History Main / RideTheLightning

* In the first episode of ''Series/{{Tracker}}'', Cole, in his natural energy form, travels through a power line to get to the ground.

Not related to ElectricTorture or the Music/{{Metallica}} album (although the trope was named for the latter). Also not related to when a bipolar person decides NoMedicationForMe while in a manic phase, occasionally termed "riding the white lightning". Nor does this refer to execution via electrocution, although the trope title is a slang phrase for such an execution.

* [[ComicBook/TheAuthority Jenny Sparks]] does the "transform-into-electricity-via-power-lines" variant for cross-country travel.
* ComicBook/DoctorStrange learned how to teleport via lightning when the Ancient One's nemesis Kaluu was his mentor, but he considered it a form of [[TheDarkArts dark sorcery]].
* [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] in ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'' exploits his transformation method (yelling "Shazam!" and getting struck by a bolt of lightning,) and then rides the bolt of lightning down to a rampaging Black Adam (who gets his power via the same method) to strike him with it instead to force him to transform back to normal.
* Sparx from ''ComicBook/SuperboyAndTheRavers'' loses her human shape altogether when she flies fast enough since she is an EnergyBeing when not in human form.

* The Pronghorns use this to travel in the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic, ''[[Fanfic/ItsADangerousBusinessGoingOutYourDoor It's a Dangerous Business, Going Out Your Door]]''. They use it to relay messages between rulers. [[spoiler: They teach Rainbow Dash to do it as well.]]

* One of the gremlins in ''Film/Gremlins2TheNewBatch'' gains this ability and starts traveling through the Clamp building's phone lines.
* In ''Film/AndYouThoughtYourParentsWereWeird'', ghosts can manifest as electricity to [[HauntedTechnology possess technology]].
* At the climax of ''Film/{{Hulk}}'', David Banner absorbs enough electricity to become a monster made of lightning. He grabs the Hulkified Bruce and they travel miles inland on his coattails, fighting in the clouds.
* In ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'', Electro is able to do this traveling as a bolt of lightning.
* ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' has Storm arriving to fight the X-Men [[https://media1.giphy.com/media/xTiQyEIWhGup1JDFrq/source.gif in a way that makes it seem she came along with a lightning bolt.]]

* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'': When Kallen receives a blessing from Ligol, the lightning goddess, one of the abilities this grants her is teleporting via this method. Her body, and that of anyone touching her, transforms into lightning and then strikes where she wants to land. This means she can't use it to go anywhere lightning wouldn't be able to reach, such as a room deep underground.
* In ''The Dreamers'' series by Creator/DavidEddings, the Elder God Veltan has a pet lightning bolt that he rides for quick long-range transport. Disadvantages include having to avoid collateral damage, because gods are [[ThouShaltNotKill absolutely forbidden from taking life]], and showing up with static-frizzed hair.

* It's been...''[[EpilepticTrees theorized]]''...that all the supernatural entities in ''Series/TwinPeaks'' travel this way. A few odd incidents (particularly in TheMovie) are accompanied by shots of buzzing power lines. The same thing happens in ''Film/MulhollandDrive'' at one point, [[WildMassGuessing possibly for the same reason.]] Uhh, [[MindScrew maybe.]]

* Ofanim of Lightning in ''TabletopGame/InNomine'' can become electricity in order to travel along wires between two electric devices. It's rather hard on the devices used though.
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons 3.5'' has the spell ''Lightning Leap'', which inflicts electricity damage in a straight line and transports the caster to the end of the line. There's also a [[PlayingWithFire fire-based version]] in the form of ''Firestride Exhalation'', where the caster [[BreathWeapon breathes a cone-shaped stream of fire]] and can transport themselves to any space within the cone.

* An odd example occurs in ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheDreaming'' with the Hsien. Fire Alchemy originally only allowed its Path Of The Elements to be used on burning buildings and Lava. But in modern times Hsien learned how use it to travel between lightning bolts, power lines and fiber optic cables.

* In an old hilarious DOS game ''Space Dude'' one of the environmental stages ''literally'' made you ride the lightning - that is, the SurferDude had to keep shocking himself, otherwise he would fall.

* The Electrical Melee powerset in ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' has "Lightning Rod" as its final power. It works very similarly to the ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' "Ride the Lightning" already mentioned. The user teleports to a targeted location, damaging any enemies near the landing point.
* Raiden's '''[[MemeticMutation I NEED MY MONEY]]''' [[TeleportSpam teleport attack]] in ''Franchise/MortalKombat''.
* Ghosts in ''VideoGame/GhostTrick'' can travel through phone lines.

* The MechanicalLifeforms of [[EternalEngine Wiral]] from ''VideoGame/{{Meteos}}'' can turn their bodies into electricity to travel across their planet via it's vast network of wires.
* Mario can capture spark pylons in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', turning him into an electric ball that can quickly move across electricity lines.

* Powerful electricity mage "the Maestro" does this in ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan''. As a side-effect, he's constantly undergoing mild electrocution, which leaves him stuttering.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10 Ultimate Alien}}'' gives Ben a new alien form, Ampfibian, an ElectricJellyfish that can, [[ComboPlatterPowers among many other things]], transform into pure energy and travel through power lines and circuitry.
* ''WesternAnimation/DragonsRidersOfBerk'': The Skrill, the first electric dragon seen in the series, is able to call down a lightning strike and travel across it to get into the sky in the blink of an eye.
* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''' pesky Kremzeek.
* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' villain Livewire used this trick.

* Juice, the member of the Ultimen, in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' can do this.
* WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck's foe [[PsychoElectro Megavolt]] can "skate" along power lines.
* ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'' had the Shard of Lightning, a Shen Gong Wu that let its user travel at the speed of light for the brief seconds in which the lightning struck, as well as the Denshi Bunny, another Wu that turns the user into electricity so that they can travel through wires and other electrical circuitry.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': Jake's hybrid granddaughter, Bronwyn, can summon storm clouds to teleport as a lightning bolt.

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex''[=/=]''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'': The titular Railgun, Mikoto, is capable of surfing along steel-framed concrete walls, Spiderman-style, thanks to her [[ShockAndAwe abilities to control electricity]]. When she does that, there is a visible lightning "leash" extending from her body. Taken to a more literal extreme in the [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]], where, in an alley with steel-framed concrete walls on both sides, she uses her abilities to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin fly through the air]]. [[spoiler: The point of which was to ride the lightning fast enough to fit through a small section at the end and circle back around through the next alley to get behind whoever was following her the whole episode, who, in their inability to ride the lightning, would be forced to turn around to leave.]] Riding the Lightning, indeed. The SS novels show that she can use her ability over large bodies of water to induce hydrolysis in water molecules to ride the lightning as well. And later taken to an even higher extreme when she is forcibly subjected to a [[spoiler:[[OneWingedAngel Level 6 Shift]]]], gaining the ability to effectively teleport to where a beam of electricity she created had struck in the process, apparently by travelling '''through''' the electric beam itself.

* Rotom in one of the Decolora Islands ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' episodes does this to get into appliances and eat electricity.

* The 2005 remake of ''Film/WarOfTheWorlds'' had the aliens using lightning to travel to their buried pods.

* At the climax of the 2003 ''Film/{{Hulk}}'', David Banner absorbs enough electricity to become a monster made of lightning. He grabs the Hulkified Bruce and they travel miles inland on his coattails, fighting in the clouds.

Not related to ElectricTorture or the Music/{{Metallica}} album (although the trope was named for the latter), or the [[WesternAnimation/{{Cars}} sentient race car]]. Also not related to when a bipolar person decides NoMedicationForMe while in a manic phase, occasionally termed "riding the white lightning". Nor does this refer to execution via electrocution, although the trope title is a slang phrase for such an execution.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' [[DorkAge Blue]] could travel as a lightning bolt.

Not related to ElectricTorture or the Music/{{Metallica}} album (although the trope was named for the latter). Also not related to when a bipolar person decides NoMedicationForMe while in a manic phase, occasionally termed "riding the white lightning". Nor does this refer to execution via electrocution, although the trope title is a slang phrase for such an execution.

* [[PsychoElectro Enel]] in ''Manga/OnePiece'', who has the power to transform his body into lightning.
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': When Negi masters [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique Magia Erebea]], a technique which allows him to fuse himself with offensive spells, his affinity for [[ShockAndAwe lightning]], [[BlowYouAway wind]] and [[LightEmUp light]] magic lends itself to this.
** ''Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens'' ("Jovian Windstorm of Lightning") [[TornadoMove blasts a vortex of wind and lightning energy at opponents]]. When equipped, it creates the form ''Agilitas Fulminis'' ("With Lightning Speed"), which electrifies Negi's body and grants him great agility.
** The FantasticNuke spell ''Khilipl Astrape'' ("Thousand Thunderbolts") can be absorbed to enter the state ''He Astrape Huper Ouranou Mega Dunamene'', better known as ''Raiten Taisou'' ("Might of the Great Thunderclap"). Apart from [[StatusBuff fortifying Negi's body]], this drastically improves his FlashStep skills, allowing him to transform into a bolt of lightning in short bursts. However, the technique has blind spots due to his human reaction time and his need to send out streamers of charged particles before the main bolt strikes. This leads to...
** ''Tastrapa Huper Ouranou Mega Dunamena'', or ''Raiten Taisou II'' ("Might of the Twin Thunderclaps"), activated by absorbing two ''Khilipl Astrape'' spells at the same time, which transforms Negi into [[ElementalEmbodiment a being of pure "heavenly fire"]], similar to a lightning [[OurGeniesAreDifferent genie]]. Not only does this allow him to maintain constant lightning-speed while retaining full awareness of his surroundings, it also makes him an ElementalShapeshifter who can disperse parts of his body into lightning to avoid attacks.

* Rotom in one of the Decolora Islands ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' episodes does this to get into appliances and eat electricity.

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex''[=/=]''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'': The titular Railgun, Mikoto, is capable of surfing along steel-framed concrete walls, Spiderman-style, thanks to her [[ShockAndAwe abilities to control electricity]]. When she does that, there is a visible lightning "leash" extending from her body. Taken to a more literal extreme in the [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]], where, in an alley with steel-framed concrete walls on both sides, she uses her abilities to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin fly through the air]]. [[spoiler: The point of which was to ride the lightning fast enough to fit through a small section at the end and circle back around through the next alley to get behind whoever was following her the whole episode, who, in their inability to ride the lightning, would be forced to turn around to leave.]] Riding the Lightning, indeed. Then taken UpToEleven in the SS novels where it shows that she can use her ability over large bodies of water to induce hydrolysis in water molecules to ride the lightning as well. And later taken to an even higher extreme when she is forcibly subjected to a [[spoiler:[[OneWingedAngel Level 6 Shift]]]], gaining the ability to effectively teleport to where a beam of electricity she created had struck in the process, apparently by travelling '''through''' the electric beam itself.