History Main / Mana

** ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' completely averts this trope by having all spells cast via ''literal'' ammunition. In order to cast a spell, the Hunter injects their blood-infused Quicksilver Bullets into the medium, the Phantasm, which are leftover from the [[EldritchAbomination Great Ones]]. It can be considered as a combination of BloodMagic and SummonMagic.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'', the party can gather Tension Points (TP) by defending during battle, taking damage, or [[CloseContactBenefit grazing against enemy attacks]] (the first and third of which are most effective). TP is gathered in a shared meter and can be spent on spells or certain ACT commands; leftover TP is converted to Dark Dollars after each battle.

* Nono from ''VideoGame/{{Solatorobo}}'' is something of a combination of mana and [[StarWars The Force]]. While it can be used to produce magical effects such as [[BarrierWarrior barriers]] and levitation, being attuned to it also results in being able to sense other people or objects who are tapping in, such as the Paladins and the [[MacGuffin amulet]].

* Manga/BlackClover is about a world that revolves around the use of mana. Mana is used to perform magic, so the more mana one possesses, the more impressive the magic they can perform. However, just having a lot of mana isn't enough, since the user also needs to practice fine mana control. The main character, Asta, is unique in that he possesses no mana from birth.

* Manga/ShamanKing had "Furyoku", which is translated as "Mana" in the English manga.
* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' outright uses RPG terminology to differentiate Chi as [[HitPoints HP]] and Mana as MP. KiManipulation is the ability to draw on one's own internal LifeEnergy, and Magic is the ability to manipulate and draw in elemental forces from without. Using one interferes with the other ''unless'' one somehow knows the [[YinYangBomb "Kanka Technique"]] which fuses them. Negi's ability to share mana with his students via "Pactio" contracts is impressive.

* "Reiki," "Yoki," [[spoiler:and "Seikoki"]] in Manga/YuYuHakusho are three forms of energy that can be used to perform magic and other supernatural feats.

* All player characters in ''Videogame/KingdomOfLoathing'' have "MP" and it all works the same way. The twist is that what MP stands for is different for different classes. Mysticality (spellcaster) classes have mana points, but Muscle (warrior) classes have muscularity and Moxie (rogue) classes have mojo points.

** The sequel [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World]] also has a plot based heavily about mana.

* In '' VideoGame/TalesOfTheWorld'' Radiant Mythology series, mana is born from the World Tree and flows out into the world, providing it with life. Without mana, the world itself would die. The Descender is born from his/her world's World Tree, which uses its mana to give birth to a Descender. A Descender's power also fluctuates with the strength of mana and the World Tree it comes from. Although the Descender is incredibly strong regardless of how weak the World Tree is, it has been said that the stronger the World Tree's mana is, the stronger the Descender will be. However, it is mana which sustains the life and power of the Descender. In the most dire straits, a lack of mana in the land can adversely affect the Descender, leading to blackouts. The first Radiant Mythology has a story that focuses a lot on mana.

* In ''VisualNovel/AnOctaveHigher'', Mana is the common name of a liquid substance that, when drunk, gives human beings the energy needed to cast spells. It is also known as ''curcuma zanthorrhiza'', or ''temulawak''. People can also replenish their Mana by sleeping, exercising and eating food, but not by much; certainly not enough to cast spells.

* ''Creator/FromSoftware''

** ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' and ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'' replaces the Mana system by having magic as ammunition based, and recharges via resting at bonfire.

* {{Franchise/Nasuverse}}:
** Prana (the "energy" used to do magic) is separated between Odic force and {{Mana}}; the first is generated from the magus (small pool), and Mana is the energy in the environment (big pool). The two are essentially interchangeable, except for those rare occurrences where only Mana supply is affected. Higher Elementals are essentially ''made'' of Mana, similar to {{Energy Being}}s. How mana is gained and used are plot points of ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'', drow call the substance that powers their FunctionalMagic [="=]{{Mana}}[="=]. In fact the author rather objects to the term [="=]magic[="=]. Not only is it generated by the elves' own LifeForce, it is necessary to allow the fey races to remain immortal.

* In ''WebComic/YokokasQuest'', when fighting the [[BigCreepyCrawlies king centipede]], Mao mentions only being able to cast one or two more {{fireballs}}, and Kalliv mentions only having one shot at his [[TentacleRope vine spell]]. At the end of each chapter is an RPG-style status screen which shows the [[ManaMeter MP gauges]] of Yokoka's and Mao's parties, giving a visual representation of their capacity to use magic. Yfa describes being able to [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshift]] in exchange for some "[[https://yokokasquest.com/comic/chapter-4-page-5/ energy]]", suggesting this is the everyday term for the concept on Cisum.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'' we are led to believe that Gwen's powers are purely magic-based, but ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' starts DoingInTheWizard by explaining that Gwen's powers originate from an alien grandmother, who states that 'magic' is caused by mana. If that wasn't enough, the granny then sheds her skin to reveal an energy being made of mana, and says that Gwen can do the same. Naturally, she refuses.

* ''VideoGame/TheReconstruction'' has three stats that different abilities can be cast from, of which Mind and Soul would correspond to different types of Mana. Interesting, not only is it just as frequent to CastFromHP, Mind and Soul function as alternate HP counters, and dropping one of them to 0 will also defeat someone.

* Mana is a large staple of ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' and later Creator/NipponIchi strategy [=RPGs=] as it is needed to create characters, unlock events, reincarnate, and so forth. Mana is treated in-game as a sort of currency. It also has SP for special moves and casting spells.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea}}'' series and ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'', Mana isn't used for special moves (that's [=SP=]), but is collected gained from killing enemies and is used for other improvements and game modifiers like better shops, stronger enemies, unlocking special maps to fight and unlock new characters, among other things depending on the game.

** ''Literature/{{Elantris}}'': [[FunctionalMagic AonDor]] is powered by [[BackgroundMagicField the Dor]], an enourmous store of energy on another plane of existence. The glyphs that Elantrians can draw in the air give shape to that energy, allowing it to affect the world in a particular way. [[spoiler:Near the end of the book, a few other forms of magic show up such as [=ChayShan=], a martial art that seems to allow for superhuman feats and makes the user glow when used, and the Dakhor monks who gain superhuman abilities by reshaping their very bones. Raoden suspects, and WordOfGod confirms, that these arts also draw upon the Dor.]]

** ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' features the titular Stormlight. This mysterious energy is carried in the uber-hurricanes known as highstorms, and can be stored in gemstones (gems are charged by leaving them outside in a storm). Once charged, gemstones can be used to fuel the [[{{Magitek}} fabrials]]. Additionally, the mages known as Surgebinders can draw Stormlight from gems and hold it in their bodies for short periods of time, which boosts their physical abilities and allows them to expend Light to use their various powers. ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'', the second book in the series, introduces Lift who can instead draw power from [[CastFromCalories the food she eats]]. It's eventually revealed in ''Literature/RhythmOfWar'' that this is because Lift doesn't use Stormlight for her powers but Lifelight, a similar energy created by the shard of Cultivation who gave Lift this ability for as-yet-unrevealed reasons.

* ''Manga/FairyTail'' uses magic power (''maryoku''), which functions as this. Once a wizard runs out of power, it is gradually replenished by absorbing Ether-nano in the atmosphere, which is a time-consuming process unless they happen to be a Slayer-type wizard, allowing them to consume the same {{element|alPowers}} as their magic to regain combat ability. Most importantly of all, the strength of one's magic is amplified by [[EmotionalPowers the strength of one's feelings]], which the main characters exploit via ThePowerOfFriendship.

** ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' features the titular Stormlight. This mysterious energy is carried in the uber-hurricanes known as highstorms, and can be stored in gemstones (gems are charged by leaving them outside in a storm). Once charged, gemstones can be used to fuel the [[{{Magitek}} fabrials]]. Additionally, the mages known as Surgebinders can draw Stormlight from gems and hold it in their bodies for short periods of time, which boosts their physical abilities and allows them to expend Light to use their various powers. ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'', the second book in the series, reveals the existence of a person with the unique ability to metabolize food directly in Stormlight.

** Prana (the "energy" used to do magic) is separated between Odic force and {{Mana}}; the first is generated from the magus (small pool), and Mana is the energy in the environment (big pool). The two are essentially interchangeable, except for those rare occurrences where only Mana supply is affected. Higher Elementals are essentially ''made'' of Mana, similar to {{Energy Being}}s. How mana is gained and used are plot points of ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. LifeEnergy theft and IntimateHealing, primarily.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''Literature/NightWatch''. ''Others'' do appear to use some internal generation of mana-like power, but [[spoiler: it's the opposite. Magicians are the ones that ''cannot'' generate this "mana", but can only use what normal people generate. The higher their [[PowerLevels level]], the ''less'' of this "mana" they generate.]]

* ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'': Magic and Skills work on a {{Cooldown}} system, but the [[PlayerCharacter PCs]] are Sourcerers with access to special powers that also drain one or more Source Points from their limited reserve. Act II is based around maximizing their capacity for Source, which is replenished through ManaDrain, SoulEating, [[LimitedUseMagicalDevice rare consumable items]] and [[FieldPowerEffect Source puddles]]... and one [[DownloadableContent DLC]] that tops it up with every RestingRecovery.

* Since ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', the ''Zelda'' series generally allows Link access to a [[ManaMeter Magic Meter]] in order to use magic powers, although it is not present in all games (''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' being a notable example).

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' outright uses RPG terminology to differentiate Chi as [[HitPoints HP]] and Mana as MP. KiAttacks are the ability to draw on one's own internal LifeEnergy, and Magic is the ability to manipulate and draw in elemental forces from without. Using one interferes with the other ''unless'' one somehow knows the [[YinYangBomb "Kanka Technique"]] which fuses them. Negi's ability to share mana with his students via "Pactio" contracts is impressive.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Lunar}}'' games, all special attacks, including KiAttacks use up the same [=MP=]. However, they do not all count as "magic" as defined by the series. This gets weird in ''VideoGame/LunarEternalBlue'', when Ronfar's healing spells are determined to be "not magic."

* In the [=GBA=] ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' series, the heroes are masters of "Psynergy", a type of magic''/''PsychicPower. They encounter a martial arts school, and the head of the dojo comments on how their powers differ from KiAttacks. "Psynergy comes from the mind, while Chi comes from the body." It's commented that Psynergy is genetic, while "anyone" can eventually learn to use Chi, however [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer nobody in the party does.]] However, there are ''Ki'' techniques (not Chi) from a different temple/dojo, with Psynergy substitutes that the heroes can learn.

Mana can have many names, and often overlaps with KiManipulation in its depiction -- what differentiates them is how they are drawn out and used. Typically KiAttacks are martial-arts-based and can be improved through physical training, while wielding mana is [[MagicIsMental an exclusively mental affair]] which may [[RitualMagic require components and rituals]]. But prior to leaving the body, the "stuff" used seems to be the same.

* Creator/{{Brandon Sanderson}}s ''[[Literature/TheCosmere Cosmere]]'' has Investiture, the divine energy of Adolnalsium and its sixteen Shards, which power the magic systems of every world in the series. It takes on different forms and names in different worlds (anyone who does call it Investiture is probably a [[DimensionalTraveller worldhopper]]), but it's fundamentally the same thing, and certain rules are constant across the Cosmere.

** ''Literatre/{{Elantris}}'': [[FunctionalMagic AonDor]] is powered by [[BackgroundMagicField the Dor]], an enourmous store of energy on another plane of existence. The glyphs that Elantrians can draw in the air give shape to that energy, allowing it to affect the world in a particular way. [[spoiler:Near the end of the book, a few other forms of magic show up such as [=ChayShan=], a martial art that seems to allow for superhuman feats and makes the user glow when used, and the Dakhor monks who gain superhuman abilities by reshaping their very bones. Raoden suspects, and WordOfGod confirms, that these arts also draw upon the Dor.]]

* ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'': [[FunctionalMagic BioChroma]] is fueled by an energy called "Breath", which is an aspect of the human soul. People are born with one Breath, but can give it away fairly easily to someone else (which doesn't kill them, though it does dampen their ability to perceive the world), and many wealthy and powerful individuals stockpile ''thousands'' of Breaths. The more Breaths one has, the more spectacular magical effects one can produce. Not only do most magical effects allow you to recycle the Breath used, but holding large amounts of Breath makes you healthier, better able to perceive the world, and instinctively better at using Breath. This results in a system that encourages people to stockpile more and more Breath. In fact, [[spoiler:the supposed GodEmperor's true purpose is simply to act as a living repository of the massive number of Breaths left behind by the ''actual'' GodEmperor, who has been WalkingTheEarth for centuries]].
* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' by Creator/BrandonSanderson features the titular Stormlight. This mysterious energy is carried in the uber-hurricanes known as highstorms, and can be stored in gemstones (gems are charged by leaving them outside in a storm). Once charged, gemstones can be used to fuel the [[{{Magitek}} fabrials]]. Additionally, the mages known as Surgebinders can draw Stormlight from gems and hold it in their bodies for short periods of time, which boosts their physical abilities and allows them to expend Light to use their various powers. ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'', the second book in the series, reveals the existence of a person with the unique ability to metabolize food directly in Stormlight.

Mana can have many names, and often overlaps with {{Ki}} in its depiction -- what differentiates them is how they are drawn out and used. Typically KiAttacks are martial-arts-based and can be improved through physical training, while wielding mana is [[MagicIsMental an exclusively mental affair]] which may [[RitualMagic require components and rituals]]. But prior to leaving the body, the "stuff" used seems to be the same.

* In the ''Franchise/{{Lunar}}'' games, all special attacks, including KiAttacks use up the same [=MP=]. However, they do not all count as "magic" as defined by the series. This gets weird in ''VideoGame/LunarEternalBlue'', when Ronfar's healing spells are determined to be "not magic."

* In ''WebComic/YokokasQuest'', when fighting the [[BigCreepyCrawlies king centipede]], Mao mentions only being able to cast one or two more {{fireballs}}, and Kalliv mentions only having one shot at his [[TentacleRope vine spell]]. This is due to having limited capacity for magic - at the end of each chapter is an RPG-style status screen which shows the [[ManaMeter MP gauges]] of Yokoka's and Mao's parties.