History Main / BondCreatures

** The Tamers are a minority of forest dwellers who dissaprove of the above. They just bond with animals as {{familiar}}s instead.

* In spite of what you may have heard, Indigenous Americans were not the only ones to believe in this. Myth/NorseMythology includes the Fylgja, a spiritual or real animal that follows and protects a person throughout their lives. This also frequently incorporates AnimalMotifs, such as evil wizards having Fylgjur who take the shape of sly foxes.

* ''Literature/LegendOfTheAnimalHealer'': All animals instinctively trust Martine, but her bond with Jemmy the white giraffe is even deeper. From the beginning they implicitly understood that they were friends, and Jemmy allows her to ride him despite being in all other respects wild. Not only that, but Jemmy is the ChooserOfTheOne whose bond with Martine gives her her HealingHands that only work on animals.

* Robin D. Owens is a current science-fantasy romance author whose Heart series features telepathic cats called Fams (short for Familiars like witches' familiars) which bond to human owners.

* The night horses in Creator/CJCherryh's ''Rider'' series are a horse-shaped carnivorous telepathic alien species. The horses bond with humans since they enjoy the complexity of the human mind, and ham, and humans bond with the horses so they'll help protect the humans from the world's other telepathic carnivores, which like to pull {{Jedi Mind Trick}}s in order to eat the humans.

* The nanobonded in ''Blackfish City'' by Sam J. Miller. Apparently the result of a [[TestedOnHumans corporate experiment gone wrong]], they formed communities which were later [[FantasticRacism exterminated in pogroms]] except for a woman nanobonded to an orca who turns up at the eponymous CityOnTheWater and sets the plot in motion. She also has a polar bear with her. One character suffering from mental illness suddenly finds himself calm and thinking straight for the first time in years when the bear finds him; turns out he was nanobonded to it as a child. At that point, some gangland thugs try to attack him and it's demonstrated just how dangerous a human and a polar bear can be while fighting in perfect concert.

* Robert D. San Soucie's short story ''Circus Dreams'' has a demon that forms a bond with a tormented young boy and kills the bullies he's afraid to stand up to. Unlike the other examples on this page, nothing good comes from this relationship whatsoever.

* Creator/SarahMonette and Creator/ElizabethBear did a brilliant and weirdly hilarious DarkerAndEdgier spin on some of the less charming implications of the Pern series in ''A Companion to Wolves'', which is Pern WITH GAY VIKINGS and giant sentient wolves replacing dragons.

* In ''The Game of Rat and Dragon'' by Creator/CordwainerSmith, {{Eldritch Abomination}}s live in the darkness between stars. Human telepaths on spacecraft are partnered with cats to fight the monsters, though in that case, the pairing is more of personality (feline aggression and reflexes with human intellect and guidance) than special powers.
* Gayle Greeno's ''Ghatti's Tale'' series is a modern {{fantasy}} series in which the telepathic animals are Ghatti, large catlike animals that can only speak with humans mind-to-mind.

* The Riders in ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'' (and by extension ''[[Series/KamenRiderDragonKnight Dragon Knight]]'') gain their powers by forming a bond with a Mirror Monster, turning it into a Contract Monster and providing them with CardsOfPower they use in combat. Contract Monsters have their own personalities and tend not to like Riders whose personality clashes with theirs or who avoid battle (since [[ImAHumanitarian they eat the essence of Mirror Monsters to survive]]). A particularly extreme example is Kamen Rider Ohja, who kills two Riders and forces contracts with their Monsters when they attack him seeking revenge. They openly despise the man and attack him when the opportunity comes up, but because of the contract, they're forced to work for him.

* Creator/JenniferRoberson's ''Cheysuli'' series shows a semi-intelligent empathic alien species of which individuals occasionally (but not usually) bond with humans.

* Creator/AndreNorton created several of the oldest examples of Bond Creatures in western fiction: ''Literature/TheBeastMaster'', Falconers in the ''Literature/WitchWorld'' series, and more. Probably she was the inspiration for Mercedes Lackey's and Anne [=McCaffrey's=] later evolutions of the concept. In ''Literature/OrdealInOtherwhere'', Tsste for Charis and Taggi for Shann. Their mutual PsychicLink makes it a four-way deal.

* The short-lived Creator/MarvelComics book ''WesternAnimation/Sectaurs'' [[MerchandiseDriven (based on a toy line)]] involved a planet of insectoid humanoids who would each form a telepathic "binary bond" with a different insectoid animal, which would become their sidekick (or, in the case of larger ones, their steed). The hero, Dargon, was unusual in that he wound up bonded to ''two'' of them, his steed Dragon Flier and a smaller creature named Parafly.

* The short-lived Creator/MarvelComics book ''Sectaurs'' [[MerchandiseDriven (based on a toy line)]] involved a planet of insectoid humanoids who would each form a telepathic "binary bond" with a different insectoid animal, which would become their sidekick (or, in the case of larger ones, their steed). The hero, Dargon, was unusual in that he wound up bonded to ''two'' of them, his steed Dragon Flier and a smaller creature named Parafly.

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* ''Literature/PegasusMcKinley'' has this as the result of a spell performed to bind a human to a pegasus, which happens as a rite of passage for members of the royal family. Most share a type of simple telepathic communication, but only the protagonist's pegasus speaks in actual language. [[spoiler: It's hinted that this is because the bond has been deliberately sabotaged.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlackTheSeries'' has Symbiotes, a race of creatures that need a host body in order to survive. In exchange, they give their hosts shapeshifting abilities as well as possess healing powers. However, if they remain merged with a host for two days, they merge permanently.

* Creator/RobinMcKinley's novel ''[[Literature/McKinleyPegasus Pegasus]]'' has this as the result of a spell performed to bind a human to a pegasus, which happens as a rite of passage for members of the royal family. Most share a type of simple telepathic communication, but only the protagonist's pegasus speaks in actual language. [[spoiler: It's hinted that this is because the bond has been deliberately sabotaged.]]

* The card spirits in ''Anime/CardcaptorSakura'' bond to the master of the deck; they serve in exchange for a share of the mage's "power," which seems to be crucial for their sustained existence. Becomes an important part of the plot when [[spoiler:Yukito]], the incarnation of a card, starts to fade away because he hasn't yet bonded with a new master.

* In ''Anime/MyOtome'' the Otome bond to those they protect and serve. It takes their master's approval to materialize their robes, but as the Otome take damage, the master also feels the pain, and if the Otome dies, the master follows suit.
* In ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'', Samehada ''is'' a "[[{{BFS}} frickin]] [[ThreateningShark shark]]" bond sword. The sword chooses its wielder based on their amount of energy and the taste of it, though it can be forced to be loyal to a previous wielder if that wielder has enough power or a strong relationship with it. If an unfit wielder tries to use it, spikes protrude from its handle and it runs back to its true master.

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* In P.C. Hodgell's ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'' series, the ability to form a psychic bond with an animal is one of the more common of the Shanir abilities, common enough that about a dozen students in Jame's year in the MilitaryAcademy of Tentir have it in various forms. Jame becomes bound early on to an ounce, a medium-sized hunting cat; blind from birth, the cat learns to see through her eyes across the link and occasionally shares its senses with Jame.

* [=McCaffrey=]'s dragonriders are parodied in Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic'', where the dragons only exist because their riders believe in them. Similarly, the dragon in ''Literature/GuardsGuards'' is bonded to [[spoiler: Lupine Wonse]], much to his discomfort.

* {{Literature/Dinotopia}} has a non-psychic version of this, most notably with Skybax riders. Only the rider can approach a Skybax, and the bond is a lifelong one once established. The novice rider must prove himself or herself to the Skybax to be considered for full apprenticeship. This often involves a climb up into the Forbidden Mountains to the Tentpole of the Sky, a way of showing that the rider is not bound to the earth. The loss of a rider can send a Skybax into a state of feral aggression as with Windchaser. It can happen with humans and other species if they're born/hatched and raised together sometimes; this is known as 'nestfriends'.

* Creator/TimothyZahn's ''Literature/{{Dragonback}}'' books feature the K'da, a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragonlike]] sentient race with the capability to become a two-dimensional [[FusionDance 'tattoo' on the skin of a]] [[TheSymbiote host/symbiote]], with the corollary that if they go for more than six hours without doing so, they turn 2D anyway [[BlessedWithSuck and die]]. Normally their hosts are a race called the Shontine, but when the K'da warrior Draycos bonds with the [[HumansAreSpecial human]] Jack Morgan, he becomes healthier, stronger, and smarter, and gains new powers -- [[spoiler: and it turns out that a K'da fused to a human can withstand [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Death superweapon]]]].

* The WebSerialNovel ''Literature/TheDragonWarsSaga'' has Heart Friends, who are born at the same moment as the Warrior they are bonded to. The [[ElementalPowers affinities]] of the warrior and their Heart Friend will match, although their genders will often be opposite.
* In Creator/KJTaylor's ''Literature/TheFallenMoon'' trilogy griffins choose a human with strong political or other potential to serve them, giving them in return further status and protection. Griffiners are the equivalent of nobility, with titles being non-hereditary but the children of griffiners being more likely to be chosen in turn. The partnership is non-telepathic and, although cooperative, the griffin is dominant (seriously, who is going to argue too hard with a giant carnivorous griffin?)
* Creator/RobinHobb's ''Literature/{{Farseer}}'' trilogy has the Wit (aka The Old Blood) which allows certain bloodlines to bond with animals. Not all animals are candidates for bonding, only those also of the Old Blood. The protagonist's bond is with a wolf called Nighteyes. The bonding process can go horribly wrong, as the protagonist learns more about when he is able to spend time in a Witted community. (They are discriminated against, and must hide their relationships with their Bond Creatures in all but their own closed communities.)
** He encounters a man who as a baby bonded with a flock of sparrows. The man effectively has no mind of his own, as his mind was linked so young to a lot of small, not very bright creatures scattered all over the place.
** The protagonist himself is considered to have bonded too young, and to have interfered with Nighteyes' development as a wolf; those who were brought up in Witted culture are expected to let their Bond Creatures live 'naturally' and without interference. (The fact that Nighteyes doesn't ''want'' to dig his own lair and actually prefers living in the protagonist's quarters doesn't help them defend themselves from disapproval.)
** The animal partner in the bond can allow the human partner to survive in the animal partner's mind after the human's death. The Witted community considers this a violation of the animal partner's right to live his or her own life (since the human's instincts are expected to be at war with the animal's).

* The Literature/{{Goosebumps}} novella, ''Literature/HowIGotMyShrunkenHead'', in which the titular head is a mystical, sentient artifact from the remote island of Baladora. It forms a telepathic link with the protagonist and helps him activate his latent PsychicPowers.
* The daemons in Philip Pullman's ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'' trilogy are a variant of this -- bonded to their human because they are the physical embodiment of [[OurSoulsAreDifferent that person's soul]] or subconscious. Children have daemons that shapeshift freely, but as they become adults their daemon permanently becomes a certain animal. The daemon's gender is usually the opposite of the human's, exceptions being very rare indeed. Daemons can only move a small distance from their humans; any further starts causing both [[ImHavingSoulPains immense pain]]. Mention is made of a sailor who will spend the rest of his life at sea because his daemon is a dolphin. [[spoiler:But if the pain can be endured, it eventually fades, allowing daemons to range any distance from their human with no side effects. The same can't be said of people who've had their daemons ''severed'' with a special blade, which effectively lobotomizes the human and leaves the daemon "insubstantial".]] Pullman never explained, and [[ShrugOfGod has stated he has no interest in explaining]], how/where new daemons come from.
* David Weber's ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series has treecats, cute, furry, ''seriously'' lethal aliens with empathic abilities; mostly they maintain their own society, but on rare occasions, one will form a lifelong psychic/emotional bond with a human, such as our heroine Honor.
** It's described as looking for a glow that fits right with their own. The bond is for life, but while on a planet a 'cat will feel free to go out and seek companionship with its own kind from time to time. 'Cats used to consider this bonding a bittersweet condition because when the human dies, so does their own will to live. The existence of prolong means humans will eventually learn the pain of the other way around. The other hook is that with exposure to humans, the Treecats have learned sign language and are now able to talk rather than just communicate empathically and non-verbally with their bond humans.
* Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''Literature/HumanxCommonwealth'' books portray an empathic bond between Flinx and the minidrag Pip. She amplifies his PsychicPowers whenever she's in his proximity.

* Similar to the Pern examples (some would say ''too'' similar) are the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]] and riders in Christopher Paolini's ''Literature/InheritanceCycle''. Dragons and riders form a mental bond and can share each other's energy. Dragons [[strike:can't]] rarely survive the rider's death but riders can usually survive the dragon's death at the cost of their mind. Dragons choose their riders before birth, they hatch when they find the one they find worthy.

* Peter Hamilton's ''Literature/TheNightsDawnTrilogy'' trilogy: biotech can be used to create bond creatures. Those that matter most are Voidhawks, sentient living starships which bond with a captain, conceived and gestated at the same time the voidhawk egg is laid. There are also Blackhawks, a voidhawk variant, with a shorter life span but greatly improved combat performance which are used by 'independent' captains, who purchase the eggs and bond as adult via an implant.
** It is also shown that humans can be "bonded" to other humans, leaving them at the mercy of their master. They can then be observed, controlled, or killed at will.

* Jane Yolen's ''Literature/PitDragonChronicles'' takes place on a hot, mostly-desert world that has a variety of warm-blooded pseudo-lizards with pneumaticized bones and feather-scales; the larger of which were named dragon-lizards, and eventually just dragons. They stand about 13 feet at the shoulder. Nearly extinct at the time the penal colony was dropped on the planet, the humans began breeding them and eventually developed a dragon-gladiator-driven economy and society, boosted by off-world gambling interests. This arrangement continued until the galactic federation stepped in and overthrew the criminal-controlled gambling houses. The gladiatorial dragon combat, however, was eventually legalized (and taxed) by the galactic federation. The dragons exhibit high degrees of intelligence and a unique color-coded form of communication somewhere between empathic projection and telepathy, and the ability to form mental bonds with humans.

* Barb, the heroine of John Ringo's ''SpecialCircumstances'' series has a black cat familiar named Lazarus, so named because she raised it from the dead. What makes it funny is that Barb is a devout Christian.

* In Robert Heinlein's ''Literature/StarshipTroopers'', the human handlers of the Federation's K-9 units form this type of relationship with their Neodogs (modified dogs with near-human intelligence). One of the recruiters Rico meets (a former K-9 handler) tells him that the bond between Neodog and handler has been said to be more intimate than many marriages. If a handler dies, SOP dictates that the Neodog is put out of its misery. If a Neodog dies, the handler is given lots of therapy but is generally psychologically scarred for life.
* Franchise/StarWarsLegends:

* In ''Literature/TheUnderlandChronicles'', the Underlander humans and the bats are the only species with this. [[spoiler: Until ''Gregor and the Code of Claw''.]]
* The novel ''The Wild Boy'' features a future where bear-like aliens have taken humans as a replacement for their bond-creatures, who went extinct. The Lindauzi call humans dogs and raise them in kennels. The packs of free humans are wolves. Most often, a young Lindauza is given a human bond mate on his or her upright day, the first time he or she walks on two legs. If human and Lindauza are separated, the Lindauza becomes ill and can die. There's something of an ability for each to sense the other when they're near.
* Reaper-servant teams in ''Literature/TheZombieKnight'' are a form of this, with the odd twist that both ends of the bond are [[DeadToBeginWith dead humans]]. [[{{Psychopomp}} Reapers]], who were once humans with a particular gene, can take one person who's just died as their servant. The servant protects the [[IntangibleMan intangible and physically helpless]] reaper and acts on the material world for them, and in return, they get [[HealingFactor immunity]] [[TheAgeless to]] [[ResurrectiveImmortality death]], SuperStrength, one other superpower and [[SpiritAdvisor an invisible friend who's really there]].
** What makes it ''really'' interesting is that the longer a reaper keeps a particular servant around, the more their souls synchronize and the more powerful the servant gets. [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Given enough time,]] servants can get well into PersonOfMassDestruction territory unless the reaper decides or is forced to release their soul into true death.

** Bondbirds are large birds of prey that are animals, although they may be a bit more intelligent than earthly ones. They think in terms of nests, mates, hatchlings, prey, and other bird-isms, though some of the wiser can grasp concepts like 'acting' and 'sarcasm.' They were specifically bred for their roles by the Tayledras mages who live in the magic-damaged lands surrounding the Dhorisha plains.
** Other magical creatures can bond with humans as a {{Familiar}}. The wolflike Warrl takes up with Tarma in her ''Vows and Honor'' books. Even a semi-sentient sword, Need, becomes a combination Bond Creature and ClingyMacGuffin to her bearers; they accept it because the benefits make up for the drawbacks.

* Creator/RobinMcKinley's novel ''[[Literature/McKinleyPegasus Pegasus]]'' has this as the result of a spell performed to bind a human to a pegasus, which happens as a young person's rite of passage. Most share a type of simple telepathic communication, but only the protagonist's pegasus speaks in actual language.

* ''[[Literature/McKinleyPegasus Pegasus]]'': Each member of the human royal family is bound to a member of the pegasus royal family, to serve as companions and as reminders of the Alliance between the two races. However, the binding has been sabotaged ([[HiddenAgendaVillain for reasons that are unclear]]) to prevent human and pegasus from being able to truly communicate with each other.

* Creator/RobinMcKinley's novel ''Pegasus'' has this as the result of a spell performed to bind a human to a pegasus, which happens as a young person's rite of passage. Most share a type of simple telepathic communication, but only the protagonist's pegasus speaks in actual language.

Bond Creatures choose a human partner to share their power. Often they can reject an unsuitable human partner or reveal a new ability or level of power if its [[PsychicLink Link]] and/or {{Synchronization}} with its human user is particularly high. In such cases, they may form a MentalFusion or allow the human to [[AnimalEyeSpy see through their eyes]]. They sometimes double as a MoralityPet.

* ''Ayakashi'' and ''LightNovel/MushiUta'' both have creatures that grant their partner great power, but with the cost that they will eventually either die or suffer some other horrible consequence.

* The Literature/{{Goosebumps}} novella, ''How I Got My Shrunken Head'', in which the titular head is a mystical, sentient artifact from the remote island of Baladora. It forms a telepathic link with the protagonist and helps him activate his latent PsychicPowers.

* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', [[BigBadWannabe Martellus von Blitzengaard]] attempts to permanently tie Agatha to him via [[MadScience Spark shenanigans]] that leave her needing periodic physical contact with him or she'd become violently, potentially fatally, ill. Agatha wasn't able to undo this, but [[TookAThirdOption worked around it]] by transferring the bond to her pet Wasp Eater. [[note]]As it turned out, Martellus DidntThinkThisThrough: The bond worked both ways, and Martellus fell deathly ill once Agatha made her escape.[[/note]]

* In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', the titular Blades are artificial lifeforms of great power born when a human with potential (Said individuals being known as Drivers) touches the Core Crystal that contains the essence of their being; lacking individuals experiencing anything from a bad nosebleed to a quick, painful death. They serve as guardians and partners for those they bond with, each having a personal weapon they lend their Driver and channel their power through. Should their Driver perish, they'll simply return to being a Core Crystal, but lose the memories of their past life in the process, only being able to truly die if their crystal is destroyed (Thanks to a powerful HealingFactor).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' has the Palismen, living wooden creatures that usually take the shape of small animals. When witches come of age, they either carve or adopt a Palisman, who remains their life-long companion. Palismen have the ability to transform into a wooden staff, which their witches can use to cast spells and fly. Beings that lack innate magic -- Luz, being a human, and Hunter, being a [[spoiler:Grimwalker]] -- can still use a Palisman to cast magic. Palismen are also attuned to their owners' needs, as Dell Clawthorne is seen using his as a mobility aid, and Flapjack has a habit of not-so-subtly pushing Hunter towards the people who can help him escape his abusive home life.

Bond Creatures choose a human partner to share their power. Often they can reject an unsuitable human partner or reveal a new ability or level of power if its [[PsychicLink Link]] and/or {{Synchronization}} with its human user is particularly high. In such cases they may form a MentalFusion or allow the human to [[AnimalEyeSpy see through their eyes]]. They sometimes double as a MoralityPet.

A magic user's {{familiar}} may ([[OurMonstersAreDifferent depending on specific interpretation]]) be one of these, as may a SapientSteed that OnlyTheChosenMayRide, especially in the case of {{Dragon Rider}}s. Compare EmpathyPet, EmpathicWeapon, LivingWeapon, AttackAnimal (possibly EquippableAlly) and {{Mons}}. In some cases an ImaginaryFriend can also function as a creature or person bonded to the character imagining them. Other times, it can be a SymbioticPossession, or just simply TheSymbiote.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': In the anime series there is a race called Bounts, a vampire variant, each of whom has a Doll, which seems to be a type of elemental familiar. Dolls will turn on and kill a weak master; this suggests that although the individual Bount's elemental affinity is an internal characteristic that determines what Doll they can summon, the Dolls come from the environment and return to the environment when their masters die. Dolls don't take mates or reproduce.

** ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' upped the ante by, at least twice, having the human partners [[ImHavingSoulPains physically affected when their Digimon partners are injured in battle]]. This season's digivices also have a handy feature which enables Tamers to get a first-person view of what their Digimon see.
** {{Downplayed|Trope}} in ''Anime/DigimonGhostGame'', where whole communities have sprung up among Digimon trapped in the human world. While Angoramon and Jellymon think of their human partners as their best friends, they also have separate social circles among their own kind. The series also portrays Digimon as {{Youkai}}-like beings which grow stronger by following their compulsions, and suggests that ThePowerOfFriendship which the heroes rely on is simply one form that can take.

* Edel Raids from ''Manga/ElementalGelade'' are a version that is A) an EquippableAlly, and B) invariably resemble a female human with subdermal jewelry somewhere on her body. They permanently bond with a normal human for the duration of said human's lifetime (usually of her choice, but forcible bondings are common enough), and recharge their powers in a way unique to themselves, but usually involves physical contact and affection. There also exist Sting Raids, which are an EvilKnockoff created through implanting a Raid's subdermal jewel into a normal woman.
* In ''Anime/{{Gasaraki}}'', the demonic looking Kugai, on which the Tactical Armours are based upon, require a certain individual known as a "Kai" to operate them, but first they must also be awakened by a unique ritualistic dance before the Kai can get the Kugai to "open up" so to speak...the Kai also acts as a 'sacrifice' of sorts, being a host that sits inside the Kugai, allowing it to move on its own, but the Kugai is still influenced by the Kai in terms of decision making.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': While not sentient or even as independent as an animal, mechas in this series are picky about their human partners and may go crazy or refuse to work for the wrong pilot, or even the right pilot in the wrong state of mind. It is mentioned that human minds were either used as a pattern for the Evangelions' AI or were 'eaten' and partially incorporated by the Evangelions in development, and their taste in pilots is an effect of this. This series also shows a strong correspondence between the mecha's body and the pilot's body, with pilots feeling intense pain if the mecha is significantly damaged, for example by ripping off an arm (ShoutOut to older {{Mecha Show}}s like ''[[Anime/MazingerZ the]]'' ''[[Anime/GreatMazinger Mazinger]]'' ''[[Anime/UFORoboGrendizer series]]''. In those series, the wounds the pilot suffered often paralelled the damage his/her HumongousMecha had suffered).

* The Mulian mecha in ''Anime/RahXephon'' function like this, bonding with individuals called "Instrumentalists". It responds to its pilot's moods, and will act autonomously to protect its pilot if the pilot is in distress. [[spoiler:the connection for the mulian mecha has added "bonus" of full {{Synchronization}} -- so killing the dolem kills the pilot. The connection runs deeper still for the Xephon''s'': when Ayato and Quon fully awaken as Instrumentalists, they cease to be human and fuse with the [=RahXephon=] system, effectively ''becoming'' the "machines". It is mentioned, late in the series, that when Ayato is looking at the Xephon or at Ixtli, he is looking at another aspect of himself.]]

* ''Manga/SoulEater'' has Demon Weapons. They seem to be a werewolf variant, created by experiments a witch carried out on humans in the distant past, but transforming into a weapon instead of an animal; they are born and age like humans, are capable of reproducing with humans and having human children. They are thus unique among anime examples of bond creatures, following more of a western model. The bond is also not lifelong, and can be friendly or romantic.
* Duel Monsters in ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', particulary Judai and Winged Kuriboh, as well as Johan and the Gem Beasts.

** In the manga, there was only one egg, and the nature of the creature produced was supposed to be determined by the type of energy Yuusuke gave off. If bad, he'd get eaten and the filing problem he represented would be over; if good, he'd earned resurrection. But then scheduling issues caused Koenma to ditch that plan and just resurrect him, and the egg presumably hung around in spiritual form being ignored until ready to hatch. Puu originally resembles a blue Furby with huge floppy ears, but evolves into a sort of phoenix thing [[spoiler:after Yuusuke is resurrected again as a Mazoku.]]

* The ComicBook/GhostRider is a mortal man bonded with a demonic entity; the original, and largely most well known Rider is motorcycle stunt rider Johnny Blaze and the demon Zarathos. Writer Jason Aaron's run retcons this; the Spirits of Vengeance are living spirit-weapons from Heaven (albeit not angels), bonded to mortal hosts.

* The nanobonded in ''Blackfish City'' by Sam J. Miller. Apparently the result of a [[TestedOnHumans corporate experiment gone wrong]], they formed communities which were later [[FantasticRacism exterminated in pogroms]] except for a woman nanobonded to an orca who turns up at the eponymous CityOnTheWater and sets the plot in motion. She also has a polar bear with her. One character suffering from mental illness suddenly finds himself calm and thinking straight for the first time in years when the bear finds him; turns out he was nanobonded to it as a child. At that point some gangland thugs try to attack him and it's demonstrated just how dangerous a human and a polar bear can be while fighting in perfect concert.

* In P.C. Hodgell's ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath'' series, the ability to form a psychic bond with an animal is one of the more common of the Shanir abilities, common enough that about a dozen students in Jame's year in the MilitaryAcademy of Tentir have it in various forms. Jame becomes bound early on to an ounce, a medium-sized hunting cat; blind from birth, the cat learns to see through her eyes across the link, and occasionally shares its senses with Jame.

* Creator/TimothyZahn's ''Literature/{{Dragonback}}'' books feature the K'da, a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragonlike]] sentient race with the capability to become a two-dimensional [[FusionDance 'tattoo' on the skin of a]] [[TheSymbiote host/symbiote]], with the corollary that if they go for more than six hours without doing so, they turn 2D anyway [[BlessedWithSuck and die]]. Normally their hosts are a race called the Shontine, but when the K'da warrior Draycos bonds with the [[HumansAreSpecial human]] Jack Morgan, he becomes healthier, stronger and smarter, and gains new powers -- [[spoiler: and it turns out that a K'da fused to a human can withstand [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Death superweapon]]]].
* Creator/AnneMcCaffrey is probably the archetypal example of bond creatures. Her ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' series features dragons with near-human intelligence which choose a human partner at hatching (this is called Impression). Riders whose dragon dies often commit suicide; dragons whose rider dies invariably do. Fire lizards have a mild variant of the Impression (normally it merely helps to organize their swarms). More recent Pern books, particularly those which [=Todd McCaffrey=] worked on, establish that whers -- dragons' humbler, uglier cousins -- also form psychic bonds with humans. Unlike either dragons or fire lizards, whers can sever their bond voluntarily if they form a solid emotional attachment to a different human, and the death of one partner needn't provoke suicide by the other (though it can) when a wher is involved.

* In ''The Game of Rat and Dragon'' by Creator/CordwainerSmith, {{Eldritch Abomination}}s live in the darkness between stars. Human telepaths on spacecraft are partnered with cats to fight the monsters, though in that case the pairing is of more of personality (feline aggression and reflexes with human intellect and guidance) than special powers.

* David Weber's ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' series has treecats, cute, furry, ''seriously'' lethal aliens with empathic abilities; mostly they maintain their own society, but on rare occasions one will form a lifelong psychic/emotional bond with a human, such as our heroine Honor.
** It's described as looking for a glow that fits right with their own. The bond is for life, but while on a planet a 'cat will feel free to go out and seek companionship with its own kind from time to time. 'Cats used to consider this a bonding a bittersweet condition because when the human dies, so does their own will to live. The existence of prolong means humans will eventually learn the pain of the other way around. The other hook is that with exposure to humans, the Treecats have learned sign language and are now able to talk rather than just communicate empathically and non-verbally with their bond humans.

* Similar to the Pern examples (some would say ''too'' similar) are the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]] and riders in Christopher Paolini's ''Literature/InheritanceCycle''. Dragons and riders form a mental bond, can share each others energy. Dragons [[strike:can't]] rarely survive the rider's death but riders can usually survive the dragon's death at the cost of their mind. Dragons choose their riders before birth, they hatch when they find the one they find worthy.

** Companions resemble [[CoolHorse pure white horses]], and function as [[SapientSteed combat mounts]] and the MembershipToken of a Herald of the nation of Valdemar. They are sentient and have an independent existence including reproducing themselves. In later books it is revealed that Companions are, in fact, mostly reincarnations of former Heralds (a rare few are incarnated minor angels). Strictly speaking, the Companions are not natural creatures; the first few were "Groveborn" -- created by an unnamed deity (or several) as the answer to the first King of Valdemar's prayer for some way to ensure that his new kingdom would always be governed justly.
** Later in the series, we meet the Firecats (sometimes called Suncats) -- huge feline reincarnations of the high priests of Vkandis (the ones he approves of, not the ones who got the entry over at CorruptChurch). Most of them bond to a current priest to help keep the true religion alive, but like natural cats they live a more independent existence than the Companions, though they are otherwise similar in nature and abilities.

* In ''Literature/TheLonTobynChronicle'', the Children of Amarid are mages that bind themselves to hawks to gain their powers. In addition to giving them the abilities to throw fire, shape wood with their mind, read other people's thoughts and create shield barriers, they can see through the eyes of their hawk and empathize with their thoughts and feelings. If mages die "unbound," or without a hawk, they remain in the world as ghosts and cannot pass into the afterife due to a curse that Theron, Amarid's co-founder in the creation of the organization, placed upon the Order.

** It is also shown that humans can be "bonded" to other humans, leaving them at the mercy of their master. They can then be observed, controlled or killed at will.
* Creator/AndreNorton created several of the oldest examples of Bond Creatures in western fiction: ''Literature/TheBeastMaster'', Falconers in the ''Literature/WitchWorld'' series and more. Probably she was the inspiration for Mercedes Lackey's and Anne [=McCaffrey's=] later evolutions of the concept. In ''Literature/OrdealInOtherwhere'', Tsste for Charis and Taggi for Shann. Their mutual PsychicLink makes it a four-way deal.

* Jane Yolen's ''Literature/PitDragonChronicles'' takes place on a hot, mostly-desert world that has a variety of warm-blooded pseudo-lizards with pneumaticized bones and feather-scales; the larger of which were named dragon-lizards, and eventually just dragons. They stand about 13 feet at the shoulder. Nearly extinct at the time the penal colony was dropped on the planet, the humans began breeding them and eventually developed a dragon-gladiator driven economy and society, boosted by offworld gambling interests. This arrangement continued until the galactic federation stepped in and overthrew the criminal-controlled gambling houses. The gladiatorial dragon combat, however, was eventually legalized (and taxed) by the galactic federation. The dragons exhibit high degrees of intelligence and a unique color-coded form of communication somewhere between empathic projection and telepathy, and the ability to form mental bonds with humans.

* Ida in ''Literature/ShamanOfTheUndead'' has two of these, although only one is voluntary. Biter defends her from her her bad dreams by eating them, although she has to rewatch them later, or he'll become too fat. Bad Luck, on the other hand, is a demon that involuntarily possessed her when she broke a mirror, and its unclear whether he's her bond creature, or she's his.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has the [[BadassFamily Stark]] children and their [[NobleWolf direwolves]] sharing a unique bond. To an extent other wargs found throughout the story share this with their chosen animal thralls. However, the direwolves and their owners appear to share a deeper connection as Jon notes that Ghost isn't merely a thrall, but actually a part of him.

* In Robert Heinlein's ''Literature/StarshipTroopers'', the human handlers of the Federation's K-9 units form this type of relationship with their Neodogs (modified dogs with near-human intelligence). One of the recruiters Rico meets (a former K-9 handler) tells him that the bond between Neodog and handler has been said to be more intimate than many marriages. If a handler dies, SOP dictates that the Neodog is put out of its misery. If a Neodog dies, the handler is given lots of therapy, but is generally psychologically scarred for life.

* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': Spren are living ideas embodying things like fire, rot, and anger. Several more intelligent varieties of spren have the ability to form bonds with humans. Not only does this give the spren the ability to maintain their sentience in the human realm, but the human gains Surgebinding -- the ability to hold [[{{Mana}} Stormlight]] and use it to [[GravityMaster control gravity]], [[MasterOfIllusion craft illusions]], and so on. In [[Literature/TheWayOfKings2010 the first book]], the only bonded spren we see is Sylphrena, a windspren [[spoiler: actually an honorspren]] bonded to Kaladin that is turning him into a Windrunner. In [[Literature/WordsOfRadiance the second book]], we see more bonded spren; Pattern is turning Shallan into a Lightweaver, Ivory is turning Jasnah into an Elsecaller, and Wyndle is turning Lift into an Edgedancer. [[spoiler: Dalinar]] shows that is is possible to intentionally bond to a spren when he becomes a Bondsmith by bonding to [[spoiler: The Stormfather]], although this may be a unique feature of that order.

* The ''Literature/{{Temeraire}}'' universe subverts the magical psychic soulbond stereotype, in that the bond between dragons and handlers is emotional, rather like a platonic marriage -- and like a marriage, they can go horribly wrong, with neglect, abuse, abandonment and heartbreak all inferred over the course of the novels. Still, for the most part dragons and their captains share an intense and mutually beneficial relationship that ends only with the death of either or both of them. The bond is such that British captains (and probably captains of other nations too) rarely marry, as they couldn't share themselves between a dragon ''and'' a spouse; when they want sex (or heirs) they have scandalously casual relationships with other aviators, treating it as matter-of-factly as the dragons do.

* The novel ''The Wild Boy'' features a future where bear-like aliens have taken humans as a replacement for their bond-creatures, who went extinct. The Lindauzi call humans dogs, and raise them in kennels. The packs of free humans are wolves. Most often, a young Lindauza is given a human bond mate on his or her upright day, the first time he or she walks on two legs. If human and Lindauza are separated, the Lindauza becomes ill and can die. There's something of an ability for each to sense the other when they're near.
* Reaper-servant teams in ''Literature/TheZombieKnight'' are a form of this, with the odd twist that both ends of the bond are [[DeadToBeginWith dead humans]]. [[{{Psychopomp}} Reapers]], who were once humans with a particular gene, can take one person who's just died as their servant. The servant protects the [[IntangibleMan intangible and physically helpless]] reaper and acts on the material world for them, and in return they get [[HealingFactor immunity]] [[TheAgeless to]] [[ResurrectiveImmortality death]], SuperStrength, one other superpower and [[SpiritAdvisor an invisible friend who's really there]].
** What makes it ''really'' interesting is that the longer a reaper keeps a particular servant around, the more their souls synchronize and the more powerful the servant gets. [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Given enough time,]] servants can get well into PersonOfMassDestruction territory, unless the reaper decides or is forced to release their soul into true death.
* Lauren Beukes ''Literature/ZooCity'' plays with this. Animals are sent as by an unknown source to violent criminals who do however gain magic/psychic powers from the link, different with each pair. It's unclear whether the Animals are meant to act as consciences or provocateurs, this too seems to differ with each pairing, but any attempt to part them causes enormous pain in the human and killing an Animal summons a destructive, demonic force called the Undertow to make its human companion vanish without a trace.

* The Riders in ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'' (and by extension ''[[Series/KamenRiderDragonKnight Dragon Knight]]'') gain their powers by forming a bond with a Mirror Monster, turning it into a Contract Monster and providing them with CardsOfPower they use in combat. Contract Monsters have their own personalities and tend not to like Riders whose personality clashes with theirs or who avoid battle (since [[ImAHumanitarian they eat the essence of Mirror Monsters to survive]]). A particularly extreme example is Kamen Rider Ohja, who kills two Riders and forces contracts with their Monsters when they attack him seeking revenge. They openly despise the man and attack him when the opportunity comes up, but because of the contract they're forced to work for him.

* The Trill from ''Franchise/StarTrek'' are a symbiotic race that live inside a [[RubberForeheadAlien humanoid host]]. The symbiote lives for centuries, but the host is subject to the same frailties as a normal human. In ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', Ben Sisko was an old friend of the Trill Dax, who had recently taken a new female host named Jadzia. The joke was Sisko had known Dax for years as old man named Curzon. Later on in the series Terry Farrell left the show, and the Dax symbiote passed on to a new [[{{Fanservice}} female host]].

** The Bakuryuu, the mecha from ''Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger'' are highly evolved sentient dinosaurs who can choose humans with sufficient "Dinoguts" energy to turn into Abarangers. The Abarangers can also merge with the Bakuryuu to pilot them or even combine them into a HumongousMecha. ''Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder'' downplays this, as the dinosaurus are simply biomechanical robots.

* While this is supposed to be the case when one bonds with an Ultraman, it is only in ''Series/UltramanNexus'' where it is actually played out in great detail. Second dunamist Jun Himeya, for instance, often has to deal with the the injuries that he suffers when in Ultraman form whenever he reverts back to his human form. Conversely, there were episodes where Nexus can't fight effectively because of the injuries that Himeya suffered while in human form.\\\

* A ''TabletopGame/BlueRose'' character can have a rhydan (a sentient wolf, cat, horse or dolphin) as a Bond Creature by taking the Rhy-Bonded Feat. Since the rhydan species are themselves playable races, you can also play a rhydan character who has the Rhy-Bonded Feat and a ''human'' Bond Creature. Rhywolves, rhycats, rhyhorses and dolphins are only the rhydan that are available as PC races. Alternate Bond Creatures include drakes (which are small dragon-like creatures), winged cats, whales and griffons. Unicorns are also a potential, albeit rare example, and require a special feat named Unicorn-Bonded, which has much stricter requirements than Rhy-Bonded.
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' has a quite a few ways of making these:

** Multiple classes can bond with animals and other entities that will thereafter serve them as companions, allies and -- at later levels -- close friends. Witches, wizards and some sorcerers have {{Familiar}}s that boost their magic; druids, rangers and hunters have animal companions to aid them in battle; and shamans have spirit animals that bolster their connection to the supernatural.

** Gyrinx are feline creatures whose temperament tends to match their owners'. Obscure creatures both in-setting and in published works, they tend to be drawn to [[PsychicPowers psykers]], and are particularly associated the the [[MageSpecies Eldar]].

* In [[Theatre/{{Tsukiuta}} Tsukino Empire -- Unleash your mind --]], the main characters are all Tekigousha bonded to Shinjuu ("heart beasts"), which are defectors from the fleet of aliens attacking the human world. They take the form of animals, and connect to their human through a ring that the human wears. Certain humans are able to bond with more powerful Shinjuu than others, and [[spoiler: Hajime and Shun can bond with the highest-ranking Shinjuu only because they aren't human]]. Trying to wear the ring of a Shinjuu that is too powerful can harm a person. The most powerful Shinjuu are based on the FourGods.

* The [[SummonMagic Aeons]] of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' demand that the Summoner enter an intense, soul-binding pact with them before yielding their power. [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration Extends to the gameplay]], as Yuna's Aeons grow in strength depending on her own stats. [[spoiler: The bond is particularly strong between a Summoner and his or her final Aeon due to the relationship they had before the final Aeon's fayth was created. This bond is so strong that when [[BigBad Yu Yevon]] posseses the final Aeon, the psychic backlash from the bond being severed kills the Summoner. At the game's end, when Yuna must destroy the Aeons to prevent [[BigBad Yu Yevon]] from taking them over, banishing them causes her physical and emotional pain]].

* FM beings [[spoiler:and AM beings]] in ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce''. The fusion is two way in that both parties can ''attempt'' to assume control. The main character's partner usually gives him control except for certain cooperative moves, hosts of villanous aliens either get consumed or try to fight for control (which apparently forms a composite mind), and one villain (in the anime) actually only controlled her host while the latter was asleep to sidestep the issue.

* This is a (if not THE) major ability of multiple classes in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. Warlocks get demon familiars by defeating them at the end of various quest chains; Hunters can tame wild animals; in both cases the pet levels with or slightly behind the character, gaining occasional new abilities. Both have a talent specialisation that focuses on this aspect, empowering both the master and the pet. Hunters have a somewhat more involved relation with their pets, having to care for their happiness (most commonly through feeding, with different animals liking different food), health and a talent tree for the pet itself (though there are only 3 possible trees and the specific type of animal only determines one ability), while Warlocks can't even name their minions (the name is derived from the warlocks own name) and force them into doing their work, as evident by several of the demons responses, most notably the familiar and the felguard.

* The gods in ''Webcomic/{{Holystone}}''. They stick around with their "khen" until death, and then choose a new mortal to host their power.

* In ''Webcomic/SnowByNight'', manitous bond with their spirit dancers, sharing a direct link between their actions and well-beings, as seen in the vignette [[http://www.snowbynight.com/pages/ch10/v1.php "A Berry from the Sun"]].

** The Avatar is implied to usually have some sort of creature that is called their animal guide. Aang has Appa the sky bison, and Roku had a dragon named Fang, both of whom appear to be of about human level intelligence. Air Nomads also traditionally bond with a sky bison when both are young, and it is stated that it is a lifelong bond; a heartbreaking scene in "Appa's Lost Days" shows a battered Appa, searching for Aang, dreaming about how they first met, and when the dream ends, the scene cuts to Aang having the same dream.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' has the Palismen, living wooden creatures that usually take the shape of small animals. When witches come of age, they either carve or adopt a Palisman, who remains their life-long companion. Palismen have the ability to transform into a wooden staff, which their witches can use to cast spells and fly. Beings that lack innate magic -- Luz, being a human, and Hunter, being a [[spoiler:Grimwalker]] -- can still use a Palisman to cast magic. Palismen are also attuned to their owners' needs, as Dell Clawthorne is seen using his as a mobility aid, and Flapjack has a habit of not-so-subtly pushing Hunter towards the people who can help him escape his abusive homelife.

*** Basically, the pilot thinks 'walk' (though on a more instinctual level), and the EVA does so. This is also why the EVA's are so picky with their pilots. There is in fact a certain bond required (The Marduk Institute keeps track of all these pilot prospects, not searching for them as is first stated) between pilot and EVA, and even with that bond, the EVA will respond negatively when the pilot is emotionally unstable. [[ThereAreNoTherapists Which makes it bloody amazing that any of them can pilot them at all really...]]
*** [[spoiler: Actually, it is a known that souls are sacrificed to create Eva. Unit 01 contains the souls of Yui Ikari, Shinji's mother. Unit 02 possesses the soul of Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu, mother of Asuka. There is obviously a required parental soul in each Eva. As an interesting sidenote, all the students in Shinji's class are on the Marduk Report, and none of them have ever mention a mother, only a father. This could lead to the theory that NERV has stolen their mothers in case they need another pilot.]]

* The Mulian mecha in ''Anime/RahXephon'' function like this, bonding with individuals called "Instrumentalists". It responds to its pilot's moods, and will act autonomously to protect its pilot if the pilot is in distress. [[spoiler:the connection for the mulian mecha has added "bonus" of full {{Synchronization}} -- so killing the dolem kills the pilot. The connection runs deeper still for the Xephon''s'': when Ayato and Quon fully awaken as Instrumentalists, they cease to be human and fuse entirely with the [=RahXephon=] system, effectively ''becoming'' the "machines". It is mentioned, late in the series, that when Ayato is looking at the Xephon or at Ixtli, he is looking at another aspect of himself.]]

* Two races from ''Literature/CodexAlera'' have this as a power -- the Marat (basically, to elves what neanderthals are to humans) can form a permanent empathic link with another living thing that lets them share in some of its abilities, while the titular [[HumansByAnyOtherName Alerans]] bond with the [[ElementalPowers elemental spirits]] called furies, allowing them to share in the furies' magic. [[spoiler: Marat ActionGirl Kitai gets the best of both worlds -- bonded to an Aleran, she gets both a literal bound companion (and, ultimately, lover), in addition to gaining access to his magic once [[TheCallPutMeOnHold the Call finally takes him off hold.]] In return, he gains improved senses and endurance from her.]]

* Creator/SarahMonette and Creator/ElizabethBear did a brilliant and weirdly hilarious DarkerAndEdgier spin on some of the less charming implications of the Pern series in ''A Companion to Wolves'', which is pretty much Pern WITH GAY VIKINGS and giant sentient wolves replacing dragons.

* Creator/TimothyZahn's ''Literature/{{Dragonback}}'' books feature the K'da, a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragonlike]] sentient race with the capability to become a two-dimensional [[FusionDance 'tattoo' on the skin of a]] [[TheSymbiote host/symbiote]], with the corollary that if they go for more than six hours without doing so, they turn 2D anyway [[BlessedWithSuck and die]]. Normally their hosts are a race called the Shontine, but when the K'da warrior Draycos bonds with the [[HumansAreSpecial human]] Jack Morgan, he becomes healthier, stronger and smarter, and even gains new powers -- [[spoiler: and it turns out that a K'da fused to a human can withstand [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Death superweapon]]]].
* Creator/AnneMcCaffrey is probably the archetypal example of bond creatures. Her ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' series features dragons with near-human intelligence which choose a human partner at hatching (this is called Impression). Riders whose dragon dies often commit suicide; dragons whose rider dies pretty much invariably do. Fire lizards have a mild variant of the Impression (normally it merely helps to organize their swarms). More recent Pern books, particularly those which [=Todd McCaffrey=] worked on, establish that whers -- dragons' humbler, uglier cousins -- also form psychic bonds with humans. Unlike either dragons or fire lizards, whers can sever their bond voluntarily if they form a solid emotional attachment to a different human, and the death of one partner needn't provoke suicide by the other (though it can) when a wher is involved.

** Bondbirds are large birds of prey that are basically animals, although they may be a bit more intelligent than earthly ones. They think in terms of nests, mates, hatchlings, prey, and other bird-isms, though some of the wiser can grasp concepts like 'acting' and 'sarcasm.' They were specifically bred for their roles by the Tayledras mages who live in the magic-damaged lands surrounding the Dhorisha plains.

* In Robert Heinlein's ''Literature/StarshipTroopers'', the human handlers of the Federation's K-9 units form this type of relationship with their Neodogs (basically, modified dogs with near-human intelligence). One of the recruiters Rico meets (a former K-9 handler) tells him that the bond between Neodog and handler has been said to be more intimate than many marriages. If a handler dies, SOP dictates that the Neodog is put out of its misery. If a Neodog dies, the handler is given lots of therapy, but is generally psychologically scarred for life.

* The ''Literature/{{Temeraire}}'' universe subverts the magical psychic soulbond stereotype, in that the bond between dragons and handlers is entirely emotional, rather like a platonic marriage -- and like a marriage, they can go horribly wrong, with neglect, abuse, abandonment and heartbreak all inferred over the course of the novels. Still, for the most part dragons and their captains share an intense and mutually beneficial relationship that ends only with the death of either or both of them. The bond is such that British captains (and probably captains of other nations too) rarely marry, as they couldn't share themselves between a dragon ''and'' a spouse; when they want sex (or heirs) they have scandalously casual relationships with other aviators, treating it as matter-of-factly as the dragons do.

* The Trill from ''Franchise/StarTrek'' are a symbiotic race that live inside a [[RubberForeheadAlien humanoid host]]. The symbiote lives for centuries, but the host is subject to the same frailties as a normal human. In ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', Ben Sisko was an old friend of the Trill Dax, who had recently taken a new female host named Jadzia. The joke was Sisko had known Dax for years as old man named Curzon. Later on in the series Terry Farrell left the show, and the Dax symbiote passed on to a new female ([[{{Fanservice}} of course]]) host.

** ''Series/EngineSentaiGoonger'' is a strange case, as the creatures in question are sentient animal/vehicle hybrids called Engines. Their natural form is that of a giant vehicle. However, due to earth's pollution, they can only keep that size for 10 minutes. Any longer will forcibly shrink them to the size of a toy and remove their souls from their bodies. They need to form bonds with a human partner who can place their soul back into their bodies, allowing them to regain their true forms and even combine with each other. ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'' averts this, as the zords are merely unfeeling machines.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' has an entire mechanic devoted to these kind of characters (Allies with the summon-able enhancement).

** Guardian Forces in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' are explicitly "junctioned" onto the caster's mind, literally taking up space and even degrading the person's memories if junctioned for too long. On the other hand, they provide the ability to draw and cast para-magic.
** It should be noted that only the Aeons and Guardian Forces require this. [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI The]] [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII Espers]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV the]] [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII Summoned]] [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV Monsters]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX Eidolons]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Red Materia]] will obey anyone who summons them; a few of the more powerful ones will battle the candidates to test their mettle, but there is no soul or mind-bonding involved. In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'', however, Summoners whose Eidolons are killed die as well; notably, Rydia (whose mother died from this rule) immediately recalls her Eidolons after they finish their attacks.

* This is a (if not THE) major ability of multiple classes in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. Warlocks get demon familiars by defeating them at the end of various quest chains; Hunters can tame wild animals; in both cases the pet levels with or slightly behind the character, gaining occasional new abilities. Both have a talent specialisation that focuses on this aspect, empowering both the master and the pet. Hunters have a somewhat more involved relation with their pets, having to care for their happiness (most commonly through feeding, with different animals liking different food), health and even a talent tree for the pet itself (though there are only 3 possible trees and the specific type of animal only determines one ability), while Warlocks can't even name their minions (the name is derived from the warlocks own name) and force them into doing their work, as evident by several of the demons responses, most notably the familiar and the felguard.

* In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', the titular Blades are artificial lifeforms of great power born when a human with potential (Said individuals being known as Drivers) touches the Core Crystal that contains the essence of their being; lacking individuals experiencing anything from a bad nosebleed to a quick, painful death. They serve as guardians and partners for those they bond with, each having a personal weapon they lend their Driver and channel their power through. Should their Driver perish, they'll simply return to being a Core Crystal, but lose the memories of their past life in the process, only being able to truly die if their crystal is destroyed entirely (Thanks to a powerful HealingFactor).

* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', [[BigBadWannabe Martellus von Blitzengaard]] attempts to permanently tie Agatha to him via [[MadScience Spark shenanigans]] that leave her needing periodic physical contact with him or she'd become violently, potentially fatally, ill. Agatha wasn't able to totally undo this, but [[TookAThirdOption worked around it]] by transferring the bond to her pet Wasp Eater. [[note]]As it turned out, Martellus DidntThinkThisThrough: The bond worked both ways, and Martellus fell deathly ill once Agatha made her escape.[[/note]]

See also PsychicLink for similar bonds between humanoids.

** Companions resemble [[CoolHorse pure white horses]], and function as [[SapientSteed combat mounts]] and a badge of being a Herald of the nation of Valdemar. They are sentient and have an independent existence including reproducing themselves. In a later book it is revealed that Companions are, in fact, mostly reincarnations of former human Heralds (a rare few are so-called "Groveborn", who could be seen as incarnated minor angels). Strictly speaking, the Companions are not natural creatures; the first few were incarnated by an unnamed deity (or possibly more than one) as the answer to a heartfelt plea made by the first King of Valdemar for some way to guarantee the continuing good and just governance of his new nation.

** Bondbirds are large birds of prey that are basically animals, although they may be a bit more intelligent than earthly ones. Bondbirds demonstrate AnimalThink, commenting on their humans' lives in terms of nests, mates, hatchlings, prey, and other bird-isms. They were specifically bred for their roles by the Tayledras mages who live in the magic-damaged lands surrounding the Dhorisha plains.