortedAnimorphsAUs'': In "What if Tom was infested by a member of the Yeerk Peace Movement?", Tom (the host) and Aftran (a PuppeteerParasite) take turns being in control of the former's body.
59	* ''Fanfic/BetweenMinds'' has an [[InvertedTrope inversion]] that's PlayedForLaughs: although they [[BigBrotherInstinct get along well with each other]], it's more accurate to say that the ''demon'' is being possessed by a ''little girl''.
60	* In ''Fanfic/TheDragonKingsTemple'', this is how a blending between a [[Series/StargateSG1 Gou'ald and an Unas]] is supposed to work. The two form a kind of getsalt personality, with neither truly in control of the other. The Unas provides the Gou'ald with a body and senses, while the Gou'ald provides the Unas with enhanced healing and the benefit of its memories and knowledge. Unfortunately for absolutely ''everyone'', humans turned out to be ''just'' neurocompatible enough that a Gou'ald could control them, but not enough to allow for a proper blending. Those Gou'ald who would become the System Lords found this particular combination disturbingly addictive.
61	* In ''Fanfic/GeorgeWeasleyAndTheComputationalError'', George goes back in time and gains the ability to possess his younger self. After much freaking out, all three Weasley twins eventually come to have a good relationship with one another.
62	* ''[[http://www.mediaminer.org/fanfic/view_ch.php?id=19769&cid=49552&submit=View The Legend of Link: Lucky Number 13]]'': [[TheReveal The dramatic reveal]] is that [[spoiler:Link has been carrying a shadow demon ever since he first met Ganondorf on the bridge outside Hyrule Castle Town. The two eventually forged a friendship, which ultimately saves the day during the FinalBattle with the Originals and Fate]].
63	* ''Fanfic/MagicaeEstPotestas'': Frisk and Chara work like this. Frisk takes care of every-day life and diplomacy. When they're in danger though, Chara takes control -- which is quite useful when [[spoiler:dodging assassination attempts]].
64	* The Dominion Jewel in ''Fanfic/TheRigelBlackChronicles'' typically gives power in exchange for reshaping the mind of its holder into a greedy tyrant. When [[spoiler:it gets into Harry's head and she locks it inside a mental construct that forces it to obey her instructions]], the relationship is a bit more equal, with "Dom" getting enough access to her magic and memories for him to keep them safe from intruders and keep himself entertained.
65	* This is the relationship between Taylor and the Varga in ''Fanfic/TaylorVarga''. Taylor provides direction for their shared body, while the Varga provides power, advice, and companionship. They soon become close friends, and Taylor bends the Bargain to allow the Varga for more freedom than the normal.
66	* ''Fanfic/{{Underfell}}'' often has Chara sharing Frisk's body rather than possessing them against their will.
67	* In ''Fanfic/WhatIfTheYeerksWereTheGoodGuys'', the Yeerks offer their hosts companionship in exchange for being able to see the world.
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Film]]
71	* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', the red panda spirits that possess the women of Mei's family give them the ability to turn into giant red pandas. What the spirits get in exchange is unknown but given that the transformation is emotion based, they seem to benefit from heightened emotions somehow.
72	* Grey Trace in ''Film/{{Upgrade}}'' has a chip called STEM implanted in his spinal cord after a robbery that left his wife dead and him paralyzed. Grey and STEM then proceed to work together to find the people who killed his wife, with Grey letting STEM take over his body at various points so that it could turn him into a killing machine when he needs to get out of a jam. [[spoiler:This trope is subverted when it turns out that STEM itself orchestrated the robbery so that it could be implanted in a suitable human host, having decided that Grey was a viable candidate because he had no other cybernetic implants and was thus harder to track. At that point, it takes over Grey's body permanently and [[LotusEaterMachine locks his mind in an illusion]] of him being with his wife again.]]
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Literature]]
76	* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' has a few of these:
77	** One of the main way for the Yeerk Empire to enslave humans is through the Sharing, a boy-scoutish cult that isolates people in need of acceptance from their peers and "enhance" them by making them Controllers.
78	** Also, most Taxxon-Controllers have this relationship with their Yeerks, because it spares them to a degree from their never-ending hunger.
79	** Members of the Yeerk Peace Movement argue that this is the only kind of relationship that should exist between Yeerks and hosts, [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch refusing to infest unwilling hosts]]. The Animorphs' first contacts in the Movement, Illim and Mr. Tidwell, started as master and slave but ultimately chose to [[SharingABody Share A Body]] instead.
80	** The Iskoort took this one step further. "Iskoort" is the name for the merger of the centaur-like Isk and slug-like Yoort; the Yoort ''were'' Yeerks at one point in their history, until they genetically engineered the Isk to serve as their bodies (kind of like a biological PoweredArmor). The Yoort then engineered ''themselves'' so they couldn't survive without the Isk, making it a true symbiosis. Part of why the Animorphs are sent to their world as part of the Ellimist's eternal war with Crayak is because, should the Yeerks win, there is a small chance at that some point in the future, the rest of the Yeerks will find their "cousins" and realize there's an alternative.
81	* In the last book of ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy,'' several demons manage to get themselves summoned ''inside'' several power-hungry magicians, upon which they take over their hosts and begin causing havoc. In order to save the world, [[spoiler:Nathaniel and Bartimaeus willingly share Nathaniel's body,]] allowing them to combine their abilities to combat the rogue demons.
82	* Rhage and his beast slowly become this in ''Literature/BlackDaggerBrotherhood''.
83	* ''Literature/TheDemonsLexicon'' books are full of straight-up parasitic DemonicPossession which gradually kills the human host, but in [[spoiler:the third book in the series, one possessed woman makes a deal that she'll get the days and the demon gets the nights, and the demon begins to appreciate human ideas]].
84	* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
85	** The Blackened Denarii vary between virtually full partners (Nicodemus) to hosts that are mere slaves to their demon, depending on the willpower of the particular host.
86	** Also, [[spoiler:Harry and Lash (''not'' Lasciel)]] eventually come to terms with each other. Too bad it [[HeroicSacrifice doesn't last]].
87	* In ''Literature/TheEntertainerAndTheDybbuk'', Avrom, the eponymous Dybbuk helps Freddie with his ventriloquism act in return for helping track down Avrom's killer.
88	* In ''Literature/TheGirlFromTheWell'', one of Okiku's powers is to possess people who are close to death, or who have known death intimately but escaped. At the end of the first book, Tark is dying from the woman in black draining his spiritual energy, and Okiku possesses him to save his life by filling the spiritual void in him with her own energy. They're able to coexist mostly amicably, though Okiku's compulsive drive to seek out and murder serial killers causes some tension in ''The Suffering''.
89	* ''Literature/{{Hawksmaid}}'': When Matty is hovering near death, she discovers that she can transfer her soul into one of her falcons. She shares the body with the falcon in a symbiotic relationship, and learns that she can shift her soul between any of her falcons.
90	* In ''Literature/TheHost2008'', Wanda and Melanie finally become friends after Wanda spends some time with other humans.
91	* ''Literature/IWillFearNoEvil'': The relationship between Johann/Joan and [[spoiler:Eunice Branca]], the former owner of his new body. Later on [[spoiler:the soul of another deceased person joins them]].
92	* The heroes in ''Literature/TheKaneChronicles'' serve as vessels for Myth/{{Egyptian\|Mythology}} deities, and although the relationship between god and host can be strained, they're still on good terms.
93	* Cormac from the ''Literature/KittyNorville'' series is willingly possessed by the spirit of Amelia Parker, a wrongfully executed Victorian-age wizard.
94	* In ''Literature/TheMachineriesOfEmpire'', undead spirit of Shuos Jedao is attached to Cheris' mind to advise her as she attempts to take on the Fortress of Scattered Needles, and while she doesn't trust him, they come to a mutual understanding.
95	* Creator/HalClement's novels ''Needle'' and ''Through the Eye of the Needle'' have a boy and a symbiotic alien protoplasm that are like this, until the kid gets sick.
96	* In ''Literature/TheSkinjackerTrilogy'', skinjackers can temporarily possess humans. Most of the ones Allie possesses either don't know she's there because it's so brief, or, if they do realize it, they freak out and try to get her out. When skinjacking a young boy, she gets stuck in his body for a while. He is scared initially, but becomes friends with her. It's her promising to help him with his homework that wins him over.
97	* In ''Literature/SpheresOfInfluence'', [[spoiler:Oasis Abrams]]'s body is revealed to carry two minds. In her backstory, the body of one of the minds was dying, and the mind of [[spoiler:Oasis Abrams]] was transferred into the brain of [[spoiler:a Hyperion]]. By the time we meet her/them, their minds have sort of fused, creating a new amalgam personality.
98	* In ''Literature/VampireHunterD'', D and Left Hand seem to fit the bill.
99	* ''Literature/TheWanderingInn'' has the worm-like Selphids, who normally (and by law) [[PossessingADeadBody inhabit dead bodies]] so that people are less afraid of them. They ''can'' take a living host, though, and [[spoiler:Doctor Scala]]'s life is saved by being possessed after a spinal injury; the Selphid is actually able to bridge the damaged spinal cord and retain function.
100	* In the ''Literature/WorldOfTheFiveGods'' books, to be a sorcerer, you have to have a demon inhabiting your body. Who's in charge depends largely on whose will is stronger; the longer a demon is in the world, the stronger it is and the more likely it is to want to take control. The Bastard (who is, among other things, the god in charge of demons) has his devotees strive to remove demons from sorcerers as quickly as possible, because this is easier and less dangerous. But there are rare cases (less than one per novel) where the demon "merges" with the sorcerer's soul, and their wills become harmonious. These sorcerers are permitted to continue practicing, although the Temple likes to keep a close eye on them.
101	[[/folder]]
102
103	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
104	* ''Series/StargateSG1'':
105	** The Goa'uld are PuppeteerParasite aliens, but a small group of them, the Tok'ra, are this. They share the body with the host and [[WillingChanneler don't take hosts who are unwilling]]. In return, the host gains accelerated healing, anywhere from a few years to a few decades of extra lifespan (depending on the age and health of the host when they first join), access to the many years of wisdom gained by their Tok'ra, and a permanent conversation partner.
106	** Then there's Baal, who's still an unrepentantly evil Goa'uld System Lord, but gets along swimmingly with his host and both act as equal partners in crime rather than master and flesh puppet. Their combined intellects and complementary perspectives serve them well, [[spoiler:as by the series' end, they're pretty much the last System Lord standing]].
107	* In the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' universe, the Trill are a joined species: select members of the humanoid Trill host species can be implanted with a sluglike symbiont. The symbiont can live for a very long time as long as it is joined with a host (or confined in a very specialized environment on the Trill homeworld). When a host dies, the symbiont is transferred to a new host. The symbiont carries the memories of the previous host with it. As a result, the new host gets the memories and knowledge from all of the symbiont's previous hosts. This results in a fairly young host having memories of several lifetimes. In exchange, the symbiont gets keep going out in the universe and experiencing new things instead of being confined to a single small underground lake.
108	** When the Trill [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness were first introduced]] in a one-shot ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', the symbiont's personality was the only personality of the joint being, suppressing the host's. When they were more fully developed in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', a joined Trill's personality was showing instead as a combination of the host's and symbiont's. In particular, Jadzia Dax appeared to evolve over time from her original studious and detached character, just with more memories, to integrating aspects of her past hosts' more freewheeling personalities.
109	* ''Series/TwinPeaks: The Return'' reveals the infamous CliffHanger of the original series, including the apparent DemonicPossession of [[spoiler:Cooper]] by BOB, [[TomatoSurprise was not quite what one would assume]]. [[spoiler:Rather than Cooper's spirit being stuck in the Red Room while BOB takes control of his body, Cooper's body was ''also'' trapped there, and his place in the material world was taken by a newly created EvilTwin that BOB was possessing.]] From that point on, BOB and his host work toward a common agenda.
110	* Many of the Ultras in the ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' (most explicitly made known in ''Series/UltramanX'') have this going on, for when times get too tough, their human hosts can call upon their power to save the day.
111	[[/folder]]
112
113	[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
114	* This is actually more or less the goal of UsefulNotes/{{Voudoun}} and similar religions. Practitioners hold rituals where they attempt to become vessels for minor deities known as Loas.
115	[[/folder]]
116
117	[[folder:Podcasts]]
118	* Arthur and The Entity/[[spoiler:John]] from ''Podcast/{{Malevolent}}'' share a body, with The Entity having control of Arthur's eyes, telling him (and by extension the audience) what he sees. [[spoiler:Later, The Entity also gains control of Arthur's left hand and foot, and at one point drags a bleeding, almost dead Arthur to safety.]]
119	* ''Podcast/RedmondBorn'': [[spoiler:Samarah and the Hidden]] didn't even realize there was a possessor and possessee. [[spoiler:The Hidden]] found [[spoiler:Samarah]] as a child and decided to protect her; he eventually got so used to riding along in her body he completely forgot he was a separate entity. [[spoiler:Samarah]] never even knew he was there [[spoiler:until her new [[ElectronicEyes cyber-eyes]] caused them to split apart]]. Played straight later on; while [[spoiler:Samarah]]'s wary of [[spoiler:the Hidden]]'s BloodKnight tendencies, she also asks him not to leave her. Afterwards, he acts as a sort of [[DontMakeMeDestroyYou 'last resort' weapon]].
120	[[/folder]]
121
122	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
123	* ''TabletopGame/DemonTheFallen'':
124	** Averted with the {{Player Character}}s. The [=PCs=] may mostly be the friendly kind of demon, but they can only escape from hell and enter a mortal's body when their host is near death, either in spiritual (e.g., long-time drug addict) or physical (e.g. comatose or bleeding to death) sense. The human soul gets snuffed out or shunted elsewhere. However, the host's memories and some character traits are partially integrated into the demon's own, meaning that you can have a demon who remembers both being the celestial architect of the North Sea ''and'' having grown up as a normal human, studied journalism and raised two children.
125	** Played straight as an option in the Demon Player's Guide.
126	* The Fiend of Possession PrestigeClass in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsThirdEdition 3.5 Edition]] lets a character possess people, optionally boosting their [[TheSixStats ability scores]], or objects, granting them magical powers. Some players {{Invoke\|dTrope}} this by taking the class and possessing a [[WillingChanneler willing fellow PC]] -- or use LoopholeAbuse to negate the usual drawbacks of being a bodiless spirit, and/or to enhance a {{Golem}} PC as both an object and a person at once.
127	* ''TabletopGame/GeistTheSinEaters'': Every Sin-Eater was rescued from the brink of death by a [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Geist]] bonding to their soul. Their opinions of their Geists vary -- especially since the Geist can [[ContinuingIsPainful keep forcing them back from death]] -- but, at minimum, they're the source of the game's LivingGhost powers, and the KarmaMeter is based on how well the Sin-Eater and Geist synergize with each other.
128	* The Spiritualist class in ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' 1st Edition has this as their central mechanic. In contrast to [[WillingChanneler the Medium class,]] Spiritualists do not (usually) willingly choose to host the spirit possessing them. The Spiritualist can switch between either manifesting the phantom as an external entity (that is still bound to them), or host them in their own mind. At higher levels, they can even manifest ectoplasmic appendages while the phantom is in their mind. In return, the Phantom is free from the threat of being drawn into the Negative Energy Plane and being corrupted into a true undead.
129	* In ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', getting [[DemonicPossession possessed]] or being turned into a [[SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan Daemonhost]] always ends badly for the possessed, even if they are Chaos Space Marines. The possessed typically [[EvilMakesYouMonstrous rapidly mutate]], go insane, and typically have a very short lifespan, the most notable being Possessed Marines. The host and daemon establish a win-win solution; the host most likely being an AxCrazy BloodKnight, the daemon gives them [[TransformationOfThePossessed claws, strength, or whatever]] for the host to kill better, and both enjoy the ensuing slaughter.
130	* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'' has Symbaresh Twinsouls as elite infantry for the Hedonites of Slaanesh. They tend to be members of a cult devoted to perfection in swordsmanship who got bored with trying to progress the slow way and enter into a symbiotic relationship with a Daemonette. Most of them eventually lose their own will and turn into cases of plain DemonicPossession, but until then, they work together in one body and are not-insignificantly scarier in battle for it. The ones who do make the relationship with their passengers work are even deadlier and end up leading groups of the Twinsouls.
131	* Certain merits in ''TabletopGame/WraithTheOblivion'' allow you to have a more cordial relationship with your Shadow, essentially establishing some off-limits subjects in exchange for being easier to possess. At the end of the day, though, the Shadow is still your worst enemy and will plot your downfall. Also, pretending to be "your only friend, the only one you can trust" is a popular tactic for Shadows.
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Toys]]
135	* Happens a couple times in ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}''. Brutaka ends up being possessed by the (good!) [[EnergyBeings spirits of the unborn Makuta race]] when he falls into a pit of antidermis, and he gets both a massive power boost and a tendency to use the RoyalWe. [[SentientPhlebotinum The Mask of Life]] also gets this from Mata Nui [[SealedGoodInACan when he's forced into it by Makuta]]. They seem to work together without too much difficulty, although the relationship between the two isn't elaborated on too much.
136	[[/folder]]
137
138	[[folder:Video Games]]
139	* In ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'', Ershin and [[spoiler:Deis]] gradually become this.
140	* This occurs twice in ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'', once with Mari, who allows [[VampireHunter Kresnik]] to possess her to destroy its mortal enemy [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Kudlak]], and again with [[spoiler:Remiel/Amane]].
141	* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
142	** [[TeamMom Wynne]] of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' [[spoiler:has a symbiotic relationship with the benevolent Spirit of Faith possessing her. She provides it a host body in the physical world, and it's kept her alive since she was killed protecting the child mages of the Circle from a demon]].
143	** Anders attempts this with a Spirit of Justice, but it doesn't go well. In their first meeting in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening'', Justice [[PossessingADeadBody possesses a corpse]] which is rapidly deteriorating and would lead to Justice's death as well, so between that game and ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', Anders offered to let Justice possess him instead. Spirits are greatly influenced by human perception of them, though, and by the time Hawke meets him, Anders believes that his anger at the way mages like him are treated turned Justice into Vengeance instead. Anders can't control when Justice takes over or what Justice does during this time, and Justice has a very black-and-white view on what it perceives as injustice and seems to view ForgivenessRequiresDeath as the only way of fixing it. Depending on their relationship with him, Hawke can either try to reassure Anders or encourage him to think of Justice as Vengeance, but neither option changes [[DownerEnding the ending of the game]]. [[spoiler:The third act of the game involves Anders planting bombs in [[TheChurch the Chantry]] because he holds them responsible for the ill treatment of mages. If Hawke has full rivalry points with Anders, they try to persuade him it's not too late to stop whatever his plan is, and Anders agrees... before being taken over by Vengeance, who tells Hawke to leave. Anders later admits that he's been having more and more blind spots in his memory, tells Hawke that he tried his best to control Vengeance, and asks them not to blame him for failing. Cue big kaboom. If Hawke was Anders' friend instead, after the Chantry gets blown up, Anders insists that the bombing was his idea and that he and Justice are one now, accepting his death by commenting that at least Justice might be free afterwards.]]
144	* [[CreepyChild Wild Flower]] of ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'' is quite fond of her "guardian" Chang-Ka, a ''big,'' shaggy, and (mostly) benevolent demon. Chang-Ka is also fond of the little girl. He needs a tie to the mortal realm to help the Spirit Monk, and she [[spoiler:actually died in a flood. He resurrected her to be his host]]. It's the ''other'' demon that's inhabiting the girl that they'd both like evicted.
145	* [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime''. After Bowser ate the purple mushroom that held the essence of Elder Princess Shroob, he was possessed by her, but instead of being controlled by her, Bowser remained pretty much intact mind-wise but gained much more powerful abilities. It's implied that the Elder Princess Shroob kept Bowser's mind intact because [[EnemyMine Bowser hates the Bros just as much as (or more than) her]].
146	* In ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfMordor'', the Wraith [[spoiler:Celebrimbor]] possesses the Ranger [[PlayerCharacter Talion]] after he has been ritually sacrificed. The two have a cordial relationship, a shared goal in crushing Sauron, and the Wraith gives Talion a host of supernatural powers to help accomplish those ends. Chief among them is that Talion is no longer a corpse while the Wraith now has a way to interact with the mortal realm through Talion.
147	* ''VideoGame/RealityMinds'': Kvena can possess Astrake to give him bonus stats, but he'll lose HP every turn because a body cannot handle having two spirits. [[spoiler:At the end of the main story, Astrake, while in Silvana's body, absorbs Silvana's spirit so that she can possess him.]] The dev room states that the possessor and the host must share the same goal, since the possessor cannot override their host's will.
148	* ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' has this with the [[HeroOfAnotherStory Port adventurer]], the Tengu. The Tengu is actually two persons: Sojobo, a sapient MaskOfPower, and Shanao, the guy actually wearing the mask. Sojobo is the one usually in control and the one who talks to you, but he's happy to relay Shanao's words and refers to them as a team -- without Sojobo, Shanao would be dead, and without Shanao, Sojobo would just be sitting on a table somewhere.
149	* [[spoiler:Sal and Ash]] in Chapter 5 of ''VideoGame/SallyFace''. [[spoiler:In a desperate attempt to resurrect Sal, Ash commits suicide by slitting her arm, which then results in her coming back to life with Sal possessing her left arm. Since the two are good friends (or possibly something more), neither of them have any objections to this situation.]]
150	* In ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'', [[spoiler:Dormin possesses Wander after the latter is fatally injured, keeping him alive and saving his life. Unfortunately, the [[HeroAntagonist antagonists]] manage to screw things up]].
151	* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiV'' has this as its central premise. Certain demons, angels or gods can find humans containing their "Knowledge" and bond with them to gain new power. The main protagonist enters one such partnership with [[UndyingLoyalty Aogami]], [[spoiler:who is really Susanoo]], which works out beautifully for them.
152	* ''VideoGame/{{Skullgirls}}'':
153	** Filia appears to regard her hair-parasite Samson in this way, judging by her in-game lines and personality. The amnesia probably helps. However, it's unclear as of yet whether Samson views Filia with the same respect.
154	** Squigly and Leviathan have this kind of relationship, and their mannerisms and the fact that Leviathan has been serving Squigly's family for generations show that the feeling is mutual.
155	** Eliza and Sekhmet are so far into this trope that they've essentially become the same person. Eliza's story mode doesn't even bother trying to distinguish the two whenever they talk, simply calling them "Eliza".
156	* In ''VideoGame/SoulHackers'', this eventually becomes the relationship between demon Nemissa and human Hitomi. The two bicker a lot during the beginning of the game, but they start to develop a mutual friendship as it goes on, with Nemissa allowing Hitomi to get control over her body again from time to time.
157	* ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'':
158	** This happens in the VillainousFriendship kind of way if you choose the Demon Path. [[spoiler:However, in the end of said path, things don't end well for the hijacker when [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness his host decides to devour him]].]]
159	** It also happens in the Normal Path [[spoiler:because Gig slowly starts to respect Revya more, even after more so after they split. They end up fused again in Gig's ending, where in the female Revya version he's implied to be head over heels in love with her even if he'd never admit it]].
160	* ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'':
161	** Shura from ''Soulcalibur IV''. She's [[BloodKnight just looking for a good fight against anyone who is worth killing]], the demon that possesses her is searching for the perfect host to inhabit so it can return to life. It is this unison that bolsters their power when in battle, although Shura is not the body the demon is looking for. As she is trying to satisfy her bloodlust, Shura doesn't mind this arrangement one bit.
162	** Natsu (Taki's disciple) in ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV''. She has a great demon known as Arahabaki [[SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan sealed inside of her]], but is apparently on good enough terms with it to call upon its power during her Critical Edge.
163	** Also in ''V'', [[spoiler:Inferno attempts and briefly manages this with Pyrrha, using her need for companionship to cajole her into becoming a willing wielder of Soul Edge]].
164	* In ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheSecondStory'', Ashton ends up in this predicament thanks to the party distracting him before he could finish off a two-headed dragon, which proceeds to fuse itself to his back for the sake of self-preservation. The two quickly take a liking to him and the rest of the party and prove to be helpful in combat, though their tendency to bicker with each other is a source of irritation for their host, who ultimately decides against removing them when he learns the process would kill them, having grown similarly fond of them in meantime. They only take control of him on one instance to say something important (Namely, their realization that they had been longing for companionship all along).
165	* An odd play on this, [[spoiler:Lambda]] and [[spoiler:Richard]] in ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'' get along just fine... because they both want to [[KillAllHumans eradicate humanity]]. However, this is eventually revealed to be more of a case of MoreThanMindControl. On the other hand, [[spoiler:Lambda]] and [[spoiler:Asbel]] play it straight.
166	* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' has a WalkingSpoiler one between [[spoiler:Fiora, a girl [[BackFromTheDead assumed dead]], and Meyneth, [[BigGood the benevolent goddess of Mechonis]]. At first only Meyneth has control over the body, but she can still feel Fiora's cries to protect her friends, and does everything in her power to do so. After Fiora's soul recovers control of her body, she's thankful of Meyneth, and wishes to continue with whatever objective Meyneth had set to while she had lone control]].
167	[[/folder]]
168
169	[[folder:Webcomics]]
170	* In ''Webcomic/TheDreadful'', Erin and Ith have this kind of relationship.
171	* In ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'', this is the ideal relationship between a drow and any demon they have been "tainted" with, either accidentally or on purpose, resulting in [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]]. Most tainting cases are not like this and involve the host gradually succumbing to the demon until they lose their sense of self entirely and become a rampaging monster, but this trope can occur either through a ritual designed by the instigator of the tainting epidemic or rare cases such as Kiel'ndia where this happens naturally. Visually "merged" tainted are distinguished by having [[ExoticEyeDesigns white spirals]] as pupils, but it's not certain if other characters are able to see this or if it's solely for the benefit of the audience.
172	-->'''Kiel:''' Ye've got something inside, it's up to you whether it's a parasite, a friend or a part of yourself.
173	* In ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'', devils as individuals are defined through their [[MaskOfPower masks]], and a human being could theoretically put on a devil's mask to allow the two of them to inhabit the same body and become much more powerful than either individually, a Devilskin Warrior, with the devil acting as a sort of armour for the mortal and getting direct access to their soul flame, which is what devils feed on. The reason this doesn't usually work is that it would need to be a Symbiotic Possession to avoid a conflict between the two, and AlwaysChaoticEvil devils aren't suited for that kind of thing. [[spoiler:In "King of Swords", TheHero Allison and the reformed devil Cio, who have quite a close relationship, are easily able to do this.]]
174	* In ''Webcomic/MobPsycho100'', Ritsu allows Dimple to possess him, and it, eventually, woke Ritsu's psychic abilities. Dimple also possesses Mob to get his body out of dire situations while Mob is incapacitated.
175	* The [[NoNameGiven unnamed]] human female vampire who accompanies [[spoiler:Vampire Durkon]] in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' is this. In life, her human host "suppressed some pretty evil tendencies" and so goes along great with the vampire spirit now pupetting her corpse even suggesting "some messed up stuff" to do. This seems to be unusual as far as vampires go in this setting.
176	* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'':
177	** Gwynn has ''something'' like this relationship with the spirit in the ''[[TomeOfEldritchLore Book of E-Ville]]'', particularly after she decides to "become one with the book." She'd still prefer to be rid of the whole book, which is a ClingyMacGuffin, especially as it ''also'' makes her vulnerable to regular DemonicPossession that could lead to TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. However, the spirit himself is perfectly willing to serve her, and she benefits from the power he gives her. Later, the sort-of-symbiotic nature of the relationship ends when the spirit gets too dominating.
178	** DemonicPossession is usually shown as a demon forcibly taking over an innocent human's body, but there are at least two kinds of exceptions, with a bit of overlap. First, some powerful mortals force or persuade minor weak-willed demons to possess themselves to get more power, with the mortal remaining dominant and potentially even using the demon's power to good ends (which weak demons may not mind). Second, some people are depraved enough to embrace the evil of possessing demons, as shown when Gnarlene gets separated from the demon that turned her into a human-eating brute and, instead of being horrified at what she had been a part of, immediately seeks for a new demon to possess her.
179	[[/folder]]
180
181	[[folder:Web Original]]
182	* Sebastian and Fesxis in ''Roleplay/DawnOfANewAgeOldportBlues''. Fesxis possessed Sebastian during the MassSuperEmpoweringEvent, giving him his power to manipulate shadows while driving off the creatures that were attacking him. She now serves as his {{protector\|ate}}, and while she isn't capable of controlling him, she can manifest in her own physical body if he loses consciousness.
183	* ''WebAnimation/{{Hololive}}'': As an AscendedMeme over her ''[[WomanOfAThousandVoices immense]]'' vocal range, [[LittleBitBeastly squirrel girl]] Ayunda Risu reveals in her [[https://youtu.be/8JAJbx8Ksvk?t=2558 100k Subscribers Special Video]] of the existence of "Ayunda", a witch who transferred her soul into the body of her squirrel familiar in order to escape a WitchHunt, and also makes up her deeper "[[ArousedByTheirVoice Onee-San]]" voice. As seen in many of her streams, Ayunda and Risu appear to be on good-terms, with one being able to call-upon the other whenever they are needed.
184	* In ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical'', Voldemort and Quirrel evolve into this.
185	* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': The Avatar powerset allows a {{Mutant}} to bond with a spirit (often an animal totem of some sort), gaining the spirits abilities in exchange for provide it a hallow. However, an inharmonious bond (especially one where a low-power Avatar bonds with a more-powerful spirit) can cause a variety of undesirable consequences, with some InvoluntaryShapeshifting to match the spirit's desired form being the most common side effect. It's also mentioned that shamans, priests, and voudoun houngans (e.g., Bruja) can similarly bond or channel spirits of various sorts.
186	* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', Alec/Regent has the power of [[PeoplePuppets controlling a person's body.]] Aisha/Imp lets him do this willingly, since her own power of her existence being forgotten when she's not being paid attention to lets her have control over the situation, and there is strategic value in being controlled for fights. They form a close emotional bond in addition to the body-sharing.
187	[[/folder]]
188
189	[[folder:Western Animation]]
190	* ''Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
191	** Raava the Avatar Spirit moves from host to host over the centuries. As TheChosenOne, the host (known as the Avatar) doesn't volunteer to channel Raava; each Avatar merges with her upon birth. As the Avatars grow up, they learn to work with Raava by harnessing their ElementalPowers and fulfilling their duties as the bridge between Earth and the SpiritWorld.
192	** The above arrangement works so well that Raava's EvilCounterpart Vaatu engineers a similar one in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''. Despite being evil, he has a similarly harmonious arrangement with his Dark Avatar, downgrading the original KillAllHumans plan to a more modest TakeOverTheWorld plan his [[HumansAreBastards equally evil]] host came up with.
193	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'', Sadlygrove normally keeps the demon Rubilax trapped in his sword. Rubilax occasionally manages to possess Sadlygrove and wreak havoc, but when a serious situation forces them to cooperate, Rubilax possesses Sadlygrove to grant him SuperStrength, but leave Sadlygrove in control of his body.
194	[[/folder]]

Context Main / SymbioticPossession