History Main / RingsOfActivation

SuperTrope to EnergyRingAttack. See InstantRunes, which often incorporate rings. See also WhenThingsSpinScienceHappens, as the spinning bits are usually ring-shaped. Compare with KirbyDots. Not to be confused with RingOfPower or RingsOfDeath. Machines or devices with physical rings as part of them do not count.

** ''Anime/DigimonGhostGame'': In "The Witching Hour", [[MonsterOfTheWeek Piccolomon]] is able to pluck people from time. This process involves the victim being surrounded by three pink rings before they vanish.
*** A few instances of digital phenomena are accompanied by rings of purple or green light made of bar code stripes.

* ''LightNovel/ArifuretaFromCommonplaceToWorldsStrongest'': The process of Hajime's summoning of his vehicles is preceded by a large ring made of glowing green code materializing above the area the vehicle appears.

** ''Series/KyukyuSentaiGoGoV''[=/=]''Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue'': Kinkyu Gattai Victory Robo[=/=]Lightspeed Megazord's FinishingMove involves generating a ring of fire with its sword and then slashing through it to generate a fiery SwordBeam.

* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootNSaneBandicoot: Warped'': Crash and Coco are teleported into the Time Twister in beams of yellow rings.

** Both of Antauri's are surrounded by green rings of light before he forms his Ghost Claws.

* ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'': While searching for survivors in the third of the original series, The Doctor casts a spell to move some rubble out of the way. When this happens a ring of mystical symbols materializes around his arms.

* ''ComicBook/FirestormDCComics'': Whenever Firestorm uses his powers, Rutherford's model of the atom sometimes manifests around his hands.

* ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'': In "Sonic and Sally", Robotnik captures Sally and places her in a containment tube identical to one housing an android. Pink rings pass over both Sally and the android as the latter is transformed into a [[RobotMe perfect replica of Sally]].

* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'': Amy uses the [[MagicMusic Mystic Melody]] in #282 to locate the shards of the Master Emerald. This process causes a ring of golden light to form around her head like a halo.

Magical or advanced scientific phenomena can manifest all manner of visuals in fiction. One of the most recurring is a ring or rings made of light, energy or some kind of glowing substance. This is used in processes such as {{Teleportation}}, futuristic vehicle propulsion, {{Transformation Sequence}}s and use of PsychicPowers. This is likely influenced by the fact that illustrations of certain processes such as transmission of signals or vibrations drawn as waves of expanding rings.

* ''ComicBook/XMenEmperorVulcan'': [[spoiler:Vulcan tries to kill Alex by throwing him into the vacuum of space. Alex survives by drawing power from a star, which grants him a BattleAura composed of rings of blue light.]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog22022'': [[spoiler:While trying to rescue Sonic, Tails and Tom, Rachel and Maddie are confronted by a GUN agent. Maddie whips out an anti-gravity device from Tails' backpack which generates a beam of rings as it launches the agent into the air]].
[[/folder]]

* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'': Danny Fenton's transformation into Danny Phantom is accompanied by one or two white rings materializing around his body as he is converted into ghost form. [[ArchEnemy Vlad Masters/Plasmius]] and [[OppositeSexClone Dani Fenton/Dani Phantom]] transform in a similar way.

** ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce'': [[SixthRanger Eric]]'s morphing sequence has a beam of yellow rings surround him before his Ranger suit materializes around him.