History Main / CyberneticsEatYourSoul

* PlayedWith in ''Podcast/PretendingToBePeople''. While it's not explicitly mentioned that the [[{{Cyborg}} cyborgs]] in the series are less human than their fully-organic counterparts, the cyborgs we ''do'' see are all quite messed-up people. Upon gaining cybernetic implants, [[ButtMonkey Keith Vigna]] somehow becomes even [[LackOfEmpathy less empathetic]] than he already was.
* Website/SCPFoundation:
** [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-217 217]] melds this with TheVirus.
** [[http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-191 SCP-191]], a little {{cyborg}} girl who sees herself more as a machine than a person. Justified given she was an involuntary guinea pig for a MadScientist.
** Inverted by the [[MachineWorship Church of the Broken God]], who believe that making your body more mechanical makes you closer to [[DeusEstMachina their god]].
** Averted by the prosthetic limbs made by Anderson Robotics, even if the owner is a CorruptCorporateExecutive.
*** Their Buteo suits in the [[DeathTakesaHoliday End of Death]] canon however, have this as a consequence of shorting out when too much dopamine is in the brain. [[spoiler: Turns out the dopamine limiters were put in by a researcher disgusted with the ImmortalityImmorality she has seen to prevent users from becoming too hedonistic.]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Completely averted and defied in ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers''. Niko's Series 5 implant enhances her PsychicPowers, to the point where the Rangers, as TrueCompanions, can ''channel their implants' power through her'' for impressive effects. Zachary Foxx has had more than half his body replaced by cyberware, but it hasn't stopped several magic-based enemies from finding him SupernaturallyDeliciousAndNutritious.
** It should be noted, however, that this trope is partly the reason why Zach is not all that comfortable with his bionics. ("Rogue Arm")
* [[spoiler: Finn]] on ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' completely averts this. He currently [[spoiler: has a bionic arm]] and had his singing voice mechanically enhanced circa the beginning of the series by "swallowing a tiny computer," but his intermittent psychological troubles are handled very realistically, and none of them have all that much to do with cybernetics.
** Walking spoiler [[spoiler: Doctor Gross]] plays this completely straight, however. Zig-zagged with [[spoiler: Susan Strong,]] who does act ''really creepy'' when under the control of an old brain implant. [[spoiler: She gets better whenever it's inactive and when it's finally destroyed.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' had the episode "Lost [[OurSoulsAreDifferent Soul]]", in which Robert Vance [[BrainUploading uploaded himself]] into the company computer. The first thing he did upon awakening 35 years later was flip out and [[EverythingIsOnline jack the city network]]. Terry espouses a view based on this trope:
--> '''Batman''': You really think you're Robert Vance, don't you? But he was flesh, and you're just binary. They don't ''go'' together!
** For his next trick, he [[spoiler: plans to [[MoralEventHorizon kill his grandson by]] [[GrandTheftMe overwriting himself onto the guy's brain]]]]. A move also used by Ra's al-Ghul in the episode "Out of the Past".

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "The Six Million Dollar Mon", Hermes Conrad enhances himself with numerous robot parts in order to become a more efficient bureaucrat. The alterations make his [[{{jerkass}} already chilly]] personality even more so. His desire for perfection eventually leads him to seek a robot brain replacement, which presents [[AxCrazy other problems]]. Oddly enough, it's general screwup and ButtMonkey Zoidberg who winds up restoring him to his previous self.

* Deliberately left without a clear answer in ''VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth''. Supremacy affinity, which specializes in cybernetics and gradually improves it, receives exactly this perception from the adherents of Harmony and, [[TranshumanTreachery especially]], Purity. And although it may fully correspond to such an assessment, Supremacy's [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation final interpretation tends to vary greatly]]. However, it is not unique in this respect. Any of the affinities can be located absolutely anywhere on the ShadesOfConflict scale, despite the fact that all of them, regardless of their ideals, are inclined to end their ideological path on the positions of inveterate [[TheFundamentalist Fundamentalists]] and [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]]. Therefore, in one game, Supremacy will symbolize [[ScienceHero a beacon of progress, enlightenment, and independence of mankind]], and in another - an artificial HiveMind that is not interested in anything other than [[TheAssimilator forcibly absorbing everyone else into its network]]. Of course, these are not all possible variations.

* The ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'''s Robotman is a different person with similar issues, who once checks himself into a mental hospital as a result. Despite this, he is often the sanest and most level-headed member of the team. At the team is a DysfunctionJunction, that isn't very difficult.

** Then it got worse when Henshaw above found about the Alphas. He was tired of living, and realized the conversion process was similar to his own experience. So he decided to study them, commencing mass production to study the process, in hopes of eventually reversing his own state back to normal human.

** And then there's the prototypes, [[HappilyAdopted both of whom were raised in a loving environment since early childhood]], and neither of them ever show any signs of psychosis. The younger one is even referred to as being "[[GenkiGirl more human than anyone]]" by her best friend.

** This trope was initially subverted altogether with Garrison Kane aka Weapon X (no, not [[ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} that one]]) of ''ComicBook/XForce'', who retained his heroic personality even after becoming a quadruple amputee and subsequently receiving four artificial limbs courtesy of the Weapon X program. He ''did'' acquire a rather heated grudge against ComicBook/{{Cable}}, but that's somewhat understandable seeing as how Cable abandoned him on a mission which led to his becoming a quadruple amputee in the first place. Later, after his original creators departed and he lost his initial purpose as a heroic {{Foil}} to ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}, the trope was played horribly straight, going to work for the Neverland mutant concentration camp in what can only be described as pure unleaded Character Derailment. He was KilledOffForReal shortly after..

* In ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'' fic, ''[[https://my.w.tt/fZp201ZOMY Final Stand of Death]]'', The CouncilOfAngels were determinate to avert this when they had [[spoiler: the Music/SpiceGirls]] automated to become part of the separate fleet of TheArmiesOfHeaven. While the rest of the girls were chilled after starting to understand how their new abilities works, [[Music/MelanieC Melanie]] starts to become depressed as a result. CelestialParagonsAndArchangels helps her out.

* Done in a literal sense in ''FanFic/EquestriaGirlsFriendshipSouls'' with the Espada Grogar, whose [[OneWingedAngel Resurreccion]] has been [[ProfessorGuineaPig augumented by his experiments]] to incorporate reishi-constructed cybernetics, effectively making him a [[NinjaPirateRobotZombie ghost-goat-man-cyborg]]. Captain [[spoiler:Celestia]] feels a sense of disgust and pity at what he's literally mutilated his own soul into for power. Granted, this is more to show the depths of depravity he would sink to; it's made clear from his appearances before the reveal of his Resurreccion he was rotten long before he started "upgrading" himself to surpass his natural limits.

** The World Of Blake's massively cybernetically modified Manei Dominei soldiers are merciless killers, but that's more likely due to their indoctrination rather then a side-effect of their cybernetics.

*** Played with regarding Myomer implants, which act as electric powered muscles that can vastly augment one's strength and endurance. Despite the large alteration the procedure generally does not result in psychological problems. However patients usually become dependent on pain killers afterwards and that in itself can lead to a host of issues.

* ''Literature/QuantumGravity'': Lila worries that this will happen. In something of a twist, it's not that she's worried about her human parts being replaced by more mechanical ones (at first), it's that her organic and inroganic parts are slowly integrating--she's told her AI and her brain will stop being separate soon. [[spoiler:And then the magic metalloid fleshoid ''stuff'' starts growing to encompass more of her body, and she frets even more because she is losing all of her human body.]]

* Going into "Nanoshock" and becoming "Necrotech" is a very real danger in K.C. Alexander's ''[=SINless=]'' books. Every humans have an extensive amount of nanites and many will have further bionics, with cybernetics enthusiasts really pushing the boundaries. Unfortunately humans have a limited "tech threshold", after which the body can't handle all this energy-intensive hardware and shuts down. Plus even if are you well below the tech threshold, if the nanites in your body exhaust their energy supply then they will start to break down the host body for energy. This is going in to "Nanoshock" and if the person dies, the corpse becomes animated by the nanites and the resulting [[ArtificialZombie high-tech zombie]] becomes known as "Necrotech".

** Ton Phanan of Wraith Squadron was a doctor before [[EmergencyTransformation losing a leg, and half of his face]] during the Battle of Endor. It's debatable whether the cybernetics specifically or his highly-visible injuries are more to blame, but nonetheless Phanan became increasingly cynical and depressed, [[StepfordSmiler hiding in snark]]. [[WordOfGod The author]] is on record as saying that although Phanan feared death and struggled against it, deep down he didn't want to live.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Alternity}}'' uses Cybertech that is mostly safe, barring the chance of rejection, which one species doesn't have. There is a limit on how much cybertech you can have, and two products come with a built in risk of Cykosis, notably the [[SchmuckBait Fast Chip]]. Cybertolerance determines how much cybertech you can handle before rejection is automatic, and there are ways you can increase your tolerance.
* Averted with the Therians, of ''TabletopGame/AT43''. Despite being the BigBad of the setting, they are not very warlike or evil (in fact, they have long ago forgotten how to fight, making them rely on [[IKnowMortalKombat MMORPGS for tactics]]). They just don't seem to get why the other races keep shooting up them for trying to blow up their solar systems in order to make Dyson Spheres in order to save the universe form dying of old age...in 25 billion years. So its more like Cybernetics makes you a CloudCuckooLander. (Except for their Warrior Guild, who ''all'' LeeroyJenkins.)

** Another less-mentally-taxing alternative is [[BioAugmentation bioware and biotech]]: augmentations that supplement and assist your body's natural processes instead of outright replacing them,(Usually. There are exceptions, but even those are organic instead of mechanical). Examples include custom antibodies and nano-surgeons that can [[HealingFactor supercharge your immune system]], nanobots that weave polymers through your bones and muscles to make them stronger, custom-grown replacement organs with bonus features (like an appendix that actually does something), and much more.

** "Arcanowave" implants are icky MadScientist tech that are made of demons and BlackMagic. Here, the danger is not so much losing your humanity in the typical cyberpunk sense the more you get cybered up, but [[TheCorruption having bent magic sent into your system like a virus whenever you use it]]. Use it too much, and you start mutating into something horrific and run the risk of becoming an abomination, one of those altered demons that the government of 2056 uses to fight its wars.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} Cyberpunk'' doesn't explicitly penalize cyberware, though given the expense in both money and character points, characters may end up taking disadvantages to reduce the upfront costs (or just end up putting points into the cyberware cost for the forseeable future at the cost of improving skills or other aspects of their character). Disadvantages need not be mental or even physical: a character could have a Duty in the form of working for the corp that installed the equipment (or owing a street doc "favors"), or have Social Stigmas (clients are put off by blatant chrome) or even Enemies (you went AWOL with military-grade hardware, and the government is going to reclaim it without worrying overmuch if you survive the experience). Disadvantages can also come built into the cyber itself: sure, you have an implanted weapon but it's {{Reliably Unreliable|Guns}}...

* The ''{{Munchkin}}'s Guide to Gaming'' encourages exploiting this mechanic as its a free power up coupled with a roleplaying justification [[HackAndSlash for your normal behavior.]] (The third paragraph in the intro above is almost a direct quote from the book).
* ''TabletopGame/NewHorizon'' The anti-rejection drugs are stated to have a side effect where the user can become easily both depressed and easily agitated as well as suffer from advanced aging. More likely though, the social rejection from society, the cost of medical bills, and the interactions of the anti-rejection drugs with alcohol and other drugs used by cyborgs to deal with emotional pain lead to most of the problems with useing cybernetics, not the cybernetics themselves.

* ''VideoGame/PunishingGrayRaven'' has cybernetics experts actively acknowledge and try to avert this trope when creating Reconstructed Soldiers. Much attention is brought to the fact Constructs resemble humans as closely as possible; they even use advanced materials to ensure they even weigh the same as an average human to maintain their psychological stability, which is further aided by Commandants providing long distance support. On the other hand, the Arctic Route Union shows what happens when you go in the opposite direction, when they essentialy built a walking tank with a robotic upper torso on top to act as a pilot: it promptly went berserk and nearly destroyed the Union. Even then, they still punish criminals by forcing them to don completely metal centaur bodies and then exile them into the Siberian wilderness to fight rampaging robots.

* It should be noted that the most commonly depicted symptom of soul-lessness, loss of emotion, is possible as emotional reactions are brought on through various chemicals, (neurotransmitters, adrenaline). Even something as simple as an antidepressant can make a person less emotional or even downright StrawVulcan with a sufficient dose. Cybernetics have the potential to affect, stimulate, or manipulate the production of these chemicals.

* Deliberately left without a clear answer in ''VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth''. Supremacy affinity, which specializes in cybernetics and gradually improves it, receives exactly this perception from the adherents of Harmony and, [[TranshumanTreachery especially]], Purity. And, although they may fully correspond to such an assessment, Supremacy's [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation final interpretation may vary greatly]]. However, they are not unique in this respect. Any of the affinities can be located absolutely anywhere on the ShadesOfConflict scale, despite the fact that all of them, regardless of their ideals, tend to end their ideological path on the positions of inveterate [[TheFundamentalist Fundamentalists]] and [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]]. Therefore, in one game, Supremacy will symbolize [[ScienceHero a beacon of progress, enlightenment, and independence of mankind]], and in another - an artificial HiveMind that is not interested in anything other than [[TheAssimilator forcibly absorbing everyone else into its network]]. Of course, these are not all possible variations.

* Deliberately left without a clear answer in ''VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth''. Supremacy affinity, which specializes in cybernetics and gradually improves it, receives exactly this perception from the adherents of Harmony and, [[TranshumanTreachery especially]], Purity. And, although they may fully correspond to such an assessment, Supremacy's [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation final interpretation may vary greatly]]. However, they are not unique in this respect. Any of the affinities can be located absolutely anywhere on the ShadesOfConflict scale, despite the fact that all of them, regardless of their ideals, tend to end their ideological path on the positions of inveterate [[TheFundamentalist Fundamentalists]] and [[KnightTemplar Knights Templar]]. Therefore, in one game, Supremacy will symbolize [[ScienceHero a beacon of progress, enlightenment and independence of mankind]], and in another - an artificial HiveMind that is not interested in anything other than [[TheAssimilator forcibly absorbing everyone else into its network]]. Of cource, these are not all possible variations.

* Deconstructed in ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'': [[spoiler:For most of the game, Peter ''desperately'' clings to the idea that Otto Octavius' breakdown and [[StartOfDarkness transformation into a villain]] is merely the result of the faulty neural interface on his tentacles messing with his head. By the end of the game however, it's made ''quite'' clear that while interfacing with the tentacles certainly didn't help his mental state, Otto was losing his sanity even before he created them. Otto's [[SmallNameBigEgo arrogance]], [[TheResenter resentment of others]], and [[RevengeBeforeReason obsession with vengeance]] were all there from the start]]; the faulty neural interface merely chipped away his inhibitions and exacerbated his long supressed rage, basically just giving Otto the final push he needed to fully embrace his darker side.

It bears mentioning that this trope appeared in few (if any) of the original CyberPunk novels that inspired these games.

** IP Creator Mike Pondsmith, [[https://www.reddit.com/r/LowSodiumCyberpunk/comments/xklzsx/comment/ipffmf4/ in a comment on Reddit]] once explained that he partially based cyberpsychosis off anabolic steroid addiction - with the psychosis episodes being comparable to roid rage - with a psychological element based on how able an individual is to shrug off stress and mental hardship. He also confirmed that [[https://www.reddit.com/r/LowSodiumCyberpunk/comments/xklzsx/comment/irb6mqi/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 Johnny suffered from cyberpsychosis on some level due to his cybernetic limb]] and blamed his worst impulses on his titular hand. Pondsmith goes on to say that Johnny's unstable and rage-filled nature meant that his presence in V's mind [[InsanityImmunity made V a lot more resistant to Cyberpsychosis]] since he's already partially a Cyberpsycho himself.

** IP Creator Mike Pondsmith, [[https://old.reddit.com/r/LowSodiumCyberpunk/comments/xklzsx/why_doesnt_v_get_cyberpsychosis/ipffmf4/ in a comment on Reddit]] once explained that he partially based cyberpsychosis off anabolic steroid addiction - with the psychosis episodes being comparable to roid rage - with a psychological element based on how able an individual is to shrug off stress and mental hardship.

It does of course make a huge logical difference whether it is just limbs and other body parts being replaced, or if sections of the ''brain itself'' are being replaced with equipment which may perform inferiorly to, or merely differently from the original. Replacing parts of your uniquely balanced glandular/hormonal system with pumps might not do your personality any favors, either. And that's without even touching on subtleties like how your intestinal flora affect your mind, or how extremely complex/high-performance cybernetic parts might simply demand more processing power than your brain can supply and eat away at your central nervous system that way. Characters who are [[ManInTheMachine getting encased in a mobile life support coffin]] usually suffer this not from having parts replaced, but being put in large, scary and clumsy or destructive bodies.

In the end, it bears mentioning that this trope happened in few (if any) of the original CyberPunk novels that inspired these games.

[[ScienceMarchesOn More and better experience with prosthetic limbs in the 21st Century has called this trope into question]]. The idea that you are somehow less human because you had a limb loss is demeaning and ableist, plus real people with prosthetics show no sign of being less empathetic than before they lost limbs.

Of course, if the cyborg was ''dead'' prior to the cybernetics being installed, and it is mentioned that parts being reactivated have side-effects or don't work like the original, this is a case of CameBackWrong.

Often the idea behind DarkLordOnLifeSupport. Compare with MagicVersusScience, ScienceIsBad, ProHumanTranshuman and TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody. Frequently the fate or concern of a FullConversionCyborg See also PsychoSerum, BodyHorror, TranshumanTreachery and OurSoulsAreDifferent. If the "humanity loss" from cybernetics is seen as something desirable, see MachineWorship. See also CreativeSterility.

** ''[[Anime/CyberpunkEdgerunners Edgerunners]]'' would affirm that excessive chroming, especially powerful combat implants that are taxing on the body, does indeed create a very real increased risk of mental instability, simply due to the sheer stress of maintaining more foreign objects (with potentially elliptic glitches) than the human nervous system was evolved to handle, and the trauma that drives implants to begin with. V just happens to be an exception due to their unique circumstances (the fact they have [[YourDaysAreNumbered a shortened lifespan]] and [[VirtualGhost a second personality inside their head]] to absorb much of the strain, plus Realskinn coverings to make their augmented limbs seem more lifelike).

** IP Creator Mike Pondsmith, [[https://old.reddit.com/r/LowSodiumCyberpunk/comments/xklzsx/why_doesnt_v_get_cyberpsychosis/ipffmf4/ in a comment on Reddit]] once explained that he partially based cyberpsychosis off anabolic steroid addiction - with the psychosis episodes being comparable to roid rage - with a psychologcal element based on how able an individual is to shrug off stress and mental hardship.

In many popular {{cyberpunk}} TabletopGames, cybernetic implants cause "humanity loss", reducing your social traits and essentially making cyberware into a form of BodyHorror. Too many implants may [[SenseLossSadness reduce your character to catatonia]] or (far more often) AxCrazy [[PsychoSerum on steroids]]. If these settings also feature PsychicPowers or FunctionalMagic, cyberware often reduces your ability to use those as well. This trope usually accompanies the broken lesson that ''only'' cyberware inflicts humanity loss -- sure, getting that ArmCannon will dehumanize you, but not [[MoralEventHorizon deliberately committing actual atrocities]], getting hooked on [[DrugsAreBad hard drugs]], learning BlackMagic, having a mental illness that is not fictional, or other expected sources of insanity. It also becomes silly when RidiculouslyHumanRobots exist in the same story and yet are depicted as more... um... [[ShapedLikeItself human]].

The real practical reason for it was otherwise, a player would just take '''everything''' at max level. This forced the player to pick and choose what cybernetics they had.

This trope can be considered a form of CompetitiveBalance gone bad, as game designers originally used humanity loss to keep player cyborgs in line -- without any drawbacks, any {{Munchkin}} worth his salt would load himself down with Kill-O-Matic 3000s slaved to his neural systems so he could kill with a thought while his brand new shiny titanium limbs ripped battleships in half. In practice, this wasn't a good balancing mechanism; to a true Munchkin, having your character become a drooling AxCrazy psychopath only made it ''easier'' to justify all that senseless carnage. It's also notable that this trope happened in few (if any) of the original CyberPunk novels that inspired most of these games.

More and better experience with prosthetic limbs in the 21st Century has called this trope into question. The idea that you are somehow less human because you had a limb loss is demeaning and ableist, plus real people with prosthetics show no sign of being less empathetic than before they lost limbs.

* In the mecha RPG ''TabletopGame/GiantGuardianGeneration'', being a Cyborg means you take a penalty to Empathy rolls, as well as Awareness rolls that involve diplomacy and deceit. In other words, Cybernetics don't so much Eat Your Soul as Make You Bad at Socializing.

** Defied in ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda]], where Ryder's SAM connection becomes the core of the Andromeda Initiative, as SAM's AI capabilities give Ryder the ability to hack terminals made by precursors with technology bordering on the supernatural. [[spoiler:Over the course of the game, Ryder develops the nascent ability needed to hack the terminals themselves (though at the cost of brain damage), proving that the relationship isn't just a technological crutch but a symbiotic co-development.]]

* In ''Literature/BehindBlueEyes'' by Anna Mocikat, it is {{Justified}} trope as the Guardian Angels' cybernetics are designed to make it easier to control their minds via brainwashing. They're designed to be an InternalDeathSquad that eliminates all dissent to the Olympias Corporation after all.

* In the world of ''ComicBook/{{Mosely}} had people with cybernetic upgrades to the point of having little kids having superpowerful upgrades.

* The ''Literature/HostileTakeover'' series averts this and plays it straight. Dominic Magnus has had much of his body cybernetically rebuilt, and worries about this, but in fact his emotional detachment is for perfectly ordinary human reasons. The minor character of Ambrose, though, has had much of his brain replaced as well, and is described as not really being a person anymore, but not legally an AI, and thus [[NoTranshumanismAllowed allowed to exist]]

* In ''Literature/AncillaryJustice'', [[TheEmpire the Radch's]] dominant religion's view is that only humans can be pure, so impurities introduced to the body reduce your humanity. People who are sufficiently altered are considered so damaged they might as well be aliens. Not that that stops anyone from the Radch getting audio-visual implants installed for pure practicality.

* Generally, ''Franchise/StarTrek'' mistrusts such replacements. [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Picard]]'s replacement heart malfunctions and nearly kills him in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS6E14Tapestry Tapestry]]" (Q points out that a normal heart would not stop in such a situation), Geordi's VISOR is abused a couple of times by Romulans,[[note]]and later Soran in ''[[Film/StarTrekGenerations Generations]]'', which leads to him finally getting ocular implants by ''[[Film/StarTrekFirstContact First Contact]]''[[/note]] [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Nog]]'s leg hurts until he realizes the pain is entirely psychosomatic, etc.

* In ''LightNovel/InvadersOfTheRokujyouma'', two former [[TheArchmage archmages]] who were [[WeCanRebuildHim rebuilt as cyborgs]] can no longer fight with magic as they used to, being forced to rely on weapons instead. {{Downplayed}} in that this is because mages produce {{Mana}} with their entire bodies - they lost their power when their limbs were blown off, not when they were replaced. In Nana's case her new limbs [[InvertedTrope actually compensate for this somewhat]], due to one of them incorporating fragments of an ancient MagicStaff designed to grant magical abilities to {{Muggles}}.

* The Creator/MarvelComics superhero Deathlok got revived as a cyborg to be used as a soldier. He's now stuck with a computer linked to his brain that is constantly encouraging him to be a cold-blooded pragmatist instead of a decent human being, and it's a constant struggle of wills for him to override it. Deathlocket is a subversion. She usually has complete control, but technopaths are able to shut down her human half and control her via her cybernetics.