History Main / TheKidwiththeRemoteControl

* ''Anime/BravePoliceJDecker'' has an example of metaphorical and literal control with Yuuta, whose friendship with Deckerd caused his Super AI to gain sentience. Deckerd. As a result of this, the police officers gave Yuuta a police badge which allows him to call for the [[CombiningMecha combination command]] for Deckerd to become J-Decker, as well as the later members of the Brave Police.

[[caption-width-right:350:Large and in-charge (respectively).]]

* ''Fanfic/PassioneSpeedrunAnyPercentWorldRecord'': [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Bruno Bucciarati]] reputation as [[spoiler:TheDon of Passione]] is as the ReasonableAuthorityFigure that is able to guide and keep in line the supernatural force known as Giornk Giovanni, who's essentially [[LikeASonToMe one of Bruno's kids]] rather than an unnatural attack dog as most of Passione sees him.

* ''Literature/HarryandHisBucketFullofDinosaurs'' had a spinoff aimed at older readers entitled "Harry and the Dinosaurs," in which the titular character essentially became this.

** Jumbo still frequently shows up in the annuals. In one story, one of his toy soldiers becomes both self-aware and [[AIIsACrapshoot malevolent]], and tries to take control of ''him.''

[[caption-width-right:350:Bigger, but he's the follower!]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/GiantRobo https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/giantrobotbluray04.jpg]]]]

* Timely Comics character Flexo the Rubber Man was, in his original stories, a robot controlled by the two brothers who made him via remote. His reintroduction in 2023's ''[[ComicBook/VenomEwingAndRamV Venom]]'' changes this. The remote doesn't do ''anything''. The brothers only control Flexo because they feed it, and even then only just. And they're not certain what might happen if someone else got their hands on him...

* ''Manga/{{Nichijou}}'' spoofs this with the Professor and Nano, the former of whom has a remote control that activates different functions on Nano's body, such as opening her arm to reveal a roll cake or firing off her hand to go fetch another remote.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'' (quoted above), the titular robot becomes something of a pet for Hogarth Hughes (albeit a fifty-foot-tall pet that eats metal). The bond the two develop become powerful enough that when the Giant snaps and turns into a KillerRobot, Hogarth is able to talk him out of it.

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* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant''(quoted above), the titular robot becomes something of a pet for Hogarth Hughes (albeit a fifty-foot-tall pet that eats metal). The bond the two develop become powerful enough that when the Giant snaps and turns into a KillerRobot, Hogarth is able to talk him out of it.

* ''Anime/SteelAngelKurumi'' is a good example of the "metaphorical" remote control. For the most part Kurumi is a free-willed individual, but loves and obeys Nakahito, whom she regards as her absolute and permanent master.

* Most ''[[{{Mons}} mon]]'' shows, including ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', ''Anime/MegaManNTWarrior'', etc.

* Pretty much the point of tamers/Chosen Children in the ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' franchise. This is noticeably less so in the ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' canon, where the kids mostly functioned as spotters, strategisers and moral support during combat and couldn't actually do anything. ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' gave the tamers more to do by introducing the concept of using cards from the ''TabletopGame/{{Digimon}}'' CCG to power up their monsters; later on, the main tamers actually merged with their digimon to achieve their final forms. ''Anime/DigimonSavers'' sort of fell back in line with ''Adventure'' with none of the DATS agents really able to do much (save for Masaru tending to [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu actively fight himself]]), and the ''Anime/DigimonXrosWars'' canon, which places the partnered children in the role of army generals, had them actively command and [[CombiningMecha merge]] their Digimon in a manner falling more in line with this trope; ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'', of course, didn't have to deal with this at all as a result of its lack of partners.

See also GuardianEntity.

* ''Fanfic/TheChildOfLove'': In the final chapter Shinji learns why he and Asuka are the only ones can control their giant robots despite of being only kids –and him having no previous training-: [[spoiler:their mothers’ souls got stuck inside them.]]

* ''Fanfic/DoingItRightThisTime'': In the original timeline neither Shinji nor Asuka really knew why they were chosen as Evangelion pilots. Now they and Rei know it is because their “giant robot moms”; and thanks to that they can synchronize better with their Units.

-->'''Ritsuka:''' What, you think I saved the world with just raw grit and determination? With my pitiful ''one'' circuit and my magical potential laying face first in the dirt, dead on arrival? ''[shakes his head]'' Really man, where did you get the idea I’m some hotshot magus?

* ''Fanfic/TheOneILoveIs'': After being absorbed into Unit 01 and [[spoiler:being told about Rei’s origins]] Shinji realizes he was the only could pilot Unit 01 despite being a teen with no training because his mother is inside the giant robot.

* ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'': One of the consequences of being stuck in the past is Shinji and Asuka know now they were selected to be Evangelion pilots -even if they were children- because their mothers’ souls are locked inside their robots. That knowledge should allow them a better synch with their machines, but they can not display it because they do not want people finding out about the time-travelling bit.

* ''Fanfic/NeonGenesisEvangelionGenocide'': Shinji, Asuka and Rei are teenagers but they’re the only ones capable of piloting an Evangelion. Unit-01 will only obey Shinji and Rei because their mother is inside, and Unit-02 doesn’t acknowledge anyone other than Asuka. Later on, [[spoiler:Keiko]] is recruited because she's the only one capable of activating Unit-08.

* Zizagged in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''. In Freeside there's a boy that runs around playing with what appears to be a toy gun, but unbeknownst to him it's actually the range finder of Archimedes II, a very destructive KillSat. If you acquire it from him during a certain quest, one of your companions will even comment that luckly the safety lock was on or Freeside would have been reduced to a crater.

* Zizagged in ''VideoGame/{{FalloutNewVegas}}''. In Freeside there's a boy that runs around playing with what appears to be a toy gun, but unbeknownst to him it's actually the range finder of Archimedes II, a very destructive KillSat. If you acquire it from him during a certain quest, one of your companions will even comment that luckly the safety lock was on or Freeside would have been reduced to a crater.

[[folder:Film]]
* Timmie and his pet robot in ''The Invisible Boy''.
* In ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', a young John Connor plays around with the T-800 for a bit after learning it has to obey his commands, but later on, he uses his power over the machine for more serious purposes - most importantly, telling it ThouShaltNotKill.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'', the titular robot becomes something of a pet for Hogarth Hughes (albeit a fifty-foot-tall pet that eats metal). The bond the two develop become powerful enough that when the Giant snaps and turns into a KillerRobot, Hogarth is able to talk him out of it.

* General Grievous in Franchise/StarWars was almost this, as concept art had him originally be a small child in a hoverchair flanked by completely controlled IG-88 droids. Lucas thought the concept wouldn't work and declined the pitch.

* Personas in ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' are GuardianEntities which are almost fully under the control of their summoners. They generally only manifest when called, and most often appear when the user is a teenager (though the age has been known to go as low as six and as high as the early twenties). The Persona is an aspect of someone's inner self, but they sometimes express a mind of their own, and focus is needed to keep control of the remote. [[spoiler:Losing the remote can end extremely badly, as [[BigBad Takahisa Kandori]], [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Jun Kurosu]] and [[MyGreatestFailure Shinjiro Aragaki]] all learn the hard way.]]