History Main / WhoEvenNeedsaBrain

'''B.O.B.:''' Turns out, you don't need one!\\

** Cockroaches can survive a few days without their head.

''Walking Vegetable:'' In this case, the body is in a drooling zombie-like state, able to walk after a fashion but otherwise almost totally unaware of anything going on around them. Any speech will be monosyllabic. Can be done realistically, if some important parts of the brain remain but all the higher regions are gone.

''Stupid but Aware:'' In this case, the character has simply turned into TheDitz -- they are much stupider than usual but able to talk properly, walk around without bumping into things, and so on. Probably the least common category.

''No Change:'' This is most likely to happen to a character who is already TheDitz. Brain falls out, is stolen, or whatever and the de-brained character acts exactly the same (and may not even notice their brain is gone). Sometimes the brain will be [[ShrunkenOrgan far smaller than normal]] to begin with.

''No brain to lose:'' A slight variation on the above; it turns out the character doesn't have a brain in the first place!

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Disenchantment}}'': The GrandFinale reveals the Trogs have all removed their brains, and this is the secret to their immortality (as well as the reason why Dagmar can't invade their dream). Inspired by this, Dagmar does the same. None of them suffer any consequences and keep functioning as normal.

[[quoteright:350:[[Franchise/{{Batman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1563697_a_in_one_ear_out_the_other_1.png]]]]

[[quoteright:229:[[ComicBook/{{Batman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px-Absence_Una_Nemo_163.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:229:[[{{Pun}} Una Nemo has an open mind]].]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' tends to use this type. On the multiple occasions where a character's brain gets removed, they tend to stand around and drool until it is replaced. In [[TheDitz Patrick]]'s case, this is often indistinguishable from his normal behavior.

In real life, having your brain physically removed from your body means you are dead. In comedy however the results can be a little different, leading to one of these outcomes (besides the realistic fatal one, obviously):

''No Change:'' This is most likely to happen to a character who is already TheDitz. Brain falls out, is stolen, or whatever and the de-brained character acts exactly the same (and may not even notice their brain is gone.) Sometimes the brain will be [[ShrunkenOrgan far smaller than normal]] to begin with.

Not to be confused with BrainlessBeauty (though of course this trope could happen ''to'' a BrainlessBeauty.)

See also InOneEarOutTheOther which is often how the absence of a brain is revealed.

* Furanpaa, the zombie receptionist from ''Manga/InterspeciesReviewers'' removes her brain to pass the time between guests without succumbing to boredom.

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* In ''Webcomic/{{Nodwick}}'', people who get their brains stolen (usually due to a nearby Mind Flayer) end up like this. In one instance, Piffany kept Yeagar's body going by giving him a 'replacement brain' (she put a butterfly inside his skull cavity).
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* In a ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' episode Alex and Harper switch brains, and while trying to get back into each other's bodies, both brains end up in Alex's head. Harper's brainless body wanders around with a stupid grin on her face spouting random words, though she seems to be slightly aware of the world around her in the same way a baby is aware.
* In a ''Series/HorribleHistories'' sketch, there was this exchange:
-->'''Kill counter:''' That makes 4,997.\\
'''Roman general:''' Make that 98.\\
'''Kill counter:''' Yeah, I'll give you that one. He's still moving, but realistically, he's not going anywhere without his head.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' when the villain makes the campers sneeze their brains out, they end up as mindless zombies only able to moan "Teeeee-Veeeeee...." (and, oddly enough, "hackysack") and stumble to the nearest set to start watching. If Raz can find the jars holding the brains, he can return the campers to normal with no ill effects. In ''VideoGame/Psychonauts2'' it's a bit closer to a mix of Type 1 and Type 2, as the victim of the de-braining will mumble random phrases related to their job. The Psychonauts see no problem with having the de-brained Nick Johnsmith return to working in the mailroom while they search for his brain, although he doesn't do it very well.
* In ''VideoGame/CrashTwinsanity'', during the cutscene that introduces [[BigBad The Evil Twins]], they remove [[MadScientist Doctor]] [[ButtMonkey Cortex's]] brain with their telekinetic powers. He is left drooling and clutching his brain afterward until one of the duo tells him that "[[ThisIsThePartWhere this is the part where]] [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl you run away, screaming]]." It takes him a {{beat}} to catch on, but he does exactly that. Shortly afterward, he's no longer holding his brain and acting normal, so he must have gotten it back in his head somehow.
* A short cutscene in ''VideoGame/TheSeventhGuest'' can be found in Henry Stauf's well-hidden laboratory. A ghostly patient wakes up moaning on an operating table, and we see that an entire half of his head is missing. He realizes this, looks down, and starts reaching for a CG brain sitting in a bucket down below. The scene ends before he can grab it, though. (Along with a horribly squicky noise.)

* Yeagar from ''Webcomic/{{Nodwick}}'' has his brain removed at least twice (once by an Illithid and once by an Evil Henchman). In the second case, Piffany drafted a nearby butterfly and put it in his cranial cavity. This, somehow, allowed Yeagar to stay mobile.

* Oblina of ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters'' once sneezed her own brain out after studying too hard, leaving her body a drooling and mindless but mobile vegetable.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'': In "Ren's Brain", Stimpy takes out Ren's brain and replaces it with a telephone, leaving him a drooling vegetable. The ''brain'', on the other hand, gets up and goes to work as if nothing has happened.

* This happens to Fanboy from ''WesternAnimation/FanboyAndChumChum'' in the episode [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Brain Drain"]]. His brain is evidently not subject to the laws of gravity, because it stays in mid-air while he is falling.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode: "[[Recap/FuturamaS2E11HowHermesRequisitionedHisGrooveBack How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back]]", when [[RobotBuddy Bender]] loses his brain (in disc form), he loses his personality and resets to his factory default, which leaves him unable to say anything but [[MachineMonotone "I AM BENDER. PLEASE INSERT GIRDER."]] He still walks around but doesn't pay attention to where he's going in the slightest.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' episode "Boob Tubed", Heffer has his brain sucked out through the TV after sitting too close. He is reduced to a drooling idiot who [[TalkativeLoon spouts nonsense]], repeatedly walks into walls, and thinks he can fly.
-->'''Heffer:''' Go to the petunia at once, corn-cob. Makes a great meat substitute for undershorts!
* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'': In contrast to Billy, who doesn't have a brain at all to begin with, the victims of the evil brain-sucking meteor in "Little Rock of Horrors" turn into zombie-like creatures who can nevertheless dance to the song the meteor sings.

* The ''WesternAnimation/AvengerPenguins'' episode "The Quantum Mechanic" had Caractacus P. Doom steal Bluey's brain, leaving the penguin silent and sitting around doing nothing.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': At the beginning of "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E4ItchyAndScratchyLand Itchy & Scratchy Land]]", while in a cartoon promoting the opening of the titular theme park, Itchy stabs Scratchy in the head with a pair of scissors. Scratchy pulls it out along with his brain, leaving him drooling.
* Anais from ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' suffers brain damage on account of too much facepalming due to her family's stupidity, leaving her in a vegetable state but she can still walk around.

* ''Fanfic/ADashOfLogic'' rewrites the ending of “A Pal for Gary” to reveal that [=SpongeBob=] lost his brain at some point before purchasing Puffy Fluffy, as an explanation for the former’s exaggerated stupidity in that episode (even by post-{{Flanderization}} standards). [[CrankyNeighbor Squidward]] finds it and brings it back, and upon getting it back into his head, [=SpongeBob=] reacts accordingly to the presence of the [[OneWingedAngel monstrous Puffy Fluffy]] (being utterly terrified). Apparently, this is a recurring problem for [=SpongeBob=] because his head is literally full of holes and is implied to be the reason behind the character's [[DependingOnTheWriter inconsistent intelligence]].

* In an episode of ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' Sabrina is infected by a Stupidity Virus, which leaves her literally empty-headed and a shallow boy- and shopping-obsessed BrainlessBeauty in personality. [[AccidentallyCorrectWriting There actually is a parasite that eats brains]], but it's protozoan, not viral.
* In a ShowWithinAShow Stupid but Aware example one episode of the ''Series/SavedByTheBell'' has the gang make a film about evil aliens invading. A history teacher (played by Jessie) had her brain sucked out her ear (via a straw) by an alien (played by Screech) while telling her class that "the Gettysburg Address was delivered by [brains sucked out]... Pee-wee Herman."

* Radio: ''Radio/ImSorryIllReadThatAgain'' once had a ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'' parody that included something like:
-->'''Doctor Frankenstein:''': When I created you, I neglected to give you a brain. \\

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'': Azmuth ends up somewhere between Type I and II. It is revealed that his species, the Galvans, actually have two brains, the main brain has the majority of the intelligence and active thinking. The pre-brain handles more basic function... well, basic by Galvan standards. When Azmuth had his main brain removed, even only having his pre-brain, Azmuth is still fully sentient and capable of speech with no issue, but with the main difference being he had become stupider and more childish.
* Peri of ''WesternAnimation/{{Spliced}}'' ended up in a state somewhere between Types I and II: he was mostly incapacitated but could sorta walk around and mumble/scream for the return of his brain. When he found his brain had been implanted into a toaster ([[ItMakesSenseInContext roll with it]]) he tried to shove it back in, toaster and all. It didn't work.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': After Kaeloo gets half her brain removed in one episode, all that happens to her is that she can't talk properly.
* The ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' episode "Cheese a Go-Go" featured a movie where a woman had her brain sucked out by aliens. When asked if she is alright, she replies with "Shhh, I'm hiding from the aardvarks".

* The ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' episode "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS12E2TheNitwittingTheBalladOfFilthyMuck The Nitwitting]]" uses a combination of this and Type III: When he's invited to join the Empty Head Society, [=SpongeBob=] is required to remove his brain and initially acts no different. After spending a bit of time without it, he devolves into an idiot who makes his otherwise usually ditzy self look like a genius in comparison.

* One strip in ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' had Calvin let his brain wander off before losing it. Of course, this was just his imagination playing up.

* A unique example comes about in the DC Animated film ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueTheFlashpointParadox'' with the actual consequences shown in a later film ''WesternAnimation/SuicideSquadHellToPay''. Eobard Thawne, in the middle of a battlefield in the Flashpoint timeline, is shot through the head by Batman (Thomas Wayne in that timeline). While in the first film, he appears to fall over stone-dead, in the second film, Thawne reappears none the worse for wear. But then, when the Squad is captured in Killer Frost's ice, he reveals that he's only capable of limited usage of his super-speed now, due to the fact of a massive, gory hole going from back to front. Thawne then reveals that when Thomas!Batman shot him, in the split-second that the bullet was still tearing through his brain, he drew the Speed Force into his body to literally become a walking dead man. If Thawne continues to use his super speed past a few moments, the Speed Force keeping him alive will dissipate and he will become a true dead man as he was supposed to be.

* Hard to say what category Eddie from ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'' falls under as we are only given hints of his behavior prior to having half his brain removed. (We know he had a criminal record and thought "head" was spelled "hed".) He still knew how to operate a motorcycle, but tended to drive it indoors with reckless abandon. (He was a bit of a rebel to start with.) He only says the word [[BigNo "NOOOOOOO!"]] when Frank comes after him with a pick ax, which is one word more than Rocky says. (Not counting their songs.) So, he theoretically could talk and knew crazy guy with ax=bad. Not bad for someone with half a brain.

-->'''Jack:''' Nobody move! (''{{beat}}'') Dropped me brain.

* Scorpius on ''{{Series/Farscape}}'' has two impossibly-large centrifuges on either side of his head that insert "cooling rods" into his brain. It was always a tongue-in-cheek special effect, but ''The Peacekeeper Wars'' confirms what we already suspected when the Scarran Emperor snaps one of them off. Scorpius' moll, Sikozu, has to mash two rods into the gaping cavity, which is filled with churning yellow goo. Then she [[MeatgrinderSurgery power-drills a metal plate to his temple]] to make them stay in!
* In a ''Just Say Julie'' sketch a DumbBlonde supermodel is given a tricky question and her ([[ShrunkenOrgan tiny]]) brain explodes out of her head with the effort of thinking... leaving her seemingly none the worse for wear and not even bothering to cancel a date at end of the show to get medical attention.
* A sketch on ''Series/YouCantDoThatOnTelevision'' had a mother getting far too enthusiastic about cleaning out her child's ears, and cleaning out everything between them as well. It had no noticeable effect on the child (well, he wasn't ''happy'' about it but as his mother pointed out, even if she had cleaned out his brains he'd never ''used'' them anyway.)
* Brain Guy from ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' is a variant on No Change: while his brain isn't in his physical head, he does always keep it nearby in a dish. If his body gets too far from his brain he degrades into a Stupid but Aware. On top of all this, he and the rest of his species believe (in spite of all evidence) that their physical bodies don't actually exist.
* Vanessa on ''Series/PennyDreadful'' was lobotomized, meaning a part of her brain had been removed. After a period of being a literal vegetable (with "episodes of activity") she regains her old self [[spoiler: after the death of her mother]]. She acts like a regular person (as regular as Vanessa can be) after this point, with no dwindling mental capacity.
* ''Series/TheLegendOfDickAndDom'' has an episode where the McGuffin is the brain of a prince called “Dick”. They eventually remove it from the one travelling with them, to no ill effects.

* In ''VideoGame/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'', Mr DP Gumby has lost four pieces of his brain and is working to recover them. It's difficult to tell from the game how much brain loss reduced Mr Gumby's intelligence, but on the show, he doesn't show much intelligence to speak of.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'':
** An unusually violent (by the standards of the trope) No Change example: in "[[Recap/SouthParkS9E2DieHippieDie Die, Hippie, Die]]", Mayor [=McDaniels=] attempts suicide by shooting herself in the head. Just before she pulls the trigger the "camera" pans to the side, we hear the gunshot and see blood and bits of brain matter hit the wall. Later in the episode, she turns up alive and completely unfazed by blowing her brains out, with only a bandage wrapped around her head (with bloodstains on ''both'' sides of her head) indicating she'd shot herself.
** In an even more violent (and extreme) example, "[[Recap/SouthParkS12E2BritneysNewLook Britney's New Look]]" has Music/BritneySpears survive a self-inflicted shotgun blast to the head that leaves her with nothing above her lower jaw. Since her "speech" is now incomprehensible, it's difficult to know which type she is, but possibly a Stupid but Aware (she seems too aware of the outside world to be a Vegetable). This was apparently based on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_the_Headless_Chicken Mike the Headless Chicken]].

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "[[Recap/FuturamaS3E19RoswellThatEndsWell Roswell That Ends Well]]" has Bender's brain (a collection of computer chips) being mistaken for food and eaten. Bender isn't ''happy'', but he suffers no ill effects.
* At the beginning of the episode "Dollar Day" of ''WesternAnimation/FanboyAndChumChum'', Fanboy's brain falls out when he trips, as a part of a BrickJoke. Later in the episode, when he and Chum Chum are trying to figure out how to get a dollar, he exclaims "We've got to THINK!", after which Chum Chum leaves the screen for a second to return with Fanboy's brain and places it back in his head. Throughout the episode, there's no difference in the brainless Fanboy's behaviour from his brain-equipped self (but he does make up a plan once he has his brain).
* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'':
** In one episode, Billy's dad accidentally eats his own tiny brain and is no less stupid than before. He also once had his brain fall off along with [[RuleOfFunny the end of his pompadour where it was stored]], then he had it removed during an AlienInvasion and talked differently but was otherwise the same.
** In another episode, Billy is in the future with [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones Fred Flintstone]] centuries after Billy found him in his yard. Fred's brain is promptly [[BrainFood eaten]] by one of two massive alien overlords, but Fred is fairly indifferent toward it.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'', Gumball's brain gets out of his head after studying too hard. Gumball is unchanged, as he tries to train his brain so that it becomes smarter.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'':
** In one episode Timmy drinks a smoothie too fast and gets BrainFreeze, which Cosmo replies to with "Brain? What is this "brain" you speak of?" and then proceeds to drink the whole smoothie in one slurp. "Nope.. nothing." [[ChekhovsGag Later]], Cosmo and Wanda disguise as smoothies. Cosmo drinks himself in one slurp and still feels nothing.
** Which is weird, because [[NegativeContinuity in another episode]] Cosmo got a brain freeze from licking himself after he turned into ice cream.
** Whenever a character on the show -- even if they are not TheDitz -- removes the top of their head, there will be nothing inside it.

* ''WesternAnimation/MadJackThePirate'': In one of the episodes, Jack gets a deadly disease that can only be cured by eating specific berries from an island of unknown location. Once they arrive there, Jack quickly starts eating the first berries they come across as soon as Snuk reads from the medical book that it should be these ones. However, as Snuk reads further into the book, it turns out that these particular berries actually cause the eater's eyes and brain to explode. Cue Jack spitting all the berries immediately, but still having both his brain and his eyes shoot out of his head. In the next scene, he holds both in a mug filled with water but is otherwise fine.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretShow'' episode "And That's for Helsinki", both Victor and Anita find out that significant 'chunks' of their brains were removed by Professor Professor to be cleaned after they were hit by a mind bomb. Other than some slight amnesia they suffer no ill effects, even though the brain 'chunks' are big enough to look like they make up most of their brains.
* The plot of one episode of ''WesternAnimation/BrandyAndMrWhiskers'' is that Whiskers' brain leaves after getting fed up with Whiskers not listening to him, but Whiskers is otherwise unaffected.
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Histeria}}'' episode "Really Oldies But Goodies" had a segment where Chit Chatterson demonstrated the steps of mummification on a living man in spite of his protests. When they get to the part about the Ancient Egyptians removing the mummy's brain, the man being mummified against his will suffers no ill effects and his only reaction is to complain about having his brain removed.
* The premise of the ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' episode "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS10E1WhirlyBrainsMermaidPants Whirly Brains]]" is that a new toy comes out that turns the user's brain into an RC helicopter. The users don't seem affected by the loss of their brains other than their eyes being still attached to them.
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Bonkers}}'' episode "Stressed to Kill" has Fall Apart Rabbit experience this when his brain falls out and shows no reaction. Somewhat mixed with "No brain to lose" case in that the brain in question turns out to be a peanut.

* In ''WesternAnimation/CaptainSimianAndTheSpaceMonkeys'' Rhesus-2 is a cyborg monkey with an exposed brain that he can remove and replace easily, and seems fully functional without one though he still has a habit of yanking his brain out and shooting it ("Bad brain!") whenever he messes up. Though, in one episode his original brain is re-inserted, which has the memory of his extremely painful cyber-conversion, leaving him catatonic.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/GravedaleHigh'' episode "The Grave Intruder", Coach Cadaver at one point briefly removes his own brain and is still able to function without it.
* In a bizarre variation, the ''WesternAnimation/Sealab2021'' episode "[[Recap/Sealab2021S3E4IRobotReally I, Robot, Really]]" ends with Quinn transferring most of the cast's brains into robots and turning the rest of their bodies into {{Mobile Suit Human}}s piloted by mice. Once Quinn "perfects" the latter process (i.e. putting the top of their heads back on instead of just a glass dome, so they look the same), the bodies wake up and act as if they're the original people, though hungry for [[StockAnimalDiet cheese]].
* ''WesternAnimation/BikerMiceFromMars'': Fred the mutant has had his brain shot out, transformed into a vicious monster, and replaced with an alarm siren. He kept on living with no trouble at all, and being a masochist, he actually enjoyed the pain.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "The Chilly Thrillies", Steve has his brain run through with a piece of rebar and is no worse for wear beyond thinking that a secret admirer note he wrote for a girl was written ''to'' him.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunesCartoons'' episode "Downward Duck", Daffy, who is acting as a yoga guru, tells Porky he must clear his mind, which he demonstrates by removing his own brain and cleaning it off, then tosses it away and acts no different than before.

* During the battle between [[BigGood All Might]] and [[BigBad All For One]] in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', the former finally gets the upper hand against the latter when he [[spoiler:manages to land a point-blank punch against his head, which under most circumstances should have been [[WorldsStrongestMan lethal a million times over]]... only for it to cave with no apparent effect. Turns out he's been storing his BrainInAJar, and the battle continues.]] [[OhCrap Definitely not a funny example.]]

* Vanessa, the DumbBlonde heroine of the French comic ''ComicBook/LesBlondes'' once had a doctor give her a CAT scan. When she asked if he had found anything the visibly baffled doctor showed her the X-ray of her empty cranium and replied: "nothing... absolutely nothing."
* In the original comic-book version of ''[[Magazine/{{Mad}} MAD]]'', ComicBook/TheShadow uses his ability to turn invisible, by "clouding men's minds," on a group of baddies. Nonetheless, a dopey-looking [[{{Mooks}} mook]] manages to find him and klonk him on the head. Recovering quickly, the Shadow realizes, "Good heavens! This man doesn't have a mind to cloud!"

* ''Literature/DrGretaHelsing'': {{Mumm|y}}ies are effectively MadeOfMagic and suffer no ill effects from the removal of their brains during mummification. Moreover, residual brain scraps can interfere with their minds, so it's actually better for them to have them cleanly extracted.

* The short-lived sitcom ''Series/ThePitts'' about a BornUnlucky family had a BrattyTeenageDaughter named Faith (played by Lizzy Caplan). In one episode an accident with a drain pipe left Faith with a tennis ball-sized hole all the way through her head, just above her ears, without any effect on her personality or intelligence (in fact she doesn't even realise anything has happened until she notices the others staring at her.) Given the fact that a mystified doctor notes there is 'no damage' and there is no visible brain matter even after the pipe is removed the (unstated) joke is that Faith [[InOneEarOutTheOther didn't have anything between her ears]] ''[[BrainlessBeauty to]]'' [[BrainlessBeauty damage]].

* Vexorg the brute in ''Here Is A Question'' has no brain, just a nuclear warhead.
* Quilt in ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan'' is an ArtificialHuman (specifically a Flesh {{Golem}}) with no brain. He is fully capable of speaking, acting, and thinking, but he's an utter {{Cloudcuckoolander}}. He is, however, immune to brainwashing -- "No brain to wash!"
* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': {{The Undead}} man Duane's brain rotted out of his skull years ago, which, while hideously traumatic at the time, left his mind intact. {{Discussed|Trope}} when he realizes that he now has perfect recall of his entire life without his brain interfering with his thoughts.

->'''Dr. Cockroach Ph.D.:''' ''(about B.O.B.)'' Forgive him, but as you can see, he has no brain.\\

''(B.O.B. then forgets how to breathe)''

* Rare "serious" example: the infamous ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode [[Recap/StarTrekS3E1SpocksBrain "Spock's Brain"]]. [[TitleDrop Spock's brain]] is stolen by aliens who use it as a computer to run their planet's infrastructure. For some reason, his autonomic functions still work, but he is completely unconscious. Kirk has to get the brain back quickly because Spock's Vulcan physiology is especially dependent on that tremendous brain. (Whereas a brain-dead human could be kept "alive" easily for quite some time.) So that they can restore the brain quickly when they find it, [=McCoy=] rigs up a device that fits on Spock's head and allows his lifeless body to walk around, manipulated by a remote control. [[PlotSensitiveButton With three buttons.]] Music/{{SPOCK}} has made a song called "Mr. Spock's Brain", based on the above episode.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' tends to use this type. On the multiple occasions where a character's brain gets removed, they tend to stand around and drool until it is replaced. In [[TheDitz Patrick]]'s case, this is often indistinguishable from his normal behavior.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode: "How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back", when [[RobotBuddy Bender]] loses his brain (in disc form), he loses his personality and resets to his factory default, which leaves him unable to say anything but [[MachineMonotone "I AM BENDER. PLEASE INSERT GIRDER."]] He still walks around but doesn't pay attention to where he's going in the slightest.

* The ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "The Nitwitting" uses a combination of this and Type III: When he's invited to join the Empty Head Society, [=SpongeBob=] is required to remove his brain and initially acts no different. After spending a bit of time without it, he devolves into an idiot who makes his otherwise usually ditzy self look like a genius in comparison.

* The page picture is of a ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' villainess named Una Nemo a.k.a. "The Absence". She is a rare dramatic ([[{{Narm}} well...]]) example: Una has an enormous hole in her forehead and extending all the way through, with no visible brain, yet functions just fine, and may be smarter than before the hole happened. It appears to be a combination of a freak medical condition (which resulted in the brain lining the skull rather than sitting in the middle of it, meaning the through-and-through was more of a trepanation) and Gotham City's water supply being seriously tainted. The end result gave her SuperIntelligence enough to outsmart the Bat on a scheme that (ironically) was meant to turn her into an UnPerson, yet made sure that Bruce Wayne remembered her.

* In ''[[Film/TheAddamsFamily Addams Family Values]]'' Gomez and Fester are cheerfully reminiscing about all the (violent) pranks they pulled on each other as kids. Fester casually mentions that one time he waited til Gomez was asleep, then opened his head and removed his brains. Gomez is surprised and sort of impressed by this revelation.

* Series/TheLegendOfDickAndDom has an episode where the McGuffin is the brain of a prince called “Dick”. They eventually remove it from the one travelling with them, to no ill effects.
* A more serious example than most in Series/ChoujuuSentaiLiveman. [[TheDragon Dr. Kemp]] removes his brain to [[spoiler:enable the BigBad to carry out his plan]]. This merely turns him into a OneWingedAngel, who serves as the MonsterOfTheWeek.

** An unusually violent (by the standards of the trope) No Change example: in "Die Hippie, Die", Mayor [=McDaniels=] attempts suicide by shooting herself in the head. Just before she pulls the trigger the "camera" pans to the side, we hear the gunshot and see blood and bits of brain matter hit the wall. Later in the episode, she turns up alive and completely unfazed by blowing her brains out, with only a bandage wrapped around her head (with bloodstains on ''both'' sides of her head) indicating she'd shot herself.
** In an even more violent (and extreme) example, a different episode has Music/BritneySpears survive a self-inflicted shotgun blast to the head that leaves her with nothing above her lower jaw. Since her "speech" is now incomprehensible, it's difficult to know which type she is, but possibly a Stupid but Aware (she seems too aware of the outside world to be a Vegetable). This was apparently based on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_the_Headless_Chicken Mike the Headless Chicken]].

--->'''Mr. Burns:''' Oops. That stays in. (''pops brain back into his ear'')
** In another episode Selma insults Homer by saying he has a brain "[[ShrunkenOrgan the size of superball]]". Cue a cutaway to Homer's tiny brain bouncing around inside his head till it gets stuck in one of his ears, pops out his head, and bounces away down the street. Homer is not only unaffected but actually seems ''pleased'' to see it go.

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "Roswell That Ends Well" has Bender's brain (a collection of computer chips) being mistaken for food and eaten. Bender isn't ''happy'' but he suffers no ill effects.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', Billy's dad accidentally eats his own tiny brain and is no less stupid than before. He also once had his brain fall off along with [[RuleOfFunny the end of his pompadour where it was stored]], then he had it removed during an AlienInvasion and talked differently but was otherwise the same.

* The premise of the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "Whirly Brains" is that a new toy comes out that turns the user's brain into an RC helicopter. The users don't seem affected by the loss of their brains other than their eyes being still attached to them.

* In ''ComicBook/NextWave'', a villain called Forbush Man defeats the heroes by trapping their minds into an alternate reality within their brains. Well, all of them except Boom Boom, who is immune to his powers.

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
* In the film version of ''Film/MyFavoriteMartian'' Marvin takes the shape of airheaded reporter Brace Channing. This isn't the only time he takes human shape and it's implied he has some sort of mind meld type connection with the brain of the real person he is copying. Unfortunately for him [[BrainlessBeauty he picked Brace]].
-->'''Martin (visibly shaken):''' "Boy, her head was dark and empty."
* In ''Film/WhatWomenWant'' the protagonist Nick gains the power to read women's minds due to a freak accident. Trying to get away from the cacophony of thoughts being broadcast at him he seeks refuge in his office and encounters his dimbulb assistants Margo and Eve, who after greeting him simply stare at him vacantly. To his surprise, he gets absolutely no thoughts from them at all and since he at one point heard the thoughts of a female ''dog'', the duo must ''really'' be brainless.
* The Scarecrow from ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' is probably the most iconic example of this trope. Unusually for this trope, despite not having a brain, he's actually TheSmartGuy of the group.

* Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/TimeForTheStars'', {{invoked|Trope}} by one twin insulting the other:

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' episode "Brown Evil", Mandy reveals the reason why she sent Billy outside to deal with the zombies is that he has no brain. She then shows Hoss Delgado an X-ray of Billy's skull and a screw is shown where his brain should be. [[NegativeContinuity However, in later episodes, him having a brain is alluded to and he's shown to have one -- albeit a very small one -- in "The Nerve"]].

* B.O.B. from ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens'' and [[WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens2013 its sequel TV series]]. As the page quote shows, his lack of brain makes him extremely stupid. One episode of the series had him insert a mechanical brain into his body, which turned him into an EvilGenius. Another episode showed that having no brain [[DisabilityImmunity makes him immune to having his memories erased]] (unfortunately, [[BrainBleach he]] ''[[BrainBleach wanted]]'' [[BrainBleach to have them erased]] at the time).

* ''WesternAnimation/Planet51'': Once two alien soldiers have their brains removed, not only do they still function but actually seem to get smarter, such as speaking in SesquipedalianLoquaciousness.

--->'''Martin (visibly shaken):''' "Boy, her head was dark and empty."

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'': Azmuth ends up somewhere between Type I and II. It is revealed tha4 his species, the Galvans, actually have two brains, the main brain has the majority of the intelligence and active thinking. The pre-brain handles more basic function... well, basic by Galvan standards. When Azmuth had his main brain removed, even only having his pre-brain, Azmuth is still fully sentient and capable of speech with no issue, but with the main difference being he had become stupider and more childish.