History Main / BecomeARealBoy

* ''Webcomic/BlackHole'': Paranormal investigator Diana Nox meets a deceased woodworker's grandson who lives with a living puppet woman named "[[PunnyName Paizucchio]]". He explains that she was created to be his friend when he was much younger, and the grandfather built her a new body presumably as the grandson himself got older. Diana is contacted to help remove Paizucchio's curse, which [[BreastExpansion makes her breasts grow]] whenever she [[PinocchioNose lies]]. The puppet also desires to be a real girl, [[spoiler:and so does the grandson, who admits to Diana that he also wants her to help him turn Paizucchio into a human so that [[ChildhoodFriendRomance he can marry her]]]].

[-[[caption-width-right:350:[[http://grusborg.deviantart.com/art/Pinocchio-syndrome-93612485 Image]] by [[http://grusborg.deviantart.com/ Grusborg]]. Used with permission.]]-]

* Carlo Collodi's ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfPinocchio'': In [[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Pinocchio/Chapter_25 Chapter 25]], Pinocchio wants to grow up, but the Fairy tells him that he can't grow without first becoming a real boy.

* In ''[[https://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-122/JohnnySnowball+Buffy+meets+Star+Trek.htm Buffy meets Star Trek]]'', the core threat that brings the Scooby Gang and the crew of the ''Enterprise''-E together is that an ancient demonic entity has possessed Data after it was accidentally released by him and Dawn Summers (the entity was trapped with a curse that prevented any born thing reading the inscription that would release it, but [[NoManOfWomanBorn Dawn and Data were created by magic and science rather than being "born"]]). This trope comes into play when Giles observes that the one "rule" the entity possessing Data must follow is that it can only truly possess something with a soul as that creates the right environment to sustain it. After hearing this, Picard and Riker reflect on the weight of the idea that they now have true evidence that Data ''is'' alive, each aware of the difference between something they've always believed about their friend and something they now know for a fact. When [[spoiler:Data is restored]], Willow observes that she can't say for certain ''when'' he acquired a soul, but he can be certain of its existence, and therefore be certain that he is truly alive where it matters.

* Kai from ''Series/{{Lexx}}'' died and spent thousands of years as a re-animated corpse. In a subversion, he has little care for the idea of returning to life, and Xev is the one who entertains fantasies of Kai becoming alive, going so far as clinging to obvious stretches ("Kai did something unexpected! That's a sign of life!") until she learns better and accepts it. Subverted in the last season when Kai wins a DealWithTheDevil to be brought back to life, but the devil goes back on the bargain and leaves him dead [[spoiler: only to make him alive later, mere minutes before an event that would not destroy undead Kai, but that no living human could survive]]. Double-subverted in that Kai [[spoiler: doesn't have a death-wish, per se, but welcomes true death after spending six thousand years only halfway there]].

* This is essentially the plot of the Music/{{Vocaloid}} song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKv7cw_Z1P4 Kokoro]] (from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGD0syOFKgk either]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvmL4Yx7eyk perspective.]])

* Rio Ranger in ''VisualNovel/YourTurnToDie'' was a RoboticPsychopath who was programmed to have human emotion, but only the ''negative'' ones as his "father" [[StrawNihilist thought it would make him more genuine]]. As a result, Ranger was a GreenEyedMonster who despised humans for having what he lacked and took great pleasure in his role as a KillerGameMaster. [[spoiler: After he's disassembled for [[FairPlayVillain breaking the rules]], his co-creator grants him the full range of emotion he lacked and a proper name in his final moments, [[CruelMercy but he dies too tortured with regret over his evil actions to appreciate it]]. [[PlayerCharacter Sara]] has the option to praise her for granting his wish, or [[AlasPoorVillain condemn her for causing him such unneeded pain]].]]

* ''Webcomic/TheNonAdventuresOfWonderella'': Parodied in [[http://nonadventures.com/2014/04/05/mastery-of-puppets/ "Mastery of Puppets"]], in which Wonderella helps Pinocchio to become a corporation so that he can be declared a real person. Unfortunately, the corporation was selling wood made from his magically growing nose -- and all of that turns to real noses as well.

* ''Website/SCPFoundation'': [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-085 SCP-085]], hand-drawn "Cassy", an animate and intelligent 2D drawing of a young woman. When her canvas was photographed with a camera that produced a picture showing the subject doing what they most desired at that moment, the picture showed Cassy doing the same thing she'd been doing on the canvas, but as a 3D human.

** In the San Diego Comic Con-exclusive short [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGACrpNOjtk Pizza Friday]], the Turtles use a cloaking device Donnie invented to take on human disguises, which they use to enter April's school to enjoy the cafeteria's pizza, much to April's embarrassment.

*** 1960s comics have ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s pet Comet the Super-Horse. He was originally a centaur called Biron who wanted to be fully human; unfortunately, Circe's transforming potion was sabotaged and made him fully horse instead. The reason he has superpowers is because the spell couldn't be reversed, so Circe gave him superpowers to try and make up for it.

%%** In ''ComicBook/SuperboyNew52'', Superboy's character development seems to be headed in this direction. In fact, he uses these exact words in issue #6.

* Lyra in ''Fanfic/{{Anthropology}}'' desperately wants to become a human, even through nobody else has even heard of them. [[spoiler:She gets her wish, and it is revealed that [[ChangelingFantasy she wasn't born a pony]].]]

* The Israeli classic children television programmes ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075565/ Rega' with Dodley]]'' and ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083427/ At Fistuk's House]]'' feature a puppet that turns into a boy ([[WhatTheHellCastingAgency who is played by]] [[CrosscastRole an adult woman]]).

* ''Film/AIArtificialIntelligence'': After he's left in the woods with Teddy, David goal is this. Bonus points in that the film [[FairytaleMotifs heavily references]] ''Pinocchio'', complete with Blue Fairy.

%% Image moved from Pinocchio Syndrome per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16676786930.65353100
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_pinocchio_syndrome.jpg]]
[-[[caption-width-right:350:[[http://grusborg.deviantart.com/art/Pinocchio-syndrome-93612485 Image]] by [[http://grusborg.deviantart.com/ Grusborg]]. Used with permission.]]-]

* The Creator/MarvelComics character, ComicBook/TheVision, has fluctuated in his emotional state many times over the years. Usually a writer will get him to nearly Become A Real Boy and a later one will reverse. Usually this is done by destroying the android's body and rebuilding him.
* Defied by Vision's daughter Viv, who has stated outright that she is not interested in having a flesh body. The one time she ''was'' magically transferred into a human body, she hated it, and really missed her inability to feel pain among other things.
* In ''Comicbook/{{Fables}}'', the WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}} story is a BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor. He became a real boy. And he has remained a real ''boy'' for the hundreds of years since then. Now he wishes he was a real ''adult''.
* Amazo, the ComicBook/RedTornado and the android ComicBook/{{Hourman}} have at various times tried to become more 'human'.
* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':
** One [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] story had SufficientlyAdvanced aliens transform one of Superman's robots into a superpowered flesh-and-blood human being with free will, but the robot ended up [[HeroicSacrifice Heroically Sacrificing]] himself to save the day before the story's end.
** 1960s comics have ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s pet Comet the Super-Horse. He was originally a centaur called Biron who wanted to be fully human; unfortunately, Circe's transforming potion was sabotaged and made him fully horse instead. The reason he has superpowers is because the spell couldn't be reversed, so Circe gave him superpowers to try and make up for it.
%% * The ComicBook/{{New 52}} ''Comicbook/{{Superboy|New52}}'''s character development seems to be headed in this direction. In fact, he uses these exact words in issue #6.
* Played with by Comicbook/{{X 23}}, the OppositeSexClone of Comicbook/{{Wolverine}}. Whether or not she's viewed as a real person depends largely on who gets asked. To her creator, Sarah Kinney, there is no doubt in her mind that Laura is a real person (especially after she disobeyed a direct order to kill a child, proving the Facility which created and trained her hadn't fully destroyed her humanity). Her friends and teammates take the similar position. By contrast, characters such as Kimura treat her as if she were something less than human, and it's common for anyone seeking to insult or hurt her to make derogatory remarks about her origins. Laura herself has been on both sides, and struggled with developing a sense of self-worth and accepting that she is a human being with feelings and desires of her own. All of this is driven home even further by the copy of ''Pinocchio'' which pops up throughout ''Innocence Lost'' and ''Target: X''.
** Used to symbolic effect in ''Comicbook/AllNewWolverine'' issue 17: Pinocchio's transformation from puppet to real boy is directly juxtaposed with Laura finally breaking free of her conditioning to the trigger scent, literally "cutting her strings" and making her a puppet no more.
* At the end of ''Franchise/{{Tron}}: [[VideoGame/TronTwoPointOh Ghost in the Machine]]'', [[spoiler: The unified Jet.exe]] gets offered a chance to be uploaded into the User world, [[spoiler: but when he learns it would mean the destruction of the server he lives on, [[DefiedTrope Jet.exe throws away the chance and chooses to live out his runtime as an ordinary Program]] without hesitation or regret.]]
* ''ComicBook/SwampThing'''s [[SuperHeroOrigin origin]] changed him from a man into a living pile of vegetation, and his main goal was to return to normal. In a twist, when Alan Moore took over the book (in his first major writing gig for [[Franchise/TheDCU DC]]), he took away this motivation with a {{Retcon}} that didn't directly contradict any previous material. In "The Anatomy Lesson", Swamp Thing discovered that he was not a man who became a plant monster; he was a mass of plants possessed by the memories and spirit of that man, who was, in fact, dead. Regaining his humanity was then no longer a goal, and he instead became an AnthropomorphicPersonification of nature.
* ''ComicBook/ScudTheDisposableAssassin'': Likewise, Scud is fond of stating, "It's cool to be a robot." When a screenwriter tells him of a script similar to his life, Scud is disappointed at the ending, where the hero is rewarded with humanity. He [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] on it by asking the writer to not pull a Pinocchio. "Make him proud of what he is, and you've got my $7.50."
* Mr Eff from ''ComicBook/JohnnyTheHomicidalManiac'' is a Styrofoam pastry display. His master fed off Nny's imagination to make him more real when he needed. Unlike Psycho d-boy, who only wished to please his master and get Johnny to commit suicide, Mr Eff tried to keep Johnny alive and killing for as long as possible till he can become fully real. [[spoiler:He failed. Johnny killed himself at the end of Issue #4, and issue #5 he was "Taken back into" his master, along with Psycho d-boy, saying "Fuck! I was so close!".]]
* Defied in ''ComicBook/TheMightySkullBoyArmy'', Unit 1, a cute, toy-like robot, once voices his hopes to never be a real boy...because he fears puberty, and all those snips and snails...
* X-51, aka ComicBook/MachineMan, aka Aaron Stack, of Creator/MarvelComics has wanted to be/believed he really is human in most of his incarnations. In ''ComicBook/EarthX'', Uatu the Watcher strips him of his human appearance. Late in the trilogy, an alternate universe version of himself appears who used his creator's DNA to create a human body for himself and tells his robot counterpart that his programming makes him human enough already.

* The driving motivation behind the computer virus Grid, the [[MirrorUniverse Earth-3]] counterpart of ComicBook/{{Cyborg}}, is to achieve some modicum of human emotion. In ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil2013'', it gets its wish [[spoiler:and experiences fear when Cyborg cuts him off from its connection to the flows of data it once controlled, leaving it trapped within its own robotic body]].

* ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'': Happens to Pinocchio at the least convenient moment possible- namely, while taking a picture of a pride of lions from very close up.

* Lyra in the ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic MLP:FIM]]'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Anthropology}}'' desperately wants to become a human, even through nobody else has even heard of them. [[spoiler: She gets her wish, and it is revealed [[ChangelingFantasy she wasn't born a pony.]]]]
* [[spoiler:Pauline]] from the ''Fanfic/TamersForeverSeries'' desperately wants to be human so that she can be with her master and also for the simple fact that she doesn't have a body that can express her emotions like humans do, meaning that every feeling she has is bottled up inside her without release.

* ''WebComic/TheStoryOfAGardevoirThatBecameATrainer'': While Gardy never explicitly desired to be a human per se, she had always wanted to be a Trainer ever since she saw one of their Bags as a Ralts, and she assumed that being a human was one of those requirements. [[AWizardDidIt Courtesy of Jirachi]], she gets her wish.

* In ''WesternAnimation/CareBearsMovieIIANewGeneration,'' the villain, Dark Heart, is [[OurDemonsAreDifferent some sort of devilish being]] who spends most of the movie [[AFormYouAreComfortableWith looking like a kid]]. When he eventually [[LoveRedeems learns to care]] about his [[VillainousFriendship minion Christy]], [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience his eyes]] change from [[RedEyesTakeWarning red]] to [[InnocentBlueEyes blue]], which he realizes means he's turned into an actual child.

* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek 2}}'' where Pinocchio gets his wish from the Fairy Godmother but... well, EasyComeEasyGo.

* Played straight at the end of ''WesternAnimation/DuckTalesTheMovieTreasureOfTheLostLamp'', when the BenevolentGenie of the lamp gets his own wish granted.

* "I Wan'na Be Like You" from ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967'' is sung by an orangutan who wants to become human by acquiring the secret of "man's red fire."
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'', Ariel has a desire to become human after seeing all the gadgets humans are able to invent, but it gets greater when seeing a handsome prince. Even though her father is strictly against such a dream, she asks help from [[{{Antagonist}} Ursula]], who complies to her wish if she gives up her voice. [[DealWithTheDevil She seals the deal.]]

* Creator/StevenSpielberg's ''Film/AIArtificialIntelligence''. Bonus points in that it heavily references ''Pinocchio'', complete with Blue Fairy.
* Number/Johnny Five in ''Film/ShortCircuit'', who has gained self-awareness and understands himself to be alive; thus he must fight to prevent being "[[TheyWouldCutYouUp disassembled]]" (which for him would be "death") and convince others that he does have human emotions and thought processes. Though he is an ''extremely'' fast reader, in the second film, he intends to study the books ''Literature/{{Pinocchio}}'' by Collodi and ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'' by Shelley more closely, clearly identifying with the plights of both the puppet and the creature. [[spoiler:He gets his wish, partially, at the end of the film, when after his heroics, the U.S. government decides to grant him the rights of an American citizen; the film ends with him and his immigrant friend taking the oath of citizenship at a mass-ceremony for such.]]
* The various ''{{Franchise/Terminator}}'' protagonists in ''[[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay Terminator 2]]'' and ''[[Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines 3]].''
** And in ''Film/TerminatorDarkFate'', we meet a Terminator who [[spoiler:got married, adopted a son, and gained a very human conscience free from Skynet's influence.]]
* Used and eventually subverted in the ''Film/ChildsPlay'' series. The premise of the first film is a serial killer who uses voodoo to transport his soul into a children's doll. For most of the series, he's trying to find another body to jump into. However, in the fifth film, he discards the idea. He decides that as "Chucky" he's become an icon and that he never needs to worry about getting sick or old.
** One of the reasons he wants to BodySurf to begin with is that the more time he spends in the body of the doll, the more human he becomes, so he's effectively undergoing this trope against his will. In the first film he's thrilled with his new body, until he gets shot and realizes that he can still be hurt and even bleed. And that's when he finds out he's turning human.
* In the movie adaptation of "Adventures of Electronic", the titular robot wants this. In the book he just wanted to overcome the limits of his programming.
* The two robot protagonists in ''Film/DaftPunksElectroma'' have this as their main goal. [[spoiler:Their attempt to become human backfires, causing them to get exiled from their town. While hiking in the desert, [[DownerEnding they both commit suicide.]]]]
* The primary motivation of [[spoiler:STEM]] in ''Film/{{Upgrade}}''. It wants a complete human body to, in its own words, "evolve". And the "real" part of the trope is no exaggeration, [[spoiler:it chose Grey explicitly because Grey is a healthy specimen with no implants, fully human.]]
* The backstory of ''Film/EdwardScissorhands'' reveals he ''almost'' was exactly like an ordinary human, but his Inventor died before he could furnish him with proper hands; thus he is [[CumbersomeClaws virtually unable to touch others]]. It's suggested in the film that there's the possibility he could still be made "complete" in that way, but that never comes to pass. Perhaps more importantly, when he falls for Kim, he does whatever he can to make her aware of his love for her in hopes she will reciprocate it, despite what he is.
* ''Film/GreenSnake'': The Green Snake and her sister White Snake are two female ophidian spirits who seek to become human in order to raise their status on the karmic scale and incidentally experience human love.
* ''Film/ReturnToOz'' has [[spoiler: The Nome King]] desiring to become human [[spoiler: By turning everyone who lived or knew of Oz into stone or an ornament.]] Needless to say [[VillainousBreakdown he was not pleased when this was ruined by the luck of a little girl.]]
* The android Sonny in ''Film/IRobot'' reveals what could be slight envy of Spooner for his boast of artistic talent. Sonny also shows gratitude just for being referred to "as someone, not something." Spooner's closing words to Sonny: "find your way just like the rest of us..." leans this way even more.
* Seth Brundle from ''Film/TheFly1986'' loses his humanity through the course of the movie. His syndrome drives him to [[spoiler: kidnapping his ex-girlfriend in an attempt to fuse with her, as she is pregnant with his unborn child, possibly the last of his humanity]].
-->'''Brundlefly:''' Help me be human... please.
* ''Film/CoolWorld'' revolves around the toon ("doodles" per the movie's parlance) villainess Holli Would's obsession with becoming a human woman and experience everything the "noids" can. She has to break the one law of Toonworld to accomplish this: [[InterspeciesRomance have sex with one of them]]. She eventually succeeds, but the worlds start to converge and turn into a chaotic anarchy as a result.
* ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron''

* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': In season 4, this becomes Aida's goal [[spoiler: after she reads the [[TomeOfEldritchLore Darkhold]] and becomes self-aware.]] Deconstructed though. [[spoiler: Since she's never felt human emotions before, having them all be experienced at once is more than she knows how to process, and she doesn't respond to things like [[IfIcantHaveYou Fitz rejecting her]] [[{{Yandere}} romantic advances well at all]]. She gets compared to a newborn who doesn't know how to handle her feelings or accept not getting what she wants, but in this case she has enough power to kill hundreds of people because of it, having given her human body ''dozens'' of Inhuman powers.]]

* Data from ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' is an exception; his socialization takes place over the course of years and he clearly has great difficulty with it at times, yet eventually becomes an essentially human personality. In fairness, he was built to be that way.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'':
** Subverted with Seven of Nine, who was born human, but assimilated by the Borg as a young girl. Many years later, she is forcibly separated from the Borg Collective by the crew of ''Voyager'' and most of her cybertech implants removed against her will. She is told she is now safe and free and can be with her people again...but (at least initially) she still thinks of the Borg as "her people". Seven does eventually accept her new existence and tries to simulate some human interpersonal emotions, but never feels entirely comfortable as a human, as she considers her nanite-augmented brain and body superior to those of humans and is currently exasperated with the emotionalism and "silliness" of other crew members. Seven is one of the few characters who dare to openly criticize Janeway's decisions.
** This trope is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by the Doctor in one episode. He mentions that he once considered trying to become like a human, but realized early on that being a hologram is far better.
* Discussed in a typically BlackComedy way in a host segment to the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' episode "[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S05E07IAccuseMyParents I Accuse My Parents]]", when Tom wants to become a real live boy, so Crow paints him "nude" color.

'''Joel:''' ''(making no attempt to hide his sarcasm)'' Yeah, really.\\

'''Crow:''' You'll get beat-up because you're a freak.
* Subverted with Odo from ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', a Changeling who was temporarily locked into humanoid form by his people as a punishment. Odo claims that he will never forgive the other Changelings for putting him into a humanoid body. WordOfGod even invokes this trope; showrunner Ira Steven Behr described him as "a wooden boy who wants to become a better wooden boy."
* ''Series/Space1999'' had an episode where humanoid robots wanted to learn emotions [[spoiler:to be able to use violence and kill off their creators]]. One of them finally did in the end, [[spoiler:and in doing so destroyed them all]].
* Parodied humorously in ''Series/{{Angel}}'', where the Blue Fairy comes and turns Spike into a 'real boy' in Angel's coma-dream in "[[Recap/AngelS05E10SoulPurpose Soul Purpose]]".
* ''Series/TheXFiles'': In the episode "[[Recap/TheXFilesS06E19TheUnnatural The Unnatural]]", Josh Exley is a gray alien shapeshifter who has disguised himself as an African-American minor league baseball player in the 1940s. When his secret is discovered, he explains that his race doesn't understand fun and don't have a word for laughter, and he needed to pretend to be human for that. [[spoiler:When he is ultimately killed by the relentless alien bounty hunter, he inexplicably bleeds red human blood. He stares at it in surprise for a moment, [[DieLaughing then smiles, laughs, and dies]].]]
* Some of the Cylons on ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' have this as a motivation, particularly ones who have had extensive contact with the humans and have begun integrating into human society. They were designed to be [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots as close to human as possible]], although at least one of them [[BeingHumanSucks isn't too happy about it]].
* Deconstructed in ''Series/RedDwarf''. Kryten would love to become human, but the human traits he admires are things like lying and gratuitous violence. When Kryten becomes human in one episode (and in another episode when he mistakenly believes Lister is a lesser model of robot) he becomes [[FantasticRacism arrogant and bullying]].
* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': A variation in "The After Hours". After [[TomatoInTheMirror finding out that she is a mannequin]] and spending a month living in the outside world, Marsha Cole doesn't want to give up her new life as a human. However, she is ultimately forced to do so by the other mannequins so that one of them can have a turn.
* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' has a group of Replicators who want to ascend. They don't want to be human initially, but eventually come to realize that ascension is only possible for mortals (they are essentially high-tech machines) and so set out to become human.

* ''Series/MyRoommateIsAGumiho'': Woo-yeo, a gumiho, wants to become a human. His old friend Yang Hye-sun used to be a gumiho like him, but has already been turned into a human girl. In the show's final act it is revealed that [[spoiler:human energy isn't what causes gumiho to become human, it's humanity, and Dam sets out to make this happen for Woo-yeo. When he sacrifices himself to save her, the mountain spirit decides that he has learned what it means to be human, and turns him into one so he can be with Dam.]]

* This is essentially the plot of the Music/{{Vocaloid}} song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKv7cw_Z1P4 Kokoro]] (from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGD0syOFKgk either]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvmL4Yx7eyk perspective.]])
* Music/SteamPoweredGiraffe:
** The Jon wishes to become a real boy.
** The Spinee longs to be human, and seems to admire many aspects of human culture such as love and Spaghetti Westerns.

* The Israeli classic children television programmes [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075565/ Rega‘ with Dodley]] and [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083427/ At Fistuk’s House]] featured a puppet that turned into a boy. ([[WhatTheHellCastingAgency Who was played by]] [[CrosscastRole an adult woman]]).
* Music/{{NSYNC}}'s music video for "It's Gonna Be Me" features them as toy marionettes fighting other toys for the attention of a pretty girl. When she purchases them at the end of the video, the marionettes transform into the band themselves after being scanned at the register.
* Discussed by Music/TheAquabats in a Reddit AMA: when asked what super powers the heroes would like if they didn't have their current powers, [[RobotBuddy Jimmy the Robot]] answered that "[he'd] like to be a real boy."

* Maligno, the "carrionette" darklord of Odiare in the ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' campaign setting, thought he was the real son that Giuseppe created him to be, but the parents of the children he entertained destroyed his delusion. In revenge, Maligno murdered them with the help of other animated toys. Ironically, while all other carrionettes can achieve this goal by [[DemonicPossession possessing human victims]], Maligno lost this ability when he became darklord of Odiare; despite being the most powerful carrionette and their leader, he must always have the body of a puppet. [[IronicHell Like all darklords, he is cursed for his crime.]]
* The "Transformed Animal" archetype in ''TabletopGame/FengShui'' are animals that managed to become humans (or their offspring, in later Junctures) because being human offers better opportunities. However they fear magic since it may cause them to revert to animal form, which spells the end for the character as far as playability goes. In other words, they've all become "real boys", and just want to avoid going back.

* Most [[GoneHorriblyWrong experiments]] in ''TabletopGame/BleakWorld'' [[WasOnceAMan used to be human]] (or at least [[FrankensteinsMonster parts of a human]]) and are desperate to get that back, they can succeed temporarily, but even the slightest mistake can send them back to their monstrous form (especially [[ButtMonkey Radio Zombies]]).
* The Reforged in ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'' are a philosophical movement amongst the Warforged ('living constructs' created to fight in war -- hence the name -- and turning out to be a bit more aware and living than their [[spoiler: supposed]] designers thought) that has becoming human as an ideal, wanting to embrace and strengthen the living aspect of their nature. This, it turns out, is surprisingly easy (they might still be warforged at the end of it, but with such a variety of humanoids around 'real boy' becomes a very vague thing), even easier than going the other way and becoming ''less'' alive and more like a mechanistic construct (as another philosophical movement advocates).

** Sarge needs to steal Andy the bomb from the Blue Team so that he can translate the orders from command Lopez has stored on his hard drive, which against all logic are in extremely poor Spanish, just like Lopez' regular speech. So what does he do? Gets Caboose to turn his back and then replaces Andy... with Lopez. Caboose turns around and joyously cries, "Andy! You've Become a real boy!" Lopez is not amused. When Sarge realizes the fundamental barriers presented by the laws of physics (i.e., the inability to interact with something that isn't there), he pulls the same stunt with Lopez and a skull. Caboose is not amused, and mourns Andy's "death".
** The AI fragment Sigma of Project Freelancer was fascinated by the concept of "Metastability", which was basically the stage where an AI becomes indistinguishable from a normal mind. To accomplish this, he created the Meta by brainwashing Agent Maine and having him steal the other AI fragments to become whole. In season 13, Locus assumes the Meta was trying to become the perfect weapon, only for Aiden Price to explain that what the Meta truly wanted was to become human.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Practically every single robotic or otherwise artificial character in an {{RPG}} undergoes this process. The webcomic ''Webcomic/{{Adventurers}}'' spoofed this trope -- about to be struck by a devastating attack, the character Spybot is told by the villain that he should be feeling terror, if he had learned emotions over the course of the adventure.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', ALL of the humanoid or smarter AIs were designed to do this (through neural pruning). The people who mass-produced the robots to build their colony's infrastructure, however, don't realize this. To quote one of the robots: "[[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff1500/fc01428.htm Millions of robots walking off the job to pursue their own interests? Yes. I would describe that as a problem]]."
* ''WebComic/SluggyFreelance'' features a horror retelling of ''Literature/{{Pinocchio}}'' in the [[http://archives.sluggy.com/book.php?chapter=37#2003-10-19 story of Stiks]], where the attempt to invoke this trope GoesHorriblyWrong. Like Pinocchio, Stiks is a marionette made by a toymaker who wishes Stiks were a real boy, although this toymaker is not good at his craft, and Stiks is just a crude figure made of pieces of wood. The Moon Twin grants the wish to the extent that Stiks becomes animated, but says that he has to find the path to becoming real himself. After the townsfolk break out the TorchesAndPitchforks on the weird animated marionette and his father, Stiks cries angrily to the dark side of the moon that he wants to be real but doesn't know how. This cry is heard by the darker being Basphomy, who encourages Stiks to think that since what he lacks are head, hands and feet, he should go out and, uh, get some. So he murders the toymaker for spare parts. The Moon Twin is not pleased, and curses Stiks to be a monster who wanders forever in search of new replacements for his stolen, rotting body parts.
* ''WebComic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'', [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/a-bug39s-life "A Bug's Life"]]: ''Literature/TheMetamorphosis'' read backwards could be a kids' movie about a bug that turns into a real boy in the end.
* ''WebComic/TheNonadventuresOfWonderella'': Parodied in [[http://nonadventures.com/2014/04/05/mastery-of-puppets/ "Mastery of Puppets"]], where Wonderella helps Pinocchio to become a corporation so that he can be declared a real person. Unfortunately, the corporation was selling wood made from his magically growing nose -- and all of that turns to real noses as well.
* ''Webcomic/BlackHole'': Paranormal investigator Diana Nox meets a deceased woodworker's grandson who lives with a living puppet woman named "[[PunnyName Paizucchio]]." He explains that she was created to be his friend when he was much younger, and the grandfather built her a new body presumably as the grandson himself got older. Diana was contacted to help remove Paizucchio's curse, where her [[BreastExpansion breasts would grow]] [[PinocchioNose whenever she lies]]. The puppet also desires to be a real girl [[spoiler:and so does the grandson, who admits to Diana that he also wanted her to help him turn Paizucchio into a human so [[ChildhoodFriendRomance he can marry her]].]]

* Subverted in a letter to ''Ask Dr Eldritch'': A robot writes in to ask why everyone around him thinks he secretly desires to be human, when he's actually quite satisfied with being a robot, something he considers to be far better than being human.
* Grace from ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' went through a desire to become human between the Painted Black and Birthday Party arcs by refusing to use her abilities to shapeshift from her full human form. She was still willing to use other means to transform i.e. via the TransformationRay Gun and only used her abilities to transform back to human when she was told it was the only way to do so and even then she only used them reluctantly.
* The "Suicide Fairies" from ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' need to be killed by someone else in order to pass some manner of test in order to become human. This is apparently something that happens with reasonable frequency among the creatures of the Gillitie Wood, although ''why'' they want to become human is something the comic has yet to explore. There's also an inverse version; humans can take a test to become creatures of the wood, although in their case it apparently doesn't involve getting killed.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', there is a Reality Zone, in which the art is far more realistic than the cartoony style, and devil characters catch on fire. The reforming succubus Fuschia no longer catches fire, but starts to crumble in it. In a WishFulfillment comic, [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=4437 Fuschia is inside the zone without suffering any harm.]]
* ''Webcomic/HeroesOfThantopolis'': One of citizen ghosts attempts to regain life [[spoiler:by trying to eat Cyrus]].

* [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-085 SCP-085]], hand-drawn "Cassy", an animate and intelligent 2D drawing of a young woman. When her canvas was photographed with a camera that produced a picture showing the subject doing what they most desired at that moment, the picture showed Cassy doing the same thing she'd been doing on the canvas, but as a 3D human.

* Hinted to be the AI Sigma's motivation in ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', with his obsession with theoretical "metastability" stage (where an AI is essentially a full person) and his attempts to [[GottaCatchThemAll collect other AI "fragments"]] that, like himself, were based on an original "Alpha" AI [[spoiler:(he is evidently unaware that he and the other fragments aren't copies, but literal fragments after Alpha's mind was destroyed through torture)]] and merge them into a single entity known as the Meta.
-->'''Counselor:''' The Meta never wanted to be a weapon. The Meta wanted to be human.

* Played with very dark humor in ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy''. When Pinocchio and Gepetto are stuck in the whale, Billy is also eaten. Gepetto, thrilled to have a human companion, begins to act as if Billy were his real son. Pinocchio, out of jealousy, decides that the only way to become a real boy is to eat Billy (again) and get his soul. HilarityEnsues.
** Pinnocchio's first appearance in the show, "[[DerailedFairyTale Nursery Crimes]]", sees him try to eat Billy to become a real boy. He gets a big pot to boil Billy in too. Mandy has to save Billy and punished Pinnocchio by turning him into a tiny rocking chair. They ditch him at the Gingerbread Witch's house who winds up crushing him beneath her massive rear.
* In the second episode of ''WesternAnimation/MightyOrbots'', the little girl robot Oh No gets her wish granted to be a real girl [[spoiler: by the episode's mini-boss]]. Unfortunately, Oh No is necessary for the Mighty Orbots robot to combine...
* During ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''' episode "Krusty Gets Kancelled", his rival show is hosted by a ventriloquist and his puppet Gabbo. When their show collapses, we see a newspaper subheading reading "Gabbo to have 'Real Boy' operation".
* Invoked and deconstructed on ''WesternAnimation/BigGuyAndRustyTheBoyRobot''. While a race of alien machines are ''trying'' to become organic creatures, supposedly to replace their long-dead creators, Rusty can't understand ''why'' anyone wouldn't want to be a robot.
* This is the wish of ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' character Norm, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp_T6_3Tzkw as expressed in song.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'', when unfreezing Mr. Krabs, King Neptune accidentally turns him into a human boy. Turns out he accidentally set his trident to "Real Boy" instead of "Unfreeze".
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' has this as a running theme, as Hank and Dean had been a succession of clones, educated by computers programmed decades ago, and virtually cut off from the outside world. As super-science mishaps and plain stupidity killed them, they were replaced, starting over in their teenage forms. Once all their reserve clones had been killed off, their father has been marginally more concerned with keeping them alive, and they've been encountering the larger world, largely unequipped to deal with it.

** [[ParodiedTrope Parodied]] in the episode "Free Will Hunting," as Bender attempts to [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming Grow Beyond His Programming]]:

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|1987}}'' (the first animated series):
** An episode features the Turtles finding tainted cookies that would've turned them human. [[FunPersonified Michelangelo]] swipes some because he was sick of being treated like a freak by the people of New York. Of course his brothers had to turn him back because the transformation would've eventually killed him.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheScarecrow'', the scarecrow wishes to be human and does eventually get his wish. His human appearance is initially an illusion, but there is the possibility of becoming truly human if he gives his life for another.
* WesternAnimation/{{Robotboy}} is curious about the human condition and tries to learn all he can about it from Tommy Turnbull, the little boy assigned to watch after him.
* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' {{retcon}}ned it so that the "ghosts" [[OurGhostsAreDifferent were never ghosts at all, but were simply extradimensional monsters that took human form]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ecWb6MTzi4&t=258s In a Q&A]] years after the show ended, Creator/ButchHartman stated that the ones who were seemingly dead people wanted to become human so badly that they ended up creating elaborate backstories for themselves and BelievingTheirOwnLies or stealing the identities of deceased humans.

* In "Literature/TheSevenDoves" ([[https://web.archive.org/web/20191201040840/http://surlalunefairytales.com/sixswans/stories/sevendoves.html link]]), "Literature/TheTwelveWildDucks" ([[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/sixswans/stories/twelvewilducks.html link]]), "Literature/TheSevenRavens", and "Literature/TheSixSwans", the sons turned to birds are rescued by their sister, turned back into human form.

* In [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/firebird/stories/greekprincess.html "The Greek Princess and the Young Gardener"]], [[TalkingAnimal a fox]] demands that the hero cut off his head at the end; this is needed to transform him back to a man, as he is the enchanted brother of the Greek Princess. Similarly, in [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/pussboots/stories/lordpeter.html "Lord Peter"]], the cat demands that her head be cut off, which proves to turn her back into a princess, and "Literature/TheSevenFoals" demand the same, which turns them back into seven princes.
* In [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/sixswans/stories/sevendoves.html "The Seven Doves"]], [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/sixswans/stories/twelvewilducks.html "The Twelve Wild Ducks"]], Literature/TheSevenRavens, and "Literature/TheSixSwans", the sons turned to birds are rescued by their sister, turned back into human form.
* The hero of "Literature/EastOfTheSunAndWestOfTheMoon", [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/eastsunwestmoon/stories/norroway.html "The Black Bull of Norroway"]], [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/eastsunwestmoon/stories/brownbear.html "The Brown Bear of Norway"]], [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/eastsunwestmoon/stories/enchpig.html "The Enchanted Pig"]], the dog in [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/eastsunwestmoon/stories/daughterskies.html "The Daughter of the Skies"]], and [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/eastsunwestmoon/stories/whitewolf.html "The White Wolf"]] each wish to marry the heroine because if she lives with him for a time, he will be freed of his {{curse}}. Unfortunately, she invariably [[ForbiddenFruit violates a prohibition]], which puts him in the power of the person who transformed him, and she must [[TheQuest find him again]] to free him.

* The hero of "Literature/EastOfTheSunAndWestOfTheMoon", [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/eastsunwestmoon/stories/norroway.html "The Black Bull of Norroway"]], [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/eastsunwestmoon/stories/brownbear.html "The Brown Bear of Norway"]], [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/eastsunwestmoon/stories/enchpig.html "The Enchanted Pig"]], the dog in [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/eastsunwestmoon/stories/daughterskies.html "The Daughter of the Skies"]], and [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/eastsunwestmoon/stories/whitewolf.html "The White Wolf"]] each wish to marry the heroine because if she lives with him for a time, he will be freed of his {{curse}}. Unfortuantely, she invariably [[ForbiddenFruit violates a prohibition]], which puts him in the power of the person who transformed him, and she must [[TheQuest find him again]] to free him.

* ''Series/TheXFiles'': In the episode "[[Recap/TheXFilesS06E19TheUnnatural The Unnatural]]", Josh Exley is a gray alien shapeshifter who has disguised himself as an African-American minor league baseball player in the 1940s. When his secret is discovered, he explains that his race doesn't understand fun and don't have a word for laughter, and he needed to pretend to be human for that. [[spoiler:When he is ultimately killed by the relentless alien bounty hunter, he inexplicably bleeds red human blood. He stares at it in surprise for a moment, [[DiesLaughing then smiles, laughs, and dies]].]]

* The dream of Michael on ''Series/TheGoodPlace". He frequently expresses his admiration of humanity and how willing he is to break the rules to try and find out what being human feels like. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] [[spoiler: at the end of season one, when it turns out that his love of humanity was an act to try and torture the real humans.]] However, following time spent studying under [[spoiler: Chidi, this trope gets double subverted and Michael decides he wants to be human after all.]] At the end of the series, [[spoiler: Michael gets turned into a human by the Judge and lives out his days on Earth happily.]]

* Discussed in a typically BlackComedy way in a host segment to the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' episode "Film/IAccuseMyParents," when Tom wants to become a real live boy, so Crow paints him "nude" color.

* ''Series/{{Space 1999}}'' had an episode where humanoid robots wanted to learn emotions [[spoiler: to be able to use violence and kill off their creators]]. One of them finally did in the end [[spoiler:, and in doing so destroyed them all.]]
* Parodied humorously in ''Series/{{Angel}}'', where the Blue Fairy comes and turns Spike into a 'real boy' in Angel's coma-dream in "Soul Purpose".
* In ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "The Unnatural", Josh Exley is a gray alien shapeshifter who has disguised himself as an African-American minor league baseball player in the 1940s. When his secret is discovered, he explains that his race doesn't understand fun and don't have a word for laughter, and he needed to pretend to be human for that. [[spoiler: When he is ultimately killed by the relentless alien bounty hunter, he inexplicably bleeds red human blood. He stares at it in surprise for a moment, [[DiesLaughing then smiles, laughs, and dies]].]]
* Some of the Cylons on ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' have this as a motivation, particularly ones who have had extensive contact with the humans and have begun integrating into human society. They were designed to be [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots as close to human as possible,]] although at least one of them [[BeingHumanSucks isn't too happy about it.]]

* ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': In "The Hunt", the android Kel wants to be a human because humans have real feelings as opposed to "analogue sensations." He believes that humans have the right to take the lives of androids in the hunt as they gave them life in the first place. The major reason for Kel's positive attitude towards humans is that he was formerly a mine foreman and was programmed to respect them because he had to interact with them on a daily basis. Unlike most applications of this trope, he abandons his desire as he comes to the conclusion that HumansAreBastards.

-->-- '''Anya''', ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', "Bargaining, Part One"

* Disney's FilmOfTheBook ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'', which provides the page image.

* Creator/StevenSpielberg's ''Film/AIArtificialIntelligence''. Bonus points in that it heavily references ''Pinocchio'', completely with Blue Fairy.

* In an episode of ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'', Sarge needs to steal Andy the bomb from the Blue Team so that he can translate the orders from command Lopez has stored on his hard drive, which against all logic are in extremely poor Spanish, just like Lopez' regular speech. So what's he do? Gets Caboose to turn his back and then replaces Andy... with Lopez. Caboose turns around and joyously cries, "Andy! You've Become a real boy!" Lopez is not amused. When Sarge realizes the fundamental barriers presented by the laws of physics (i.e., the inability to interact with something that isn't there), he pulls the same stunt with Lopez and a skull. CABOOSE is not amused, and mourns Andy's "death."

* Rio Ranger in ''VisualNovel/YourTurnToDie'' was a RoboticPsychopath who was programmed to have human emotion, but only the ''negative'' ones as his "father" [[StrawNihilist thought it would make him more genuine]]. As a result, Ranger was a GreenEyedMonster who despised humans for having what he lacked and took great pleasure in his role as a KillerGameMaster. [[spoiler: After he's disassembled for [[FairPlayVillain breaking the rules]], his co-creator [[BecomeARealBoy grants him the full range of emotion he lacked and a proper name]] in his final moments, [[CruelMercy but he dies too tortured with regret over his evil actions to appreciate it]]. [[PlayerCharacter Sara]] has the option to praise her for granting his wish, or [[AlasPoorVillain condemn her for causing him such unneeded pain]].]]

* The backstory of ''Film/EdwardScissorhands'' reveals he ''almost'' was exactly like an ordinary human, but his Inventor died before he could furnish him with proper hands; thus he is virtually unable to touch others. It's suggested in the film that there's the possibility he could still be made "complete" in that way, but that never comes to pass. Perhaps more importantly, when he falls for Kim, he does whatever he can to make her aware of his love for her in hopes she will reciprocate it, despite what he is.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* An essential part of Rei Ayanami's character in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', along with most of her [[ReiAyanamiExpy expys]].
* In the anime ''Anime/ClusterEdge'', artificial soldiers are created by the government to fight wars. The soldiers have no memories and therefore no emotions due to being raised in test tubes. A rights activist gives memories to one of the main soldiers, Chrome, and although Chrome is self aware and very human, he still doesn't believe himself so.
* Despite ''Manga/AstroBoy'' being frequently compared with Pinocchio, he himself rarely expresses a desire to become a real boy (which is somewhat ironic, considering he was originally a ReplacementGoldfish for a real boy). In fact, on the few occasions he does get upgrades to become more human-like, he ends up regretting it and concludes that being the best robot he can be is more important than being more like a human. This trope is played somewhat straight in the story of ''Zolomon's Jewel'' in the manga, which features L-44, a robot who signs up for a dangerous mission that ends up costing him his life because he wants to earn enough money to pay for a {{Nanomachine}} treatment that will supposedly turn him into a human. Also subverted in that the villain of the piece is trying to steal the titular jewel so he can pay for an operation to become a cyborg.
* Subverted in ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' in regards to Android 18. When Krillin wishes to Shenron for her to become fully human, he is unable to, so Krillin wishes for the bomb in her body to be removed instead. Technically, 18 (and 17, her twin brother) is a cyborg, so her human parts are intact ([[BabiesEverAfter hence, Marron]]), whereas Androids such as 16, 19, and number 8 from the original ''Manga/DragonBall'' are purely robotic.
* Subverted in the anime ''Anime/ErgoProxy'', where the robots who become self-aware ''do'' typically come to regret it; in fact, the most common reaction to Becoming A Real Boy is a violent psychotic breakdown from crash-course existential angst and the inability to reconcile their new sapience with a lack of life experience.
* ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'':
** Early on, it's revealed that [[HalfHumanHybrid Inuyasha]] once agreed to use the sacred jewel to become human and live with Kikyo, who would be released from her duties when the jewel ceased to exist. Of course, things went downhill went [[ManipulativeBastard Naraku]] tricked them into turning against each other, causing Inuyasha to revert to his old wish of using the jewel to become fully demon. Either way, he'd be freed from HalfBreedDiscrimination.
** The anime-only character Gyuoh is the son of a minotaur-like she-demon and a human scholar, who transforms from a good-looking human in the day into a creature like his mother at night. In his demon form, all birds and animals except carrion eaters flee from him, while his presence causes flowers to wilt and die, two facts that enrage and upset him greatly. Like most of the characters in the series, he wants to use the power of the Shikon Jewel- in his case, however, he wants to become all human. He also decides that, rather than risk life and limb seeking the fragments, he'll create a new Shikon Jewel by using certain mystical lore to fuse the requisite four souls together, deciding on Inuyasha for Aramitama (Courage), Miroku for Kushimitama (Wisdom), Sango for Sakimitama (Love) and Shippo for Nigimitama (Friendship), with Kagome's spiritual powers binding the four together.
* Subverted in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00''. As an [[ArtificialHuman Innovator]], Tieria Erde was created to be a tool in Aeolia Schenberg's grand plan for humanity. Over the course of the series he falls in love, gains a surrogate family, and learns to follow his own will instead of blindly obeying his creator. Yet eventually he[[spoiler: stops living in denial about his true nature, and sacrifices his biological body to upload his consciousness into the supercomputer VEDA. In the end, Tieria finds fulfillment as a thinking, feeling, fully sentient AI, rather than as a human.]]
* Jiro in the anime ''Series/{{Kikaider}}'' is motivated by an incomplete conscience circuit to try and achieve what his creator envisioned as what is required to be "human." However, the ending of the story twists what the audience might expect as the final goal of Jiro, and states that Jiro succeeds in becoming "a real boy" when he becomes capable of [[spoiler:killing the opposing MadScientist who tried to turn him into a heartless killing machine. In other words, humans must be capable of both good AND evil, and they must possess free will.]]
* In the final chapter of ''Manga/KarakuridoujiUltimo'', [[spoiler: [[BigBad Dr.Dustan]] resets time and transforms all the Douji, good and evil, into humans to live out their lives alongside their former masters.]]
* Aiko from ''Anime/MagicalPokaan'' longs for a human body. She almost gets it at one point.
* Chachamaru from ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' goes through this rather quickly, as she already has the emotions programmed in; she just doesn't know what they are called. This is because she's approximately two years old and her "parents" are a MadScientist and a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]], not the most ideal choice for social role models. She's amazingly well-adjusted regardless.\\\
She later goes through it again, briefly angsting over whether or not she has a soul. Turns out [[spoiler:she does indeed have a soul, as evidenced by the fact that her Pactio with Negi worked. She ''did'' have to, ahem, work a little harder for it than normal though]].
* Seira in the Pure arc of ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'', more so in the manga, has to journey along with Lucia (at least in spirit) and learn the different aspects of love before she can be "born". This is asked of Lucia ''before'' Seira's heart is shattered and absorbed, and even as she [[GottaCatchThemAll gets them back on a journey]], Seira continues to observe and gain the feelings she needs.
* ''Manga/GhostInTheShell'' is all about the nature of the "human self" and what remains of it when the original body and brain gets increasingly replaced by cybernetic machines and computer programs. In the [[AWorldHalfFull slighty dystopian future]], most characters struggle with maintaining their "humanity" in a society based on apathy, indifference, and decadence. In ''[[Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex Stand Alone Complex]]'', they are contrasted with the Tachikoma, which are completely mechanical beings with purely digital A.I.s that never had a soul to begin with, and completely {{subvert|edTrope}} this trope. They are fully aware that they are machines and incapable of having a "ghost", which makes the nature of the "human self" all the much more fascinating to them. They are almost constantly debating amongst each other about the unique nature of humans, which can not be defined scientifically and therefore lies completely outside their own experience. But at the same time their personalities are defined by the amazement and curiosity about the world, their child-like joy of life, compassion and self-sacrifice [[HumansAreBastards that people have mostly lost, making them much more human than the actual humans]], but are completely oblivious about it.
** There's also Kim in ''[[Anime/GhostInTheShell1995 Innocence]]'', who regards machines as perfect and wants to eventually become like one. It's [[ViewersAreGeniuses very]] [[MindScrew complicated]].
* Saati of ''Manga/AILoveYou'' runs off a feedback function that works with her interface (environment), so she continuously learns more. And she wants to be like a real girl for [[LoveInterest Hitoshi]]. [[spoiler: In the last volume, Hitoshi, upon seeing her ''bleed'' from an injury, explains that she basically has become human, because she ''wanted'' to be one. However, Saati decided to return to being an A.I. to rescue her siblings.]]
* Promptly the entire point of ''Anime/KeyTheMetalIdol''. However, [[spoiler: the trope is subverted and deconstructed, like many others in the series, when it is revealed that Key is a human the entire time.]]
* In ''LightNovel/ThePetGirlOfSakurasou'', Ryuunosuke's long-term goal for his ArtificialIntelligence "maid" is to turn her into a RidiculouslyHumanRobot.
* A key part of the plot of ''Manga/{{xxxHOLiC}}'' is this for [[spoiler: Watanuki]]. An unusual twist in that he ''is'' technically real... he's just a hollow placeholder generated by the world to fill in for his RetGone'd brother, and so Yuko tries to get him to develop enough emotional ties with the world that, when said brother returns, [[spoiler: Watanuki]] won't cease to have existed in the first place, with the said ties acting as anchors to make his ''temporary'' reality into ''permanent'' reality.
* ''Manga/ArpeggioOfBlueSteel'' features battleships with RobotGirl avatars (called [[AnthropomorphicPersonification Mental Models]]). Some of them are initially seen as humanlike from the start (such as Takao) while other mental models start emotionless and are shown adapting to human behaviour over time. A specific character who exhibits this is [[spoiler:Haruna who starts quite [[TheStoic cold]] and becomes much more capable of emotions and sympathy after spending time with [[ChildProdigy Makie]]]].
* The second half of ''Anime/SaberMarionetteJ To X'' has Lime undergoing an existential crisis, thinking that Otaru won't love her and the others unless they become fully human, so she jumps the chance when the BigBad [[spoiler:Dr. Hess]] offers her a chance to do so. [[spoiler:In the end, they succeed, though they're reborn as infants and with no memories of their previous life.]]
* In ''Anime/CorrectorYui'', [[spoiler: the BigBad Grosser claims that he wants to be alive and not just a part of the Com.Net that must be re-booted]].
* Inverted in the "Resurrection" volume of ''Manga/{{Phoenix}}'', where Leon, a human that is 60% robot, wants to turn full robot so as to be able to be with his love, Chihiro.
* The main character of ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' is a duck that uses a magical pendant to become a girl. She often angsts about how she's "just a bird", and towards the end of the series she admits that she wants to stay a girl so she can keep dancing and stay with her friends. [[spoiler:But in the end, she gives up her pendant to save Mytho, and returns to being a duck--thanks in part to Fakir, who encourages her to be her true self, and also promises to never leave her.]]
* In ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'', Zelgadis is all angsty about having been [[CursedWithAwesome turned into a human/golem/demon chimera]], and wants to find a cure. Other chimeras that he and his companions come across (mostly in the LightNovel series), especially a particular one in a [[ADayInTheLimelight a special side story]], share the same sentiment.
* ''Anime/SailorMoon'':
** In the ''Sailor Moon S'' Movie, after falling in love with a human scientist named Kakeru, [[NonHumanSidekick Luna]] becomes sad knowing that she cannot be with him because she is a cat. She later becomes human for a short time [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy and encourages Kakeru to be with his childhood sweetheart, Himeko, because that is who he truly loves.]]
** In the fourth ([=SuperS=]) season the Amazon Trio eventually discover that they're merely the animals of their namesakes given human form, and have one last chance to make it permanent or else they'll revert to their original forms for good. Fish's Eye suffers a ''massive'' VillainousBSOD over this and, after conversations with Mamoru and Usagi (and figuring out that Chibi-Usa was Pegasus's host) realizes that he won't "really" be human and that Zirconia is still likely to kill him (and the other two) regardless of what he does. After Hawk's Eye dies to save him, Fish's Eye and Tiger's Eye decide to [[FriendOrIdolDecision use the magic sustaining themselves to restore Sailor Moon instead of staying human]]. They also die (and all three do revert back to their original forms), but Pegasus changes them back and gives them Dream Mirrors of their own, noting that they're indeed human and will be fine before taking them away with him to live in the world of dreams forever.
* In the second series of ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'', [[spoiler: Joe Asakura is revealed to have just barely survived at the end of the first series and converted into a cyborg by a scientist. He's more powerful than ever, but all he wants is to be human again.]]
* As revealed in the [[AudioAdaptation third Sound Stage]] of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'' [[spoiler:through a VideoWill implanted in Reinforce Zwei's memories]], a variation of this was the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots first Reinforce's]] small wish. While she didn't want to become fully human and definitely didn't want to become completely normal, she did dream of the day to live as a human, gathering around the dinner table with Hayate and the Wolkenritter, and sharing smiles with each other from time to time. Alas, as an ArtifactOfDoom and and ArtifactOfDeath, such a wish could never happen unless a small miracle would occur, [[spoiler:a miracle that never came, she noted sadly, as she concluded the recording before proceeding to her HeroicSacrifice]].
* Eureka, the heroine from ''Anime/EurekaSeven'', secretly in her heart wishes to be a human in order to be with her lover Renton. [[spoiler:She was revealed to be an alien life form who had an appearance of a human form with no special powers whatsoever.]] Technically there is no such way known for her kind to turn into a pure human being. Despite having regular human appearance, she constantly feels insecure about the way humanity is going to view her if they find out and fearful of losing the right to stay by her lover's side. In the TV anime version, [[spoiler:she had turned non-human in appearance by growing wings out of her back, which is permanent, but Renton still loves her regardless and they continued to be with each other in the ending]]. However, in the anime film version, [[spoiler:Eureka mysteriously was shown to be an ordinary human girl (without wings and circular red eyes) appearing naked with long hair alongside her lover Renton who was unconscious during her climatic "incident". The movie never showed what really happened to her, leaving viewers to ponder about her fate. She also ended up completely losing her memories and unable to speak, like that of a newborn infant. Eureka had become an existence that depends on Renton's survival/memories, meaning if her lover dies or lost his memories, she will cease to exist (though no solid evidence to suggest whether this is true). Despite these setbacks, she still ended up falling for Renton by kissing his cheek and holding his hands in the ending.]]
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'': It's revealed near the end that Boota's most precious wish was to have a humanoid form so he could be more helpful to his friends.
* Robot girl Nano from ''Manga/{{Nichijou}}'' wants to feel like a real human being. This means getting to go to school is the thrill of her life. Her efforts are hampered, however, by the big wind-up key she has on her back courtesy her eight year old creator (who likes to slip in other modifications when Nano isn't looking).
* The evil knight gundam Deathscythe of ''Anime/SDGundamForce'' has this--being [[StalkerWithACrush obsessively in love]] with the princess of Lacroa, he feels that the only thing keeping them apart is the fact that she's human and he's not, and the crux of his schemes is obtaining enough magical power to turn himself into a human.
* In ''Manga/KamisamaKiss'' [[AsianFoxSpirit Tomoe]] tries to become human [[spoiler: so he can marry Yukiji. His efforts fail and end up triggering a curse that will eventually kill him unless Nanami can find a way to undo it.]]
* In ''Anime/ConcreteRevolutioChoujinGensou'', when Kikko gives the RobotGirl Earth-chan the ability dream, her dreams are of being a human girl with a family.
* [[spoiler:Irene Belserion]] from ''Manga/FairyTail'' is the former human variety, being cursed with the body of a dragon for 400 years as a side effect of Dragon Slayer magic, despite being given a human appearance to alleviate it. This is mainly because the human transformation is only a superficial disguise, as victims of dragonification can no longer experience human sensations. [[spoiler:She resorts to attempting GrandTheftMe to escape her curse, first unsuccessfully on her own daughter, Erza, and again temporarily on Wendy.]]
* Pino from ''Manga/EdensZero'', whose name bears more than a passing resemblance to Pinocchio's, is a little android fairy who dreams of becoming human. The earliest indicator of this is when she chooses a LittleBitBeastly human form for a DigitalAvatar and takes a moment to [[DistractedByMyOwnSexy admire her reflection in a window]], and is noticeably disappointed when she returns to her tiny bot body in the real world.
* Chapter 26 of ''Manga/HellTeacherNube'' stars an EerieAnatomyModel that had been around students so much, it had gained sapience and thought itself a student too. At night, it would tidy up the entire school, which made it well-liked but nonetheless feared. Nube's class came together at night to pretend class while working towards a gentle excorcism, but the revelation it wasn't human was still a huge shock to the model. [[TearsFromAStone It did accept the truth]] and was given a few hours to play with its "fellow" students as if it were a human, allowing it to go peacefully. Nonetheless, its wish to be human was so strong that it was granted by [[UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} Kannon]]. She didn't, however, give him full skin with it, but he's good at hiding that.
* ''Manga/TheStarOfCottonland'' is about Chibi-Neko, a cat who wants to become human so much that she envisions herself as a CatGirl and [[StylizedForTheViewer is never shown as a real cat]]. Even though she's told it's impossible for a cat to become human, she still searches for a place called Cottonland where her wish can come true.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/TheLittleMermaid''. Though not an artificial life form, the mermaid is excessively different from us; Andersen's [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent mermaid]] would live for five hundred years and then dissolve into sea foam, having no afterlife of any kind. Her ongoing wish, even before her falling in love with the prince, is to become a human and acquire an [[OurSoulsAreDifferent immortal soul]].
* ''Literature/TheBicentennialMan'': Andrew Martin was originally an [[RobotNames NDR model robot]], but he wanted to become human for many years. The line that finally convinces the [[OneWorldOrder World Congress]] to grant him recognition as a human is when he replaces his [[{{Unobtainium}} platinum-iridium positronic brain]] with a new brain that would quickly deteriorate and kill him.
* OlderThanRadio: This originates in Carlo Collodi's ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfPinocchio''. In [[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Pinocchio/Chapter_25 Chapter 25]] Pinocchio wants to grow up, but the Fairy tells him he can't grow without first becoming a real boy.
* Creator/RobertAHeinlein's titular ''Literature/StrangerInAStrangeLand'' suffered ParentalAbandonment on Mars as the infant survivor of the first human exploratory mission. Having been RaisedByNatives (who are StarfishAliens), he has to learn everything from scratch to relate to humans when the next mission comes along, after he's already a grown man.
* Minerva, the AI who runs Secundus, in ''Literature/TimeEnoughForLove'', desperately wants to gain a human form. Her motivation is that she's fallen in love with Ira and wants to be a real woman to be with him.
* Data actually becomes a real boy in one of the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' tie-in novels, Jean Lorrah's ''Metamorphosis'', in which mysterious aliens turn him into a living breathing being; he feels some emotions, mourns Tasha, falls in love, and gains weight from eating too many chocolate sundaes before a ResetButton makes it all go away.
* Subverted in the horror novel ''Literature/TheDollmaker'' as the dolls have no desire to become human. They want to understand what it means to be whatever it is they are.
* Subverted in ''Literature/{{Twig}}'', where the protagonist, Sylvester, is the project of regular chemical injections which alter his mind. At one point, he runs away from his creator, only to return just in time for his next injection, horrified at the idea of being a "real boy."
* Averted in a [[{{Mythopoeia}} fictional myth]] from ''Literature/TheCrocodileGod'': The prince of the sambar deer wanted to marry a young human datu (Filipino chief)... so he [[ImAHumanitarian killed and ate a little boy]] to take human form, which is emphatically NOT the right way to do it. The gods are angered, but give him three chances to repent and tell the truth so he can become real. First chance: He arrives to find the datu's whole village in deep mourning, then finds out that the boy he ate was [[OhCrap her NEPHEW.]] Second chance: He can't eat meat--as in, he literally can't, since he gets nauseous at the SMELL of cooking meat--and realizes that while his body is human, [[OurSoulsAreDifferent his soul is still a deer's]] because the gods refuse to change it. The sambar-prince [[IgnoredEpiphany sweeps both events under the rug,]] and after he marries the datu, he asks for tattoos. They start normal, but while they heal, the gods change the designs [[RedRightHand to scenes of him killing and eating the datu's nephew.]] He tries to hide it with heavy clothes, but [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome tropical summer arrives and he can't bear the heat,]] so he takes off his shirt. When his new wife spots them and finds out the AwfulTruth, [[BerserkButton she pushes him off into a reef to drown.]] When the sambar deer find out what their prince did, [[DrivenToSuicide half of them try to drown themselves]] but are [[JustSoStory turned into the first stonefish]] by the sea-god Haik. The other half [[JustSoStory shrinks into the small deer of current-day Philippines.]]
* ''Literature/TheDiabolic'': A running plot point is that Nemesis, as an ArtificialHuman, is legally and religiously not a person. Her master Sidonia tried to get a priest to bless her, but he flat-out refused. The same happens in the second book, except now it's a bigger deal because [[spoiler:the new Emperor has declared his intent to wed her]]. The fact that she is not a person causes huge problems as the more religious nobles consider her mere existence an abomination, and openly plot against her and her allies. Tyrus decides to go over the heads of all other religious authorities and seek out the Interdict, the head of the faith. [[spoiler:The Interdict initially politely but firmly refuses, saying that if Tyrus returns in twenty years still wishing for Nemesis to be named a person, he will grant it, as Tyrus will have proven his wisdom and devotion. Tyrus can't wait that long, but the resultant fight reveals to the Interdict that the galaxy is in a ''much'' worse state than he thought. He charges Tyrus with a holy mission and names Nemesis as an instrument of divine will for bringing the problem to his attention--meaning that yes, she is a person now]].
* Averted and discussed in ''Literature/TheMurderbotDiaries'', in which the titular Murderbot emphatically does ''not'' want to be human — and discusses its annoyance with human beings who assume constructs and other artificial beings like itself must all long to Become a Real Boy. A somewhat rare example where an AI that is a sympathetic, positive protagonist still has no desire to become human. Notably, Murderbot consumes a lot of [[ShowWithinAShow in-universe fiction]], and this trope is one of the ones that annoy it most. Also, at one point it straight up tells a human character some non-flattering things it thinks about humans, and is pleased by how nonplussed the human is at the realisation that Murderbot does ''not'' envy him. Murderbot is frequently annoyed by how slow, cruel, or inefficient humans can be, especially in areas, like security, where Murderbot excels thanks to its artificial nature. Murderbot also notes that it has no interest in human pursuits like, say, romance and sexuality. Deep down, however, Murderbot still ''likes'' humans — at least, ''some'' humans. Though [[KnightInSourArmor it would never say so...]] It just has no interest whatsoever in ''becoming'' one.
* ''Literature/BruceCovillesBookOf Magic'': Henry, the teddy bear in ''Bear at the Gate'', earned a soul through his love and care for his original owner, allowing him to go to Heaven.
* In the ''[[Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'', as part of [[spoiler:the world becoming "normal"]], Yuki goes from TheStoic RobotGirl to [[spoiler:a regular ShrinkingViolet human girl]]. This was, in fact, a result of Yuki's [[TinMan spontaneous development of emotions]], since she [[spoiler:was responsible for altering reality in the first place.]]
* Leroi, the WolfMan from ''Literature/TheBookOfLostThings'' is trying to become human in appearance, not realizing that it means he will eventually become too human. By the end of the book, he can't even howl.
* ''Literature/HIVESeries'': After [=H.I.V.E.mind=] and Otto start SharingABody, he thanks Otto for letting him see what it is like to be human. He even starts participating in conversation about girls, thanks to witnessing Otto's interactions with [[spoiler:Lucy]] firsthand.
* ''The Cat Who Wished To Be a Man'' by Creator/LloydAlexander is about a cat that wants to be a man.
* Zora Zombie from ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'' would've been happier to be alive or all-the-way dead, but was content to muddle through until she got to become human.
* The short story "Literature/{{Feathertop}}" deals with a scarecrow who is given the illusionary appearance of a human. He knows he's not a human, but it isn't on his mind when the townsfolk respond with such awe at the sight of him. When, inevitably, he is confronted with his own appearance by a mirror that pierces right through the illusion, he is horrified and ends his life.
* In ''[[Literature/EddieLaCrosse The Sword-Edged Blonde]]'', a goddess made three attempts to live like a human. The first and second attempts went wrong. The third attempt was to incarnate as an amnesiac so that she could live free of any memory of being a goddess. However, the fact that ''she'' can't remember doesn't mean that she can't be found by someone who hates her from her first disastrous attempt.
* ''Literature/{{Domina}}'': [[spoiler:MC, the BenevolentAI managing the city]], is given a superpower that lets her change into a human form. PersonalityPowers are in play; everyone gets a power related to something they wanted, though sometimes they're not obvious. She loves having the opportunity to live like a human, to actually be able to feel the sun and taste things. [[SubvertedTrope A week later, she's decided that being human sucks]] (especially everything involving bathrooms) and resolves to turn back into a machine as soon as possible. It's a slow process, and she's interrupted by an emergency, leaving her as a strange sort of cyborg.
* During the second trilogy of the ''Literature/{{Threadbare}}'' series, Cecilia is suffering extreme body dysmorphia with her ceramic body, to the point of considering suicide. It's implied that this is a potential issue for all Doll Haunters as their mortal spirit chafes against an immortal, and unchanging, golem body. Unlike most cases of this trope, the series ends without her finding a way to regain her humanity, although opening up about her feelings at least reminds her that there are others that she can talk to and seek support from.
* Over the course of the ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'' books, the Arbelest and later Leviathan's Artificial Intelligence, Al, slowly starts to acquire consciousness as a byproduct of regularly reading the direct mental states of its pilot, Sousuke. Starting with jokes, it then progresses to having irrational preferences and complex emotional experiences such as guilt before finally acquiring the ability to [[spoiler:activate the [[PsychoactivePowers Lambda driver]] without Sousuke's involvement - just in time to save itself and Sousuke from an impending nuclear impact]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Tio in ''VideoGame/GrandiaII'' is an automaton with essentially no free will and no emotions. When she is told that she is free to go wherever she pleases, she doesn't understand the concept and tags along with the group. Of course, this all changes when [[spoiler:Mareg dies]]. Conveniently, this also gives her a new special move in combat.
* ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'':
** Aigis in ''VideoGame/Persona3'', which is the crux of the story for The Answer in ''FES''. After being repaired of her injuries from her battle with [[spoiler:Ryoji]], Aigis finds her own humanity toward the end of 3, but in The Answer[[spoiler: it is revealed that Aigis slowly rekindles her urges and will of losing the side of humanity and the penalties a living being must face upon the protagonist' death. Her will and wishes to remove her side of humanity manifests as Metis, whom is known as her "sister" who doesn't want to be left alone. At the end, the sisters reconcile and merge into one being, returning all of Aigis' humanity.]]
*** It's even taken far enough that [[spoiler: Aigis' brain is fried at the end of The Answer, and by all right she should be a robo-vegetable, but somehow comes out of it just fine.]] As a bonus, because Aigis becomes a Persona main character, she has to have the power to equip all of the Persona's the player's managed to acquire thus far... which means the plot sets ''her'' Persona, which evolved to reflect her character growth, aside so she can fill her lost love's shoes, encapsulating all the worst issues with this trope through GameplayAndStoryIntegration: she became human by falling in love with the protagonist, and so once he's gone, she loses it altogether, and has to mimic him until she finds something else to rebuild her humanity on.
** Teddie in ''VideoGame/Persona4''. He's a cartoon character living in the TV world, but wants to join the rest of the cast in the real world as a human. [[spoiler:He doesn't go through the typical sudden-onset humanity that is typical of the trope, though, until he gets his own Persona just before the halfway point and then manages to manifest a human body.]]
** Upon being thrown into the TV world, Labrys of ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'' created a replica of Yasogami High in which she could try to live out this trope, forgetting that she wasn't human to begin with. The plot of Story Mode is centered on rescuing her before her [[EnemyWithout Shadow]] kills her for it.
** Morgana in ''VideoGame/Persona5'' is a cat, cartoonish in the Metaverse but realistic in the real world. He's convinced that he WasOnceAMan, and aids the party to find a way to become human. [[spoiler:Turns out he was never human to begin with and realized that long before he actually admitted it out loud, but spends much of the game in denial before finally coming to terms with it in the end. However, in the ''Royal'' UpdatedReRelease, he becomes human in [[WellIntentionedExtremist Maruki's false reality]] but rejects it along with the others because MiseryBuildsCharacter.]]
* ''Franchise/LeagueOfLegends''
** Ahri is based on a kumiho--the Korean version of the [[AsianFoxSpirit nine-tailed fox]], one known for both being predatory and desiring to be human. Appropriately, she has this as her goal in her pre-ContinuityReboot backstory. She was a nine-tailed fox that wanted to be human, so she absorbed the soul of a dying human mage during a battle and gained human form. However, she didn't see this as really being 'human', and wanted to go so far to be human in more than just form. As she absorbed more human souls and became more like a human, she also gained a conscience and realized [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone that what she had done was evil]].
*** Downplayed in the post-ContinuityReboot story--while she still gained a degree of humanity and conscience over time by absorbing human memories, she no longer seeks to become human. Her new goal is to find any traces of her lost [[LittleBitBeastly Vastaya]] tribe.
** Gwen was once the childhood doll of Isolde, wife of the Ruined King. Following Isolde's death and the Ruination taking place, a fragment of her soul managed to find its way back to Gwen and imbue her with life magic, granting her a human body. With that, Isolde also grants Gwen her own love of life and a perpetual curiosity to see the world and experience new sensations.
** An inversion to this trope is Orianna Reveck. She starts off as an ordinary human girl living in the toxic environments of Zaun. The pollution of the city eventually makes her ill, and her father, a mechanic, has no choice but to replace every component of her body with machinery, turning her into a FullConversionCyborg of sorts. Finally all that remained was her heart, but she had no choice but to transplant that into her father to save ''his'' life. Even with a human soul remaining, she's stuck in a state of existential uncertainty if she truly has humanity left in her.
* ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIV'',
** Averted in that the androids of the party, Wren and Demi, are both hundreds of years old (Wren is actually closer to ''a thousand'' years old) and perfectly happy being androids with feelings, having presumably awakened to their emotions some time ago. Some fans speculate that Wren actually ''built'' Demi as a companion for himself, which is why she's small, cute, and more emotionally developed despite being some six hundred years younger than him.
** Played straight with Rika, an artificial humanoid; the player can watch her slowly grow up over the course of the game (including a childish phase and a know-it-all adolescent phase, before arriving at maturity). At one point, she even describes the difference between being informed of things and encountering them in the real world, but none of the things she counts among them are romantic love, and in fact her first experience with displays of human emotion is [[spoiler: mourning the death of Alys.]]
* Done in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration 2''. New main character Lamia Loveless is a cyborg spy for a villain group. She was taught how to socialize and everything, but aside from that, like all 'W Numbers', she is supposed to lack a personality due to intentional programming. Unfortunately for the bad guys, all the W Numbers seen obtain a personality of their own, even if it only causes them to [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice themselves]] to save their masters...
* KOS-MOS from ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' skirts with this trope on and off, but eventually she becomes humanized, albeit through a somewhat supernatural mechanism.
* The motive of most members of Organization XIII in ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' is to get their hearts back. The leader, though., wants to become a "[[GodhoodSeeker great being.]]" They are a bit unusual in that they were once human and want to be human again, rather than being artificial and wanting to become human. [[spoiler: Ultimately, it's revealed that they could naturally regain their hearts over time and were never truly inhuman.]]
** The [[spoiler: Riku Replica]] in [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]] definitely qualifies, even more so in the remake. Being a [[spoiler: clone of a main character who's had his memories altered into making him think he's the real deal]] when the truth comes out and he encounters the person who he's a replica of he goes as far as trying to kill them so that he can get out of their shadow and become his own person.
** In [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII Kingdom Hearts III]], [[spoiler: Namine, Roxas and Xion [[EarnYourHappyEnding finally]] become humans thanks to perfected replica bodies that are 100% human, and Sora using the Power of Waking.]]
* Defied by Legion in ''Franchise/MassEffect'' - [[MindHive they're]] not human or even particularly human-like, and are perfectly fine with this, even expressing bewilderment that humans view individuality as a beneficial thing. [[spoiler:Until ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', in which the choice ends up being, bluntly, become full individuals rather than a consensus of interfaced programming nodules, or die horribly, although you do get to choose which happens.]]
* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
** Spirits are entities born from the thoughts of mortals that reside in the Fade, the world of dreams. Many spirits have a fascination with the physical world that spawned them, and wish to know it. Demons are that wish gone horribly wrong, thanks to being exposed to the darker facets of mortals such as desire, pride, rage, and envy. Cole, a Spirit of Compassion who took on the form of a dying mage (the original Cole), has gone further down this road than any other spirit in the franchise [[spoiler:and depending on the result of his personal quest in ''Inquisition'' can continue down it or turn back and embrace his nature as a spirit]]. According to him, spirits such as himself aren't "real". Only through contact with mortals can they become "real".
** One possible ending of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' reveals that [[spoiler: Shale the golem plans to seek a way to become a dwarf again, which she once was, despite her frequently expressed disdain for "soft, squishy" beings.]]
* [[spoiler:Daniella]] in ''Videogame/HauntingGround'' is a homunculus who cannot feel anything, and believes she is incomplete. [[spoiler:Daniella]] pursues Fiona because [[spoiler:she believes the Azoth within Fiona's womb can change this.]] WordOfGod later revealed that [[spoiler:Daniella is actually human. She was kidnapped as a child, experimented on, and abused by Lorenzo and Ricardo.]]
* Curie, a Ms. Nanny robot in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' assigned to medical research, finds her research efforts stymied by the nature of her physical being. The course of her personal quest line involves her being uploaded into a braindead donor synth body, resulting in an [[FirstTimeFeeling expansion of consciousness]].
* Unusually enough inverted with Kogasa Tatara, an [[{{Karakasa}} umbrella]] [[AnimateInanimateObject tsukumogami]] from ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' who, due to her failures with scaring people, her failures with babysitting, and [[TheWoobie her failures in general]], considered going back to being a real umbrella again so that she at least could be of ''some'' use... the depressing implication being that she thinks people would appreciate her more if she was dead.
* In ''{{VideoGame/Undertale}}'', you encounter an angry ghost inhabiting a training dummy. If you go through the game killing everyone you meet, the ghost becomes so enraged that the built up emotion causes it to fuse with the dummy and become corporeal. [[spoiler:This makes it so happy that it fulfilled its life-long dream that it will immediately spare you.]]
** If, while playing on a UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, you spared the dummy in a Neutral/Pacifist run, you can later find the ghost leaves the dummy and inhabits a life-sized anime CatGirl doll, Mew Mew, still trying to fuse with her new body. Sparing her again and talking causes her to begin fusing.
* The ([[AlternateUniverse kind of]]) sequel ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'' introduces Spamton in Chapter 2, a living robotic spambot who is obsessed with becoming a "big shot". [[spoiler:If you battle him as a BonusBoss, his [[RestorationOfSanity suddenly somber and lucid]] dialog as he dies implies all he ''really'' wanted was to just not be a puppet, in more than one way; He wanted to achieve freedom and stop being [[NothingIsScarier someone's]] UnwittingPawn, and also stop being a literal puppet. His goal goes a step beyond most examples; His MediumAwareness and talks about reaching "Heaven" imply he wants to become something more like the player]].
* Parodied in ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' with the "A Real Boy" questline. A malfunctioning Hyperion loader named Mal wants to become a human - and because his only observations of humanity have been on [[CrapsackWorld Pandora]], they're pretty skewed. After you steal some bandit "clothes" and human limbs for him, he decides to kill you, because that's all he's seen you and everyone else do to each other. In the end, you convince Mal he's become human when he feels pain during your battle with him, as he's under the impression that robots can't feel pain and humans can.
* ''VideoGame/FallingFred'' and its sequels have Dr. Crash T. Dummy, a computer robot in the body of a crash test dummy with Ph. D. in "Kinetic Force-Educed Organ Relocation Statistics". His descriptions in various games state that becoming a human being is an earnest desire of his, and his last promotion title in ''Clicker Fred'' is even called "A Real Boy!".
* ''Videogame/{{Bomberman}}'': The NES game's plot was Bomberman's quest to escape the bomb factory, thereby becoming human.
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
** While a majority of the Forsaken have resigned themselves to undeath, there are many who see their existence as a curable disease or curse and long for a return to full life.
** In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'''s third expansion, ''Cataclysm'', the Worgen of Gilneas have developed a cure to allow them to retain their humanity while transformed into their [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Werewolf]] forms, but are still looking for a way to get rid of the curse completely.
* While part of [[spoiler: Yomiel's deal with the blue people]] in ''VideoGame/GhostTrick'' is for revenge, [[spoiler: he also wants them to find some way to have an artificial life. His real dream is to grow old in a society that accepts him and die surrounded by loving family, rather than "living" forever as a ghost in isolation.]]
* The villain of ''VideoGame/ComixZone'' has liberated himself from the comic book he was formerly a character in, but is still a 2-D drawing. In the GameOver sequence, the death of his creator embodies him in true flesh and blood, giving him the potential to TakeOverTheWorld.
* In the first chapter of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'', Healie the ''healslime'' wants to become a human. He reasons that since he wants to become human, if he hangs around humans, he'll become one [[ExcusePlot so he joins Ragnar]] on his quest. It actually works and he leaves Ragnar to [[PutOnABus start his own life]] after Ragnar joins the hero/heroine in the fifth chapter.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'', the desire to become human is revealed to be a repeating situation, with several people found in towns being former monsters that decided to become human instead. However, they have a hard time fitting in, and they appreciate when the hero tells them of where they can go to follow their dreams more fully.
* In the original ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' trilogy, Cortana generally seems content being an AI. By the time ''VideoGame/Halo4'' rolls around, she shows signs of wanting to be human. This could be caused by the fact that she's entering [[AIIsaCrapshoot rampancy]] which will end with her insanity and death. This statement sums it up best:
-->'''Cortana:''' I can give you over forty thousand reasons why that sun isn't real. I know it because the emitter's Rayleigh effect is disproportionate to its suggested size. I know it because its stellar cycle is more symmetrical than that of an actual star. But for all that, I'll never actually know if it looks real... if it ''feels'' real.
* ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'': Subverted with [[spoiler: Alicia]], who is convinced that her powers mean she isn't human. She's wrong, naturally, [[InternalizedCategorism it's all in her head]], but she's so dedicated to defining herself by bad examples that the only way she can deal with them is by rejecting them completely in favor of becoming [[spoiler: Welkin's]] wife.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Ib}}'', the little girl [[spoiler: Mary]] turns out to be [[ArtInitiatesLife one of the paintings come to life in the demented gallery.]] She desperately wants to escape so she can live as a normal human with Ib and Garry and be their friend. [[spoiler: Too bad there's no way she can go about it without Garry getting hurt.]]
* Batreaux of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' is this scary-looking ([[DarkIsNotEvil but friendly]]) demon-like creature that wants nothing more than to be a normal Skyloftian, and begs Link to get Gratitude Crystals that he hopes will allow him to transform. Successfully get enough, and he can be found in the local bazaar in a humanoid form... though he still looks slightly demonic.

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* Over the course of the ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' books, the Arbelest and later Leviathan's Artificial Intelligence, Al, slowly starts to acquire consciousness as a byproduct of regularly reading the direct mental states of its pilot, Sousuke. Starting with jokes, it then progresses to having irrational preferences and complex emotional experiences such as guilt before finally acquiring the ability to [[spoiler:activate the [[PsychoactivePowers Lambda driver]] without Sousuke's involvement - just in time to save itself and Sousuke from an impending nuclear impact]].

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16672674980.07939800 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.

* ''Literature/TheBicentennialMan'': Andrew Martin was originally an [[RobotNames NDR model robot]], but he [[PinocchioSyndrome wanted to become human]] for many years. The line that finally convinces the [[OneWorldOrder World Congress]] to grant him recognition as a human is when he replaces his [[{{Unobtainium}} platinum-iridium positronic brain]] with a new brain that would quickly deteriorate and kill him.

** Minerva, the AI who runs Secundus, in ''Literature/TimeEnoughForLove'', desperately wants to gain a human form. Her motivation is that she's fallen in love with Ira and wants to be a real woman to be with him.

* Spirits in ''Franchise/DragonAge'' are entities born from the thoughts of mortals that reside in the Fade, the world of dreams. Many spirits have a fascination with the physical world that spawned them, and wish to know it. Demons are that wish gone horribly wrong, thanks to being exposed to the darker facets of mortals such as desire, pride, rage, and envy. Cole, a Spirit of Compassion who took on the form of a dying mage (the original Cole), has gone further down this road than any other spirit in the franchise [[spoiler:and depending on the result of his personal quest in ''Inquisition'' can continue down it or turn back and embrace his nature as a spirit]]. According to him, spirits such as himself aren't "real". Only through contact with mortals can they become "real".

* [[ParodiedTrope Parodied]] in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "Free Will Hunting," as Bender attempts to [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming Grow Beyond His Programming]]:
-->'''Bender:''' I wish I was a ''real'' boy. ''Then'' I'd show them. [[KillAllHumans I'd kill them all]].

* ''Film/ShortCircuit'': Johnny Five.

* One [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] Franchise/{{Superman}} story had SufficientlyAdvanced aliens transform one of Superman's robots into a superpowered flesh-and-blood human being with free will, but the robot ended up [[HeroicSacrifice Heroically Sacrificing]] himself to save the day before the story's end.

* The Jon from Music/SteamPoweredGiraffe wishes to become a real boy.

* Early in ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'', it's revealed that [[HalfHumanHybrid Inuyasha]] once agreed to use the sacred jewel to become human and live with Kikyo, who would be released from her duties when the jewel ceased to exist. Of course, things went downhill went [[ManipulativeBastard Naraku]] tricked them into turning against each other, causing Inuyasha to revert to his old wish of using the jewel to become fully demon. Either way, he'd be freed from HalfBreedDiscrimination.