History Main / PsychoElectro

* Spooky Electric, one of the [[ArtificialHuman synthetic humans]] of the [[AncientConspiracy Towa Organization]] in ''LightNovel/BoogiepopSeries'' has power over electricity. Aside from being able to taze people with touch, he can also control electronics ''and'' brainwash people by subtly altering their brainwaves.
* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'':

* Similar to the above, taser-wielding "knight" and title character Ame Ochibana of ''LightNovel/DenpaTekiNaKanojo'', who, while not malicious, clearly has a few screws loose.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Crankrats}}'', the titular crankrats are {{steampunk}} versions of this.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' we have the hotheaded Lightning Lad and his morally ambiguous brother Mekt.

** The ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' villain Livewire's (pictured) powers [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity affected her brain]], kicking her natural AttentionWhore tendencies to pathological extremes. Superman eventually fixed this by giving her one of his old [[ContainmentClothing containment suits]] from [[DorkAge that time he was an]] {{Energy Being|s}}, facilitating a HeelFaceTurn.

* ''Film/StreetFighter'': M. Bison has these vibes. [[AGodAmI FOR I BEHELD SATAN AS HE FELL FROM HEAVEN]]... [[LargeHam LIKE LIIIIGHTNIIIING!!!]]

* ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode ''DPO''. If you mess with DPO's arcade game, he will call down the lightning and fry your ass.

Subtrope of ElementalPersonalities and ShockAndAwe. Contrast AnIcePerson and PlayingWithFire, the other two elements that form the FireIceLightning trio.

* Colonel Volgin in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''. There is actually a scene of him casually using ElectricTorture and he is described to be a sadist. Don't believe it? Check out the medical records of his HoneyTrap sometime. Yeeeeaah...
** It's debatable whether he gets that violent towards Raikov, though. We get a couple good long looks at him scantily clad and he seems just fine. Eva just manages to piss him off.
** Still, there's a reason his boss music is named: "Clash With Evil Personified." Hell, halfway through the game he takes one of his own people he believes to be a traitor and rather than interrogate him, stuffs him in an oil drum and beats him death while he's inside it.

** The final boss of ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise'', Thunder Serpent Narwa, is one of few monsters in the series capable of rational thought, and conducts herself like a cruel and wrathful goddess who takes joy in the destruction caused by her calamitous lightning powers. [[spoiler:When she kills her mate Ibushi and steals his powers, she's said to "lust for utter annihilation" in the Hunter's Notes section for her Allmother form.]]
** While it doesn't possess rational thought like Narwa, the ''Generations'' monster Astalos is one of the most destructively violent creatures that can be encountered in the world of ''Monster Hunter''. Just entering its line of sight is enough reason for it to try to kill something with electrically charged punches.

Compare PyroManiac, RideTheLightning. Often paired with FreakyElectronicMusic to really sell the "psycho" vibes.

* Laxus from ''Manga/FairyTail'' is a SocialDarwinist with the power to back it up. [[spoiler: He even tries to take over the guild at one point, and it takes Natsu and Gajeel working together to bring him down...and that was after Mystogan softened him up a bit first and he crippled ''himself'' trying to cast an incredibly powerful spell.]] Thankfully, he TookALevelInKindness.

* Normally Shermie from ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' is a bubbly, giggly, flirty lady. When she turns into Orochi Shermie though (appropriately named Orochi Shermie of the Insanely Violent Lightning as her full title) she becomes much more serious and darker, spouting the end of humans. Oh and in 2002, her skin gets tanned.

** Played with in relation to ComicBook/WonderGirl Cassie Sandsmark. She is a genuinly kind and heroic person, but her ShockAndAwe powers are [[EmotionalPowers tied to her emotions]], most strongly [[UnstoppableRage utter rage]], and the lasso she first used to be able to channel and control her powers was manipulating her behavior, making her more cold and angry all the time.

-->-- ''Videogame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic IV'', [[EncyclopediaExposita flavor text]] for the spell "ChainLightning"

Lightning is not associated with madness in folklore or mythology, where it's treated as a regal and divine ability. In HighFantasy, this power is attributed to [[KnightInShiningArmor knightly and chivalrous people]]. But when it comes to modern SpeculativeFiction and especially SuperHero fiction, characters with lightning powers are just plain nuts or incredibly sadistic, almost guaranteed to take delight in giving their victims some ElectricTorture.

Perhaps it's because of the seeming disorder of thunderstorms. The songs of chaos sung by thunder and lightning, the loud, scary, booming sounds, the darkness that entails and the jagged appearance of lightning itself can make for decent symbols of madness. Maybe it has to do with the idea that the brain is controlled by electrical impulses, and the electrical current running through them messes with their mind. Cue the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroconvulsive_therapy electroshock therapy]], which in this case just makes things worse.

* Averted with Nue from ''Manga/AirGear''; while he ''does'' have a thing for the macabre (calling out Kogarasumaru in the middle of a graveyard, anyone?) he's far from being villainous, and he and his team members support Ikki and company later on in the story.

* [[VideoGame/CityOfHeroes Shock Treatment]]. Electric, all around crazy, and at least once she will turn on you seemingly against her will. As her name implies, an excess of shock therapy was the source of her powers. She was technically crazy ''before'' the powers, now she's crazy ''with'' them.

* It's a [[DownplayedTrope lighter case]] but you could count Kanji from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}''. He's rather hotheaded and was known for very destructive behavior before you saved him from the TV world. His Persona uses electric powers, seems to reflect his personality well.
* Akihiko of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', however, is actually an {{Inver|tedTrope}}sion. He uses the same element but he's a far more stable person and learns a lot of support and stat effect moves instead of attack focused techniques.

** Then there's [[spoiler: Gant somehow ''striking himself with lightning'' when he's losing.]]

* The Electro in ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'' is far more sociopathic and unhinged than previous versions. He was a career criminal even before becoming a supervillain, and one of the first things he did after he got his powers was start [[CopKiller murdering cops]]. Eventually he started expressing a desire to [[EnergyBeing "become pure energy"]].

* The midget torturer in ''VideoGame/{{Wet}}'' is pretty clearly one of these, given his [[ElectricTorture choice of torture equipment,]] and it's apparently not his only "issue"...after capturing Rubi, Sorrell orders him to "finish her off...then you can do whatever you want with her."

* Lightningbending is the secondary ability of Firebenders in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. In the original [=ATLA=], it's a complete subversion as it requires a kind of emotional clarity and detachment (which can be calmness, such as with Iroh, or cold-heartedness, as with Azula and Ozai) which allows one to separate and focus the necessary energies. [[spoiler: Azula's ability to continue shooting lightning even after her VillainousBreakdown is probably due to a combination of familiarity, the significant power boost provided by Sozin's Comet, and having great clarity in terms of ''really'' wanting to kill Zuko and Katara.]]

* Maxie Zeus is a minor Franchise/{{Batman}} villain who thinks he is the Greek god Zeus, best remembered in the comics for running into a tree and falling unconscious while escaping Arkham Asylum in ''Knightfall''. He was revamped in ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' as a CorruptCorporateExecutive -- who still believes he's Zeus and demands worship -- who builds a giant aircraft with a private army and outfits himself with a suit that shoots lightning bolts.
** In ''Comicbook/ArkhamAsylumASeriousHouseOnSeriousEarth'', he's portrayed as a man with messianic delusions and an obsession with electroshocks and coprophilia -- since electroshocks cause him to lose control of his bowels.

The moral- and personality-neutral trope is ShockAndAwe. Contrast AnIcePerson and PlayingWithFire, the other two elements that form the FireIceLightning trio.

* Ash's Pikachu from ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' is normally a lovable critter, but when he got [[DemonicPossession possessed by the]] [[ArtifactOfDoom Blue Orb]], he definitely fits.

* ''Comicbook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' villain Mekt Ranzz, a.k.a. Lightning Lord, is nearly always evil and is frequently insane as well. In the post-Zero Hour version of the book, his brother Garth was convinced that the lightning had made him crazy and would do the same to Garth and his sister Ayla; Ayla convinced him that the lightning wasn't responsible, just Mekt's natural instability. Surprisingly subverted very well in the [[WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes animated adaptation]], in which Mekt reforms and helps Garth save Ayla.
** In the Threeboot Legion, Mekt is still crazy, but this time it's because, being a solo birth on a planet of twins, he's missing out on a bond shared by everyone else he knows, and this naturally leads to depression. [[spoiler:He gets over it when he realizes he owes it to the Wanderers not to die]], but he's still got anger issues.
** And Storm Boy, whose non-natural powers kept him from being accepted into the Legion. He's since had over 75 separate operations to increase the voltage of his bolts and also to see what they can do with his face.
* ComicBook/{{Magneto}}. [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor When he's a bad guy]], his electromagnetic powers do have a tendency to mess with his brain chemistry. Unlike most examples, though, he's more of an {{Ubermensch}} with a [[AGodAmI god complex]] than your usual twitchy lightning-throwing psychopath.
* Averted with Zafir, one of the few costumed enemies of the "original" Paperinik. She is a violent criminal, but not psychotic in the least.
* ComicBook/SpiderMan's villain, Electro normally is a very downplayed version of this trope. But he went crazy after ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan Spider-Man (actually Doc Ock in Peter body, at that time) experimented on him. He can no longer control his powers (to the point of accidentally frying his ally/lover) and has frequent nightmares of Spider-Man torturing him.
* VillainProtagonist Johnny Bolt from ComicBook/{{Supercrooks}}, an amoral master thief with electric powers.
* Franchise/{{Superman}} villain Livewire's (pictured) powers [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity affected her brain]], kicking her natural AttentionWhore tendencies UpToEleven. Superman eventually fixed this by giving her one of his old containment suits from [[DorkAge that time he was an]] EnergyBeing, facilitating a HeelFaceTurn.
* Subverted in ''ComicBook/TopTen'', whose character Shock-Headed Peter is a [[FantasticRacism robot hater]], but definitely NOT psychotic. He also [[MommasBoy loves his momma]]. Although one issue stated Peter had some sociopathic tendencies.
* Played with in relation to ComicBook/WonderGirl Cassie Sandsmark. She is a genuinly kind and heroic person but her ShockAndAwe powers are tied to her emotions, most strongly utter rage, and the lasso she first used to be able to channel and control her powers was manipulating her behavior making her more cold and angry all the time.

* The Electro of ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' is very psychotic, unhinged, and paranoid, unlike his original [[MarvelUniverse Marvel]] counterpart where he was just your basic thug with electricity powers.
** The Electro of ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' cartoon even further exemplifies this trope, essentially running around in a panic and discharging voltage uncontrollably. Before the accident he seemed a cocky Jerkass, and right after it, although he was rude and snappish, he wasn't villainous so much as panicking and [[PowerIncontinence accidentally shocking things]]. But after encountering Spider-Man and being threatened by cops, he immediately became the spastic crazed type.

* The appropriately named "Lightning" (along with his sound-based brother "Thunder"), from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', though he comes across more as a PsychopathicManchild since wasn't aware of the destruction he caused.

* In ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainKnightOfTheOrangeLily'', Specter somehow has a SplitPersonality named "Easter" that is capable of using lightining abilities. Notably, Specter is known to be a sadist -- albeit WordOfGod reveals that this is the Season 2/3 Specter so he's not as villainous as before -- but Easter is somehow even ''more'' unhinged with how he seems to be deatched from reality, takes being electrocuted as being part of an orgy and is obsessed with hearts.

* In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'', Akira Otoishi is an unrepentant killer who can channel the power of Morioh's electrical grid into his Stand.

* Given their BloodKnight tendencies and the [[ElementalRockPaperScissors elemental alignment]] of the unlocked SuperMode, this was probably the case for the extinct Zerker tribe of ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce''.Also Gemini Spark/Noise from the same games!You can torture any boss to death that does not have Status Guard/any player that does not have the NoParalysis ability with a constant string of Sword-type Battle Cards!Psycho Electro indeed!

* Given their BloodKnight tendencies and the [[ElementalRockPaperScissors elemental alignment]] of the unlocked SuperMode, this was probably the case for the extinct Zerker tribe of ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce''.Also Gemini Spark/Noise from the same Games!

* Given their BloodKnight tendencies and the [[ElementalRockPaperScissors elemental alignment]] of the unlocked SuperMode, this was probably the case for the extinct Zerker tribe of ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce''.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/StreetFighter''. Crimson Viper, an electrified agent of the nefarious Shadaloo organization, presents a cold and villainous front (her presence is even accompanied by an ominous EtherealChoir-ridden theme song), but her in-game ending reveals that she is actually [[spoiler:a CIA double-agent working to take down Shadaloo]].

* ''VideoGame/MegaManZero 3'': Volteel Biblio, Elec Man, Spark Man, Cloud Man, (arguably) Flash Man and Bright Man, and *shudder* [[MonsterClown Clown Man]] from the ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' series. As well as Spark Mandrill, Volt Catfish, and other Mavericks from the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series.

* ''Franchise/MonsterHunter'':
* The final boss of ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise'',Thunder Serpent Narwa, is one of few monsters in the series capable of rational thought, and conducts herself like a cruel and wrathful goddess who takes joy in the destruction caused by her calamitous lightning powers. [[spoiler:When she kills her mate Ibushi and steals his powers, she's said to "lust for utter annihilation" in the Hunter's Notes section for her Allmother form.]]

* The final boss of ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise'', Narwa, is one of few monsters in the series capable of rational thought, and conducts herself like a cruel and wrathful goddess who takes joy from the destruction caused by her calamitous lightning powers. [[spoiler:When she kills her mate Ibushi and steals his powers, she's said to "lust for utter annihilation" in the Hunter's Notes section for her Allmother form.]]