History Main / FetalPositionRebirth

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In Episode 1 of ''Podcast/TheOrbitingHumanCircusOfTheAir'', protagonist Julian the Janitor's personal InteractiveNarrator draws attention to the posture Julian's taken in a "womb-like" AirVentPassageway, blatantly pointing out that Julian is going to be born into the role of protagonist from this moment on.
-->'''Narrator:''' ...a small figure lies curled, appropriately, in a fetal position waiting to emerge, as if he were the main character of a show, about to be born! Metaphorically, that is...
[[/folder]]

* In the final episode of FLCLProgressive, Aiko is rebirthed from a giant pumpkin.

* In ''Comicbook/TheReignOfTheSupermen'', this was how the Last Son of Krypton emerged from his regeneration matrix as seen on [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marvel_dc/images/e/ed/Action_Comics_687.JPG/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/323?cb=20180304131333 the cover]] of ''Comicbook/ActionComics'' #687. It was also how the ''actual'' Superman was later reborn, with some sneaky writing making it look like this was the Last Son "recharging".

* ''Film/{{Avatar}}'': Whenever the Tree of Souls is being asked to [[spoiler:permanently transfer a human into their Avatar body]], both the human and Avatar bodies are in this position. On the other hand, there otherwise wouldn't be place for both bodies, with the Na'vi being almost twice a human's height.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'' has, at the end of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E4DaleksInManhattan "Daleks in Manhattan"]], the casing of Dalek Sec opening up to reveal the HalfHumanHybrid Sec, dressed in a pinstripe suit, in a fetal position. He then unfolds and gets shakily to his feet.

* Happens in ''VideoGame/SilentHill4'' when [[spoiler:Henry enters the "deepest part" of Walter. Rather than symbolizing rebirth, though, it symbolizes regression to a fetal stage (which is what Walter wants)]].

[[folder:Web Original]]

* In Episode 1 of ''Podcast/TheOrbitingHumanCircusOfTheAir'', protagonist Julian the Janitor's personal InteractiveNarrator draws attention to the posture Julian's taken in a "womb-like" AirVentPassageway, blatantly pointing out that Julian is going to be born into the role of protagonist from this moment on.
-->'''Narrator:''' ...a small figure lies curled, appropriately, in a fetal position waiting to emerge, as if he were the main character of a show, about to be born! Metaphorically, that is...

[[folder:Web Animation]]

* [[http://www.body-pixel.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Icare_Moebius_Taniguchi.jpg The cover]] from the Manga ''Icare'' by Creator/{{Moebius}} and Creator/JiroTaniguchi.

* ''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion The End of Evangelion]]'' has possibly the most symbolism-overdosed example of this trope in history: just before Asuka makes a [[CrowningMomentofAwesome triumphant recovery]] from her AngstComa during the penultimate assault on NERV HQ, she has been placed inside her Eva for protection from assassination and hidden at the bottom of the Geofront's lake (with the Eva also lying in the fetal position for good measure). When painfully roused by enemy forces deploying depth charges against her, we are treated to a gradual-zoom in on her (notably [[RuleofSymbolism flipped upside down]]) for [[LeavetheCameraRunning a full minute]] while her chanting of "I don't want to die" grows from a faint whisper into an anguished scream. She has a serene, dreamlike vision of her mother, then ''violently explodes from the lake'' and returns to the HotBlooded ScreamingWarrior she used to be, [[UptoEleven and then some.]]

* In the space survival thriller ''Film/{{Gravity}}'', shortly after Matt Kowalski (Creator/GeorgeClooney) refuses Ryan Stone (Creator/SandraBullock)'s TakeMyHand, Stone finally reaches the International Space Station airlock and its promise of momentary safety and oxygen. Floating in the airlock in her underthings, she assumes this pose after stripping out of her space suit. The moment represents her transition from Kowalski's helpless cargo to self-rescuing DamselOutOfDistress. {{Justified|Trope}} to some extent, since this is the natural position that a relaxed body assumes in zero-g.

%% Please keep examples alphabetized.

[[quoteright:330:[[NeonGenesisEvangelion http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/48d26f05d2dca7488938a29cb5c6561c.png]]]]

* ''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion The End of Evangelion]]'' has possibly the most symbolism-overdosed example of this trope in history: just before Asuka makes a [[CrowningMomentofAwesome triumphant recovery]] from her AngstComa during the penultimate assault on NERV HQ, she has been placed inside her Eva for protection from assassination and hidden at the bottom of the Geofront's lake (with the Eva also lying in the fetal position for good measure). When painfully roused by enemy forces deploying depth charges against her, we are treated to a gradual-zoom in on the page image shot (which is notably [[RuleofSymbolism flipped upside down]]) for [[LeavetheCameraRunning a full minute]] while her chanting of "I don't want to die" grows from a faint whisper into an anguished scream. She has a serene, dreamlike vision of her mother, then ''violently explodes from the lake'' and returns to the HotBlooded ScreamingWarrior she used to be, [[UptoEleven and then some.]]

* The page image comes from [[NeonGenesisEvangelion The End of Evangelion]], which is possibly the most symbolism-overdosed example of this trope in history: just before Asuka makes a [[CrowningMomentofAwesome triumphant recovery]] from her AngstComa during the penultimate assault on NERV HQ, she has been placed inside her Eva for protection from assassination and hidden at the bottom of the Geofront's lake (with the Eva also lying in the fetal position for good measure). When painfully roused by enemy forces deploying depth charges against her, we are treated to a gradual-zoom in on the page image shot (which is notably [[RuleofSymbolism flipped upside down]]) for [[LeavetheCameraRunning a full minute]] while her chanting of "I don't want to die" grows from a faint whisper into an anguished scream. She has a serene, dreamlike vision of her mother, then ''violently explodes from the lake'' and returns to the HotBlooded ScreamingWarrior she used to be, [[UptoEleven and then some.]]

[[folder:Films — Animation]]

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]

* Melfina is introduced like this in ''Manga/OutlawStar'', as seen in the page picture above.

[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/48d26f05d2dca7488938a29cb5c6561c.png]]

* The page image comes from [[NeonGenesisEvangelion The End of Evangelion]], which is possibly the most symbolism-overdosed example of this trope in history. Just before Asuka makes a [[CrowningMomentofAwesome triumphant recovery]] from her AngstComa during the penultimate assault on NERV HQ, she has been placed inside her Eva for protection from assassination and hidden at the bottom of the Geofront's lake (the Eva also lying in the fetal position for good measure). When painfully roused by enemy forces deploying depth charges against her, we are treated to a gradual-zoom in on the page image shot (which is notably [[RuleofSymbolism flipped upside down]]) for [[LeavetheCameraRunning a full minute]] while her chanting of "I don't want to die" grows from a faint whisper into an anguished scream. She then has a serene, dreamlike vision of her mother, then ''violently explodes from the lake'' and returns to the HotBlooded ScreamingWarrior she used to be.

[[quoteright:316:[[Manga/OutlawStar http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/c364c64538bbb1a4f8a19eec590cca1b.png]]]]

[[quoteright:317:[[Manga/OutlawStar http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/89a3c7105a15ce462c8ccb392c4a8d25.png]]]]

[[quoteright:317:[[Manga/OutlawStar http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4a01f0d9038b3d62f39e064dbab1a0d4.jpg]]]]

[[quoteright:325:[[Manga/OutlawStar http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Melfinabox.JPG]]]]

It can even be an actual birth if preceding a {{Reincarnation}}, or in the case of an ArtificialHuman or [[CloningBlues Clone]] (frequently seen floating in some PeopleJars).

To be clear, this trope doesn't concern every instance of a character curling in a fetal position, most likely after a traumatic event -- the latter being TroubledFetalPosition. Fetal Position Rebirth is used when illustrating a symbolic (re)birth or major upheaval for the personage.

* ''Anime/MagicalPrincessMinkyMomo'': In the last episode, [[spoiler:the heroine is killed by a truck and wishes to be reborn as a normal human being in her former adoptive family]]. She is seen floating, naked and in a fetal position, while explaining this to her magical parents.

* Rakka in the opening of ''Anime/HaibaneRenmei'' appears like this, floating in some kind of corridor of life to her cocoon. Oddly, in the cocoon itself she doesn't take this position.
* When Kikyo's naked body is resurrected in ''Manga/InuYasha'', she collapses into a fetal position shortly after being revived.
* Yui in ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' after [[spoiler:Miaka uses her first wish to release her from Seiryuu's clutches]].

* Yuna of ''Anime/EarthMaidenArjuna'', when she first goes through her MagicalGirl transformation.
* ''Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei'': Itoshiki is seen like this in the [[RefugeInAudacity highly]] [[MindScrew bizarre]] [[SurrealThemeTune 1st Opening]]. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM8ODecbuhA Observe]].
* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'':
** When Griffith ascends to the Godhand, he takes this position as his body is reconstructed. Probably the darkest example here.
** Happens again when Griffith is literally reborn into the human world through [[spoiler:Guts and Casca's miscarried child, which just so happened to be tainted with evil because he had previously raped Casca while she was pregnant.]]
** Also, Jill took on a fetal position of rebirth when she almost took up Rosine's offer of becoming one of her demonic elf creatures.
* ''Anime/RahXephon'': When Ayato merges with the eponymous giant robot, he is seen in one of these poses in a sea of light.
* The manga adaptation of ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'' [[http://www.onemanga.com/Utsurowazarumono_-_Breath_of_Fire_IV/1/03/ explicitly has this]] in its opening pages [[http://www.onemanga.com/Utsurowazarumono_-_Breath_of_Fire_IV/1/16/ with Ryu]]. Justified in that it's a literal birth/reincarnation (yeah, it's complicated).[[note]]Specifically, Ryu is the temporally-displaced LiteralSplitPersonality of 600-year-old GodEmperor Fou-lu. It turns out the empire that originally summoned the god buggered up the summoning.[[/note]]
* In ''Anime/PrincessTutu'', when Ahiru undergoes her TransformationSequence, she curls into a fetal position while being enveloped in an egg made by golden feathers before the egg turns to water and she hatches as Tutu. This happens in the span of 10 seconds or so each episode.
* [[http://www.body-pixel.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Icare_Moebius_Taniguchi.jpg The cover]] from the Manga ''Icare'' by Creator/{{Moebius}} and Creator/JiroTaniguchi.
* Erza from ''Manga/FairyTail'' does it very briefly in the Tower of Heaven arc.
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'': Simon discovers Nia in this position (albeit fully-clothed).
* ''Anime/EurekaSeven'': The archaeologists investigating the Scub Corals uncover [[spoiler:Eureka in hibernation invoking this trope. Although that may have been her actual birth...]]

* In ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'', a few flashbacks to Abe Sapien being discovered in the water tube show him curled up in a fetal-like position.
* In ''ComicBook/XMen'', during one of the early appearances of the Brood, ComicBook/{{Storm}} commits suicide by blowing up her space capsule when she discovers the baby Brood Queen hatching within her. She gets better because one of the space-whales the Brood MindRape with drugs and turn into living ships (the nascent space-whale ''prophet'', in fact) rescues her and psychically merges with her because it's {{just a kid}} and needs a responsible adult to look after it. She flits around psychically for a while, the reason being her actual body is curled up in the fetal position inside the space-whale to regenerate.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* A sinister example happens in the movie version of ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire''. After Lord Voldemort (in the shape of a horrific homonculus) is leveled in the mixture that will resurrect him fully, the cauldron dissolves and his misshapen body is seen in a fetal position while he's growing back to full power.
* ''Film/DemolitionMan'': John Spartan as he's unfrozen from [[HumanPopsicle cryosleep]].
* ''Film/AustinPowers: International Man of Mystery'': The title character as he's awoken from cryosleep, as a parody of ''Demolition Man''.

* Alice in the first three ''Film/ResidentEvil'' movies. In the first one, it's where she's knocked out whem fumes come into the shower. In [[Film/ResidentEvilApocalypse the second film]] she's being resurrected (or cloned, hard to tell) at the end. In [[Film/ResidentEvilExtinction the third one]], there's hundreds of clones of her, all in the fetal position in water bubble suspension things. Naturally, she's bare-ass naked in all of these, and while her hands do hide her bits, she always moves them by the time the scene is over.

* In the space survival thriller ''Film/{{Gravity}}'', shortly after Matt Kowalski (Creator/GeorgeClooney) refuses Ryan Stone (Creator/SandraBullock)'s TakeMyHand, Stone finally reaches the International Space Station airlock and its promise of momentary safety and oxygen. Floating in the airlock in her underthings, she assumes this pose after stripping out of her space suit. The moment represents her transition from Kowalski's helpless cargo to self-rescuing DamselOutOfDistress. {{Justified|Trope}} to some extent, since this is the natural position that a relaxed body assumes in zero-g.

* In ''Film/TheElephantMan'', the title character has to assume this position when he sleeps, due to his oversized head and weak neck. The novel is all about him undergoing a "rebirth" as he realizes his identity as a human, and not a monster. [[spoiler:Sadly, this proves his undoing; he finally decides that he should sleep on his back and stretched out as a normal person, and his neck breaks in the night.]]

* ''Series/StargateSG1'': In the first episode of Season 7, "Fallen", Daniel Jackson is cast out by the [[NeglectfulPrecursors Ancients]] from his [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascended state]]. He reappears on some unknown planet, nude and in a fetal position, with no memory.
* The first episode of ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', when River comes out of frozen sleep. (The scene, by the by, is a shot-for-shot homage to the sequence from ''Manga/OutlawStar''.) In this case, the symbolism of rebirth is River finally escaping from the Academy and returning to something resembling normal life. The scene is complete with clear metaphors for birthing pains, as she starts screaming immediately afterward. In another bit of symbolism, River adopts the same pose at the end of ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', as the title ship is taking off into a new day, once she has finally begun to really overcome her own mental illnesses.
* The final shot of the third season of ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' has Clark floating in a black void, in the nude, doing this with the Superman Shield logo appearing behind him, after he has agreed to accept his inheritage and become Kal-El.
* The pilot of ''Series/JohnDoe'', when the eponymous unnamed protagonist wakes up on Horseshoe Island.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'' has, at the end of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E4DaleksInManhattan "Daleks in Manhattan"]], the casing of Dalek Sec opening up to reveal the HalfHumanHybrid Sec, dressed in a pinstripe suit, in a fetal position. He then unfolds and gets shakily to his feet.

** Also Amy, momentarily, in "Something Blue", though she is sitting upright.
* Naomi from ''Series/{{Skins}}'', in the S4 finale when having a massive emotional epiphany about Emily. Considering the major themes of the fourth series revolved around death and rebirth ([[spoiler:well, Freddie kinda [[KilledOffForReal missed out on the rebirth part]])]], it was probably inevitable that there'd be one of these scenes at some point.

* Speaking of Megaten Games, Sera of ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'' spends a good portion of the early parts of the games in the fetal position.
* ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'': [[spoiler:Serge returning to his original form (not body; that one is stolen) from the shape of Lynx: he disintegrates and grows from a baby to his actual age inside of a big bubble of water]]
* ''VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'': Alma is shown adopting this form in one of the hallucinations during ''Project Origin''. This is probably quite deliberate, considering that childbirth and maternity are major themes in the series.

* At the start of ''VideoGame/PrincessMaker 2'', you get a heavenly child who is being sent to the world of mortals by her guardian deity. She is shown from a front fetal position as she is floating down in the light and to you, seemingly forgetting everything that happened in her ten years of life in Heaven. Since it's '''''not''' really'' [[HGame that kind of game]], it's artistically done and you don't actually see anything.
* In the good ending of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'', [[spoiler:Tidus]] is shown waking up this way underwater.
* Nu-13's Arcade Mode ending in ''VideoGame/BlazBlue: [[VideoGame/BlazBlueCalamityTrigger Calamity Trigger]]'' has [[spoiler:Nu herself]] in one of these. Given the context of "waking from a dream," it's almost impossible to say what the character is being reborn into, if anything. It's really [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible artful]], in that {{Mind Screw}}y, EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory kind of way. [[spoiler:The {{Yandere}} mumbling makes it unsettling, though.]]

* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'': More of a Fetal Position Birth than anything, but when [[spoiler:Ventus's darkness is extracted, it takes the form of Vanitas. For a second, he's in this position.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'', [[spoiler:when Sari is "born"]] the protoform is curled up into this position and even vaguely resembles a fetus.

* ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion 2.0'': Rei, while trapped in Unit-00's core after it was eaten by Zeruel, suspended in a void until Shinji makes his CrowningMomentOfAwesome.

!!Examples

* A sinister example happens in the movie version of ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire''. After Lord Voldemort (in the shape of a horrific homonculus) is leveled in the mixture that will resurrect him fully, the cauldron explodes and his misshapen body is seen in a fetal position while he's growing back to full power.

* In ''VisualNovel/KisetsuODakishimete'' (the 2nd game of the ''{{VisualNovel/Yarudora}}'' series), the "[[spoiler:Spirit of the Cherry Trees]]" storyline has an event where the player character dreams of [[spoiler:Mayu]] floating in the darkness in fetal position, then [[spoiler: [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence dissolving into a storm of]] CherryBlossoms]]. Seeing this event is ''mandatory'' to get the storyline's Good Ending.

* The first episode of ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', when River comes out of frozen sleep. In this case, the symbolism of rebirth is River finally escaping from the Academy and returning to something resembling normal life. The scene is complete with clear metaphors for birthing pains, as she starts screaming immediately afterward. In another bit of symbolism, River adopts the same pose at the end of ''Film/{{Serenity}}'', as the title ship is taking off into a new day, once she has finally begun to really overcome her own mental illnesses.

* ''Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei'': Itoshiki is seen like this in the [[MindScrew highly bizarre]] [[RefugeInAudacity Opening]].

* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}''

* [[http://www.body-pixel.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Icare_Moebius_Taniguchi.jpg The cover]] from the Manga ''Icare'' by {{Moebius}} and JiroTaniguchi.

* [[http://www.neuvieme-art.com/image.php?image=images/encyclo/albums/Le-Cycle-d-Anathos-la-Marque-du-Destin.jpg The cover from volume 10]] of the [[{{Franco-Belgian Comics}} French comic book]] series ''ComicBook/LesLegendaires''.

* In ''ComicBook/{{X-Men}}'', during one of the early appearances of the Brood, {{Storm}} commits suicide by blowing up her space capsule when she discovers the baby Brood Queen hatching within her. She gets better because one of the space-whales the Brood MindRape with drugs and turn into living ships (the nascent space-whale ''prophet'', in fact) rescues her and psychically merges with her because it's {{just a kid}} and needs a responsible adult to look after it. She flits around psychically for a while, the reason being her actual body is curled up in the fetal position inside the space-whale to regenerate.

* The first episode of ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', when River comes out of frozen sleep. In this case, the symbolism of rebirth is River finally escaping from the Academy and returning to something resembling normal life. The scene is complete with clear metaphors for birthing pains, as she starts screaming immediately afterward. In another bit of symbolism, River adopts the same pose at the end of ''[[TheMovie Serenity]]'', as the title ship is taking off into a new day, once she has finally begun to really overcome her own mental illnesses.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'' has, at the end of "Daleks in Manhattan", the armor of Dalek Sec opens up to reveal the HalfHumanHybrid Sec, dressed in a pinstripe suit, in a fetal position. He then unfolds and gets shakily to his feet.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''

* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}''

* ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko''