History Main / SentientPhlebotinum

* The [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Evangelions]].

* The Paksis in ''Anime/{{Vandread}}''.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''.

* The baby rogue star created by Cliff Hawk in ''Literature/RogueStar''. It is a living creature of unimaginable power, and quickly grows beyond his abilities to contain or constrain it.
* Simon R. Green's ''Literature/SecretHistories'' series concerns this, first with [[spoiler:the family's enchanted armor]] is powered by a evil fugitive extradimensional being that eats newborns. The replacement is possibly a good guy, but being a StarfishAlien it's not easy to tell its complete motives.

-->--'''Energized Protodermis''', ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}''

See also MainliningTheMonster, PoweredByAForsakenChild and ArtifactOfDoom.

* Calumon from ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' is in fact [[spoiler:the Light of Digievolution given life.]]

* The magic cloth in ''VideoGame/{{Journey}}'' appears to have sentience and, in fact, different species within itself, from small scraps that float through the air together like fish, to a more familiar tassled FlyingCarpet style, to a massive dragon-looking creature. They emit tones just like the traveler, and aid you on your travels.

* The Phlebotinum in ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'' are Human SOULs, so, of course they're conscious.

* ''Videogame/DragonAgeInquisition'': [[spoiler:Lyrium, given that it can be corrupted by the Darkspawn Taint like any other living creature. The corrupted form being [[ToxicPhlebotinum Red Lyrium]].]]

* [[WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat Felix the Cat's]] [[WesternAnimation/JoeOrioloFelixTheCat Magic Bag of Tricks]] is strongly implied to be sentient and have a personality of its own. It also pulls double duty as LoyalPhlebotinum, since it refuses to work for anyone besides Felix ([[Recap/JoeOrioloFelixTheCat1x64MartinTheMartianMeetsFelixTheCat although it made a one-time exception for Felix's friend Poindexter]]).

* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', The Scarab constantly talks with its host, Jaime. [[spoiler: It later turns into a PhlebotinumRebel when placed back under Reach control, as it prefers working with Jaime to being ordered around by the Reach.]]

* The Shikon No Tama from ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}''

* Dust in ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials''.

* Innocence from ''Manga/DGrayMan''; it's implied/stated how Innocence "chooses" people or something like that.

* Getter Rays from (what else) ''Manga/GetterRobo'' are either this or a SentientCosmicForce.
* The [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Evangelions]].
* Recent events in ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'' seem to indicate that Gourmet Cells are this.

* The Blue Beetle owned by the various Blue Beetles has been retconned into this over the years. It was originally introduced as a magical Egyptian artifact that gave superpowers to Dan Garrett, but by the time it passes to a third owner Jaime Reyes it turns out to be a sentient alien machine that gives the wearer a rather ridiculous range of super powers, at the cost of controlling their body and suppressing their personality.

* In chapter 19 of ''Fanfic/JadeLightning'', [[spoiler: it is revealed that Izuku/Akatani's powers are not a quirk, instead being a self-aware cosmic force that came to Earth when quirks were first manifesting, [[LegacyOfTheChosen Izuku/Akatani being newest vessel]].]]

* ''Film/{{Flubber}}''
* The Crystal Skull from the ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull''.

* Simon R. Green's ''Literature/SecretHistories'' series concerns this, first with [[spoiler:the family's enchanted armor]] is powered by a evil fugitive extradimensional being that eats newborns. The replacement is possibly a good guy, but being a StarfishAlien it's not easy to tell its complete motives.

* In ''Literature/ThoseThatWake'', Man in Suit is hopelessness given life.
* The One Ring from ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' and ''Literature/TheHobbit''. It can betray its masters, call out to its true master, and actively seeks to be brought to [[EvilOverlord Sauron]].

* Zamonium in "The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear" is a sapient, super-intelligent and regrettably very hostile chemical element.

** In the new series with the 11th Doctor, the Flesh is synthetic organic material that can be molded into an ArtificialHuman, then used "like a forklift truck" for dangerous situations. Only we discover that it remembers each time is has been 'decomissioned', and because LightningCanDoAnything, sudden powerful electric shocks can meld the current user's personality and memories to the doppleganger leading to a sad WhatMeasureIsANonHuman situation.

* Any magic item in some editions of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' can be made intelligent - this is most frequently found in [[EmpathicWeapon weapons]], but nearly anything enhanced by magic can be given intelligence. Most artifacts, in fact, are intelligent, and have specific agendas of their own. Any intelligent item can hold back on granted powers if it feels like it (generally, if the wielder isn't doing something the item wants - in at least two cases, this can include ''living''), and sufficiently strong ones can [[PeoplePuppets force users to take particular actions]].

* Metatron in ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders'', the resident Phlebotinum, is at least PsychoSerum and possibly sentient. Without an AI intermediary to "filter" a pilot and metatron the pilot tends to go insane and (in the above case) construct a virtual ghost of a dead lover to embody their genocidal tendencies.

* In ''VideoGame/FreedomForce Versus The Third Reich'', [[spoiler: Energy X]] turns out to be this. And not exactly a nice entity, either.
* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'': [[spoiler:Imulsion, used worldwide as a cheap, clean, and efficient fuel, is actually a parasitic lifeform that infects and mutates other living creatures as part of its reproductive cycle.]]
* The magic cloth in ''VideoGame/{{Journey}}'' appears to have sentience and, in fact, different species within itself, from small scraps that float through the air together like fish, to a more familiar tassled FlyingCarpet style, to a massive dragon-looking creature. They emit tones just like the traveler, and aid you on your travels.
* The evil artifacts in ''Department 42: The Mystery of the Nine'' had a limited sentience that enabled them to escape the good guys' storage facility and seek out new owners.
* Echoplast in ''VideoGame/AlterEcho'' is a variety of "plast" (material which can be shaped and reshaped psychically) developed in secret by the BigBad which ended up becoming sentient.

* ''Videogame/DragonAgeInquisition'': [[spoiler:Lyrium, given that it can be corrupted by the Darkspawn Taint like any other living creature. The corrupted form being [[ToxicPhlebotinum Red Lyrium]].]]

* ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'': It comes as something of a shock near the end of the game that [[spoiler:the Marker, the immobile piece of alien {{Phlebotinum}} (well, a manmade copy of the alien {{Phlebotinum}} anyway) at the center of the events]], is ''intelligent'' and has been manipulating you the entire game through audio-visual hallucinations. Later games in the series drop the mystery, as Isaac (the player character) already knows that.

* Wander's Hat in ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' gives you what you need, not what you want, and expresses emotions.

* Heavily implied in the case of the [[ArtifactOfDoom Ice Crown]] on ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', most notably when it froze the world out of rage at its wearer's death in an AlternateUniverse.
* ''WesternAnimation/VoltronTheThirdDimension'' asserted that the robot lions had at least an animal sort of intelligence, and a telepathic link with their pilots.
* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', it's possible to utilize a Gem's... er, ''gem'', to power a magical artefact. While quite a common practice on Homeworld, sometimes the Gems are aware, and it leads to a AndIMustScream situation.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Fanworks]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* [[spoiler: The Will of Magic]] from ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', an alien intelligence with BlueAndOrangeMorality. [[spoiler: Turns out when MAGIC ITSELF is intelligent, stuff can get weird.]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''WebOriginal/{{Gravestonecemetery}}'': The Besmirched and Ink Wellington are living magical ink
[[/folder]]

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]

* [[spoiler: The Will of Magic]] from ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', an alien intelligence with BlueAndOrangeMorality.

* [[spoiler: The tar]] from ''SamAndFuzzy''. Over the course of history, it's been used (intentionally or otherwise) to create entire races of "inhumans" (from vampires and werewolves to talking cats and scheming, immortal, dinosaur politicians). It's known to take on physical forms and properties based on the thoughts (even subconscious) of those near it. Turns out, ''prolonged'' exposure to one or more minds can ''permanently'' imprint on it, creating one or more independent minds within the substance.

* ''{{Weboriginal/Gravestonecemetery}}'': The Besmirched and Ink Wellington are living magical ink