Line #20 Main/SympatheticSentientWeapon


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9	A more pitiable variant of the SuperSoldier or HumanWeapon, the Sympathetic Sentient Weapon is given increased combat ability by someone with power over them at the cost of their happiness and basic autonomy. The acquisition of their combat abilities is involuntary and often unpleasant or dangerous.
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11	More often than not, some branch of ResearchInc will be behind it -- either ForScience, or [[OnlyInItForTheMoney for profit]], and usually at the behest of [[CorruptCorporateExecutive their malevolent benefactor]], as part of some sinister plot. Or it could be the result of any manner of [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse shady business]] the victim wouldn't voluntarily be a part of.
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13	Their enhancements make them formidable, perhaps even [[ImplacableMan nigh unstoppable]], but they're still under control of their masters and have no real way to refuse their commands, no matter how traumatizing or morally abhorrent. Because of the inherent risks of keeping traumatized {{Super Soldier}}s with multiple reasons to hate them, their masters often control them through some form of coercion, ranging from [[ShameIfSomethingHappened blackmail]], MindManipulation or by outright [[EmptyShell making them mindless]] -- often by way of [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul cybernetic enhancements]].
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15	There's usually an element of dehumanization, as the victim is likely treated as [[HumanWeapon a weapon]], [[WeHaveReserves an expendable asset]], or an AttackAnimal rather than a human being. So expect them [[BreakTheCutie to be broken]] on the inside.
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17	While this character is, by definition, in an unhappy situation, if they're sufficiently emotionally numb, under heavy enough brainwashing, or ConditionedToAcceptHorror, they might not consciously realize how unfortunate they are.
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19	There are multiple scenarios on how this is played:
20	* Alice the DarkMagicalGirl was raised by the overlord to be a lethal {{Tykebomb}} despite a kindhearted nature, leaving her a miserable BrokenBird who only fights the heroes because she is told to. The heroes ''know'' [[DefusingTheTykeBomb she can be saved]].
21	* Bob the EliteMook {{Cyborg}} is a Living Weapon who has no control over his own actions and laments he WasOnceAMan, making him pitiable even as he tries to kill you.
22	* Carl the retired SuperSoldier is haunted by the [[JustFollowingOrders things he did in the war]].
23	* Debbie was one of the hero's allies, but was captured by the overlord some time ago. Now she resurfaces with an EvilMakeover and a RestrainingBolt, as a MookLieutenant. The heroes ''know'' [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight she can be saved]].
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25	See also TykeBomb and HumanWeapon. Subtrope of MadeASlave and ForcedIntoEvil. Compare IAmNotAGun, when this is {{lampshaded}}, PhlebotinumGirl, and WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds. HenchmenRace combined with WoobieSpecies results in an army of these. Related to FaceMonsterTurn which covers turning someone into something monstrous against their will with variety of reasons and methods.
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27	----
28	!!Examples:
29	[[foldercontrol]]
30
31	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
32	* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', this turns out to be the true nature of the Colossal, Armored, and Female Titans. [[spoiler: Their nation keeps their people in slavery, keeping them alive as fodder for their war machine and not even considering them human beings. Their families volunteered them for a {{Tykebomb}} program as small children, having been promised their freedom in exchange. The children were subjected to TrainingFromHell and extensive indoctrination, then given a power that will ''kill them'' in 13 years. They were sent on a mission to exterminate the people living within the Walls, based on false promises and a made-up threat against the world. Over the years, Bertolt, Reiner, and Annie all begin to psychologically fall apart under the strain of their mission....but are unable to disobey their superiors out of fear for their own lives and those of their families. In the end, only Reiner returned from the mission, becoming a ShellShockedVeteran forced to "prove" his usefulness and loyalty by fighting on the front lines of a major war. Even after getting back into his superiors' good graces, he is left simply waiting for his superiors to pick his replacement and kill him. In a private conversation, he breaks down and describes being one of Marley's Warriors as a cursed existence with a "black future"]].
33	* Newtypes (and their counterparts in AU verses) in the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' metaseries are often this. They're usually PsychicChildren who are forced to pilot extremely powerful units after being raised as soldiers or test subjects. They usually suffer mentally and physically from their powers, and a common storyline is TheHero befriending -- or falling in love -- with the Newtype and being forced to fight them.
34	* The cyborgs in ''Manga/GunslingerGirl'' have elements of this, considering that they're young girls who didn't consent to any of this, and the side of effects of cyberneticization and associated conditioning will eventually cost them their personalities and lives. Unusually for the trope, some of them have horrific enough backstories that this isn't the worst thing to ever happen to them.
35	* ''Anime/HellGirl'': [[spoiler:Ichimoku Ren]] is a literal example. He's a ''tsukumogami''-- i.e., a tool that has gained sentience to become a {{Youkai}}. In this case, he used to be a sentient sword, and he can do nothing but [[AndIMustScream watch silently]] while his wielders used him to slaughter in times of war.
36	* Played straight for many ChildSoldiers in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' -- this includes adults who were Child Soldiers in their youth, dating back to the very first Hokage's time. However, it is sometimes inverted -- the character is purposefully made TheWoobie to increase his combat power through TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening.
37	* In ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', [[spoiler:the [=EVAs=] are human souls forced into [[HumongousMecha mecha]] bodies and]] are forced to do horrible things for questionable reasons, regardless of what they want.
38	* This is revealed to be [[spoiler:[[AmnesiacHero Oz]]'s sin and backstory]] in ''Manga/PandoraHearts'', as well as the true secret behind [[CataclysmBackstory the Tragedy of Sablier]]. Played for both drama and horror with the reveal that [[spoiler:''he'' was the [[LivingWeapon Chain]] that, under the control of a madman with no regard for anyone's lives, slaughtered and sank the city of Sablier into the Abyss. [[AndIMustScream Entirely against his will]]. Oh, and those echoing tortured screams and pleadings to stop he heard in the ruins a century later are his own]].
39	* ''Anime/VariableGeo'': Once [[NebulousEvilOrganization The Jahana Group]] becomes aware of Satomi's [[TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne immense]] [[LifeEnergy spirit energy]], they pressure her into entering the VG Tournament by going after her brother. [[TheDragon Damian]] causes his condition to relapse, then offers to cover the procedure needed to cure him... [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse on the condition that Satomi enter the tournament]]. She's left with no choice but to accept their terms and is subjected to the [[CodeName "Black Goddess"]] project, which turns her into a vessel for [[spoiler: [[BigBad Miranda Jahana]]]]'s disembodied spirit.
40	* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho''. During the Dark Tournament, Team Urameshi encounters a team of fighters who [[BrainwashedAndCrazy had their minds suppressed as part of Dr Ichigaki's experiment]] they [[DealWithTheDevil agreed to in exchange for healing their ill master]] and were subsequently turned into killing machines. Kuwabara via a psychic link could tell that they were suffering being forced to watch as they killed other people against their will and at one point they stopped fighting long enough to ask for Yusuke [[MercyKill to kill them]].
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43	[[folder:Comic Books]]
44	* When ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'' ran into an evil CaptainErsatz version of ComicBook/TheAvengers, the Midnighter managed to talk the ComicBook/IronMan equivalent away by making him realize he was this ("you're just a weapon with a larynx"). In the epilogue, he writes a letter thanking Midnighter for saving him, having found a home and a family.
45	* In ''ComicBook/TheOrder2007'', poor Mulholland Black was turned into a living WMD by the Black Dahlias.
46	* In the "Homeschooling" arc of ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'', Klara Prast, whose BackStory included rape, physical abuse, and forced labor, lost control of her plant-controlling powers after an accident and managed to take out a squad of paramilitary thugs.
47	* The protagonists of ''ComicBook/WE3'' are a cat, a dog, and a rabbit who have been turned into killer cyborgs by the military. They are not happy with their situation, and this sci-fi plot device is used to address the larger issues of animal testing and animal rights.
48	* ComicBook/{{X 23}} is a textbook example. She was cloned from ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} to be a {{Tykebomb}} and has been forced to kill a number of people, including her mother and her sensei.
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51	[[folder:Fan Works]]
52	* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has [[spoiler: Maddie]] in the sequel, who's a textbook example of the 'Alice' variant, a psychic version of the DarkMagicalGirl who was raised and programmed to be a weapon after being [[spoiler: kidnapped at birth]].
53	* Several times throughout the ''Fanfic/{{Eleutherophobia}}'' series, [[SparedByTheAdaptation Tom]] is disturbed by the idea that he's now the perfect [[MeatPuppet host]] because the [[PuppeteerParasite Yeerks]] turned him into a weapon when they gave him the [[{{Animorphism}} morphing power]].[[/folder]]
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55	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
56	* The titular creature of ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'' is an alien robot with a GentleGiant personality who really DoesNotLikeGuns. However, when he faces the human army, it's revealed that he's actually a war machine with hidden weapons that get activated against his will.
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59	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
60	* ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'': The Winter Soldier turns out to be [[spoiler: Bucky Barnes, Steve's presumed-dead {{Heterosexual Life Partner\|s}}]]. HYDRA turned him into an amnesiac cyborg super-assassin. And it gets even more tragic from there. Not only is he being (essentially) forced to serve the organisation he gave his life to stop, but ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' reveals that he's also [[spoiler:a ManchurianAgent -- even once he's left HYDRA and assassination behind and regained enough of his memories to navigate his life, he's still forced to carry out whatever reprehensible acts the forces of evil want him to commit, so long as they know the correct trigger words. Activation appears to be something of a painful experience]].
61	* Danny in ''Film/DannyTheDog'', with an emphasis on the dehumanization aspect, since he was raised as a brainwashed human attack dog.
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64	[[folder:Literature]]
65	* In the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' series, the Hork-Bajir were peaceful, dopey race of herbivores that happened to be living incarnations of the LightningBruiser and AbsurdlySharpClaws tropes- making them the perfect shock troops for the Yeerks after being conquered and enslaved.
66	* The Asura Machina, armor-like magical beings, from ''Literature/AsuraCryin'' are this, while they're usually formerly human beings who communicate with their handler via ghost-like astral projection, when summoned into battle, they went into a deep-sleep like state as the Asura Machina is summoned.
67	* In ''Literature/{{Hurog}}'', Oreg is a slave who is bound by dark magic to do everything his master orders him to do. ''Everything''. Someone notices, after watching him fight, that he has been trained as assassin. Not so much a sentient weapon as a sentient swiss knife; he can do a lots of other things besides fighting. While he can materialize a seemingly human body, the dark magic his father inflicted on him turned him into the forsaken child in the PoweredByAForsakenChild castle Hurog.
68	* Marsh from ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy''. Like all Inquisitors, he is inhumanly strong and fast, virtually unkillable, not to mention things like flying through the air thanks to [[FunctionalMagic Allomancy]]. But the process of gaining those powers was gruesome and while for some time he enjoyed autonomy, in later books he is controlled by cosmic entity Ruin, whose aim is basically [[MeaningfulName to bring the world to ruin]]. He can still think on his own but most of the time he is fully under control of Ruin -- and when it is busy somewhere else, he just stands in the middle of a plain, being slowly covered by ash. However, he is [[spoiler:instrumental in bringing Ruin's ultimate downfall, and by the time of ''Literature/WaxAndWayne'', he is a legendary figure]].
69	* The Unsullied from ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': They are slave soldiers that are castrated, hooked on medieval magical steroids and put through a brutal regimen of training which most of them do not survive. They are also brainwashed to be obedient and personality-less. Much emphasis is put on how inhumane is their very existence and how Daenerys Targaryen did a good thing by freeing all Unsullied from slavery, encouraging them to develop personality and putting a stop to producing any new ones.
70	* Darth Maul in ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' most definitely embodies this trope, and is hinted to in current canon, as well.
71	* The [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orcs]] in ''Literature/UnseenAcademicals'' were an entire species of this in their {{Backstory}}. They're {{Super Soldier}}s, they're descended from modified humans, and they didn't ''want'' to be fighting in the hordes of the Evil Empire. Unfortunately, nobody remembers this, and they're wrongly seen as AlwaysChaoticEvil. (Mr. Nutt, the major orc character in the present day, is also a [[TheWoobie woobie]] but not a weaponized one.)
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
75	* The version of Deathlok in ''Marvel's Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' is just an average guy who is given killing powers by HYDRA, and is forced to use them on their behalf or else they'll kill his son.
76	* In ''Series/{{Believe\|2014}}'', there is Sean, a {{Tykebomb}} from Project Orchestra who was being held in reserve because he lacked the emotional stability of the candidates ahead of him. Of course, with Bo having been rescued and Joshua stuck in a coma, Sean automatically moved to the head of the line, and it's clear that he's not happy about it.
77	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
78	** Rory, a companion and Amy's LoveInterest returns from being [[RetGone retgoned]] as an Auton. It turns tragic when his programming forces him to shoot Amy. Downplayed as he had been brought back for espionage purposes rather than becoming a weapon.
79	** The Cybermen, who are essentially {{Muggles}} enslaved and forcibly made to {{Take a Level in Badass}}. Downplayed, since the Cybermen are more focused on {{Immortality}} than becoming living weapons.
80	** The Gunslinger in ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E3ATownCalledMercy A Town Called Mercy]]'' was turned into a OneManArmy cyborg in order to fight in a war, and was discarded once it was won. He resents the man responsible for his transformation for having turned him into a monster with no way of going back.
81	* River Tam in ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' was a gifted young girl who got turned into a psychic assassin with serious mental health issues. Fortunately, her brother rescued her and is doing his best to help her, but she's still a pretty [[BreakTheCutie broken cutie]].
82	* The Asurans in ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' are {{Nanomachines}}-based life forms that were created by the Ancients to combat the Wraith. As they evolved more human, they've requested to remove the HatePlague from their programming, only for their creators to respond with wiping them out and erasing from history. They've survived, and decided to take their hate on Ancients' descendants.
83	* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Roga Danar, from the episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E11TheHunted The Hunted]]".
84	-->'''Roga Danar:''' My improved reflexes have allowed me to kill eighty-four times. And my improved memory allows me to remember each of those eighty-four faces. Can you imagine what that feels like?"
85	* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. Captain Janeway convinces the Hirogen, a [[SpeciesOfHats species whose 'hat']] is HuntingTheMostDangerousGame, to use Federation holographic technology instead. However a later episode "Flesh and Blood" reveals the Hirogen increased the sentient ability of the holograms so much that they became self-aware and TurnedAgainstTheirMasters. While trying to convinces Voyager's holographic doctor to help them, they [[AnotherMansTerror run him through a simulation]] so he can experience what it was like to be hunted and killed constantly, only to be reactivated and go through the whole process again.
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder:Video Games]]
89	* In ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'', the Handymen are disabled humans grafted into huge robotic suits and go into a berserk screaming rage when they attack you. However, the human is not in full control. If you listen ''very'' carefully, some of their screams are pleas to kill them and warnings to get away. Near one of them you can find a recording from his wife telling him she still loves him.
90	* Viciously subverted by Eveline in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard''. She's a living bioweapon conditioned to seek out a "family" as a means of spreading her contagion (and as we learn in the sequel, [[spoiler:was originally created as a ReplacementGoldfish for the BigBad's late daughter, but was rejected for being an imperfect copy]]), which is plenty sympathetic for a backstory, but her behavior throughout the story perfectly illustrates the quote [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall "There's a difference between having a sympathetic backstory and actually BEING sympathetic."]] For as much pathos as is packed into her origin, Eveline is also an absurdly cruel and sadistic SmugSnake who derives outright ''glee'' from enslaving, torturing and butchering scores of innocent people, laughing and taunting her victims all the way. To cite one example out of many, she seems especially fond of forcing the protagonist to defend himself with force against his possessed wife and then [[DyingAsYourself letting her return to normal]] right as she collapses and [[GoodThingYouCanHeal "dies"]] just to be ''extra'' cruel and sadistic, doing this to them twice in the opening sequence and then ''again'' in the (non-canon) DownerEnding. Only one of her victims ([[spoiler:Jack Baker himself]]) is shown in-game to feel measurable pity for her in light of this, and even that speaks far more to ''his'' sympathetic qualities than it does hers.
91	* ''VideoGame/ShiningResonance'': It's unknown exactly how long Marion and her twin brother, Ette, were subjected to Joachim's cruel experiments, but she was the only one who survived. Joachim conditioned her to serve [[ChildSoldiers as his tool]], by giving her enhanced speed and analytical ability. Thankfully, she was eventually rescued by Yuma and his companions.
92	* Painwheel from ''VideoGame/{{Skullgirls}}'' was a young schoolgirl who was kidnapped and turned into a monstrous mind-controlled cyborg SuperSoldier -- and boy, is she [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds mad about it]]!
93	* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsZ'': The Sphere of Leo grants its power from any machine as long as the user is in pain. After many millennia in battle, it wants to not fight anymore and decides to reside in a human, specifically the original character Mail.
94	* Most Valkyria in the ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' series. They're highly sought-after by both sides of the Europan War due to the destructive powers they possess, but those that end up in an army's employ are treated more like weapons that human beings, often up to [[ItIsDehumanizing being referred to as "it"]]. And that's the best case scenario. At worst, they're experimented on in labs (often from childhood) or used as living batteries. It's no wonder most of them are downright broken: Selvaria from the first game is a LoveMartyr to the BigBad, while Crymaria from the 4th game suffers from severe self-worth issues and a desire to be praised, along with [[PowerIncontinence not being able to fully control her powers]]. NobleDemon enemy general Klaus Waltz is the only one to call out her superiors for their treatment of her, [[spoiler: and the two end up surviving and becoming a couple after the war]].
95	* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'':
96	** The Dax were the elite soldiers of the [[AbusivePrecursors Orokin Empire]], given enhanced physical abilities with the cost of a RestrainingBolt that keeps them from defying orders or raising a blade against their masters. Some served willingly, but the Orokin didn't exactly believe in concepts like "free will". This is demonstrated in ''The War Within'' quest, where the [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Grineer Queens]], former Orokin nobles, force the OldMaster Teshin to betray his Tenno pupil and deliver them to the queens for a GrandTheftMe. [[spoiler: When the Tenno takes away the Elder Queen's staff, the symbol of her Orokin heritage, at the end of the quest, Teshin is free to [[OffWithYourHead slice her head off]] if you allow him to]]. Another Dax you can meet outright says that she's glad the Orokin are all gone.
97	** The original Warframes are also examples of this, only less successful. [[spoiler:[[RobotRebellion The Old War]] forced the Orokin to find ever more desperate means to fight off the Sentient threat, eventually deciding to forcefully infect their greatest Dax with the [[TheVirus Infestation]] in an effort to make powerful SuperSoldiers. While it ''technically'' worked, the painful and horrifying transformation process drove these soldiers completely mad, becoming uncontrollable savages that attacked Orokin and Sentient alike. The Orokin tried their usual methods of ColdBloodedTorture to force them into obedience, but nothing worked and the project was deemed a failure until the Tenno came along and managed to control them]]. [[spoiler: Turns out all they needed was something the Orokin lacked: ''basic human empathy''.]]
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100	[[folder:Webcomics]]
101	* Gunther in ''Webcomic/Collar6'' was "Project Vojna," a SuperSoldier prototype who was being conditioned into a mindless, remorseless killer. Unfortunately for his handlers, they [[WouldntHurtAChild pushed him too far]], and he bolted.
102	* Grace from ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive''. She was created specifically to kill Damien (she has fireproof fur that makes her immune from his fire-based attacks, and special claws that reduce his healing factor), but is naïve, "bubbly", and hates violence.
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Context Main / SympatheticSentientWeapon