History Main / RemoteBody

* Played with in '''WebAnimation/GenLock'' with Holons, the series' signature HumongousMecha. Rather than being piloted from an internal cockpit, Holons are operated via a [[BrainUploading cyberbrain]], letting the pilot effectively ''become'' the mech. However, this isn't ''remote'' control as such; while undergoing gen:LOCK, the pilot's consciousness is entirely contained within the cyberbrain, ''not'' their original body. While any damage to the chassis can be repaired, enough damage to the ''cyberbrain'' would mean the death of the pilot.

* ''Film/{{Surrogates}}'': The titular surrogates are robots that are remotely piloted by users in their homes, and have become ubiquitous in society, replacing human interaction entirely. [[spoiler:The Prophet also turns out to be this for Lionel Canter.]]

* ''Film/IronMan3'': Due to some new gadgets, Tony can remotely operate some of his suits.
* ''[[Film/{{Westworld}} Futureworld]]'' has an early example, when the protagonists control two boxing androids in an arcade game.
* ''Film/HardcoreHenry'': Jimmy has a multitude of bodies he can switch between, to accommodate the fact that [[spoiler:he himself is wheelchair-bound]].

* In ''ComicBook/{{PS238}}'' when Tyler was infected with an alien virus and put in stasis Victor von Fogg cloned him and replaced most of the clone's brain with a remote control device linked to Tyler's virtual interface in order to cover this up. However, unknown to von Fogg, a [[TemporalDuplication temporal duplicate]] of Tyler was simultaneously conscious in the Castle Beyond Space and Time. The resultant feedback loop meant the clone developed independent consciousness, while a meddling angel and demon gave it superpowers, now he's known as "Toby".

* In ''ComicBook/{{PS238}}'' when Tyler was infected with an alien virus and put in stasis Victor von Fogg cloned him and replaced most of the clone's brain with a remote control device linked to Tyler's virtual interface. However, thanks to a meddling angel and demon the clone developed independent consciousness and superpowers, now he's known as "Toby".

Compare and Contrast: ActuallyADoombot, AstralProjection, BodySurf, DecoyGetaway, DemonicPossession, EnemyWithout, HiveDrone, LittleGreenManInACan, MobileSuitHuman, MyselfMyAvatar, PeoplePuppets, PoweredArmor, RobotMe, SelfDuplication, and SoulJar. PuppetFighter is when this becomes a gameplay mechanic.

* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', one of the [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual parahumans]] living in Brockton Bay is Parian, who power allows her to animate cloth {{golems}}. She uses this to [[MundaneUtility get jobs doing promotions for local businesses]] until [[spoiler:the town is attacked by [[EldritchAbomination Leviathan]] and she volunteers to help defend it]].

* The Meta-Coolers in the sixth ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' movie. They're all extensions of the planet-sized spaceship that saved what was left of Cooler's body (a little less than half his head).
* ''Manga/GhostInTheShell'': In GITS 1.5 and 2 Motoko Aramaki (one of the Major/Puppet Master hybrid's copies) almost exclusively operates through remote bodies stashed all over the planet, while her real body is safe in a private submarine. She sometimes hijacks other people's bodies too.
* ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'': Major Kusanagi (and presumably other characters) can remotely control robot bodies. At the end of the first season she uses this ability to avoid being killed.

* This is Nagato's primary ability in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. He has six bodies that he can control from a pretty long distance that do all the fighting for him under the alias "Pain," as he is himself too physically weak to fight. He also tries to hide his existence as best he can, controlling the bodies while he conceals himself far away.
* Donquixote Doflamingo in ''Manga/OnePiece'' can generate puppet clones of himself to fight other people without having to move from his palace. He also uses this technique in close proximity to himself to confuse opponents on which one is real and which one is fake. Gekko Moriah can do this too to an extent, combining it with FightingAShadow in that the shadow can manifest itself as a full physical copy of himself with all of his fighting skill and powers. Capone Bege, as part of the powers that make him a living, walking castle, can control a replica of himself inside his own body, to speak with his soldiers and prisoners face-to-face while his actual body acts normally.
* In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', [[WhamEpisode it's revealed that]] becoming a Magical Girl means [[spoiler:having your soul removed and placed inside a gem, which becomes your ''real'' body. Your original becomes this, little more than a corpse that you can sense through and remotely control from a distance of up to 100 meters]].

* This is the premise of ''VideoGame/CortexCommand'', where humans, being [[BrainInAJar Brains In Jars]], operate robotic bodies.

* The ComicBook/FantasticFour villain called the Mad Thinker was able to operate out of prision in this way for years. One wonders if he ever wanted to taste some real food, though.

* In early ''ComicBook/AlphaFlight'' Handicapped GadgeteerGenius Roger Bochs had a robot called Box that he control with a neural interface helmet.

* Cait Sith of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' was really a high ranking member of Shinra operating a false body apparently operating ''[[MetaMecha another]]'' false body. Very Celtic.

[[folder: Fan Works]]

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Byrna Brilyant, the Snowman, can remotely pilot her "Snowman" PoweredArmor and the several dozen identical robots/extra "Blue Snowmen" suits she's created.

* In ''Manga/{{Gunnm}}'', Desty Nova cures his son's split personality by building a remotely controlled robot body to channel the other mind. Sechs, Alita's [[GenderBender brother]] has a tinier and SuperDeformed body known as an Interactive Interface, where his brain chip is actually stored, controlling his main body from afar. [[spoiler:It saved his life after he lost against [[MemeticBadass Zekka]] and his main body was destroyed in an antimatter explosion.]]

* In the book ''Literature/TheBicentennialMan'', U.S. Robots does this with all future models to prevent them becoming self-aware like the main character.

* ''Film/{{Surrogates}}'': Have become ubiquitous in society.

%% Image removed per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1590757830078331700

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/{{Gamer}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gamer_interface.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Depending on the game, lag really can be murder.]]

* The ComicBook/FantasticFour villain called the Mad Thinker was able to operate out of prisonin this way for years. One wonders if he ever wanted to taste some real food, though.

* In the episode "I, Robot, You, Jane" of ''Series/{{Buffy the Vampire Slayer}}'', a demon creates a mechanical robot self he operates via the internet. [[spoiler:Eventually he gets stuck in that body.]]

* In ''Manga/BusouRenkin'', one of the power's of Captain Baravo's Silver skin is that he can move it and use it as a second body (which he often does while wearing another one with his second kakugane). [[spoiler: However, it can't be too remote, as he has to have line-of-sight to the action to make it work.]]

* In ''Manga/{{Gunnm}}'', Desty Nova cures his son's split personality by building a remotely controlled robot body to channel the other mind.

* An episode of ''Series/{{Crusade}}'' had [[ClarkesThirdLaw Galen]] generate a sort of remote hologram of himself to discover who had been kidnapping and vivisecting crewmembers who got seperated from the others while on the planet. His BadBadActing as the Homonculus makes this scene a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}}.

-->--''Film/SpiderManHomecoming''