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[[quoteright:283:[[TabletopGame/YuGiOh https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/light_of_intervention_7544.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:283:'''[[Creator/AdultSwim The Dawn Is Your Enemy.]]''']]

->''"Oh God, NATURAL LIGHT!"''
-->-- '''Super Kami Guru''', ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged''

Light is a powerful thing. Some enemies, [[LogicalWeakness especially]] {{living shadow}}s and [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampires]], are weakened by it, if not outright destroyed. The reason is simple: LightIsGood + GoodHurtsEvil + DarkIsEvil = [[IfMyCalculationsAreCorrect Light Hurts Evil]].

[[ThePowerOfTheSun Sunlight seems to be particularly potent]], which gives CueTheSun a [[OhCrap whole new meaning]] for such nocturnal nasties. Works fond of DoingInTheWizard often explain this as an aversion to ultraviolet light.

The psychology behind this trope is that humans are very reliant on sight, so we feel [[PrimalFear extremely vulnerable in the dark]]. See DarkIsEvil for the general association of evil things with darkness.

If the author is not careful, this can overlap with WeaksauceWeakness, or at least KryptoniteIsEverywhere. May be counteracted with a KryptoniteProofSuit. This [[FridgeBrilliance might be]] one of the reasons why it's GrimUpNorth -- the longer nights give sunlight-averse creatures more time to hunt.


SubTrope of SupernaturalRepellent. See also HolyBurnsEvil and SuicideBySunlight. Contrast CrossMeltingAura. Often mixed with LightEmUp. Not to be confused with BlindedByTheLight (a much less severe and more mundane form of weaponizing light), ProneToSunburn (a more mundane negative reaction to sunlight with no moral connotations), and DayHurtsDarkAdjustedEyes (a natural reaction to daylight that likewise carries no moral connotations).
----
!!Example subpages
[[index]]
* WeakenedByTheLight/{{Literature}}
* WeakenedByTheLight/TabletopGames
* WeakenedByTheLight/VideoGames
* WeakenedByTheLight/WesternAnimation
[[/index]]

!!Other examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Nuveno Espada Aaroniero Arruruerie cannot stand sunlight and can't maintain or perform his shape-shifting in the light.
* ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'': The [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demons]] cannot withstand sunlight and will be destroyed if exposed to it. This is also why Nichirin Blades are the only weapons capable of slaying them: demons possess a powerful HealingFactor, but because the ore of Nichirin Blades have absorbed large amounts of sunlight, [[DecapitationRequired decapitation]] with a Nichirin Blade will, with only a few exceptions, instantly kill a demon without fail. This ends up being an important plot point, as [[BigBad Muzan Kibutsuji]] is just as vulnerable to sunlight as the other demons and his goal is to overcome that weakness. [[spoiler:When Nezuko becomes the first demon to conquer the sun, Muzan seeks to assimilate her and gain this immunity for himself.]]
* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'': Vamdemon, being based on a vampire, can't stand the sunlight and has to hide himself in the dark. In the real world, he has to collect energy from young women in the night in order to strengthen his power, and he later creates a fog within Odaiba that the area from sunlight and the rest of the world. While light still goes through, the sunlight doesn't hit him directly anymore.
* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': A variation with Pride, the shadow homunculus, who isn't generally hurt by light; in fact, he is unable to use his powers without a light source. However, if the light becomes ''too'' bright (for example, the light from a [[TrickBomb flash bomb]]) his shadows will disintegrate. Ironically enough, he is also incapable of using his powers in total darkness and is thus completely helpless without a light source. This weakness is exploited on two occasions, though neither incident is successful for very long.
* Used in ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'' against Housen, The Night King. The Yato in general are weakened by light -- it's why they all carry umbrellas -- but Housen spent years out of the sunlight. When exposed to it for the first time in ages, it kills him fairly quickly.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood Phantom Blood]]'': Despite being extremely powerful and lacking other vampire weaknesses, these vampires are some of the most sunlight-vulnerable vampires in all of fiction. No sizzling, no writhing in pain, not even any catching fire, they just ''explode'' the second sunlight ([[ThePowerOfTheSun and Hamon, which emulates sunlight]]) touches them. The inference seems to be that vampirism fills one to the brim with vital energy, [[SuperPowerMeltdown to the point that excess energy is like inflating an overinflated balloon]].
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Battle Tendency]]'': The Pillar Men, progenitors of the vampires also suffered this, but only to the degree of being petrified while bathed in sunlight (or UV lamps) and reverting afterwards. Hamon can kill them, but it requires that you transfer the Ripple energy into them, be it with rope or oiled up weapons, which is much easier said than done. When [[spoiler:Kars]] uses the Stone Mask to turn into the Ultimate Being, he becomes not only invincible to the sun but also able to use the Ripple with absurd power.
** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'': Polpo's Black Sabbath is also like this, on account of actually ''being'' a shadow. Lots of light ceases inability for shadows to exist, so taking full sunlight causes it to evaporate.
* ''Literature/IsThisAZombie'': Ayumu, being a zombie, can't go out in the sunlight or his body will desiccate. This weakness is negated while he's [[DraggedIntoDrag wearing]] Haruna's MagicalGirl outfit.
* ''Manga/InterviewsWithMonsterGirls'': Downplayed. Vampires in that universe do have a low tolerance to light and heat, but that's at worst uncomfortable.
* ''Anime/MonsterRancher'': When Moo used the Final Gate to remerge with his original body, because [[ImperfectRitual the process wasn't done properly]] (i.e. not using a magic stone), his body was vulnerable to any form of light. During a fight with the Searchers, the sun rose and burned him, forcing him to retreat. He was then [[DarkLordOnLifeSupport confined to life support]] until the process was completed properly.
* Tokoyami’s Quirk in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' is Dark Shadow, a LivingShadow that is stronger in darkness and weaker in light. Quirks that create light, either directly or as a side effect, can weaken Dark Shadow, which is why Tokoyami loses to Bakugo in the Sports Festival.
* ''Manga/MyMonsterSecret'': Downplayed almost to aversion with Youko. She is a vampire, and thus the sun burns her...but that only means that she gets sunburned ''very'' easily. [[StatingTheSimpleSolution Sunscreen is all it takes to fix that]].
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': Pointedly averted with Evangeline, who is not harmed by sunlight. It does, however, make her somewhat sleepy, so she's often seen with a parasol anyway. One of her [[RedBaron many nicknames]] is "The High Daylight Walker", emphasizing this trait.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'': The Shadow-Shadow Fruit allows its user to steal and manipulate people's shadows; any victim of this will disintegrate in sunlight.
* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'' had several episodes of this with Nekozawa.
* ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'': In "[[Recap/PokemonS1E20GhostOfMaidensPeak Ghost of Maiden's Peak]]", Gastly seems unstoppable, but when the sun rises, he says he can't stand the sunlight and retreats.
* ''Manga/SaintSeiyaTheLostCanvas'': Hades is severely damaged by sunlight as long as it's enough to overpower his defenses.
* ''Literature/{{Shiki}}'': Vampires who meet the sunlight directly catch on fire and burn to death. However, there's also [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Tatsumi]] (and later [[spoiler: Natsuno]] too) who subvert this, due to belonging to a rare species of vampires who can survive under the sunlight. However, in everything else, they're exactly like the others.
* ''Manga/TimeStopHero'': All creatures of the Forces of Darkness are nigh-invulnerable in the dark and can only be harmed by [[HolyBurnsEvil holy magic or holy weapons]] or by [[ReviveKillsZombie healing spells]]. When in the light, they can be harmed by anything.
* ''Manga/UshioAndTora'': The ([[OfficialFanSubmittedContent fan-suggested]]) {{Youkai}} [[EldritchAbomination Mountain Fish (Yamagyou)]] is an unstoppable underground-dwelling behemoth with a taste for human flesh, but has a crippling weakness: exposure to sunlight, even minimal, will cause a strange chain reaction in his body that [[MadeOfExplodium makes him explode.]] Oddly enough, the Mountain Fish itself [[TooDumbToLive seemingly doesn't fear nor tries to avoid sunlight.]]
* ''Literature/VampireHunterD'': In the 1985 film Count Magnus Lee sends Rei Ginsei a candle. Its light paralyzes any being with vampire blood in its veins. Greco Roman steals it and uses it against the Count's daughter Lamika. Rei Ginsei gets it back and uses it against D (successfully) and Count Magnus Lee (not so successfully).
** In addition, dhampyrs (half-vampires) suffer from a condition called Sunlight Syndrome approximately every 6 months. During this time, they suffer from sudden exhaustion, fever, and weariness and are forced to retire for several days in order to recover. In D's case, thanks to his extraordinary physiology, he experiences Sunlight Syndrome less often, every 5 years instead. The treatment for Sunlight Syndrome is for the dhampyr to rest buried beneath the ground with just their head sticking out.
* ''Anime/VanVonHunter'' parodies this twice in the same arc. First, a vampire proclaims its invincibility since the moon is up--and doesn't burn until after it's reminded that moonlight is reflected sunlight. Then, the title character tries to distract another vampire until sunrise, and takes so long doing so that the sun sets again.
%%* ''Manga/TheWallflower'': Sunako.
* ''Manga/{{Yaiba}}'': The Batman Hakki is scorched by the sunlight and screams in pain when exposed to it. Oddly, he's fine while wearing sunglasses.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* ''Animation/HappyHeroes'' inverts the trope. In Season 4 episode 45, while fighting the shadows that have been brought to life by Big M., Sweet S. accidentally discovers that they dissolve once they're exposed to total darkness. She then gives Smart S. instructions to destroy a nearby electricity source to darken the city and defeat the remaining shadows.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'':
** According to the [[http://superdickery.com/images/stories/other/87_4_0284.jpg cover of Detective Comics #284,]] Batman was once changed into a "Negative Man" who was weakened and destroyed by light.
** Batman himself employed this tactic to defeat Azrael and reclaim the mantle at the end of the ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}'' trilogy.
* ''ComicBook/TheDarkness'' is MadeOfEvil with all kinds of [[CastingAShadow darkness-based powers]], and it can't stand to be in bright light, making it a LogicalWeakness for the beast. The setting also features the Angelus, a creature of pure light, the ArchEnemy of the Darkness.
* In the ComicBook/New52, Superman's Crime Syndicate counterpart Ultraman is weakened by sunlight; as shown in ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil2013''. To counter this, he creates a solar eclipse so he can go about during the day.
* ''ComicBook/InfinityInc'': When the character Obsidian is in shadow form, light can cause him great pain and even unconsciousness.
* Night Girl was a member of the Legion of Substitute Heroes, and, in some continuities, later a member of the ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes''. Her gimmick was that she had SuperStrength, but only in the dark. Turn on a lamp, and she's normal.
* ''Franchise/MonsterVerse'': In the ''Kingdom Kong'' graphic novel, it's stated that [[Characters/MonsterVerseKaiju Camazotz]] can't stand sunlight, so he needs to create TheNightThatNeverEnds on Skull Island before he can emerge to claim his new kingdom. He was likewise only out at night when he was under Ghidorah's command during the global Titan-rampage.
* Downplayed with ''ComicBook/{{Morbius}} [[OurVampiresAreDifferent the Living Vampire]]''. Since he's not a real vampire, sunlight will not reduce him to dust. But he does have to avoid the sun due to his extremely pale skin, or he'll quickly suffer burns which could lead to melanoma, and is at risk of retina damage.
* ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'': Cassidy the vampire outright ''catches fire'' when exposed to sunlight. He kills another vampire by nailing him to a roof and waiting for dawn, and later [[spoiler:commits temporary suicide by waiting for daybreak.]]
* The "[[ManEatingPlant Octopus Plants]]" which attacked Franchise/WonderWoman, the Holliday Girls and ComicBook/SteveTrevor in an issue of ''ComicBook/SensationComics'' wither and die in sunlight.
* ''ComicBook/XMen'': Supporting character Greymalkin has SuperStrength when he is in darkness.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
* Creator/AsbjornsenAndMoe's "Literature/TheOldDameAndHerHen", the troll does not manage to go back to his underground lair before the dawn, and his body bursts when the sun rises.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': The Timeline states that here, unlike in the ''Franchise/MonsterVerse'' canon, the Titan Camazotz's aversion to sunlight is put on display when Monster X causes sunlight to break through his storm on Skull Island.
* ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries'': The monsters under Calvin's bed vanish with light. Except for Jark, [[spoiler:because he's partly absorbed Calvin's DNA. It doesn't last, though]].
* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'': Vampires are not directly harmed by sunlight, but it interferes with their ability to resurrect themselves in their coffins; a vampire killed in sunlight is properly dead. Apparently this is a result of sunlight carrying a portion of the power of the light gods, and priests can replicate the effect by infusing holy power into their weapons.
* ''Fanfic/HopeComesToBrocktonBay'': This is the downside of [[spoiler:Shadow Stalker's new powers]], and she is finally killed by very powerful lamps.
* ''Fanfic/TheLifeAndTimesOfAWinningPony'': Direct sunlight interferes with necromantic energy, and as a result undead creatures are weakened (or in some cases outright destroyed) by being exposed to daylight or daylight-based spells.
* ''Fanfic/TheLongEventide'': This is shown to be a weakness of the ponies who are part of the Umbral Society. One is shown fleeing a sunrise in the first chapter, and another screams in pain when willingly stepping out the protection of the [[AlwaysNight Shroud]] that surrounds the titular city-state of Eventide.
* ''Fanfic/MotherOfInvention'': The unseen monster is never active during the day, from which Applejack correctly deduces it is vulnerable to bright light. [[spoiler:This enables her to finally defeat it by restoring the power to the underground facility where it hides.]]
* ''Fanfic/{{Nosflutteratu}}'': Fluttershy explains that sunlight weakens vampires, preventing them from using abilities like transforming into a bat.
* ''VideoGame/PokemonWack'': Bug, Dark, Ghost, Chaos, Crystal, Glass, Ice, Fear, and Zombie are all weak to Light-type moves.
* ''Fanfic/PrincipalCelestiaHuntsTheUndead'': Ghasts are a form of undead that are particularly vulnerable to light -- full exposure is almost always fatal in a very short time, unless they can get out of it quickly enough, and concentrated flashlight beams are viable weapons when fighting them.
* ''Fanfic/PrincessOfTheBlacks:'' Between the vernal and the autumnal equinoxes, while the days are longer than the nights, black magic is weakened and white magic is strengthened. And on the summer solstice itself, black mages are rendered feverish and comatose from sunrise to sunset. The same applies in reverse to white mages, who are helpless on the winter solstice.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* ''Animation/BoBoiBoyMovie2'': The Kang Kong are nocturnal sloth-like aliens that are very slow during the day, but viciously swift at night. Gopal slows one down with a flashlight while [=BoBoiBoy=] Blaze's fireball reveals many Kang Kongs slowly approaching them.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'': Chernabog is interrupted when light shines on him, causing him to wince and shield his eyes.
* ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania'': Subverted as the Sun will burn a vampire's skin but is not instantly fatal, as seen on Dracula when he went to bring Johnny back home to Mavis during the first film. Vampires can easily avoid the effects of sunlight with sunscreen, large hats, wearing cloaks as well as by remaining in the shade during daylight, they go outside during nighttime, cloudy and rainy days.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Minions}}'': One of the Minions' old bosses was {{Dracula}}. They end up inadvertently [[DiedOnTheirBirthday killing him on his 357th birthday]] when they try wake him up in his coffin and open the curtains to let in the sunlight, which immediately [[ReducedToDust turns him to ashes]].
* ''WesternAnimation/RockADoodle'': The {{O|minousOwl}}wls hate any kind of light, even something minuscule like a flashlight. Sunlight is enough to actually strip [[BigBad the Grand Duke]] of his powers and turns him smaller than a mouse.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Mr. Freeze at the end of ''Film/BatmanAndRobin''. It isn't entirely the sunlight as much as it is the warmth of the sun's rays after his freeze suit malfunctions.
* ''Film/BladeTrilogy'':
** In ''Film/Blade1998'', the vampires have [[DoingInTheWizard some kind of realism]] -- no religious material is involved, but they're allergic to [[VampiresHateGarlic garlic]] and {{silver|HasMysticPowers}} and get severely burned by sunlight. Blade tortures a vampire with a UV lamp, eventually burning him to death.
** In ''Film/BladeII'', Blade's new sidekick builds [[DepletedPhlebotinumShells UV grenades]].
** In ''Film/BladeTrinity'', Abigal Whistler uses a [[Franchise/StarTrek bat'leth]]-like weapon that has a UV beam instead of a blade.
* ''Film/{{Daybreakers}}'': The light ''burns the vampires alive''.
* At the end of ''Film/DraculaVsFrankenstein'', the Monster forces Dracula out of the church and into the surrounding forest, where a fierce battle ensues between the two monsters. Dracula tears off the Monster's arms and head, but gets caught in the rays of the sun before he can make it back to his coffin and disintegrates into dust.
* ''Film/EmbraceOfTheVampire2013'': Having stabbed the vampire through the heart with with a sharpened cross, Charlotte finishes him off by ripping down the curtain and exposing him to the direct sunlight, causing him to burst into flames.
* ''Film/TheEyeCreatures'': The titular creatures can be taken down by ordinary car headlamps. A camera flash was enough to instantly vaporize one.
* ''Film/FrightNight1985'': When Charley and Peter Vincent confront the vampire Jerry Dandrige in the cellar where his coffin is located, they destroy him by ripping the coverings off the windows and allowing the sunlight inside.
* ''Film/FrightNight2011'': Jerry exploits this to KickTheDog. He allows Charley to "rescue" one of the girls he'd kidnapped and already converted, just so he could see the look of horror on the boy's face as she disintegrated into ashes.
* Since ''Film/{{Frostbite}}'' takes place during the [[TheNightThatNeverEnds arctic night]] the vampires are never exposed to sunlight, but through out the film they are shown as hating strong light of any kind.
* ''Film/GameOfDeath'': [[spoiler:Kareem Abdul Jabbar's character loses significant strength when Bruce Lee smashes the windows and lets the sunlight hit Jabbar's lizard eyes.]]
* ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'': Strong light will hurt Mogwai and Gremlins, and sunlight will kill them. {{Defied|Trope}} in one case in ''Film/Gremlins2TheNewBatch'' when the Gremlins raid a genetics lab and the Brain-Gremlin injects the Bat-Gremlin with an [[KryptoniteProofSuit anti-UV potion]] so that he can go and wreak havoc in the city. [[IdiotBall Fortunately]], [[FridgeLogic he didn't think to use it on any of his other brothers...]]
* In ''Film/{{Halloweentown}}'', the villain's powers are at their strongest in darkened areas like [[spoiler:the movie theater. The radiance from Merlin's Talisman destroys him]].
* ''Film/{{Hostile}}'': Harry tells [[TheProtagonist Juliette]] over her radio that Reapers hate the light. She uses this knowledge and shines a bright light on the Reaper to ward it off.
* Creator/RichardMatheson's novel ''Literature/IAmLegend'' has three official adaptations; ''Film/TheLastManOnEarth'' with Creator/VincentPrice, ''Film/TheOmegaMan'' with Creator/CharltonHeston and ''Film/IAmLegend'' with Creator/WillSmith. In all the LastOfHisKind homo sapien has to fight hordes of vampire-like creatures that are harm by sunlight and bright lights.
* In ''Film/IBoughtAVampireMotorcycle'', the titular monster is eventually killed by being lured into a gymnasium and trapped in a circle of tanning beds.
* ''Film/KissOfTheDamned'': Vampires can be killed by sunlight here, as usual. Maia is killed this way in the end.
* ''Film/Legend1985'': At the beginning, Darkness says: "Sunshine is my destroyer." Near the end we see what he means: when he's hit by the reflected light of the sun, he's BlownAcrossTheRoom as if it were a giant bullet hitting him.
* Cailban from ''Film/{{Logan}}'' is burnt by sunlight, requiring him to wear a hat and goggles whenever he's outside; Cailban likens himself to Film/{{Nosferatu}} at one point. Donald Pierce has a particularly cruel KickTheDog moment when he tortures Caliban by forcing him into some sunlight.
* ''Film/TheMonster2016'': The eponymous monster is averse to bright light and will retreat from it.
* ''Film/NearDark'': Depending on the strength the daylight and the length of exposure, vampires will either smoke, burn, or explode.
* ''Film/{{Nosferatu}}'' is usually credited as the origin of the idea that sunlight kills vampires.
* ''Film/PitchBlack'': The alien monsters are burned by light. Additionally, Riddick's [[InnateNightVision eyeshine treatment]] leaves him easily blinded by bright lights.
* ''Film/RolliAmazingTales'': [[spoiler:When the [[SinisterMinister High Priest]] is forced to enter the Rölli Forest from the Trashers' CollapsingLair, [[FacialHorror his face starts deteriorating]]. He says this is because the light and purity of the forest are detrimental to evil creatures such as him. He claims that this will be remedied once the Trashers are revigorated and the forest destroyed through pollution, but he's killed before this claim can be put to the test.]]
* The demons in ''Film/ScoobyDoo2002'' take control of human bodies to shield themselves against sunlight. Once their human bodies regain their souls and they're ejected out, the sun kills them.
* ''Film/SpaceAmoeba'': Ganimes' eyes are very sensitive to anything too bright.
* In ''Film/Underworld2003'', vampires are sensitive to ultraviolet light. The protagonist therefore uses [[DepletedPhlebotinumShells ultraviolet light-producing ammo]] to great effect.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Automan}}'''s title character himself is not adversely affected by sunlight, but his physical form takes so much electrical power to maintain that he normally can do it only during offpeak hours of the local electrical grid, which is predominately nighttime.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' and sister series ''Series/{{Angel}}'' vampires have a strange version of this. Direct sunlight will almost instantly immolate them, but they are portrayed as perfectly fine operating during the day as long as they remain in the shade. They can even move around in sunlight while covering themselves up with a jacket or hoodie - though if that cover gets pulled off, they'll fry immediately.
* In ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'', a case involving vampire fetishists uncovers an obsessively fixated "vampire" whose skin burns when it makes contact with light. Turns out he has an exceptionally rare skin condition.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E6TheVampiresOfVenice "The Vampires of Venice"]]: The "vampires" are weak to light because they're actually FishPeople. The young women they're converting develop this even before the transformation is complete — Isabella is captured during the escape because she flinches away from a ray of sunlight hitting a door.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E2TheGhostMonument "The Ghost Monument"]] has the Remnants, killer cloth developed as weapons that are inactive in the daytime.
* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'':
** In episode "[[Recap/FarscapeS01E17ThroughTheLookingGlass Through The Looking Glass]]", one dimension is bathed in red light with debilitating effects. Chiana is somehow unaffected, but is debilitated by the noise in the blue dimension instead.
** In episode "[[Recap/FarscapeS02E04CrackersDontMatter Crackers Don't Matter]]", Moya's crew is warned that "lower species" sometimes experience impaired judgment from the light of the pulsars they are traveling through. The trope is subverted when Crichton realizes that T'raltixx is causing their symptoms, not the pulsars. T'raltixx himself is an inversion, drawing his power from light and planning to use Moya to provide the light his people need to become a large-scale threat.
* The title character in ''{{Series/Fireman}}'' originally came from the Earth's core, so [[HourOfPower exposure to sunlight in his powered form for more than three minutes]] could kill him. He even had a light that worked like a "[[{{Series/Ultraman}} Color Timer]]" [[CriticalAnnoyance that alerted him]].
* ''Series/Goosebumps1995'': Several {{Monsters of the Week}} had this as a weakness.
** "[[Recap/Goosebumps1995S2E8RevengeOfTheLawnGnomes Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes]]": Unlike the books, the episode makes it so light paralyzes the gnomes rather than certain sounds. They are inert during the day and only come alive at night. A flaslight will do the trick, but it doesn't stop or kill them, it just slows them down, so you better hope that battery keeps working.
** "[[Recap/Goosebumps1995S2E20E21WelcomeToDeadHouse Welcome to Dead House]]": As in the novel it's adapted from, the (kind of) undead townsfolk of Dark Falls are cannibals who are weakened by daylight, and can be killed by direct sunlight. Instead of pushing a tree over to expose the sun, the Bensons smash out a window inside of a house during TheSiege after the townspeople have managed to get inside of the house, causing their undead neighbors to disintegrate into EmptyPilesOfClothing. [[spoiler:Unlike the book, it appears as if this does permanently kill them, and the TwistEnding is something completely different.]]
** "[[Recap/Goosebumps1995S3E10TheHauntedHouseGame The Haunted House Game]]": The ghosts are harmed by the flash from Jonathan's camera, which allows him and Nadine to escape through the front door.
* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': Most vampires ([[StrongerWithAge with the exception of those who are ancient like Armand]]) can only stand in direct sunlight for a few seconds before their flesh starts to char and crumble. Louis de Pointe du Lac gets around this in Dubai by having specially shielded windows for his penthouse, and in 1910s New Orleans, he and Lestat de Lioncourt have the excuse of being expected to do their business at night rather than during the day.
* ''Series/LetTheRightOneIn'': As usual, vampires here are harmed by sunlight. It's shown in the very first scene as a young male vampire starts to burn when the light hits him, and with Eleanor later as well. Peter, as the first male vampire's revealed to be, gets left with hideous burns.
* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': Direct sunlight greatly bothers the Orcs, causing their skin to actually boil, meaning they have to cloak themselves on the surface.
* ''Series/TheOrville'': The antagonist species, the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Krill]], die if exposed to strong enough UV light. This is why they wear helmets on Earth-like worlds.
* The giant winged serpent in the ''Series/Sanctuary2007'' episode "The Depths" is intolerant of sunlight. This is what kicks off the plot initially. Remembering this helps Magnus and Will sneak past it later in the episode.
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', Bizarro is a sort of opposite to Clark Kent. Kryptonite makes him stronger and sunlight makes him weaker.
* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E29OperationAnnihilate Operation: Annihilate!]]", the parasites that infected the colonists on the planet Deneva are destroyed by bright light.
* ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' establishes that [[MirrorUniverse Terrans]] are significantly more sensitive to light than Prime-universe humans; this is why EvilIsNotWellLit.
* ''Series/TrueBlood'': Vampires who meet the sunlight directly explode into flames. In the season 1 finale, Bill demonstrates the extent to which it weakens them by going out during the day to [[spoiler: save Sookie from Rene]] (although it's sort of a SenselessSacrifice since Sam had already saved her). Sookie finds him burning under the sunlight a few moments later and she and Sam get him under cover again. Older vampires are even more susceptible; the 2000-year-old [[spoiler:Godric]] DisappearsIntoLight within seconds of exposure.
* ''Series/TwoSentenceHorrorStories'': In "[[Recap/TwoSentenceHorrorStoriesS3E5Teeth Teeth]]" vampires like Olivia burn from exposure to sunlight.
* Speaking of ''{{Series/Ultraman}}'', the Underground people from Episode 22 died when [[{{Brainwashed}} a captured Hayata]] transformed into Ultraman in their presence, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard and the light from the transformation was too much for them]].
* In an episode of ''Series/TheXFiles'', one of the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Monsters of the Week]] was explained as someone suffering from a similar skin condition. In truth, no, he was a ''freakin' vampire''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Vampires]] traditionally avoided sunlight, though the idea that it would rapidly kill them is a [[NewerThanTheyThink modern invention]].
* In Norse mythology, Thor tricks the dark elf Alvis to stay up answering questions until the sun rises and kills him.
* In Scandinavian folklore trolls either turn to stone or explode when exposed to sunlight.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* Kubitarou from ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterNG'' is sensitive to light, and will disappear if a strong light is shone on her. This is justified as Kubitarou having oxyopia when she was alive; her acute eyesight caused her to be overly sensitive to light, which became a straight-out weakness when she became a spirit.
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[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': Averted with [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Boo]], as he gladly tells Bill after his Light Beam fails to harm him.
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[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/ChampionsOfFaraus'': Subject x9x is reduced to an agonized, ''screeching'' blob when Flamel activates the [[BlindedByTheLight light spell]] Hyperion provided.
* ''Webcomic/CharbyTheVampirate'': Most of the vampires will burst into flame and be reduced to ashes near instantaneously if exposed to direct sunlight.
* ''Webcomic/CrimsonStars'': Vampires are somewhat allergic to ultraviolet light, which tends to stop their superhuman regeneration.
* ''Webcomic/{{Derelict}}'': The various Miasmic races are hurt by light -- specifically, ultraviolet light. Long-term exposure to sunlight slowly burns them to death, while UV weapons can be used to great effect against even the largest members of their species.
* ''Webcomic/GoblinHollow'': The gargoyles are an indirect example. Sunlight doesn't directly harm or weaken them, but since they are immobilized by direct observation (in the same vein as ''Doctor Who''[='s=] Weeping Angels), they are much less dangerous in a well-illuminated area.
* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': Sunlight inflicts DeaderThanDead on vampires within seconds. The vampire [[ReligionIsMagic cleric]] [[spoiler:Malack]] created a custom spell to negate this vulnerability. When he's in the desert, [[spoiler:a timely DispelMagic reduces him to ash]].
* ''Webcomic/SamAndFuzzy'':
** One of the many mental illnesses that plague vampires is chronic Heliophobia, which makes the vampire ''act'' as though daylight (and bright light in general) is fatal to them. Those without the Heliophobia are as affected by the sun as regular humans however.
** Jess Star and the rest of the shapeshifting slugs cannot shapeshift in direct sunlight and revert to their natural forms when exposed. As a result, most are happy staying Underground where this isn't an issue.
* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'': Rash creatures are highly sensitive to sunlight, and direct exposure to it burns and eventually kills them; as a result, they're nocturnal by obligation and can't move in the open during the day unless it's raining or heavily overcast. Some develop natural armor and thickened hides which afford them some protection, but even these can only roam outside during twilight hours. UV radiation seems to be factor in this weakness, since soiled gear can be sanitized by being put under a UV lamp or left in the sun long enough.
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[[folder:Web Original]]
* In ''Literature/{{Brennus}}'', the Dark's wraiths are weakenend by light.
* ''Blog/HamstersParadise'': The troglofauna living in the Sub-Arcuterran Cavern System are completely blind as they lack eyes but they do have patches of skin on their bodies that can detect light and they will instinctively flee from it. The reason for this is to deter them from traveling to the surface where they are at a distinct disadvantage to the sighted predators living there. Some of the insects and fungus living in the caves have evolved to take advantage of this by developing bioluminescence that scares away any troglofauna trying to eat them.
* In ''WebOriginal/TheSanguineChronicles'', sunlight doesn't directly harm vampires, but it ''does'' disable their supernatural powers.
* ''Website/SCPFoundation''
** [[http://scp-wiki.net/scp-538 SCP-538 ("Shadow Spiders")]]. While in brightly-lit areas, shadow spiders shrink at a rate of 2 centimeters per second. When they're reduced to nothing, they're destroyed.
** [[http://scp-wiki.net/scp-575 SCP-575 ("Predatory Darkness").]] SCP-575 is destroyed when exposed to light.
** [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-593 SCP-593 ("Contagious Innumeracy").]] SCP-593 is a genetically engineered disease similar to measles. After it causes a rash covering the entire body, the victim's eyes become so sensitive that they can be totally blinded by exposure to light.
** [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-625 SCP-625 ("Anklebiters").]] When exposed to bright light, SCP-625 will fall unconscious and become dormant. 80 seconds after the light is removed, they are revived.
** [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-631 SCP-631 ("Nyctophobic Nocturnal Predator").]] Inverted: SCP-631 becomes invisible to normal sight in daylight, which makes it much more difficult to see and attack them.
** [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-1249 SCP-1249 ("Pestilence")]]. If [[TheWormThatWalks SCP-1249]] is exposed to light with an intensity greater than 45 candelas, it will flee and disperse over a 300 square meter area.
** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1284 SCP-1284 ("The Moon's Child Bride").]] If SCP-1284-2 is exposed to sunlight it will spontaneously liquify.
** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1819 SCP-1819 ("Darkness is Only Skin Deep").]] Inverted. When children affected by SCP-1819 are in darkness, they suffer the effects of severe sunburn, including increased risk of cancer.
** Inverted by [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-1983 SCP-1983 ("Doorway to Nowhere").]] Its shadow monsters are ''stronger'' in the light, as they have clear sharp edges in it; in the dark, they're indistinct, and apparently cannot interact with people whose shadows are not visible.
** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2009 SCP-2009 ("Thomas Hoang").]] SCP-2009-01 suffer from photosensitivity and experience discomfort when exposed to normal levels of light.
** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2332 SCP-2332 ("Thought Messenger").]] SCP-2332 is rendered catatonic when exposed to strong light at wavelengths between 360 and 480 nanometers (i.e. blue light), such as from a blue laser pointer.
** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2622 SCP-2622 ("Ambassador from the Mole People").]] SCP-2622 is extremely sensitive to light. He experiences severe eye pain in normal (or brighter) lighting conditions.
** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2863 SCP-2863 ("がしゃどくろ") (tr. "Gashadokuro").]] SCP-2863 are giant skeletons that bite off people's heads and drink their blood. If they are exposed to any light at all, they lose their corporeal form, and are banished until darkness falls again.
* The world of ''Website/TaerelSetting'' has the kin'toni whom are vampic monsters that happen to be harmed by light, driving the kin'toni into caves and ruins during the day. Sunlight cases a kin'toni body to reject their own tissues.
* As DIO is still a vampire in ''WebVideo/VaguelyRecallingJoJo'', he carries around an umbrella to protect himself from the sunlight.
* Vamp of the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse''. She's an albino with vampiric powers, and she's sensitive to sunlight. Carmilla used to be extremely sensitive, and wore special protective armor so she could go out during the day.
* ''WebVideo/UnwantedHouseguest'': Doctor Wolfula speculates that this may be the case for the Shadow Demon. [[spoiler: He's proven correct when the Shadow Demon is defeated by the beam of Owl Head Lighthouse.]]
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[[folder:Real Life]]
* Due to their soft, moist bodies being sensitive to heat and dehydration, earthworms spend much of their lives underground and display an aversion to bright light (they lack eyes, but have light-sensitive cells in their skin). They also die quickly when exposed to direct sunlight.
* There’s a reason the genetic disorder [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porphyria Porphyria]] is nicknamed the Vampire Disease. The skin literally blisters when exposed to sunlight along with oodles of other unfortunate side effects.
* The sun can cause sun burns and skin cancer. The genetic disorder [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeroderma_pigmentosum xeroderma pigmentosum]] removes the body's ability to repair damage caused to the skin by ultraviolet radiation; as a result sufferers are highly vulnerable to skin cancer and must avoid sunlight as much as possible.
** Relatedly, it's entirely possible to get a fatal sunburn if you are very pale and are outside with no clothes or sunblock all day.
* Albinos do ''not'' like direct sunlight -- they have no melanin to delay sunburn, and in bright light their eyes hurt and see even worse than they do normally ("normal" being half-blind).
* Every species of plant has evolved to tolerate specific amounts of sunlight (usually divided by horticulturalists into three categories: Full sun, Partial sun, and Shaded). Plants that tolerate heavy shade will be killed surprisingly quickly by too much direct sunlight. For reference, most house plants are shade tolerant (or prefer indirect or filtered sunlight).
** Lower school science teachers will probably have a story about this. Many textbooks will encourage teachers to demonstrate photosynthesis by taking two cuttings from some decorative plant that is available and placing one in the light and the other in the dark. The idea being that the plant kept in the shade will wither and die while the one kept in the sun will prosper. Since most house plants fall into the shade tolerant category, the experiment will often produce the opposite of the intended results.
* People with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photophobia Photophobia]] can experience a range of symptoms ranging from discomfort and sensitivity to headaches (unless the headaches themselves are the cause of photophobia) when they are in the presence of bright lights.
* Many geeks, introverts and other people who spend much of their time indoors tend to quip about the "evil daystar" on the occasions that they must go outside during the day. Along with those people that work a graveyard shift.
* Deepsea life relies so much on the lack of light around it that exposure to what is (to us) normal amounts can prove fatal, ranging from sensory overloading to flat-out blindness. (Most life isn't so much blind as it is supremely sensitive to faint light; that's what anglerfish rely on, after all.) Yes, this means that whenever we manage to capture footage of, say, a gulper eel or a viperfish, it usually ends up dead shortly afterwards- a blessing for the scavengers on the seafloor, a miserable feeling for us. Luckily, scientists are trying to switch over to red light to prevent this from happening. As red barely penetrates through even the surface of the water, most aquatic creatures can't perceive it.
* A tried and true treatment for eczema is to expose it to sunlight. Why it works is still theoretical, but it's believed that the vitamin D from the sun may trigger an autoimmune response which fights viruses, bacteria, and fungi present in the skin that make eczema worse, and that the UV radiation of the sun reduces inflammation and alleviates some of the dryness and itching.
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