History Main / RideTheLightning

* ''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.
** 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.

* [[Manga/MahouSenseiNegima Negi Springfield]] devises a technique to absorb his own lightning-based spell and turn himself into lightning, making him considerably faster than most of his enemies.

* ''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 to go anywhere lightning wouldn't be able to reach, such as, a room deep underground.

* ''WesternAnimation/SWATKats'' villain Hard Drive can travel through phone lines and electrical and computer systems and steal data from the latter while wearing his Surge Coat.

* The Nightbane of Palladium's ''Nightbane'' RPG can purchase a [[MagicAndPowers Talent]] called "Lightning Rider", which [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin lets them turn into living electricity]].

** 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 RideTheLightning 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 RideTheLightning, would be forced to turn around to leave.]] [[SoCoolItsAwesome Riding The Lightning]], indeed.
** 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 RideTheLightning as well.

* This is what Twoflower thinks Rincewind is talking about when he expresses a desire to "harness the lightning" in ''Discworld/TheColourOfMagic''.

* One of Ky Kiske's Chaos Move in the ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' is named this because it, too, was named after the song "Ride the Lightning."

* The villain of ''Film/{{Shocker}}'' has this power.

** 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 RideTheLightning 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 RideTheLightning would be forced to turn around to leave.]] [[SoCoolItsAwesome Riding The Lightning]], indeed.

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

* {{Spider-Man}} foe Electro is sometimes shown traveling by surfing a lightning bolt.
* ''{{Superman}}'' [[DorkAge Blue]] could travel as a lightning bolt.

* 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.

* The Pronghorns use this to travel in the ''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.]]

* LightningDust Does the turn into lightning version, once winding up inside a streetlight on his first flight.

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

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

* The Simbul of ''ForgottenRealms'' after lots of experiments with polymorphing into inanimate objects (which sane mages avoid) and self-enspelling acquired an ability she uses when even the most powerful magic-user in her world (and not quite in right mind) must leave in haste: she turn herself into chain lightning, thunders through the area, ''then'' the last bolt turns into a meteor and flies away.

* In an old hilarious DOS game ''Space Dude'' one of the environmental stages ''literally'' made you ride the lightning - that is, the {{Surfer Dude}} had to keep shocking himself, otherwise he would fall.
* One of Ky Kiske's Chaos Move in the ''GuiltyGear'' is named this because it, too, was named after the song "Ride the Lightning."
* In ''GuildWars'', there is an Air Magic spell called Ride the Lightning that warps you next to a targeted enemy, dealing lightning damage to the enemy.

* {{Pulseman}}'s array of [[ShockAndAwe electricity-based powers]] includes the Volteccer, which turns him into a flying ball of electricity. This also allows Pulseman to travel along power lines. In addition, he can transform himself into an electrical signal to travel through {{Cyberspace}}.

* In {{Skylanders}}, Zap the water dragon says this as his CatchPhrase. He doesn't ride lightning per se, but he spits it from his mouth. He rides sea slime.

* One of the gremlins in ''Gremlins2TheNewBatch'' gains this ability and starts traveling through the Clamp building's phone lines.
* In ''AndYouThoughtYourParentsWereWeird'', ghosts can manifest as electricity to [[HauntedTechnology possess technology]].

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

* ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'':
** The titular character, 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.

* The villain of ''Film/{{Shocker}}'' has this power, which he uses to travel through electric cables.
* ''Film/WarOfTheWorlds'' (2005) had the aliens using lightning to travel to their buried pods.
* 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]].

* One of Ky Kiske's Chaos Move in the ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' is named this because it, too, was named after the song "Ride the Lightning."

* One of Ky Kiske's Chaos Move in the ''GuiltyGear'' is named this because it, too, was named after the song "Ride the Lightning."

* The villain of ''Film/{{Shocker}}'' has this power.
* The 2005 remake of ''Film/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' had the aliens using lightning to travel to their buried pods.
* One of the gremlins in ''Gremlins2TheNewBatch'' gains this ability and starts traveling through the Clamp building's phone lines.
* In ''AndYouThoughtYourParentsWereWeird'', ghosts can manifest as electricity to [[HauntedTechnology possess technology]].

** A character 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.

* The Electrical Melee powerset in ''CityOfHeroes'' has "Lightning Rod" as its final power. It works very similarly to the ''GuildWars'' "Ride the Lightning" already mentioned. The user teleports to a targeted location, damaging any enemies near the landing point.

* Cole of ''VideoGame/{{inFamous}}'' can travel extremely quickly by sliding along electrified wires - and they do have to be electrified. Amusingly, this works of something similar to the principle of a railgun. The sequel introduces the Lightning Tether, which is essentially a grappling hook made of lightning.