History Main / TouchTheIntangible

* ''WesternAnimation/WishFart'': Ghost hunters can touch ghosts like Akiko who are usually intangible, as was the case with one ghost hunter named Aurelio. However, once he changes jobs via a wish, he becomes unable to touch Akiko.

* In ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'': Speedsters can vibrate so fast that they ‘phase’ and become intangible, but this also means another speedster can grab onto and counteract their intangibility by unphasing them, which was shown in ''Series/{{Elseworlds|2018}}'' where Oliver does this to [[PowerCopying AMAZO]].

** In “Vengeance of Vilgax Part 2”, it’s revealed Vilgax's Shield of Ziegel gauntlet allows him to grab Big Chill while he's intangible, much to the latter's shock.
** In “Map of Infinity”, Big Chill discovers that intangibility cancels out intangibility, so two intangible Necrofriggians would collide with each other.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Ghost-types are immune to Normal- and Fighting-type moves by default. The only way to hit them with those types is to make the ghosts wear a Ring Target, to have the ability Scrappy or use the moves Foresight and Odor Sleuth.

* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'': In ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing The Return of the King]]'', Aragorn parries an attack from the leader of the Army of the Dead with [[AncestralWeapon Anduril]], though this has more to do with Aragorn's (and Anduril's) connection to the one who laid the ghosts' curse than anything else.

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'': Vilgax's Shield of Ziegel gauntlet allows him to grab Big Chill while he's intangible, much to the latter's shock.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Ghost-types are immune to Normal- and Fighting-type moves by default. The only way to hit them with those types is to make the ghosts wear a Ring Target or to have the ability Scrappy.

* ''Videogame/MegaManX5'': "Sigma Virus" and "Zero Virus" enemies cannot be attacked normally (your attacks will phase through them), but you can hit them if you equip the enhancement part called "Virus Buster".
* ''Videogame/MegaManZero4'' has a downplayed case. Scrap Elves are EnergyBeings that possess and reanimate broken robots. While you can destroy the robots, you can't really destroy the Elves. However, if you picked up the "lamp" with your [[PowerPalms Zero Knuckle]], you can use it to push the Elves away. If the weather is set to sunny, you can try pushing the Elves towards the sunlight peeking out through the hole in the ceiling, which will kill them.

** ''TabletopGame/NewWorldOfDarkness'': Blessed objects allow mortals to harm ghosts, and potentially spirits.

* ''Videogame/MegaManZero 4'' has a downplayed case. Scrap Elves are EnergyBeings that possess and reanimate broken robots. While you can destroy the robots, you can't really destroy the Elves. However, if you picked up the "lamp" with your [[PowerPalms Zero Knuckle]], you can use it to push the Elves away. If the weather is set to sunny, you can try pushing the Elves towards the sunlight peeking out through the hole in the ceiling, which will kill them.
* ''Videogame/MysticalNinjaStarringGoemon'': In Ghost Toys Castle, there are intangible ghost enemies that you cannot hit unless you use the Windup Camera to make them tangible.
* ''Videogame/{{Pokemon}}'': Ghost-types are immune to Normal- and Fighting-type moves by default. The only way to hit them with those types is to make the ghosts wear a Ring Target or to have the ability Scrappy.

** ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'': The powers of the titular vampires are almost completely focused on the material world, so anything from the spirit world or the afterlife is essentially an OutsideContextVillain for them. That said, a rare few bloodlines and Disciplines are capable of allowing communication and combat with ghosts and spirits. The Khaibit bloodline [[CastingAShadow being one]] [[LivingShadow such bloodline]].

* ''Series/RedDwarf'': A couple of examples before HardLight is introduced:

* ''Series/{{The Umbrella Academy|2019}}'': Klaus has the ability to [[ISeeDeadPeople see and converse with the ghosts of the deceased]]. In "Changes", the ghost of his dead brother Ben manages to punch him in the face, marking the first time Klaus has ever been able to physically interact with the ghost world. Both characters are caught by surprise.

* A couple of examples in ''Series/RedDwarf'' (before HardLight was introduced):
** "Parallel Universe" establishes that holograms can touch each other.
** The eponymous monster in "Polymorph" can attach its proboscis to Rimmer just as easily as the rest of the crew.
** In "Holoship", Lister refers to a weapon that can do this when being patronised by an ''Enlightenment'' crew member:
--->'''Binks''': ''(on communicator)'' Binks to ''Enlightenment''. The human is under the delusion that he is somehow able to bestow physical violence to a hologram.
--->'''Lister''': ''(pretending to use his cigarette packet as a communicator)'' Lister to ''Red Dwarf''. The intruder seems to be blissfully unaware that we have a rather sturdy holowhip in the munitions cabinet. Unless he wants his derrière minced like burger meat, he'd better be history in two seconds flat!
** A holowhip also appears in "Demons & Angels", only this version can be held by a hologram and inflict damage on a human.

-->'''Binks''': ''(on communicator)'' Binks to ''Enlightenment''. The human is under the delusion that he is somehow able to bestow physical violence to a hologram.
-->'''Lister''': ''(pretending to use his cigarette packet as a communicator)'' Lister to ''Red Dwarf''. The intruder seems to be blissfully unaware that we have a rather sturdy holowhip in the munitions cabinet. Unless he wants his derrière minced like burger meat, he'd better be history in two seconds flat!

** Ghost Touch items (most commonly weapons and armor) have this effect. Magical attacks (including all magical weapons) can harm incorporeal beings, but have only a 50% chance of working each time.

[[folder: Video Games]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

!!Examples

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

[[folder: Comic Books]]

[[folder: Film]]

[[folder: Literature]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy2019'': Klaus has the ability to [[ISeeDeadPeople see and converse with the ghosts of the deceased]]. In "Changes", the ghost of his dead brother Ben manages to punch him in the face, marking the first time Klaus has ever been able to physically interact with the ghost world. Both characters are caught by surprise.
-->'''Klaus''': You just [[Film/Ghost1990 Patrick Swayzeed]] me. How did you do that?\\
'''Ben''': Uh, I... I didn't. You did.

[[folder: Tabletop Games]]

** Ghost Touch items (most commonly weapons and armor) have this effect. Magical attacks can harm incorporeal beings, but have only a 50% chance of working each time.

* ''TabletopGame/HeroSystem'': This is called "Affects Desolid". It costs 50% of the power's base cost, or 25% if restricted to a single type of incorporeal targets (such as ectoplasm).

[[folder: Comics]]

* ''Franchise/TheDCU'': Nth metal is a rare element which is able to interact with and harm incorporeal beings, such as ghosts. It's notable for being the material that ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} and Hawkgirl's maces are made from.

* ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'': Norman [=McCay=] is a human pastor who is enlisted to accompany ComicBook/TheSpectre as he searches the world for the cause of a coming apocalypse. As the Spectre's companion, Norman is able to travel unrestricted through space and time and observe events unheard and unseen. However, he does not count on ComicBook/TheFlash, who has received a power upgrade that causes him to exist on multiple planes of reality at once. The Flash senses Norman observing a meeting of the Justice League, grabs him, and yanks him back into physical reality.

* ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'': Will Parry manages, with his subtle knife, to harm angels, specters and even [[spoiler:''God'' Himself, albeit indirectly and involuntarily]].

-->'''River:''' How are you even doing that? I'm not really here.
-->'''Doctor:''' You are always here to me. And I always listen, and I can always see you.

-->'''Klaus''': You just [[Film/Ghost1990 Patrick Swayzeed]] me. How did you do that?
-->'''Ben''': Uh, I... I didn't. You did.

* ''WesternAnimation/WishFart'':Ghost hunters can touch ghosts like Akiko who are usually intangible, as was the case with one ghost hunter named Aurelio. However, once he changes jobs via a wish, he becomes unable to touch Akiko.

* ''Film/JohnDiesAtTheEnd'': Amy is an amputee who has lost one of her hands. Unsurprisingly, she has phantom limb syndrome, still feeling like her hand is there. Her phantom limb allows her to [[spoiler:turn a phantom doorknob that cannot be seen, let alone touched by a normal hand]].

* ''VideoGame/MysticalNinjaStarringGoemon'': In Ghost Toys Castle, there are intangible ghost enemies that you cannot hit unless you use the Windup Camera to make them tangible.

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Compare SeeTheInvisible and SeeThruSpecs.

Subtrope of SoulCuttingBlade. Compare ArmorPiercingAttack.