Line #84 Main/SoulPower


1	[[quoteright:254:[[TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/RemoveSoul_8618.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:254:Don't worry, having a soul is [[TheSoulless overrated]].]]
3
4	->''"I need you to let me touch it. The human soul -- it's pure... energy. If I can siphon some of that off, I might be able to bring Sam and Dean back."''
5	-->-- '''Castiel the angel''' (to '''Bobby'''), ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', "[[Recap/SupernaturalS06E18Frontierland Frontierland]]"
6
7	A subtrope of ElementalPowers. This is the power over spirits, or spiritual energy. People using this power are likely to be able to manipulate this energy, which may or may not equate to magic, depending on the setting. Expect them to be [[ISeeDeadPeople able to speak to the spirits of the dead]], as well as have [[{{Shinigami}} some authority or control]] [[{{Necromancer}} over them]]. [[GrandTheftMe Possession]] and MindControl may also be within their powers.
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9	This can be either a villainous or heroic power, depending on how it's portrayed and used. (If portrayed negatively, this may overlap with [[CastingAShadow power over darkness]]) If it is used by a villain, be very careful — it's likely they have some very nasty powers, like being able to [[YourSoulIsMine remove people's souls]] from their bodies or [[LiquidAssets draining their life force]]. This [[OurSoulsAreDifferent may or may not]] instantly kill them. People using this power [[PersonalityPowers are also likely to be]] [[TheQuietOne quiet]], creepy, and [[TheStoic stoic]]. Can be ElementNumberFive.
10
11	Unlike some of the other Elemental Powers, this power is more closely associated with subtlety, subterfuge and deceit rather than blasting stuff, though there are exceptions, such as spirit blasts and FauxFlame. Oh, and be careful [[ThanatosGambit if you try to kill these people]] — it's very likely that they'll come back as [[OurGhostsAreDifferent ghosts]], possibly [[MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning even stronger]] than they were in life. At extremes they may become a {{Psychopomp}} with complete control over the forces of life and death. Keep a [[SealedEvilInACan can]] handy to cram them into, and look out for [[SoulJar external containers]] they might use to sustain their life or powers.
12
13	SuperTrope to SoulPoweredEngine. Compare YourSoulIsMine, which involves actually acquiring or stealing souls (and its subtrope SoulEating), and PsychicPowers. It may be the [[JustifiedTrope justification]] for why TheDevil wants to [[DealWithTheDevil make deals]] to [[YourSoulIsMine claim a human soul for his own.]] Depending on the setting, this may or may not overlap with KiManipulation and LifeEnergy. Some of the ways to use this power overlap with PowerOfTheVoid, though conceptually they're not that similar. Contrast [[{{Necromancer}} Necromancy]], which is a power over death and manipulation of TheUndead, although both can overlap. See also OurSoulsAreDifferent.
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15	[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with]] the concert documentary ''Soul Power''. Also has nothing to do with [[Music/RageAgainstTheMachine Tom Morello's]] guitar.
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17	----
18	!!Examples:
19	[[foldercontrol]]
20
21	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
22	* [[DarkMessiah Lucius Zogratis]] from ''Manga/BlackClover''. His innate magic is Soul Magic, transforming the soul, the source of human life, spirit, and magic, of anyone he [[TheMagicTouch touches]]. He uses it to transform himself and [[spoiler:Sister Lily]] into the angelic "true form of humanity". As a side effect, he can also brainwash his target by instilling an overriding belief that overpowers their personality, [[MoreThanMindControl making them consciously think that Lucius is righteous in his actions]]. Even if deep down they do not wish to follow his orders, they will still be compelled to fight for him and believe in his cause.
23	* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': The powers of incorporeal beings are based on their "spiritual power", otherwise known as Reiryoku, and their ability to control it. The energy that is actually used manifests as "spiritual pressure", Reiatsu, which determines the strength and durability of a spirit. This includes Soul Reapers (kido spells, shikai/bankai, resistance to injury) as well as Hollows. Some humans are able to use spiritual pressure/powers as well (Orihime, Chad, Quincies like Uryu, Bounts, etc.). Soul Reapers and Hollows are effectively spirits or ghosts. Humans who possess spiritual power, even if they don't have extra abilities from it, can see ghosts and therefore can interact with both Soul Reapers and Hollows as well as normal ghosts.
24	** And then there is the Zanpakutō themselves which are [[spoiler: made of the souls of dead Soul Reapers.]]
25	* Despite it being explained in-universe as a scientific AppliedPhlebotinum, the Void Genome power in ''Anime/GuiltyCrown'' is referred to numerous times as this, as its user can [[YourSoulIsMine temporarily extract]] a [[EquippableAlly physical manifestation]] of a person's [[AnatomyOfTheSoul true, hidden personality.]]
26	* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
27	** In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'', the D'Arby brothers each wield Stands with power over human souls. Daniel J. D'Arby's Stand Osiris can steal human souls when they admit they are defeated and store them in physical objects he can manipulate. His younger brother Telence D. D'Arby's Stand Atum has a broader range of soul powers: he can steal souls after they admit defeat, but can also act even when a soul falters to restrain them, and even read a person's soul to answer yes or no questions.
28	** In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind'', [[spoiler:Chariot Requiem can manipulate the souls of all living beings within a large area, using this ability in such ways as [[FreakyFridayFlip swapping people's bodies]], turning [[FightingSpirit Stand]] Users' own Stands against them, and, with enough time, [[BodyHorror transforming all living beings in the area into]] {{Humanoid Abomination}}s]].
29	* ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen'':
30	** A [[LovecraftianSuperpower supremely disturbing]] example is provided in the form of [[TheHeavy Mahito]]: his Cursed Technique, "Idle Transfiguration", allows him to touch the soul of either himself or his victim and alter its shape. Because [[TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody the shape of the body]] is [[InvertedTrope determined by the shape of the soul]] in this universe, Mahito can radically change a person's biology and physical make-up with just a touch. An ability he uses primarily to transform his unlucky victims into [[HumanArchitectureHorror art]].
31	** Suguru Geto's Cursed Technique allows him to absorb and later manipulate cursed spirits, forcing them to act as extensions of his will and fight on his behalf. He infamously orchestrated an event known as the NightParadeOfOneHundredDemons, in which [[ZergRush hordes of cursed spirits under his control attacked Shinjuku and Kyoto at the same time]], forcing Jujutsu HQ to summon every able-bodied sorcerer available to repel them.
32	* ''Webcomic/MobPsycho100'': Keiji Mogami can control the evil spirits he has absorbed over his lifetime. However, there is a limit to how many he can use at a time.
33	* Natsume of ''Manga/NatsumesBookOfFriends'' has it, which [[ISeeDeadPeople lets him see youkai]], [[MagneticMedium draws youkai to him]] and [[SupernaturallyDeliciousAndNutritious makes him taste good to them]], and [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu lets him punch youkai clear across a room]] even though he only has average strength.
34	* The [[BeehiveBarrier AT Fields]] of both the Angels and Evangelions from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. TheMovie eventually reveals that every living being has one, and that is all that keeps them as separate entities. [[spoiler: When Lilith neutralises the AT Fields of everything on earth...]]
35	* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
36	** It turns out this is the true power of [[DemBones Brook's]] Revive-Revive Fruit. He can separate his soul from his body and channel {{Ghostly Chill}}s through his sword.
37	** The Pirate Emperor Big Mom has eaten the Soul Soul Fruit, which gives the ability to take souls and lifespans from people and can store them inside inanimate objects, trees, and animals giving them life as creatures called "Homies". She can also put part of her own soul into objects, allowing her to manipulate them to her own will; it lets her manipulate a living flame and a living thundercloud as her "guards". It is said that she cannot put souls inside corpses. Hers and Brook's powers are diametrically opposed as Brook is able to fight, injure, and intimidate the Homies like no one else can.
38	* In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' [[spoiler: Magic is revealed to be the power of human souls]].
39	* The Cancer saints in ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' have a [[SupernaturalMartialArts cosmo affinity]] and an [[KiManipulation attack spread]] based around summoning or banishing the dead. This means they routinely travel to the underworld, attack with the ghosts of the dead, and are pretty hard to kill. Even Thanatos, the [[TheGrimReaper god of Death]], had a handful and [[spoiler:got [[SealedEvilInACan shoved into a box]].]]
40	%%* ''Manga/ShamanKing'' obviously
41	* In ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'', the [[ElementNumberFive fifth branch]] of [[ElementalPowers Shamanism]] is Astral/Spirit Shamanism, which focuses on spells dealing directly with souls and the astral plane. Example spells include blasts of pure astral energy that can actually harm [[TheLegionsOfHell Mazoku]] (which are pretty much immune to other forms of shamanistic offense) and dispelling effects. The form of WhiteMagic has been hinted at by the author as being a specialist form of Astral Shamanism focusing on healing and exorcising.
42	* ''Manga/SoulEater'' characters have Soul wavelength which they can use to resonate with others usually between Meister and Weapon.
43	** Black*Star and Stein can attack using their soul wavelength without a weapon.
44	* Several characters in ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' have variants of soul power. Yusuke, Genkai, Kuwabara [[spoiler: , and Sensui ]]all have attacks based on "reiki" or spirit energy. Kuwabara also has a [[SpiderSense heightened spirit awareness]]. Kaito [[spoiler: is able to remove souls from bodies by the application of his taboo power.]]
45	[[/folder]]
46
47	[[folder:Comic Books]]
48	* Comicbook/KidEternity, due to temporarily winding up in Heaven too early, came back with the power to summon spirits of the dead for advice--and, for some reason, also people from mythology. He's a decidedly heroic version of this trope, though Comicbook/PostCrisis he's had a DarkerAndEdgier reboot.
49	* In ''Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'' story ''Comicbook/DemonSpawn'', villain Nightflame can remove souls from their bodies. She pulls Supergirl's soul out from her body and makes off with it back to her home dimension.
50	* In Franchise/{{Superman}} story ''Comicbook/KryptoniteNevermore'', the titular hero loses most of his power and Franchise/WonderWoman's mentor I-Ching helps him get his powers back. Ching can use his mystical knowledge to pull souls from bodies and cure them.
51	* Thanos from ''ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour'' has power over souls, and may transfer the soul of someone into another body as a way to reward or punish. He has also shown the ability to project his own presence into the bodies of others, quickly burning them out in the process.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Fan Works]]
55	* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'': Avalon's Royal Family has soul manipulation powers: they can remove them from a body, talk to them, heal them, mend them, split them…
56	** Shinji and Asuka witness this first-hand when [[spoiler:Rayana pulls Yui's soul from Unit 01 and Daniel mends Kyoko's soul.]]
57	* ''Fanfic/ScarsSamsara'' has magic based on African shamanism, where characters can commune with spirits and harness their power.
58	* It turns out the Element of Desire that Dark World!Rarity ends up with in the ''Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries'' has this. Rarity can allow ghosts to inhabit her body with her, which gives her the ability to project them as golems to help her fight. She also [[spoiler:nearly takes Fluttercruel's OneWingedAngel form Odyne's soul to [[SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan seal it inside herself]], but Odyne fends her off.]]
59	* ''Fanfic/HopeSpringsEternal'': As the God of Death, Hades has power over souls. Indeed, his attachment to Leuke and her attachment to him gives the dryad a soul.
60	* In ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy'', [[ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes Mordru]] uses his magic to draw ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s dark side out of her body and give that piece of her soul a physical body.
61	* ''Fanfic/TheLUNAverseRWBY'': This is revealed to be Lucian's true semblance in "Blood Moon Rising", which allows him to manipulate aura and copy semblances.
62	* Accidently invoked in ''Fanfic/OneToFindAll'' where Salem using a forbidden spell to summon someone who she [[ReforgedIntoAMinion indoctrinate into her minion]] so that she can win her eon-long war against Ozpin. The spell would've killed her had it not been for her CompleteImmortality and only stopped working until all her reserves of magic were drained completely. By the time the forbidden spell stopped, six of Izuku's classmates had their souls taken and reincarnated on Remnant.
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:Film]]
66	* The Lord Marshal of the Necromongers in ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'' was transformed into a "Holy Half-Dead" because he visited and returned from the Underverse, the Necromongers' promised land. He shows particular mastery of souls, as he can move his own soul separate from his physical body, giving the illusion of SuperSpeed. He can also directly take hold of anyone else's soul, with the victim dying as soon as he releases it.
67	* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse: The last of the Infinity Stones to be revealed is the Soul Stone, which can only be obtained by sacrificing your loved one ("a soul for a soul"). Aside from completing the Infinity Gauntlet and Thanos briefly using it to rat out the real Doctor Strange during the confrontation at Titan in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', the stone is not utilized in any capacity, making its exact power ambiguous. It is implied, though, that the stone's real usage is to [[spoiler:trap the souls of the people erased by the Blip, enabling them to be restored to life when the Blip is undone]].
68	* Gul'dan's powers in ''Film/WarCraft2016'' center around manipulation of souls - he can remove souls, take a soul of one thing and put it in other, giving the latter life, or use souls as pure fuel to power his spells.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Literature]]
72	* Soul Burn in ''Literature/AnOutcastInAnotherWorld'' is a spell that drains a user’s life essence in return for massively increased power. It’s effective, but the user is doomed the second they use the Skill even once.
73	* Necromancy in the ''Literature/OldKingdom'' trilogy works like this, since necromancers have to literally cross over into the realm of death and bind spirits to their will in order to summon them as undead.
74	* This is Shroud's and Graffiacane's main power in ''Literature/DisAcedia''. The former uses it to create familiars, the latter for necromancy.
75	* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
76	** Soulfire. Generally a power of angels, Soulfire draws on the soul of the user to form a foundation that strengthens his magic, especially constructive magic. Fallen Angels can grant Hellfire, which also turbocharges magic, but is especially good with the destructive spells.
77	** Souls also seem to be an aspect of magic due to the similarities of its various (intricate but internally consistent) rules to those of "normal" magic.
78	*** A wizard can put Soul/Hellfire to both Good and Bad uses, depending on the wizard and his/her intent and purpose. Harry spent a while fueling both his shields and attacks with Hellfire, and was able to make both constructs and attacks with his Soulfire. He even charged a Theugy ritual with some Soulfire!
79	*** Using too much Soul/Hellfire will drain your soul and thereby kill you, just like how using too much magic will kill you by draining you of all of your energy. Need that ATP to do bodily functions? Not anymore you don't!
80	** General interactions seem to affect changes in one's soul - something as simple as a hug can be seen hours later by Bob.
81	*** This is apparently the mechanism of how true love protects someone from a White Court Vampire, for example - in consumating that love, some of the couple's soul is shared, and that soul defends their love.
82	* One of the aspects of [[EvilOverlord Emperor Steer]]'s powers in ''Literature/TheCrewOfTheCopperColoredCupids'', although he has many others. His supernatural hold over his subjects is voiced as his being "the Sovereign of the Souls", although quite how this works has yet to be revealed; he was also revealed in ''[[https://thecrewofthecoppercoloredcupids.wordpress.com/2020/12/26/the-time-of-the-toymaker/ The Time of the Toymaker]]'' to have the ability to tear off part of his own soul and use it to grant sentience to inanimate objects, although this evidently comes at a price.
83	* ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'' has BioChromatic Breath. Each person is born with a single Breath which can given to others or used in Awakening to animate and give Commands to organic materials like cloth or wood. Idrians believe that Breath is a person's Soul, meaning that taking other's Breath or using Breaths in Awakening is a horrible sin. The people of Hallandren don't ascribe the same significance to one's Breath, and generally view giving up one's Breath as fine as long as they get paid well for it.
84	** WordOfGod elaborates a little: Breath isn't a person's soul, exactly, but it is a part of it. In the broader context of Literature/TheCosmere, each person born on the planet Nalthis has a little more Investiture (basically the {{Mana}} that makes up everything) than people on other planets in the form of their Breath, courtesy of resident god Endowment. Giving up their breath puts them a little bit ''below'' the baseline of humans, leading to some detrimental effects like being generally more irritable and depressed, make the world in general appear duller, and becoming more susceptible to disease, while holding more Breaths will have the opposite effects.
85	* Mina in ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' is a villainous example of this trope, as a DarkMessiah necromancer.
86	* Lissa and Adrian's brand of magic in ''Literature/VampireAcademy''. They use spiritual energy for a variety of effects.
87	* Soul Power in the "Literature/TheZombieKnight" manifests in the ability for [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Servants]] to make something [[SuperToughness tougher]] or to make an attack more potent. It is the only way to harm a reaper, the source of a servant's life and strength, and Aberrations. Soul power can also be used to prevent a weaker servant from using their unique ability. It can be a major deciding factor in fights because of this and as soul power can only increase with [[StrongerWithAge age]] older servants can completely stomp scores of younger ones.
88	* Hraesvelgr in ''Literature/UnlimitedFafnir'' can manifest its soul outside its body, giving it complete immunity to physical attacks. It can also do this to humans, which paralyses them and allows it to consume their souls.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
92	* There are several soul manipulators in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
93	** Over the course of Season 6, it is revealed that [[spoiler:angels]] can use souls to gain extra power. In the season finale, [[spoiler:the angel Castiel]] absorbs all the souls in Purgatory and declares himself the new God. [[spoiler:This backfires badly since souls aren't the only residents in Purgatory. It doubles as a prison for the Leviathans, the ravenous primordial entities that precede both angels and humanity.]]
94	** Demons are also able to use Soul Power, as Crowley considers dealing and soul-numbers the most important aspect of Hell, and in season six, [[spoiler:he wanted half of the Purgatory souls.]] Also, when he is [[spoiler:King of Hell]], he seems to have more personal power, which is implied to be because he personally owns more souls.
95	** The Men of Letters can use the power of their own souls to perform particular feats of magic, such as TimeTravel.
96	** In Season 14, [[spoiler:Jack]] is given this power after [[spoiler:dying from an incurable illness brought about by the loss of his Nephilim powers and being brought back]]. Using a little bit of his soul, he would be able to keep himself alive and healthy, but him using his powers to protect his loved ones at the expense of his soul led to him becoming TheSoulless.
97	* ''Series/TruthSeekers'': The plan of the BigBad relies on this, he wants to sacrifice 200 souls so he can AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence.
98	[[/folder]]
99
100	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
101	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
102	** The slightly obscure Spirit Shaman class from 3.5 is an unusual good-to-neutral take on this trope. The class learns to banish and manipulate spiritual entities such as ghosts and elementals, perform spell-like KiManipulation, and eventually even to [[HowDareYouDieOnMe shove souls back into their bodies]] to revive people.
103	** 3.5's ''slightly'' less obscure Incarnum concept is this in a general sort of sense -- incarnum is soul energy, and the incarnum-using classes get to shape it in various ways, but as their methods essentially just borrow free-flowing soul energy from the immensity around in reality, they can't actually do anything special with ''specific'' souls.
104	* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' splits the field between White and Black magic. The White variant tends to be benevolent, summoning phantom guardians and offering protection, while Black favors malevolent spirits and corrupting, enslaving, or even consuming souls. Naturally, characters and factions that [[YinYangBomb use both]] tend to emphasize this power. The page image comes from a Blue spell, however, one of the few instances (Blue usually prefers to deal with the mind over the soul, since it prioritizes intellect and logic over spiritual concepts... which is ironic, since its ally colours are White and Black).
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Play-By-Post Games]]
108	* Kinou Kuruboshi from ''Roleplay/FateNuovoGuerra'' uses ''ghosts'' as ammunition for her MagiTek revolver.
109	[[/folder]]
110
111	[[folder:Video Games]]
112	* In ''Franchise/BlazBlue'', half of the setting is this, since Nox Nyxtoires are powered by human souls. Also, the titular [[ArtifactOfDoom BlazBlue/Azure Grimoire]] is this in a nutshell.
113	* All ether-elemental characters in ''Videogame/{{MARDEK}}'', particularly Qualna. (Qualna has the opposite personality from the one described here, however.)
114	** All annunaki have this to a certain extent, since they can perform "soul transfers" upon dying that will allow their souls to inhabit another body.
115	* The Sorrow in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', who is a spirit medium that could communicate with dead people prior to his passing, and has the power to show people the souls of those they killed.
116	* ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'': Raziel has the power to devour souls and use them to power his Wraith Blade, a sword that is made up of [[spoiler:Raziel's future soul.]]
117	* The Feys in ''Franchise/AceAttorney'': Mostly this is used for channeling the dead, but spiritual power can also be used as a sort of lie detector. (One, likely non-canon, manga shows that there's even a hidden technique to "channel" people who are still alive, just to get them someplace they can't go at the moment.)
118	* The Ghost type in ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''.
119	** There has been a Ghost user in every generation except for Generation VI: Agatha, Morty, Phoebe, Fantina, Shauntal, Acerola, Allister, and Rhyme.
120	* Kulkumatz in ''VideoGame/TheReconstruction''.
121	* ''Creator/FromSoftware'':
122	** ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Pretty much every game mechanic — leveling up stats, upgrading equipment, learning new spells and miracles, etc. — requires souls of some kind. The game specifically refers to this as "Soul Arts", and unfortunately, overuse of this kind of power also [[AndManGrewProud caused the whole mess]] that you're trying to fix in the first place.
123	** ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' uses souls as currency, much like ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls''. The souls that are really important to the plot are the Lord Souls. These Souls manifested themselves as flames that appeared before a select few -- Gwyn the Lord of Sunlight, Gravelord Nito the First of the Dead, the Witch of Izalith and her seven Daughters of Chaos, and the oft-forgotten Furtive Pygmy -- and granted them the power to slay the immortal Ancient Dragons and shape the world to their liking. The Pygmy's Lord Soul, the Dark Soul, [[spoiler:was inherited by the player character whose true destiny is to bring an end to Gwyn's Age of Fire and begin the Age of Darkness.]]
124	** ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'' even has spells that [[CastFromMoney cost souls to use]] (they're pathetically weak if you don't have any) and an InfinityPlusOneSword that does more damage the more souls you are holding (it needs ''one million'' to do full damage).
125	** ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII'' has Ludleth of Courland, whose specialty involves using an artifact known as a Transposing Kiln and boss souls to create spells and equipment.
126	* In ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSin'', Source is a cross between this and LifeEnergy. All living things as well as their very souls are made from Source, and in ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'' the PlayerCharacter can use Source magic to commune with the dead [[DeaderThanDead and potentially consume them for power]].
127	* ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'' has a primal beast named Deus Ex Machina. It can move souls around, however, it can't destroy or create new souls.
128	* [[CatGirl Rin Kaenbyou]] from ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' spends her days carting corpses to a furnace in hell. She can also command their "[[OurZombiesAreDifferent Spirits]]" to attack you.
129	** Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu and [[TheGrimReaper Komachi Onozuka]] spend a fair share of time talking with spirits.
130	** [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Miyako]] [[ChineseVampire Yoshika]] from ''Ten desires'' seems to have the ability to eat spirits to restore health.
131	* ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath''s Deities gain the power for their weapons this way, either through prayer or [[spoiler: harvesting human souls by killing them. The Karma Fortress has [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale 7 TRILLION Souls]] powering it up.]]
132	* In ''VideoGame/ShiningForce'', the Desoul spell literally rips someone's soul out of their body and [[OneHitKO blasts them to the afterlife]]. It's not seen as evil, though; the heroic wizard Kazin from ''Shining Force II'' can learn it (assuming he doesn't choose to become a [[SummonMagic Sorcerer]] instead).
133	* In ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'' The ghost of [[spoiler: Lady Comstock]] has the ability to raise the dead, leading to battles where your enemies are repeatedly resurrected until you destroy the ghost itself.
134	* [[Franchise/StreetFighter M. Bison]] literally uses his soul as a weapon with his infamous "Psycho Power".
135	* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateSiegeOfDragonspear'' has a character class called Shaman (which was [[http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Shaman part]] of the wider ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' lore, but not available in other games of the ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' series). The class is based on being able to see and manipulate spirits.
136	* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'', Enchanting is carried out by [[YourSoulIsMine ripping out the souls of creatures using specialized spells, trapping them in gems]], and using these gems to enchant items. This is typically done with the souls of beasts and other monstrous creatures - more powerful creatures usually have stronger souls that can make for stronger enchantments. [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential It is possible to do this to sapient races as well]] and their souls make for some of the most powerful enchantments, but require rare and special gems to capture them. Trapping the soul of a sapient being is among the most heinous acts possible, since it robs the target of its afterlife and sends them to the Soul Cairn instead. The Soul Cairn is a rather... [[EldritchLocation unpleasant]] place.
137	* The plot of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' is partially caused by Monster's ability to absorb Human [=SOUL=]s, which are much more powerful than those of Monster's and thus make great [[MacGuffinSuperPerson macguffins]].
138	* In ''VideoGame/MinecraftDungeons'', some Artifacts require you to absorb Souls[[note]] Which manifest as a meter in gameplay terms[[/note]] from enemies in order to use. Several item perks and enchantments also directly aid the collection of Souls.
139	[[/folder]]
140
141	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
142	* In ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' and its [[{{Prequel}} prequel]], ''Literature/FateZero'', the Holy Grail [[spoiler:and the true artifact powering it, Greater Grail]] is actually this. It recreates the souls of dead heroes throughout the ages [[spoiler:including from the future,]] and summons them as familiars called Servants. Even the way it grants wish, it materializes the desire inside the Holy Grail War winner's soul and turn it into reality. Makes sense, since the Holy Grail [[spoiler:is actually an attempt to recreate the [[RealityWarper Third True Magic]], whose domain is to materialize and manipulate soul.]]
143	* Shows up in two variations in ''VisualNovel/DiesIrae'':
144	** First is the magic of Die Ewigkeit which allows one to use souls as a means of both defense and offense. Defensively it allows the user to resist standard weaponry as most weapons can only take one life while they have thousands in stock, hence why only weapons of mass destruction can really hurt them as they are capable of killing thousands. Offensively it acts on a similar principle, taking multiple lives in a single strike. Due to this, soul count and mass is quite important.
145	** Second is the Sonnenkind. Unlike the regular users of Die Ewigkeit which simply uses souls as fuel, those born as Sonnenkind can manipulate and control the flow of souls directly which is quite important in making sure that the central magic that much of the plot revolves around functions properly. [[spoiler:This becomes quite important during the climax of Marie's route where Rea uses her powers to reverse the flow of souls, severely weakening [[BigBad Reinhard]] allowing Ren to finally defeat him. And despite being an incomplete Sonnenkind, Kasumi can also do this as shown in her own route, though to a fairly limited degree]].
146	[[/folder]]
147
148	[[folder:Web Comics]]
149	* Pai in ''Webcomic/WhatsShakin'' uses spirit magic, which draws from the powers of creatures in the spirit world.
150	* Aradia in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' is able to hear the voices of the dead and send them to haunt people, and has the ability to [[spoiler:remain in the physical world as a ghost]]. She also has very potent PsychicPowers, and fits the PersonalityPowers bill after [[spoiler:she dies]]. She has the opposite personality before then, however.
151	** Sburb players with the Heart aspect turn out to have this powerset. Special mention to [[spoiler: Dirk, the Prince of Heart, which basically equates to "Destroyer of Soul", has the power to ''tear out people's souls'']], which is first shown failing against [[spoiler: Aranea]], and later seen used successfully against [[spoiler: Caliborn, Arquiusprite, and half of Gamzee to seal their souls inside of Lil Cal during Caliborn's Masterpiece]]. It's said they possesses the ability to destroy them outright, but only the removal is shown.
152	* In ''Webcomic/TheStoryOfAnima'', [[http://tapastic.com/episode/64773 this is one of the many theories as to what exactly the titular Anima power really is]].
153	* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'': The story's version of ThePlague affects both the body and the soul. In rare cases, infected Finnish mages are known to become Kade, who spread a variant of ThePlague that targets the soul to the point that it can infect mages who are otherwise TheImmune in regards to the "standard" version of the disease.
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	[[folder:Web Original]]
157	* Stygian of the Literature/WhateleyUniverse can summon ghosts of the dead, even the long-dead. In a bizarre twist, they look out for him. He's suicidally depressed, and several ghosts routinely keep him going to classes and eating meals.
158	* The Entire League of Patrons from the ''Literature/SporewikiFictionUniverse'' does this, but The Cleanser in particular seems heavily pre-occupied with this.
159	[[/folder]]
160
161	[[folder:Western Animation]]
162	* [[spoiler: [[Characters/AvatarTheLastAirbenderAvatarAang Aang]]]] in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' learns to do this as a form of bending. It is implied that this is the purest form of bending, or the original form of it. It's likely that [[spoiler:entering the Spirit World]] and [[spoiler:entering the Avatar State (merging all the Avatar's souls into one body)]] were subconscious uses of this power.
163	** [[spoiler: [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraAmon Amon]]]] from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' can do more or less the same, though whether it's authentic is somewhat questionable. In the finale "Endgame" it's revealed [[spoiler:to be fake -- he's really using Bloodbending.]]
164	** [[spoiler:After being restored by Aang and the rest of her past lives, [[Characters/TheLegendOfKorraAvatarKorra Korra]] can also Energybend.]]
165	* In Creator/{{Filmation}}'s ''WesternAnimation/{{Blackstar}}'' episode "The Zombie Masters", the villain Shaldemar uses this in conjunction with a SoulJar to turn people into zombies.
166	* ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'': This is how [[BlackMagic dark magic]] is cast. Since [[Characters/TheDragonPrinceViren Viren's]] a virtuoso at it, he is able to capture people's (or at least, elves') souls in gold coins.
167	* The Nightsisters of Dathomir in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' have a cult-like society connected to spirits and their ancestors. They believe in strong family ties, to the point of communing with souls of the long departed. Even the living aren't safe from their power (as Dooku quickly learns), Mother Talzin and Daka were particularly gifted in manipulating the soul. Summoning Zombies, inflicting curses and even curing insanity.
168	[[/folder]]

Context Main / SoulPower