History Main / Lunacy

** Eleking, a monster originating in ''Series/{{Ultraseven}}'' where it was killed early on, was resurrected six years later in ''Series/UltramanTaro'', thanks to the monster's horns (left behind after it's initial defeat) absorbing light from a full moon allowing it to revive at will. Ultraman Taro defeats the resurrected Eleking again, and this time he took the horns away from earth to prevent it from absorbing the moon's energy and returning to life.

* ''Series/{{Chef}}'': Downplayed during one episode. A wedding is set to occur on a full moon. Savannah predicts that the romantic atmosphere will [[CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds clean up all the romantic loose ends]]. Ironically, everyone but her gets their wish.

** June '''Moone''' aka The Enchantress of ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'' and ''ComicBook/{{Shadowpact}}'' fame is a normally sorceress with a tendency to turn evil when getting DrunkOnPower.

** ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'': "The night is his time." The newest version of the Hulk only comes out during the nighttime. However, later issues show he ''can'' be out and about during the daytime, but his control is weaker and Banner can reassert himself with more ease.

* Many lunar deities, of course are powerful, perhaps because of the associations with insanity. [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Selene]] fought against the Typhon, an [[EldritchAbomination evil monster]], to the point of scarring his freaking throat -- not to mention Artemis, her late Antiquity replacement, who was infamous for her violence. [[Myth/NorseMythology Máni]] battles nightly against wolves. [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Khonsu]] is so violent that many invocations are about him killing the enemies of the pharaoh. [[Myth/MesopotamianMythology Sin]] is basically one of the greatest authorities among the gods, above Shamash the Sun.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Epic}}'' the light of the moon at its highest point in a hundred years will cause the pod to bloom into Tara's successor. [[spoiler:And lack of it will cause it to bloom into Mandrake's successor.]]

[[caption-width-right:300:[[http://kerembeyit.deviantart.com/art/Suburbian-Nightmare-29299185 Image]] by [[http://kerembeyit.deviantart.com Kerembeyit]].]]-]

[[caption-width-right:300:[[DoubleEntendre Guess it's that time of the month again!]]]]
[-[[caption-width-right:300:[[http://kerembeyit.deviantart.com/art/Suburbian-Nightmare-29299185 Image]] by [[http://kerembeyit.deviantart.com Kerembeyit]].]]-]

The Moon does things to people. [[AllPeriodsArePMS Makes women crazy]], drives the lunatics wild, or maybe enhances your supernatural powers. The full Moon might bring out the monster in someone, or a new Moon may [[BroughtDownToNormal bring the human]] out of a monster. It may be tied to illusions, metamorphoses and inconstancy, mirroring the Moon's constantly cycling phases. In general, the Moon is often a catalyst in magical things.

* There are quite a few animals that time things around the full moon, like [[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/aje.12091 elephants raiding crops less on the full moon]], [[https://www.livescience.com/37927-how-moon-affects-nocturnal-animals.html coral spawning on a full moon night]], [[http://www.discoverwildlife.com/british-wildlife/badger-and-moon badgers are more aggressive and less receptive to mating]], etc. There's no paranormal explanation, it's just that nocturnal animals who benefit from the cover of darkness are less likely to take risks and be active during a time of increased light. One famous example is actually an aversion. [[ScienceMarchesOn Contrary to popular belief]], wolves don't [[WolvesAlwaysHowlattheMoon howl at the moon]]. They howl to communicate with one another, tilt their heads back to let their howls carry further and happen to be active at night.

** One Rukia's attacks is Some no mai, Tsukishiro which translates to "First Dance, White Moon". It creates a white circle that freezes anything within that space.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}''' has two different deities closely associated with moons. One is Acavna, an old Azlanti goddess of protection who sacrificed herself to protect Golarion from the worst of Earthfall. The other is Groteus, a massive moon with the features of a skull that hands over the Boneyard in the afterlife, slowly descending to shatter the Boneyard and trigger the end of all things.

** There is a move called "Moonlight" that restores HP based on the weather, and in the games they debuted in, the time of day. In later games, it works identically to its counterpart, "Morning Sun," which results of a DubInducedPlotHole due to the clear skies field effect being translated as strong sunlight -- moonlight restores the most health when the sun is shining.
** According to the Pokédex, Eevee evolves into its Dark-type evolution Umbreon by exposure to the light of the moon, Lunatone becomes active during the full moon, and Cresselia extends its aurora during the quarter moon.
** There's also the Moon Stone, which allows a miscellaneous grouping of Pokémon to evolve. Only one of them, Clefairy, has any connections to the moon, being said to have originated on it.[[note]]The Nidoran lines also evolve into their final forms using the Moon Stone, being partially based on the MoonRabbit myth; why this causes them to evolve into {{kaiju}} monstrosities could only be explained with RuleOfCool.[[/note]]
** As of Generation VI, there is a Fairy-type move named "Moonblast", which is a beam made by borrowing power from the moon. It has the strongest base power of all Fairy-Type moves. Additionally, the previously-mentioned "Moonlight" has been changed to Fairy type.
** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' introduces Lunala as emissary of the moon and mascot of ''Pokémon Moon''.

See BadMoonRising for situations where the Moon itself is changed. See also MelancholyMoon for when used as a sad backdrop. ThePowerOfTheSun is often used as a {{Main/Foil}} to moon-based power.

* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' has Bujin Arasuda and Bujintei Tsukuyomi, as they are based off the Shinto moon god, Tsukiyomi.

** ComicBook/MoonKnight is a former special forces operative that met and became the Avatar of the Egyptian god of the Moon and Revenge. Or he is just bat shit crazy as he suffers from extreme multiple personality disorder at times. [[BunnyEarsLawyer His ability to be a hero]] just makes up for how full blown bonkers he can become, as he actually [[WhatTheHellHero cut the face off his arch enemy]] at one point. [[spoiler:Turns out his power actually does come from a god of the moon. This allows him to manipulate Thor's Mjolnir since it's made of uru, which is revealed to be moon rock (specifically it is an ore from the first moon in existence).]]

[[folder:FairyTales]]

** ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'': Used with the goddess Selûne -- the oldest deity in existence (barring her evil twin), and extremely difficult to get a handle on in regards to her actual portfolio, which changes like the moon. She's specifically the goddess of lycanthropes and women, but also encompasses divination, travelling, questing, tolerance, female spellcasters...

** Luna, the goddess of the moon, is an eternally changing shapeshifter of a myriad shapes always flowing into one another and ever-shifting moods and whims. This is specifically evident in how her chosen, the Lunar Exalted, regard her. Like all Exalted, Lunars accrue [[SanitySlippage Limit]] if they go against their guiding Virtues; however, they ''also'' gain Limit whenever the full moon's in the sky. Instead of realizing there may be some external reason for their [[HeroicBSOD occasional crazy rampages]], they just ascribe it to Luna being chaotic like that.

* In ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'', Harle, the harlequin minion of villain Lynx, is revealed late in the game to be [[spoiler:the Dark Moon Dragon, created by the other six Dragons to be a servant of the Dragon God. She was created secretly so that she could release the seal on the other six Dragons and they would be able to merge once more into the Dragon God and unleash havoc on humans once again. She is eventually abandoned by them, as she did not merge with the other dragons]]. She's even named Tsukuyomi in the Japanese version, after the Japanese moon god. Her special attacks are all moon-based.

* ''Manga/WitchWatch'': [[spoiler:Keigo]] being a "werewolf" doesn't make him become wolflike, but instead he has a [[JekyllAndHyde more violent alternate personality]] that comes out whenever he sees a crescent moon. It does have to be the actual thing, as basically any picture or legible drawing of the symbol will have the same effect.

** ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'': Used with the goddess Selune -- the oldest deity in existence (barring her evil twin), and extremely difficult to get a handle on in regards to her actual portfolio, which changes like the moon. Specifically the goddess of lycanthropes and women, but also encompasses divination, travelling, questing, tolerance, female spellcasters...

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' 3.5 had a monster called Moon Rats. They are perfectly ordinary rats most of the time, but when exposed to the full moon they become intelligent, organized, and ''evil''. They're also very, very patient -- don't think you're safe if they don't do anything of note on a full moon, because they're willing to make plans that take ''dozens'' of them to come full flower.

** The Lunars themselves are characterized by their shapeshifting -- they all have their original shape, that of their totem animal and a hybrid battle form, plus those of whoever other creatures they consumed. As in ''Werewolf'', a Lunar's role is linked to a phase of the moon; here, however, it's chosen by the Lunar, as they lost the inherent assignation of Caste when the Lunars as a whole fled into [[RealityIsOutToLunch the Wyld]] after the Usurpation. Those that aren't marked are the Casteless, whose Caste abilities shift with the moon and bear the risk of becoming [[BodyHorror Chimerae]]. The other three positions are Full Moon (warriors), Changing Moon (tricksters and diplomats), and No Moon (sorcerers and scholars); there used to be five Castes, but again, the Wyld screwed with that.

* ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'' has [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Luna]], whose Moon magic has many uses, from casting MP-stealing spells, berzerker like buffs, to [[BalefulPolymorph shape-changing your foes]]. Luna returns in ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana''. Very few classes have access to any of Luna's spells, but Hawkeye's Wanderer class can cast all but one of them. The game also features the Duskmoon Forest, home to the werewolf-like Beastmen (including Kevin, who can gain access to the one Moon spell that Hawkeye can't cast) who transform and get stronger at night. Unsurprisingly, the Duskmoon Forest is where you eventually find Luna. The game also includes Dolan, the Benevodon of the Moon's power. He resembles a titanic werewolf-like creature, and can summon the moon to drain the party's health, cut their lives exactly in half, and grant himself the same berserker buffs as the party can cast.

* ''Manga/FairyTail100YearsQuest'': The Moon [[DragonsAreDivine Dragon God]] Selene has this as her Dragon Slayer Magic. She can create an artificial moon at will which she can [[WeaponizedTeleportation teleport beings at will with]] and can forcibly turn day to night while using her powers. She molds lunar light into various forms such as beams, fire, [[SwordBeams blades]], [[ShapingYourAttacks various constructs]], explosions, and when she's serious she can make the actual moon ''grow in size''.

[[folder:Film — Animated]]

* Music/TearsForFears did a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v23tJ7pWdow cover version]] of Robert Wyatt's "Sea Song" which served as the BSide to "I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)". Roland Orzabal is deeply fascinated by [[WesternZodiac astrology]], so it's no surprise that he's drawn to the lunar, nighttime and sea imagery, as all three are the domain of Cancer, Curt Smith's zodiac sign. Orzabal firmly believes that Smith's moodiness stems from the latter's Cancerian nature because their emotions, like the tides, are controlled by the moon, just as the "transformations" of the narrator's LoveInterest are dependent on the lunar phases.

* Music/TearsForFears did a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v23tJ7pWdow cover version]] of the abovementioned "Sea Song" which served as the BSide to "I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)". Roland Orzabal is deeply fascinated by [[WesternZodiac astrology]], so it's no surprise that he's drawn to the lunar, nighttime and sea imagery, as all three are the domain of Cancer, Curt Smith's zodiac sign. Orzabal firmly believes that Smith's moodiness stems from the latter's Cancerian nature because their emotions, like the tides, are controlled by the moon, just as the "transformations" of the narrator's LoveInterest are dependent on the lunar phases.

* Music/TearsForFears did a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v23tJ7pWdow cover version]] of the abovementioned "Sea Song" which served as the BSide to "I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)". Roland Orzabal is deeply fascinated by [[WesternZodiac astrology]], so it's no surprise that he's drawn to the lunar, nighttime and sea imagery, as all three are the domain of Cancer, Curt Smith's zodiac sign. Orzabal firmly believes that Smith's moodiness stems from the latter's Cancerian nature because their emotions, like the tides, are controlled by the moon.

* This is the theme of Robert Wyatt's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgE8qoH_x7s Sea Song]]".

* Music/TearsForFears did a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v23tJ7pWdow cover version]] of the abovementioned "Sea Song" which served as the BSide to "I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)". Roland Orzabal is deeply fascinated by astrology, so it's no surprise that he's drawn to the lunar, nighttime and sea imagery, as all three are the domain of Cancer, Curt Smith's zodiac sign. Orzabal firmly believes that Smith's moodiness stems from the latter's Cancerian nature because their emotions, like the tides, are controlled by the moon.