History Main / RideTheLightning

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

* In Webcomic/GrrlPower, the hero Jiggawatt has many [[ShockAndAwe lightning-based]] abilities - including the ability to turn into lightning for near-instant travel.

* The Nightbane from ''TabletopGame/{{Nightbane}}'' can purchase a [[MagicAndPowers Talent]] called "Lightning Rider", which [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin lets them turn into living electricity]].

* ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'': Raika is a [[ShockAndAwe thunder beast]], and can turn himself into electricity and travel along any conductor at blinding speed. Ruby quickly realizes that InertiaIsACruelMistress and punches him as he comes out.

* [[Wester animation/AdventureTime Jake's]] hybrid granddaughter, Bronwyn, can summon storm clouds to teleport as a lightning bolt.

* Raiden's '''[[{{Mondegreen}} I NEED MY MONEY]]''' [[TeleportSpam teleport attack]] in ''Franchise/MortalKombat''.

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'': 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.

* ''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.

* 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]].

* 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.]]
* The ''FanFic/PoniesOfOlympus'' series has the Jupiter Lance technique, which allows pegasi to do this as a fighting technique.

* 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.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Videogames]]

** In the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series of games, Pikachu inherits this ability as its Final Smash, Volt Tackle. As of ''Ultimate'', [[TheBusCameBack Pichu]] also has access to it.

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

** In the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series of games, Pikachu inherits this ability as its Final Smash.

* In ''VideoGame/{{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.

* Mario can do this in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey''.

* Raiden's '''[[{{Mondegreen}} I NEED MY MONEY]]''' [[TeleportSpam teleport attack]] in ''MortalKombat''.

A SisterTrope to ElectricSlide. For riding lava, see LavaSurfing.

** In an earlier example, Elec Man the robot master as well. This is actually what [[spoiler: [[IdiotHero Megaman]] takes advantage of to beat both Bomb Man and Elec Man]]. [[WordofGod David Anez]] in previous commentary stated that [[PhysicsGoof the idea of becoming "fast" lightning is absurd]] and that as we all should know electrons only move as fast as the medium they're in conducts them. He's a physics professor, but he essentially admits he's not above [[RuleofCool putting in something cool for the purposes of the plot]]

* Laxus from ''Manga/FairyTail'' can turn himself into lightning for a short time in order to dodge an attack.

Compare ShockAndAwe, SkySurfing, ElementalShapeshifter.

* Being and electric ghost, the villain of ''Film/{{Shocker}}'' has this power, which allows him to travel between television set and electric sockets.