History Main / DreamStealer

* ComicBook/SuskeEnWiske: The entire concept of the album "De Dromendiefstal" ("The Dreams Theft") is built around this idea.

* And a villainous example appears in [[Music/{{Vocaloid}} Kagamine Len's]] "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmOeqLHwn5g Dream-Eating Monochrome Baku]]," where the titular character eats the nightmares of a young girl but later returns to take away all her aspirations as payment. This is a rather unusual depiction of the baku, which is generally portrayed as a benevolent spirit. [[spoiler: The sequel song "[[http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm25994904 Sleeping Beauty]]" reveals that he ''is'' a benevolent spirit... to all of one person, who was his lover and died of an unspecified cause. He steals the dreams of other people and takes away their aspirations in order to give her the energy to stay alive and eventually resurrect, but for the majority of the song she's in a vegetative state.]]

* [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Morrigan Aensland]] is said to be of a particular kind of succubus that, [[HornyDevils in addition to the usual features]], can also feed on the dreams of mortals.
* The move "Dream Eater" from ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' is a powerful HP-draining attack, but works only when the opponent is asleep.
** The Pokémon species Drowzee and Hypno are particularly famous for this in the games' [[GameplayAndStorySegregation canon]], where they have been known to [[MemeticMolester kidnap children]] to feed off their dreams.

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

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* ComicBook/SuskeEnWiske: The entire concept of the album "De Dromendiefstal" ("The Dreams Theft") is built around this idea.

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[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:{{Live Action TV}}]]
* The baku (listed below) makes an appearance in ''Series/LostGirl'' as a heroic creature who helps people by eating their bad dreams.

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[[AC:{{Mythology}}]]

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** The Pokémon species Drowzee and Hypno are particularly famous for this in the games' [[GameplayAndStorySegregation canon]], where they have been known to [[MemeticMolester kidnap children]] to feed off their dreams.

[[AC:WebAnimation]]
* Invoked in an episode of {{WebAnimation/Bonus Stage}}
-->'''Elly:''' "This show ruins everyone's dreams."
-->'''Joel:''' "It also eats them and grows stronger."

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[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

[[AC:RealLife]]
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamcatcher Dreamcatchers]] are objects originally used by the Ojibwa First Nation peoples, but now much more widespread. They're said to be able to filter out their users' bad dreams, and ensure that the users only have good ones.

* The Dragonborn him/herself can become one by using the Skull of Corruption, Vaermina's Daedric Artifact in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''. The staff steals dreams (replacing them with horrid nightmares, if the quest involving it is anything to go by) to power itself up.

* And a villainous example appears in [[Music/{{Vocaloid}} Kagamine Len's]] "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmOeqLHwn5g Dream-Eating Monochrome Baku]]," where the titular character eats the nightmares of a young girl but later returns to take away all her aspirations as payment. This is a rather unusual depiction of the baku, which is generally portrayed as a benevolent spirit. [[spoiler: The sequel song "[[http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm25994904 Sleeping Beauty]]" reveals that he ''is'' a benevolent spirit... to all of one person, who was his lover and died of an unspecified cause. He steals the dreams of other people and takes away their aspirations in order to give her the energy to stay alive, but in a vegetative state.]]

* And a villainous example appears in [[Music/{{Vocaloid}} Kagamine Len's]] "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmOeqLHwn5g Dream-Eating Monochrome Baku]]," where the titular character eats the nightmares of a young girl but later returns to take away all her aspirations as payment. This is a rather unusual depiction of the baku, which is generally portrayed as a benevolent spirit.

* [[spoiler:[[EldritchAbomination Annona]]]] from ''Franchise/{{Bionicle}}'' is an entity that feeds on dreams, inducing madness in its victims. [[spoiler:It was responsible for the Dreaming Plague that wiped out the Iron Tribe.]]

->'''Cobb:''' "We create the world of the dream, we bring the subject into that dream, and they fill it with their secrets."\\
'''Ariadne:''' "Then we break in and steal it?"

* Synonamess Botch's vulture minions from ''TwiceUponATime'' will sometimes find Figmen, who provide good dreams to people, and kill them, destroying the good dreams with them (the vultures deliver nightmares).

* Campari from ''Manga/KingofBanditJing'' has the ability to steal dreams from other people and encapsulate them in a ball. He usually sells them to other people so they can dream about some specific thing, though he can also turn them into reality in emergency situations.

* An option in ''ChangelingTheDreaming''. While most changlings prefer to obtain [[{{Mana}} glamour]] by inspiring creativity, some are willing to "ravage" a human and simply take the glamour that they want.

* [[spoiler:[[EldritchAbomination Annona]]]] from ''{{Bionicle}}'' is an entity that feeds on dreams, inducing madness in its victims. [[spoiler:It was responsible for the Dreaming Plague that wiped out the Iron Tribe.]]

* The 'Cubi race from ''Webcomic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'' are the mind-reading {{Emotion Eater}}s, who ''can'' enter and manipulate dreams and have an inaccurate reputation for stealing them, but are advised against entering people's dreams because [[AlwaysABiggerFish bigger]] [[EldritchAbomination fishes]] like to do it, too.

* In ''StrawberryShortcake: The Sweet Dreams Movie'', The Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak takes over the Land of Dreams and plans to keep all the dreams for himself, because he never got any dreams as a child.
* ''{{Daria}}'' uses this in a throwaway line by [[CloudCuckooLander Artie]], a minor character who claims to have been [[AlienAbduction abducted by aliens]]:

* A rare protagonistic example: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLYCjovMtpo Dream Eater On The Sand]]. It's a song sung by [[{{Vocaloid}} Megurine Luka]] that tells the story of a distressed boy with terrible memories and nightmares meeting a strange girl who can take them away by eating them.
* And a villainous example appears in [[{{Vocaloid}} Kagamine Len's]] "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmOeqLHwn5g Dream-Eating Monochrome Baku]]," where the titular character eats the nightmares of a young girl but later returns to take away all her aspirations as payment. This is a rather unusual depiction of the baku, which is generally portrayed as a benevolent spirit.

Dream Stealers are usually villains, although [[BadPowersGoodPeople heroic and neutral examples do occur]].

* The Slumbering Coven in ''NeverwinterNights2: Mask of the Betrayer'' steal and trade dreams and knowledge.

* ''[[HelloKitty Hello Kitty and Friends]]'' had an episode where a monster was eating the dreams of Kitty and her friends. The monster was part of a race of monsters whose job was to eat nightmares, but this monster was a mischievous child who was eating pleasant dreams because they tasted better...until they gave him a stomachache.

* Muma (Dream Demons) in ''YumekuiMerry'' can do this, though they usually just place themselves in the dreams their host have

* Nightmare from {{Kirby}}'s Adventure/Nightmare in Dreamland, by corrupting the Fountain of Dreams.

* A recurring thing in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', the manga. Black's mind is preoccupied with his dream of winning the Pokemon league, so his Munna, named Musha after what it will evolve into, lands on his head and eats his dreams during a battle or when he needs to focus. (see the video game section as well).

* SuskeEnWiske: The entire concept of the album "De Dromendiefstal" ("The Dreams Theft") is built around this idea.

* A variation is used in ''{{Inception}}''. Cobb does not steal the dreams themselves, but rather uses the dreams to steal thoughts and ideas from people's minds.

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baku_%28spirit%29 baku]] of JapaneseMythology is a creature which devours bad dreams, and is the base for many references in {{anime}} and {{manga}} series.

* Doremy Sweet, the stage 3 boss from the ''VideoGame/TouhouProject'' game ''Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom'', has the ability to eat (and create) dreams.

* Campari from ''{{King of Bandit Jing}}'' has the ability to steal dreams from other people and encapsulate them in a ball. He usually sells them to other people so they can dream about some specific thing, though he can also turn them into reality in emergency situations.

* ''HellTeacherNube'': A baku is one of the creatures encountered in the course of the plot, and this one is the kind who eats ''all'' dreams and eventually [[spoiler:steals the disillusioned souls of its victims to add to its growing bulk]].
* A baku appears in the second ''UruseiYatsura'' movie to help bring the (extra) weirdness to a close.

'''Aridne:''' "Then we break in and steal it?"
-->-- ''Inception''