History Main / GrandTheftMe

* The AU fic ''Fanfic/HurricaneHeartbeat'' diverges from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' when Ventus accidentally takes over Sora's body, with no way of knowing what happened to Sora's heart.

* The AU fic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/22335202 Hurricane Heartbeat]]'' diverges from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' when Ventus accidentally takes over Sora's body, with no way of knowing what happened to Sora's heart.

* In ''Literature/{{Sanctuary}}'', Araminta starts wearing the pendant that contains [[SealedEvilInACan the ghost eater]], allowing him to possess her and force her to destroy her studio to leave a message. Then he steals her corporeality, leaving her as a ghost while he becomes almost solid.

* In R.A. Salvatore's ''Demonwars'' series, Chezru Chieftan Yakim Douan takes advantage of a prophecy of rebirth to literally be reborn for centuries by taking over the bodies of unborn children.

* The plot of Dutch author Creator/TaisTeng's book ''Dead Eyes'' revolves around an ancient Chinese Emperor who made a pact with an immortal EvilSorcerer for eternal life, which he granted him by periodically casting the Emperor into new host bodies. However, during the most recent transference, something messed up the ritual, and the Emperor becomes trapped inside the mind of the main character. The sorcerer then tracks him down while intending to use him as the new host.

* ''Literature/TitansForest'': Kirrik can transfer her soul into others' bodies to avoid death or to replace a failing, aging body, forcing their own souls out and into whatever afterlife may exist. She plans to do this to [[Ular, but when she tries to do this in the climax her victim's god-bone amulet keeps her safe, so Kirrik steals the body of the rain goddess Ekhis instead. Unfortunately for her, however, a god's power resides strictly in their soul and she is left with a regular mortal body.]]

* It is heavily implied that, unlike the four TV/film adaptations to date, the ''mother'' was responsible for swapping bodies with her daughter in the original book version of Freaky Friday.

* In ''Axolotl'' by Julio Cortazar an [[http://www.bountyfishing.com/blog/images/axolotl.jpg axolotl]] switches minds with the protagonist. Before they switched the protagonist was drawn to the axolotl and was [[ContemplateOurNavels philosophizing on how fluid identity is]] and how [[MindScrew he and the axolotl are the same]].
* In ''The Light of Other Days'' by Creator/ArthurCClarke and Stephen Baxter, one of the main characters is the son of an industrialist. Actually, he's a clone of the industrialist, and when he fails to grow up into a suitable heir, plan B is to overwrite his brain pattern with his father's. The attempt is foiled.
* ''The Adventure of the Antiquarian's Niece'', a Literature/SherlockHolmes[=/=]Creator/HPLovecraft-inspired short story by Creator/BarbaraHambly.

* The TwistEnding of ''Film/TheSkeletonKey.''

--->'''Cassandra-in-Rose:''' Look at me! From class to brass! Although... [she pulls the zipper of her jacket down slightly and runs her hands over her body] Oh... curves... oh, baby... [she bounces up and down, Chip following suit] It's like living inside a [[BuxomIsBetter bouncy castle!]]

* ''Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness'': While Strange and America Chavez are in the 838 universe version of the New York Sanctum, that universe's Mordo tells them of a [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique dangerous spell]] in the Darkhold called Dreamwalking, which allows the wielder to take over the body of an alternate version of themselves in another universe. [[spoiler:Sacred Timeline Wanda uses the spell to possess her 838 counterpart to both see her sons and to attack the Illuminati in order to get to America. Strange later turns it UpToEleven by using the same spell in Sinister Strange's universe to possess the corpse of Defender Strange buried in the Sacred Timeline to rescue America from Wanda.]]

* ''Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness'': While Strange and America Chavez are in the 838 universe version of the New York Sanctum, Mordo tells them of a [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique dangerous spell]] in the Darkhold called Dreamwalking, which allows the wielder to take over the body of an alternate version of themselves in another universe. [[spoiler:Sacred Timeline Wanda uses the spell to possess her 838 counterpart to both see her sons and to attack the Illuminati in order to get to America. Strange later turns it UpToEleven by using the same spell in Sinister Strange's universe to possess the corpse of Defender Strange buried in the Sacred Timeline to rescue America from Wanda.]]

* ''VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands'' has an unusual case: the protagonist, Rhys, is a {{cyborg}} who accidentally [[spoiler:uploads an AI reconstruction of [[BigBad Handsome Jack]] into his brain. Jack attempts to take over Rhys' body several times, not always with Rhys' permission, although he usually only manages to take control of his cybernetic parts. In Episode 3, however, if you sided with Jack at the end of the last episode, it is possible for him to temporarily take full control of Rhys' body, voice and all, after Rhys takes a bad fall and is rendered unconscious -- this only serves to make the rest of the team baffled and angered by Rhys' apparently sudden smug attitude and casual misogyny, as Jack doesn't exactly act nicely when in Rhys' body or even really try to act like him at all.]]

* ''VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands'' has an unusual case: the protagonist, Rhys, is a {{cyborg}} who accidentally [[spoiler:uploads an AI reconstruction of [[BigBad Handsome Jack]] into his brain. Jack attempts to take over Rhys' body several times, not always with Rhys' permission, although he usually only manages to take control of his cybernetic parts. In Episode 3, however, if you sided with Jack at the end of the last episode, it is possible for him to temporarily take full control of Rhys' body, voice and all, after Rhys takes a bad fall and is rendered unconscious -- this only serves to make the rest of the team baffled and angered by Rhys' apparent sudden smug attitude and casual misogyny, as Jack doesn't exactly act nicely when in Rhys' body or even really try to act like him at all.]]

* ''VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands'' has an unusual case: the protagonist, Rhys, is a {{cyborg}} who accidentally [[spoiler:uploads an AI reconstruction of [[BigBad Handsome Jack]] into his brain. Jack attempts to take over Rhys' body several times, not always with Rhys' permission, although he usually only manages to take control of his cybernetic parts. In Episode 3, however, it is possible for Jack to temporarily take full control of Rhys' body, voice and all - which only serves to alienate Rhys from his unaware friends, as Jack doesn't exactly act civilly when in Rhys' body.]]

** After [[PlayerCharacter V]] gets shot in the head with a brain implant carrying the VirtualGhost of Johnny Silverhand, the {{nanomachines}} within it [[WeCanRebuildHim repair the damaged brain matter]] while simultaneously working to overwrite V's consciousness with Johnny's. Johnny is initially hostile and attempts to speed up the process as he has no direct control over it, but he quickly comes around and acts as a jaded SpiritAdvisor to V, helping him find a way to prevent his "death" and get back at [[EvilInc Arasaka]] at the same time. [[spoiler: In the "[[TarotMotifs Temperence]]" ending V can choose to [[HeroicSacrifice voluntarily surrender their body to Johnny]].]]

*** The spin-off audio "[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho213TheTwoMasters The Two Masters]]" sees the Master do this [[spoiler:to ''himself''; one of his older incarnations is manipulated by the Cult of the Heretic into attacking the burnt Master who was the last body in his original regeneration cycle so that the Cult can transfer the past Master into his future self (only telling the younger Master that the older Master is a dangerous renegade). The Cult's goal is to create a RealityBreakingParadox by killing the future Master in his past body, but the two Masters are able to escape and the Seventh Doctor eventually convinces them to return to their rightful bodies]].

*** And done significantly more seriously in SG-1's ninth season, except it is Daniel and Vala who (accidentally) seize control of bodies in another galaxy, only to (accidentally) leave just before [[spoiler:getting the people they swapped with killed by being burned at the stake]].

*** "Holiday": There is a device that swaps Daniel's consciousness with that of a very old man (who had apparently built the device for that purpose, to prolong his own life), as well as the minds of O'Neil and Teal'c. HilarityEnsues.

*** And done significantly more seriously in SG-1's ninth season, except it is Daniel and Vala who (accidentally) seize control of bodies, only to (accidentally) leave just before [[spoiler: getting them killed]].

** Done slightly more seriously in the ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' episode "The Long Goodbye".

* Also the central plot of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S05E13TheBrainThatWouldntDie episode]] ''Film/TheBrainThatWouldntDie'', although that involves a woman's head (aka "Jan-in-the-Pan") being transplanted onto a new body. Given an unpleasant sexist spin by Jan-in-the-Pan's new body being selected by her husband, using predictable criteria.

* ''[[Webcomic/Wychwood]]'': Thanks to the restraining collar the titular organization put on him, the only way Felix's powers can be activated is when someone else is piloting his body. Technically Felix agreed to it, or at any rate he was raised to believe it's for the best.

%%* ''Film/{{Millennium}}'' has the same premise.

* ''Anime/ThrillerRestaurant'' does this when Anko's wart takes over the real Anko's [[BodyHorror body and mind,]] as well as forcibly trading faces with her victim. [[spoiler:If it wasn't for Shou and his wasp, the wart would've been the [[OhCrap only Anko left.]]]]

* In ''LightNovel/SpiritMigration'' an entity wakes up inside a dungeon and finds himself able to possess various monsters in the dungeon. He doesn't know what he is, or was as he lacks any memories prior to waking up. He also has the nifty power of {{hammerspace}} by taking items into his spiritual body. He tries to befriend humans, but he cannot speak their language in a monster's body and cannot control humans.

** Super-villain Insect Queen takes over ComicBook/LanaLang's body in ''[[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Supergirl (Volume 5)]]'' issue #50.

%%* This is the main driver for the aliens in ''Literature/TheHost''.