History Main / LifeEnergy

** [[spoiler: Taken UpToEleven with Season 2 where Qilby wanted to drain the wakfu of the entire planet to fuel the space ship and go to another planet. With NightmareFuel setting in when you remember his story of them traveling from planet to planet gathering enough wakfu to get to the next planet.]]

* In ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'', Phozons are the source of life in Erion. Fairies are composed of Phozons and when they die, the Phozons return to the land to be used anew. Psyphers, utilizing their powers by absorbing Phozons are actually destructive because of that.

Spiritual [[PowerSource fuel]] that runs the body and mind, generally invisible to ordinary folks (but not those with AuraVision). Life Energy may be the same thing as the spirit, or rather just some sort of spiritual LifeMeter. Even the [[MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness hardest]] of television ScienceFiction can't seem to help but use this trope at one point or another.

* 'TabletopGame/MummyTheCurse'' treats Sekhem, the game's power stat, as this. It's less the energy of humans and more the passing life force of the universe as a whole. One of the antagonists in the game line is a corporation that harvests Sekhmen from mummies and the Relics they guard... and uses this primarily to make outstanding, benevolent leaps forward in medicine, including taking steps towards an AIDS vaccine.

** Notably, TheUndead in ''Shadowrun'' explicitly feed on Essence. The part where a vampire drinks your blood [[BloodMagic is because the blood drain makes a connection]] that allows them to drain Essence, which means ''Shadowrun'' vampires [[VegetarianVampire can't raid blood banks or drink from animals]] for nourishment.

** ''VideoGame/Metroid1'': According to the instruction manual, the cyborg known as Samus has a space suit that can absorb the power of those "he" defeats to replenish his health and restore "his" ammo, which is why the Space Pirates fear "him."
** Metroids drain the life energy from any animal unfortunate enough to encounter it. The SpacePirates tried to use science to explain the phenomenon, but could find absolutely no trace of this "life energy" (it isn't blood or any other vital liquid), only the proof that ''something'' vital was obviously being drained.

** In the [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureVentoAureo 5th part]], Giorno Giovanna has the Stand "Gold Experience"[[note]] called "[[DubNameChange Golden]] [[WritingAroundTrademarks Wind]]" in official English translations due to copyright issues [[/note]], whose abilities primarily revolve around giving life energy. With it, he can [[CreatingLife turn inanimate objects into living creatures]], and if used on other people, it supercharges them with life energy, causing their senses to be overwhelmed, making pain last longer.

** In the [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureVentoAureo 5th part]], Giorno Giovanna has the Stand "Gold Experience"[[note]] called "[[DubNameChange Golden]] [[WritingAroundTrademarks Wind]]" in official English translations due to copyright issues [[/note]] , whose abilities primarily revolve around giving life energy. With it, he can [[CreatingLife turn inanimate objects into living creatures]], and if used on other people, it supercharges them with life energy, causing their senses to be overwhelmed, making pain last longer.

** In the [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureVentoAureo 5th part]], Giorno Giovanna has the Stand "Gold Experience", whose abilities primarily revolve around giving life energy. With it, he can [[CreatingLife turn inanimate objects into living creatures]], and if used on other people, it supercharges them with life energy, causing their senses to be overwhelmed, making pain last longer.

* Goes by the name "Power of Existence", or just "Existence", in ''LightNovel/ShakuganNoShana''. Losing any amount of it turns a human into a Torch at best, doomed to eventually [[RetGone have never existed]].
* First-season ''Anime/SailorMoon'' villains, The Dark Kingdom stole life energy from humans in to free the BigBad from her [[SealedEvilInACan prison]], as did the mini-arc villains in the second season, Ail and En who feed it to the magic tree that kept them alive.
* ''Anime/KeyTheMetalIdol'' has a CorruptCorporateExecutive engage in Life Energy harvesting far more effectively than the Dark Kingdom ever did. For example, random people at rock concerts, where it's expected for there to be fainters.
* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs'' had the antagonists stealing magical power from mages (magical beasts when they could, though) in order to complete the "[[ArtifactOfDoom Book of Darkness]]." Fortunately, people can recover from that, and depending how young they are, their powers can also completely replenish.

* ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}''. The giant robot is powered by the Life Energy of the pilot. [[spoiler:Win or lose, the pilot dies after the battle -- it just isn't followed by the ''the entire universe dying'' in case of a win.]]
** The manga even hints that the younger the person, the more life energy he/she has, and the more powerful Zearth becomes.
* The premise of ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' implies that life energy is essentially the same as spirit energy but is the necessary portion reserved to keep the body running. It seems to be a fair amount, to the point that a person drained of spirit energy can still throw a large enough energy attack to win a battle, provided that they're okay with being dead afterwards. All but one of the four major characters are guilty of this at one point or another, and the main character employs it as a reliable backup strategy.
** Seeing that he's half-demon and can pretty much reincarnate at will, this tactic is pretty cheap.
* Michel of ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'' steals it from powerful beings. This usually means absorbing them into himself (as he tried to do with Seira), but he left Kaito alive to blackmail Lucia with. Near the end, [[spoiler:his VillainousBreakdown propels him to kill his own followers to take their energy, even when they ''haven't'' [[YouHaveFailedMe provoked it]].]]
* Chakra in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' is a combination of a person's physical and spiritual energy. While it can be used to power jutsus and enhance the body, it is also required to keep the body functioning. If you use up enough that your body has less than the minimum needed for the body, you suffer from chakra exhaustion. If you use up absolutely ''all'' of it you die.
** Natural energy found in the world acts as a third component of chakra if a person is able to learn how to use it. It's present wherever there's life and greatly enhances the body, but drawing too much will overwhelm the user's own chakra and [[TakenForGranite transform them into stone]].
** Chiyo can also use life energy to heal, albeit with EquivalentExchange involved. The first time, she transfers her life energy to heal a mortally wounded Sakura, saving Sakura but bringing herself to the brink of death. The second time, [[spoiler:she brings Gaara back to life but dies in the process]].
** In a twist, it was revealed that [[spoiler:the Tailed Beasts are composed of the fragmented chakra of an EldritchAbomination defeated centuries in the past]].
*** In an even bigger twist, [[spoiler:''all'' chakra has been revealed to originate from the Ten-Tailed Beast when it existed as the God-Tree. The Beast is attempting to reclaim its stolen power and will drain a shinobi completely dry of chakra in seconds. As noted above, losing all your chakra is fatal]].
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' makes this what constitutes all souls, including nonliving things. Hollows can increase their amount of it by eating other souls, including (and especially) each other. Quincies can increase it by forcefully breaking down their surroundings and absorbing them. Soul Reapers have various ways to increase how much of it they have, but no special feature to speak of. (They can undergo training, release Bankai, etc.) However, unlike normal human souls, they must eat, and they release their spirit energy constantly. A notable point of interest is that Soul Reapers and Arrancars[[note]]Arrancars are hollows that evolved to have Soul Reaper powers.[[/note]] release their spirit energy through their wrists. An anime filler arc features vampire-like creatures called Bount, which drain the life force out of their victims (directly) as opposed to blood.
* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' features Aura (described by Mei Ling as "life force") which is normally used by Lucario and, to a lesser extent, Riolu (oh, and there's the occasional human with Aura abilities). Needless to say, an awful lot of cool powers come with it. How about unlimited vision when you've got your eyes closed, so you'll technically never go blind? Or a cool ball of energy that you can summon out of nowhere?

* The plot of ''Manga/{{Pretear}}'' pretty much revolves around Life Energy (Leafe). In the manga version, this gets downright cruel: the Knights can only use their ElementalPowers at the expense of their own Leafe; as a result, whenever Himeno is performing attacks as the Pretear, she drains the Life Energy from whichever Knight she is currently merged with. The Pretear can also ''create'' Leafe, though. Needless to say, the [[MonsterOfTheWeek monsters]] and the BigBad of the series really like ''stealing'' Leafe...
* In ''Manga/SaintSeiya'', the key to the Saints' power is their cosmos. Whoever can burn his cosmo to the higher level wins, no matter how injured or weakened they are.
* In ''Manga/Reborn2004'' there's Dying Will, which started out as just something that tapped into your hidden potential to keep you from dying without fulfilling some desire. Later on though, it became the basis for all forms of attack and even has [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience seven differently colored]] types with various powers and appearances, and is accessed through your personal resolution. They have a sky theme (Sky, Sun, Storm, etc).
** Now there are [[ArcNumber seven]] more flames with an Earth theme (Earth, Forest, Swamp, etc).

* ''Manga/BusoRenkin'' has the Black Kakugane, which drains all nearby life energy.
* In ''Manga/HunterXHunter'', Nen is life energy that all humans [[spoiler:and later generations of Chimera Ants after a Queen devours a pair of human children]] possess. Once a person unlocks their Nen potential their Nen manifests as a BattleAura that can only be seen by other Nen users.

* In Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} story ''Comicbook/DemonSpawn'' villain Nightflame tries to suck Supergirl's life-force out of her.
* Creator/MarvelComics villain Selene is a mutant who can psychically drain life energy from people to sustain and empower herself. Her lifespan can be measured in millennia thanks to this power. If she ever stopped feeding for too long, [[NoImmortalInertia those millenia would catch up to her in an instant]].

* This is, to all intents and purposes, the source of ComicBook/CaptainAtom's power; he's plugged into the quantum field, the life energy of the universe, allowing him to manipulate all forms of energy. (This is why Nathaniel ended up [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu fighting Nekron]]--because he's integrated with the quantum field, Nekron could use him to drag the quantum field into his realm, and every living creature in the universe with it.)

* The Force in ''Franchise/StarWars'' is a [[SentientCosmicForce sentient]] [[BackGroundMagicField energy field]] produced by all living things that binds the galaxy together. Everything that lives is made from the Force and [[TheLifestream returns to it upon death]].
* ''Film/{{Lifeforce}}'', the naked space vampire movie, is all about Life Energy vampirism. [[MsFanservice And boobies.]]

* Creator/MercedesLackey's works:
** The ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' series uses a fairly [[MagicAIsMagicA well-developed magic system]] that is based almost entirely around this concept. All living beings generate Life Energy, which drains away from them [[BackgroundMagicField into the ambient environment]], eventually collecting into {{Ley Line}}s. Where two or more Ley Lines meet, you have a [[PlaceOfPower Node]], which is a massively powerful energy source that only [[PowerLevels Adepts]] can hope to use without burning themselves out. The ultimate destination of this energy is the nether plane, from which it then reenters the world through living beings. Mages are people who have the innate capability to store additional magical energy within themselves, see this energy, and instinctively manipulate it. It's also possible to manipulate it without mage talent via rituals or BloodMagic. A person wholly drained of life energy, whether from BloodMagic or [[CastFromHitPoints spellcasting beyond their capacity]], will lapse into a coma and die. Accordingly, it can also be used to [[LiquidAssets heal people]], although this is most efficiently performed by those with the [[HealingHands specific talent]] for it.
** ''Literature/ChildrenOfTheNight'' has '[[OurVampiresAreDifferent psi-vamps]]' who drain energy from others. In this case the energy is [[EmotionEater tied to emotions]] -- they drain excitement at first, and later hate and fear. Also, a completely drained victim is usually not physically dead, but is [[TheStoic emotionally/mentally burned out]] (described as a mindless hulk, with no chance of recovery).
** In the ''Literature/DragonJousters'' series, the Magi are deliberately encouraging the war between Tian and Altan to continue, as they're using the deaths of the fighting soldiers to extend the lifespans of themselves and the Altan rulers. They also start seeking out those priests/acolytes that are 'god-touched' and [[HealingHands Healers-by-touch]] in order to drain them for power to fuel their spells. After enough draining, the victims either die or end up stripped of their powers.
* The ''Literature/NightWatchSeries'' of novels has the "Others", a group of superpowered and supernatural humans forced to choose between good and evil when they first gain knowledge of their gift, can get energy from taking the emotions of normal humans and store it for later use. Some are actual vampires, and do need blood in addition to any life energy they get, albeit not necessarily human blood. [[spoiler: The good Others take happiness and joy, leaving those they take power from depressed and likely to kill themselves, while the evil Others take fear and depression away, leaving their victims happier and feeling more capable of dealing with problems. Although when it's not a simple one time feeding they establish a cycle where the Others create the emotions they feed off in their actions. So a famous Pioneer Camp is used as a rest resort, the Light feed during the days while helping the kids have fun, while the dark ones feed of the same kids fears at night.]]
* In the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' universe, Dementors require (and enjoy) feeding off people's happiness, making them quite depressing to be around. (Aptly, considering they are based off of J.K. Rowling's period of clinical depression following the death of her mother.) The effect seemed to be amplified based on how much sadness you've experienced, so most people "just" feel horribly depressed, like they'll never be happy again, while people with more traumatic lives (like Harry) become nearly-catatonic with. they can give someone a "kiss" by sucking out their soul and leaving behind an EmptyShell.
** Also Tom Riddle was able to absorb Ginny's soul via his [[SoulJar old diary with a little bit of his soul in it] during ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets Chamber of Secrets]]'', causing him to regain physical form while she was reduced to a coma-like state.
* In Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold's ''Literature/PaladinOfSouls'', this is happening to Illvin [[spoiler:to keep powering up his DeadAllAlong brother]].
* In Bujold's ''Literature/TheSharingKnife'' books, Lakewalkers' magic is all about the manipulation of Life Energy.
* In the ''Dark Visions'' series by L. J. Smith, [[spoiler: Gabriel is a "psychic vampire", which makes him dependent on other people's life energy to survive.]]

* Literature/SimeGen, the human race has become divided into Gens who produce large amounts of life energy (called "selyn"), and Simes who don't produce it and must take it from Gens. Unfortunately the process of taking it is almost always fatal to the Gen. The plot of the series revolves around "channels" - Simes who can take selyn from Gens without hurting them in the process and pass it on to other Simes. Unfortunately, by the time the first channel is discovered Simes have been killing Gens en masse for centuries and therefore there is a lot of FantasticRacism on both sides to be overcome before the two kinds of people can finally live in peace with each other.
* In ''Literature/DeadSilver'', [[WhiteMage shamans]], like Hawke, are in tune with the life energy around them. This allows them to speak with animals and sense living things. They can also imbue objects with their own life energy, which can then [[ReviveKillsZombie seriously harm undead.]]
* The Earth Current from ''Literature/AwakeInTheNightLand'', which not only is a [[TheLifestream power source]] but also have mystical and spiritual properties.
* In Brandon Sanderson's ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'', Life Energy is measured in "Breaths", which can be removed from a soul with consent of that soul (Everyone starts with one Breath). Once accumulated, these Breaths enhance you in specific ways, allowing you to discern colors and musical tones with higher fidelity, "sense" other lives around you, and become functionally immortal. Furthermore, these Breaths can be placed in an inanimate object, animating them to follow a specific Command. However, the sheer number of Breaths required to achieve these powers (200 to achieve perfect musical tone recognition, all the way up to 2000 Breaths to become immortal), and the state of those left without Breath, make the practice of accumulating Breath highly controversial in some cultures. The book mostly takes place in an area where there's no taboo related to trading breath, although it is very valuable.
* In ''LightNovel/UndefeatedBahamutChronicle'', Abyss are monsters which can absorb the life energy of living things by eating them. This is first demonstrated when Yggdrasil consumes hundreds of other Abyss in order to fuel its HealingFactor and AdaptiveAbility. [[spoiler:It turns out that this is the original purpose of Abyss, to gather life energy in order to create the SuperSerum Elixir.]]
* Gets mentioned in Literature/{{Discworld}} occasionally. In ''Literature/ReaperMan'', DeathTakesAHoliday, meaning the excess life energy is piling up and things don't die properly. Cue compost piles coming to life and the dead rising up and being very cranky. One or two characters muse that the passing of the seasons is sort of the planet's "heartbeat", causing life energy to flow in and out of the ecosystem.
* One of the ''{{Series/Angel}}'' tie-in novels, ''The Longest Night'' has a story where a search for a missing boy leads to the boy’s father, who’s terminally ill, trying to steal Wesley’s life energy. There’s a part where the rest of the team find Wes looking old and wrinkled before they manage to reverse it. They do have pity on the father, and the life energy ends up briefly in the boy, letting his dad see him as a man before he dies.

* ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu''. The Colour Out of Space monster feeds on this, just like the original version in the Creator/HPLovecraft story.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Alternity}}'' supplement ''Beyond Science: A Guide to FX''. The school of Necromancy is based on the manipulation of this in both living and dead bodies. Spells are similar to those cast by clerics/priests in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', such as animating the dead, healing wounds and speaking with the dead.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' adventure ''Wrath of the Seven Horsemen''. The villain Dread is a summoned wraith that can drain the life force of opponents and thus lower their Constitution score for the duration of the adventure.

* In ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'', Phozons are the source of life in Erion. Fairies are composed of Phozons and when they die, the Phozons return to the land to be used anew. Psyphers, utilizing their powers by absorbing Phozons are actually destructive because of that.
* Mana from ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia''. When the world decays, a Chosen sets out to restore Mana, [[spoiler:and takes it away from the parallel world, causing them to spit out a Chosen to tilt it back again.]]
* Prevalent in Nasu Kinoko's works (the {{Franchise/Nasuverse}}).
** ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'': [[spoiler: Akiha]]'s ability ("Plunder") is taking the life energy (and heat, apparently -- there may not be much of a difference) of others through PrehensileHair that moves at the speed of thought, hits like a sucker punch or a spear, holds like a python, and is invisible even to her own eyes. Fortunately, the drain itself doesn't start or finish instantly.
** ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'': the Mages (Masters) and their Servants have the ability to manipulate the life energy of others (mana) both willingly and [[BlackMagic unwillingly]].
* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'':
** ''VideoGame/Metroid1'': According to the instruction manual, the cyborg known as Samus has a space suit that can absorb the power of those "he" defeats to replenish his health and restore "his" ammo, which is why the Space Pirates fear "him."
** Metroids drain the life energy from any animal unfortunate enough to encounter it. The SpacePirates tried to use science to explain the phenomenon, but could find absolutely no trace of this "life energy" (it isn't blood or any other vital liquid), only the proof that ''something'' vital was obviously being drained.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** Link's HP is commonly referred to as "life energy." Whether or not this is a link to a spiritual force really hasn't been said, except if you maybe count ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass''.
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap'', the [[MacGuffin Light Force]] was directly tied to Princess Zelda's Life Energy. Draining away the Life Force from her body will kill her, which leads to a [[ScrappyLevel timed section]] near the end of the game. If you fail the timed section, Vaati [[NonStandardGameOver succeeds in draining all of the Light Force from her]].
* The Chromotap device in ''VideoGame/{{Syndicate}} Wars'' draws Life Energy from the recently dead to heal your agents (who probably killed them.)

* Life Energy was first offhandedly mentioned in the ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' series in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' under the name Aegir, but had a much bigger role as the BigBad's main power source in [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade the seventh game]], where its name was localized as "Quintessence".
* Mantra from ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' is this. Along with powering up technology and the demi-gods genetically modified to use it, it also can be used in weaponry. It was initially sourced from human prayer, but it turns out human souls are much more convenient and potent, if you don't care about the corpses. Also played around with, in that [[spoiler:it's actually the creation of Chakravartin, the source of all mantra. Though after he dies, people still live, but Mantra is no longer around, meaning the technology powered by Mantra is lost forever]].
* In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'', the collective life energy of the now-deceased human race is known as a substance called "magatsuhi," which flows around the [[AfterTheEnd Vortex World]] in great channels that demons flock to, trying to collect it for themselves.

* In ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'', the level-up system, magic, and demons all make use of this. Leveling up is performed by taking the souls of fallen enemies and bringing them to the Maiden in Black, who [[YourSoulIsMine feeds them into your own]], making it stronger. Arcane magic is '''''[[SoulPoweredEngine fueled]]''''' by this, which is partly why magic is considered a dark thing at best. Demons and most of the whole conflict revolve around demons taking this from humans.
* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', like its predecessor, Demons Souls, has its entire level-up system revolving around this. A new type of life energy called Humanity also plays a major part, and losing it eventually turns one into a Hollow (somewhere in between TheHeartless and an EmptyShell).
* In ''Franchise/DragonAge'' this is the true source of magical power. Magic draws power from the Fade, the realm of dreams and thought, which draws energy from life. Magic can be fueled by [[BloodMagic blood]] or lyrium [[spoiler:which turns out to be the blood of the Titans.]]
* Both ''Videogame/FallenLondon'' and ''Videogame/SunlessSea'' seem to have this in some manner, even if it's never referred to as anything other than just life. Within the Neath itself it can actually be moved from place to place, and larger amounts make it harder for someone to die, which is part of why DeathIsCheap in the Neath. [[spoiler:Certain kinds of special diamond-like gem seem to irradiate it intensely, too. The real reason everything in Polythreme is alive and sentient is because the King with a Hundred Hearts was given one in place of his real heart, and the sheer amounts of vitality just ''spilled'' all over the surrounding area. And the biggest of them all is the heard of the Mountain of Light, also known as the goddess Stone, which is why the Elder Continent is the way it is, with really vicious and powerful wildlife, plants that grow everywhere in a matter of minutes and immortal people that can be turned to smears on the ground and come back the next day perfectly fine]].
* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series, "the energy of living things" falls within the sphere of the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] Meridia, who is also associated with [[LightIsNotGood Light]] and [[ProudBeauty Beauty]]. As a result, she has an ''extreme'' hatred for anything undead, as well as any other entities of cruelty, darkness, rot, filth, or decay. Thus, she will [[KnightTemplar stop at nothing to destroy them]], even if it means causing collateral damage to innocent people or her own followers, bordering on being a WellIntentionedExtremist.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Thunderstruck}}'', it is explained that vampires don't feed on blood per se, but on the Life Energy it carries.

* In ''Literature/{{Elcenia}}'', this is the fuel used for [[MagicAIsMagicA kamai]]. Kyma can refuel with food and sleep, pretty similarly to if they had physically overexerted themselves, and they can also sense life energy.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'', the Life Energy is called... [[TitleDrop wakfu]]. It is the power source of all magic, and present in every living being, plants like animals. Nox, the BigBad of the first season, aims at draining as much wakfu as possible, so he can then feed it to the Eliacube, an AmplifierArtifact that can boost his powers beyond those of any time-magic user before, or even beyond those of his god, Xelor, [[spoiler:in order to complete the BeyondTheImpossible mission of [[ResetButton forcibly turning back time 200 years]] to [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong save his family from death and prevent his own villainy in the process]].]]
** [[spoiler: Taken UpToEleven with Season 2 where Qilby wanted to drain the wakfu of the entire planet to fuel the space ship and go to another planet. With NightmareFuel setting in when you remember his story of them traveling from planet to planet gathering enough wakfu to get to the next planet.]]
* The Parasite in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' is basically a male villainous equivalent of [[ComicBook/XMen Rogue]] (though Parasite was created first). Humans usually wind up unconscious and twitching a little. He can also gain access to their memories, and [[VoicesAreMental sound like them]]. When he does it to [[SuperEmpowering Superman, however...]]
* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "The Lorelei Signal". The females of the second planet in the Taurean system can only survive by draining the life energy of male humanoids, which causes the males to age and die.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'''s King Worm feeds on life energy, even referring to it as such.

* In the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' universe, Dementors require (and enjoy) feeding off people's happiness, making them quite depressing to be around. (Aptly, considering they are based off of J.K. Rowling's period of clinical depression following the death of her mother.) Anyone in their immediate vicinity is prone to becoming nearly-catatonic with sadness, desperation, etc. In more extreme cases, they can give someone a "kiss" by sucking out their soul and leaving behind an EmptyShell.
** Also Tom Riddle absorbed Ginny's soul in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets Chamber of Secrets]]'', causing him to regain physical form while she was reduced to a coma-like state.

* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', human beings (and other living things) have a magical essence that is necessary to sustain life, but can be fed on by White Court Vampires and some other things, and which a Wizard (or presumably even a mundane, even he somehow had the necessary skills) can tap into to power a 'Death Curse', a spell of exceptional power that can be used to spectacular things...at the cost of one's life because the energy is all used up.
** Also, in a later book, there is Soulfire. Makes your magic extremely powerful, by literally burning up your soul. [[spoiler:Good thing souls regenerate in about a week.]]

* In Brandon Sanderson's ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'', Life Energy is measured in "Breaths", which can be removed from a soul with consent of that soul (Everyone starts with one Breath). Once accumulated, these Breaths enhance you in specific ways, allowing you to discern colors and musical tones with higher fidelity, "sense" other lives around you, and become functionally immortal. Furthermore, these Breaths can be placed in an inanimate object, animating them to follow a specific Command. However, the sheer number of Breaths required to achieve these powers (200 to achieve perfect musical tone recognition, all the way up to 2000 Breaths to become immortal), and the state of those left without Breath, make the practice of accumulating Breath highly controversial in most cases.

** Metroids drain the life energy from any animal unfortunate enough to encounter it. The SpacePirates tried to use science to explain the phenomenon, but could find absolutely no trace of this "life energy", only the proof that ''something'' vital was obviously being drained.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': The Nazi that Zenna Persik is hunting creates a machine [[PoweredByAForsakenChild powered by the life force of captive children]] that gives him telekinesis.

* LightIsGood: Nate is a good if flawed man and his costumes are either silver, white or gold.

* In ''Manga/KatekyoHitmanReborn'' there's Dying Will, which started out as just something that tapped into your hidden potential to keep you from dying without fulfilling some desire. Later on though, it became the basis for all forms of attack and even has [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience seven differently colored]] types with various powers and appearances, and is accessed through your personal resolution. They have a sky theme (Sky, Sun, Storm, etc).

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''

* The title creatures from ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' drain the life energy from any animal unfortunate enough to encounter it. The SpacePirates tried to use science to explain the phenomenon, but could find absolutely no trace of this "life energy", only the proof that ''something'' vital was obviously being drained.
** However, Samus's suit is able to see and absorb the life energy of defeated enemies for use as shielding or ammunition, likely due to both the suit and Metroids being created by the Chozo.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series commonly refers to Link's HP as "life energy." Whether or not this is a link to a spiritual force really hasn't been said, except if you maybe count ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass''.

See also AuraVision and AnatomyOfTheSoul. If LifeEnergy is used to power a device, the thing powering it is a LivingBattery; see also PoweredByAForsakenChild.

* The Life Entity of the Franchise/GreenLantern mythos is the embodiment of life, and thus, is [[EnergyBeing made of pure]] LifeEnergy.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} Aliens''. The Gloworms feed on LifeEnergy by touching other living creatures. They can feed on animals but prefer sentient victims.
* ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu''. The Colour Out of Space monster feeds on LifeEnergy, just like the original version in the Creator/HPLovecraft story.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Alternity}}'' supplement ''Beyond Science: A Guide to FX''. The school of Necromancy is based on the manipulation of LifeEnergy in both living and dead bodies. Spells are similar to those cast by clerics/priests in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', such as animating the dead, healing wounds and speaking with the dead.

* Mantra from ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' is this, and is also created via Human prayer. Along with powering up Technology and the Demi-gods genetically modified to use it, it also can be used in weaponry. Also played around with, in that [[spoiler:it's actually the creation of Chakravartin, the source of all mantra. Though after he dies, people still live, but Mantra is no longer around, meaning the technology powered by Mantra is lost forever]].

* The ''Literature/NightWatch'' series of novels has the "Others", a group of superpowered and supernatural humans forced to choose between good and evil when they first gain knowledge of their gift, can get energy from taking the emotions of normal humans and store it for later use. Some are actual vampires, and do need blood in addition to any life energy they get, albeit not necessarily human blood. [[spoiler: The good Others take happiness and joy, leaving those they take power from depressed and likely to kill themselves, while the evil Others take fear and depression away, leaving their victims happier and feeling more capable of dealing with problems. Although when it's not a simple one time feeding they establish a cycle where the Others create the emotions they feed off in their actions. So a famous Pioneer Camp is used as a rest resort, the Light feed during the days while helping the kids have fun, while the dark ones feed of the same kids fears at night.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'', the Life Energy is called... [[TitleDrop wakfu]]. It is the power source of all magic, and present in every living being, plants like animals. Nox, the BigBad of the first season, aims at draining as much wakfu as possible, so he can then feed it to the Eliacube, an AmplifierArtifact that can boost his powers beyond those of any time-magic user before, or even beyond those of his god, Xelor.

* Gets mentioned in Literature/{{Discworld}} occasionally. In ''Discworld/ReaperMan'', DeathTakesAHoliday, meaning the excess life energy is piling up and things don't die properly. Cue compost piles coming to life and the dead rising up and being very cranky. One or two characters muse that the passing of the seasons is sort of the planet's "heartbeat", causing life energy to flow in and out of the ecosystem.

* ''Manga/BusouRenkin'' has the Black Kakugane, which drains all nearby life energy.

* ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Dungeons & Dragons]]'' has many creatures that can [[LevelDrain drain life energy levels]], such as many undead, succubus demons and so on. Class Levels being certainly the most hardly-earned feature of a PC, such creatures are greatly feared -- especially in 1st and 2nd edition, where such drains were permanent with no saving throw. Later editions have somewhat nerfed this power, to the regret of any [[KillerGameMaster serious GM]].