History Main / ShadowPin

* [[Website/SCPFoundation SCP]]- [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-272 272]] is a nail that does this. There's an interesting list of experiments where the foundation tries to figure out what happens when you change the shape of the shadow. It was used in an attempt to kill [[EldritchAbomination SCP-682]] by combining it with a room full of strobe lights. It was [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome one of the more impressive and effective attempts]], but [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption naturally]], it didn't work, as 682 spontaneously started glowing, eventually so brightly that it no longer had a shadow to pin.

** Kurogane, a ninja of the Ikaruga Jaeger Corps, has a Craft in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesKuroNoKiseki'' called "Kage Shibari"[[labelnote:Translation]]"Shadow Binding"[[/labelnote]] in which he throws kunai at the targets' shadows. While the effects can be hard to tell in gameplay, a certain cutscene shows that the technique can immobilize the targets' movements.

* In ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'', the Shadow Snap spell immobilizes someone by pinning their shadow to the ground with a knife.

* In ''LightNovel/VampireHunterD: Bloodlust'', among the Barberoi guarding Meier Links' carriage is Benge, who could create tangible shadows and disguise them as other things, as well as emerge from a person's shadow and stab the shadow with his knife, which caused the same injury in the target.

* The defeated BigBad of chapter 3 of ''Manga/MajinDevil'' is held in place by (his) demonic babies that emerge from his shadow.
* Yusuke's wannabe EvilCounterpart Asato Kido in ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' could paralyze people by stepping on their shadows, and managed to hand Yusuke an embarassing defeat by doing just that. He can also control his own shadow independently of the rest of his body.

* In ''LightNovel/VampireHunterD: Bloodlust'', among the Barberoi guarding Meier Links' carriage is Benge, who could create tangible shadows and disguise them as other things, as well as emerge from a person's shadow and stab the shadow with his knife, which caused the same injury in the target.

* One of [[spoiler:Akira]]'s abilities in ''Anime/MyHime'' is to do the same thing, and the manga greatly expands these abilities, including the ability to walk through the shadows to get to her target.

* In ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'', the Shadow Snap spell immobilizes someone by pinning their shadow to the ground with a knife.
* One episode of the ''Zorro'' anime featured a ninja who did this. In the end it turned out to be a hypnosis-related technique.
* Tsubasa Andou from ''Manga/GakuenAlice'' has this as his power.
* ''Manga/DescendantsOfDarkness'': Seiichirou Tatsumi's power as a Shinigami is basically this.
* Gecko Morria from ''Manga/OnePiece'' has this as one of his Shadow-Shadow fruit powers, called "Shadow Revolution". Merging his shadow with another person's, he can control a person's actions to the point of reshaping their body. He says this is possible because it's a law of nature that the shadow and its caster must always have the same shape.
* In ''Anime/LupinIIIDragonOfDoom'', Genzai [[spoiler:and Kikyo]] use a technique like this to trap Lupin, Jigen and Goemon when the gang comes to rescue Fujiko.
* ''Anime/{{Symphogear}}'': Tsubasa's Shadow Weaving is a technique where she throws a dagger on the opponent's shadow to seal their movements. Interestingly, it turns out to be not one of the {{Special Attack}}s of her Symphogear, but a {{Ninja}} technique she learned from her manager Ogawa. Ogawa himself has adapted his skills to the times, and is capable of pinning his opponent's shadow even by ''shooting at it with a gun''.
* In ''Manga/BusterKeel'', one of Dakki's "vessels" is Black, whose power over darkness allows him to paralyze people by standing on their shadows.

* In ''Literature/ANightInTheLonesomeOctober'' by Creator/RogerZelazny, Owen used druidic magic to make Cheeter the squirrel into his familiar, by ''literally'' pinning his shadow to a wall. Snuff and Greymalk undo the magic by pulling the seven silver pins loose, then dragging the shadow over the squirrel's body, allowing it to re-bind itself to seven scratches on Cheeter's hide.

* Vamp from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' can immobilize you if he hits your shadow with a knife. [[spoiler:You can stop him by shooting the overhead lights]]. Unlike most abilities in the series, this has no scientific explanation, though Otacon and Snake do offer an alternative explanation for Vamp's shadow-pinning power. They think it's some kind of hypnotism: "The power of suggestion augmented by his speech and movements, coupled with the manipulation of the light reflecting off the blade of his knife". Raiden only ''thinks'' he's been immobilized.

* Jack of ''VideoGame/WildArms1'' can learn the Shadow Bind technique, where he paralyzes enemies by throwing swords at their shadows.
* A variation from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear Xrd'': [[BilingualBonus Zato-1]] is bound with a shadow-beast named Eddie. For his Instant Kill, he sends Eddie to devour his opponent's shadow. Shadowless, they simply slump to the ground dead.

* [[Wiki/SCPFoundation SCP]]- [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-272 272]] is a nail that does this. There's an interesting list of experiments where the foundation tries to figure out what happens when you change the shape of the shadow. It was used in an attempt to kill [[EldritchAbomination SCP-682]] by combining it with a room full of strobe lights. It was [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome one of the more impressive and effective attempts]], but [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption naturally]], it didn't work, as 682 spontaneously started glowing, eventually so brightly that it no longer had a shadow to pin.

* In ''LightNovel/AccelWorld'', Shadow Cloaker's incarnate technique Shadow Tying lets him immobilise enemies by tossing a shuriken at their shadow. He's skilled enough to use it without emitting enough Overlay for the opponent to notice.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky'', [[spoiler:Phantom Thief B]] can trap his opponents by creating a flash and throwing darts at the new shadows.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

** In ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', [[BigBad Kirei is also capable of this]], suggesting it's a common technique of the Church.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* A variation from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGearXrd'': [[BilingualBonus Zato-1]] is bound with a shadow-beast named Eddie. For his Instant Kill, he sends Eddie to devour his opponent's shadow. Shadowless, they simply slump to the ground dead.

* ''Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear'': Tsubasa's Shadow Weaving is a technique where she throws a dagger on the opponent's shadow to seal their movements. Interestingly, it turns out to be not one of the {{Special Attack}}s of her Symphogear, but a {{Ninja}} technique she learned from her manager Ogawa. Ogawa himself has adapted his skills to the times, and is capable of pinning his opponent's shadow even by ''shooting at it with a gun''.

* One of [[spoiler:Akira]]'s abilities in ''Anime/MaiHime'' is to do the same thing, and the manga greatly expands these abilities, including the ability to walk through the shadows to get to her target.

* Tsubasa Andou from ''Manga/AliceAcademy'' has this as his power.

[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/{{Naruto}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dvq61u.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350: I'm a little teapot...]]

* One of [[spoiler:Akira's]] abilities in ''Anime/MaiHime'' is to do the same thing, and the manga greatly expands these abilities, including the ability to walk through the shadows to get to her target.

See also ShadowWalker.

* ''Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear'': Tsubasa's Shadow Weaving is a technique where she throws a dagger on the opponent's shadow to seal their movements. Interestingly, it turns out to be not one of the {{Special Attack}}s of her Symphogear, but a {{Ninja}} technique she learned frpm her manager Ogawa. Ogawa himself has adapted his skills to the times, and is capable of pinning his opponent's shadow even by ''shooting at it with a gun''.

* ''Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear'': Tsubasa's Shadow Weaving is a technique where she throws a dagger on the opponent's shadow to seal their movements. Interestingly, it turns out to be not one of the {{Special Attack}}s of her Symphogear, but a {{Ninja}} technique she learned form her manager Ogawa. Ogawa himself is skilled enough that he can pin his opponent's shadow by ''shooting at it with a gun''.

* ''Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear'': Tsubasa's Shadow Weaving is a technique where she throws a dagger on the opponent's shadow to seal their movements. Interestingly, it's actually a {{Ninja}} technique taught by her manager Ogawa... who can perform this technique with a ''bullet''.