- "I suspect that we will continue to die and be reborn until we finally get our life right. I do not know what we have to do to bring that about, though. And therein lies the frustration."
- ― The Nameless One (Planescape: Torment)
The power to pass one's spirit/soul into another body after death. Not to be confused with Resurrection as the user possesses a new body.
Also Called
- Past Life
- Rebirth
Capabilities
The user is capable of surviving and escaping death by having their spirit/soul reborn in the body of another and possess a body that was just born, new-born being.
If they reincarnate by possessing another body they gain the physical capabilities of the host, but also the drawbacks and potentially the social connections as well.
If they reincarnate by being reborn in new body, their original powers may be radically changed in strength or they may end up with new powers.
Applications
- Divided Mind - If the personalities are distinct from each other.
- Past Life Awareness - User retains all memories, experience, wisdom, skills, knowledge and powers of their past lives.
- Past Life Power Access - User can access any powers they had in their former lives.
Variations
- Deity Reincarnation
- Dimensional Travel/Time Travel: The user may be reincarnated in any era or parallel world.
- Multi-Reincarnation
- Retroactive Immortality - by being reborn each time after death, the user is immortal.
Associations
- Life Manipulation
- Reincarnation Inducement
- Reincarnation Manipulation
- Remaking
- Respawning
- Samsara Manipulation
Limitations
- May be reborn as an infant.
- Memories may not return to the reborn immediately, and the process may take time or requirements.
- User's soul must be transferred inside the new body, ie. if the soul is thwarted by outside forces, such as Reincarnation Denial, it will be unable to be reborn.
- May not be reincarnated in linear/causal manner, ie. being born before/during/after they died.
- May not be reborn in same world/plane/reality/verse they died in.
Known Users
See Also: Reincarnation.
Cartoons
- Finn (Adventure Time)
- Avatars (Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra)
- Kenny McCormick (South Park)
- First Spinjitzu Master (Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu); reincarnated as Lloyd Garmadon
Comics
- Hawkman (DC Comics)
- Hawkwoman (DC Comics)
- Poison Ivy (DC Comics)
- Rose Tattoo (Wildstorm Comics)
- Apocalypse (Marvel Comics)
- Groot (Marvel Comics)
- Loki (Marvel Comics)
Films
- Merrick (Buffy the Vampire Slayer film)
- Makoto Kobayashi (Colorful)
Literature
- Phoenix (Arkwell Academy); via Self-Resurrection
- The Eternal Champion (Moorcock Multiverse); John Daker, Erekose, Elric of Melnibone, etc
- Firefight (Steelheart)
- Optimus Prime (Transformers Aligned Community); reincarnated as Orion Pax.
- Clan Leaders (Warriors)
Live Action Film/TV
- The Charmed Ones (Charmed)
- Xian Yue (Holy Pearl); reincarnated as Ding Yao
- Sisters of the Dark (Legend of the Seeker)
- Nicci
- Darken Rahl (Legend of the Seeker)
- Clark Kent/Superman (Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman)
- Salupa/Kalagua/Dr. Eva Tabinas (Pedro Penduko at ang mga Engkantao)
- Bizarro (Smallville)
- Ingrid & Freya Beauchamp (Witches of East End); cursed to be reborn as Joanna Beauchamp's daughters everytime they die
- Dash and Killian Gardiner (Witches of East End)
- Callisto (Xena: Warrior Princess); reincarnated as Eve
Manga/Anime
- Dark Schneider (Bastard!!)
- Griffith (Berserk)
- Szayel Apporo Granz (Bleach); via Gabriel
- Clow Reed (Cardcaptor Sakura); reincarnated as Eriol
- Ceres (Ceres: Celestial Legend/Ayashi No Ceres)
- Noah Family (D.Gray-Man)
- Apocalymon (Digimon Adventure); reincarnated as Meicoomon
- King Piccolo (Dragon Ball); reincarnated as Piccolo Jr.
- Kid Buu (Dragon Ball Z); reincarnated as Uub
- Mavis Vermillion (Fairy Tail); reincarnated as Mio
- Zeref Dragneel (Fairy Tail); reincarnated as Arleos
- Dante (Fullmetal Achemist; 2003 anime)
- Hohenheim of Light (Fullmetal Alchemist; 2003 anime)
- Greed/Ling Yao (Fullmetal Alchemist)
- Apollonius (Genesis of Aquarion)
- Celiane (Genesis of Aquarion)
- Hanyuu Furude/Oyashiro-sama (Higurashi no naku koro ni)
- Rika Furude/Frederica Bernkastel (Higurashi no naku koro ni)
- Kite (Hunter x Hunter)
- Yuka (Immortal Rain)
- Kikyo (InuYasha); reincarnated in Kagome Higurashi
- Elizabeth Liones (Nanatsu no Taizai)
- Asura's and Indra's vessels (Naruto)
- Orochimaru (Naruto)
- Sailor soldiers (Sailor Moon)
- Mamoru Chiba (Sailor Moon)
- Athena (Saint Seiya)
- Hades (Saint Seiya)
- Poseidon (Saint Seiya)
- Pallas (Saint Seiya Omega)
- Maou (Sekai Maou)
- Hao Asakura (Shaman King)
- Medusa Gorgon (Soul Eater)
- Michael Roa Valdamjong (Tsukihime)
- Mutsumi (Utawarerumono)
- Pharaoh Atem (Yu-Gi-Oh!); spirit/soul sealed in the Millennium Puzzle.
- Femto (Berserk); reincarnated as Griffith again via the Incarnation Ceremony.
- Saviors (Seiken Tsukai no World Break)
Video Games
- Aita (Assassins Creed)
- Dracula (Castlevania)
- Soma Cruz (Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow)
- Paddra Nsu-Yeul (Final Fantasy XIII-2)
- The Beast (inFamous 2)
- Demise (The Legend of Zelda)
- Link (The Legend of Zelda)
- Princess Zelda (The Legend of Zelda)
- Althena (Lunar); reincarnated as Luna Noa
- Metroid Prime (Metroid); reincarnated as Dark Samus
- The Hero (Shin Megami Tensei series)
- The Heroine (Shin Megami Tensei series)
- Alessa Gillespie (Silent Hill)
- Chao (Sonic the Hedgehog)
- Zasalamel (Soul Calibur)
- Miang (Xenogears)
Other
- SCP-1790 (SCP Foundation)
Gallery
Cartoons
Korra (The Legend of Korra) is one of the many reincarnations of the Avatar, with her previous incarnation being Aang.
Comics
Hawkman & Hawkgirl (DC Comics)
Rose Tattoo (Image Comics) being the spirit of murder, she can never die. Whenever she does the spirit will pass onto a new host for her to inhabit.
Literature
The Eternal Champion (Moorcock Multiverse) is endlessly reincarnated throughout the multiverse in different identities, doomed to eternal battle.
Elric of Melniboné is but one of the many incarnations of the constantly reincarnated Eternal Champion.
Orion Pax (Transformers Aligned Community) is the reincarnation of the 13th Prime, Optimus Prime.
Ingrid and Freya Beauchamp (Witches of East End) are reborn multiple times throughout the centuries.
Live Action TV
The Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Master (Doctor Who) passing from one incarnation to another after a fatal injury.
Salupa (Pedro Penduko at ang mga Engkantao) has this ability, resurrecting in the body of Dr. Eva Tabinas then becoming Kalagua.
Sister Nicci (Legend of the Seeker) gets Reincarnated into a new body with the aid of the Sisters of the Dark.
Eve (Xena: Warrior Princess) is the reincarnation of Callisto.
Manga/Anime
Szayel (Bleach) implanting himself in Nemu, and reincarnating himself into an undamaged form.
Eriol Hiiragizawa (Cardcaptor Sakura) is the reincarnation of Clow Reed.
Piccolo Jr. (Dragon Ball) is the reincarnation of King Piccolo.
Uub (Dragon Ball Z) is the human reincarnation of Kid Buu.
Greed (Fullmetal Alchemist) meets Ling Yao...
...and is reincarnated onto him.
Yuca (Immortal Rain) is the Spirit of Methuselah, and has constantly been reincarnating since the beginning of human history.
Kagome Higurashi (Inuyasha) alongside her past life, the priestess Kikyo.
Over the countless generations, Asura's and Indra's Chakra (Naruto) after their deaths have been reincarnated by different vessel's worthy of their chakra, one time Madara Uchiha integrated Hashirama's Cells and obliviously Asura's Chakra which he awakened the Rinnegan, their current vessels are Naruto who has Asura and Sasuke who has Indra.
Orochimaru (Naruto) using his "Living Corpse Reincarnation" to reincarnate himself into a new body, thus erasing any permanent damage and aging.
Two years after becoming a God Hand, Griffith (Berserk) was reincarnated on earth, with the full power of his God Hand form of Femto at his beck and call.
Mavis and Zeref (Fairy Tail) meeting once again after being reincarnated as Arius and Mio.
Elizabeth Liones (Nanatsu no Taizai) is the 107th reincarnation of a goddess cursed with a perpetual reincarnation
Video Games
Soma Cruz (Castlevania) is the reincarnation of Dracula.
Althena (Lunar) has reincarnated as a human more than once...
...Luna Noa being one of them.
In its death throes, the Metroid Prime (Metroid) steals Samus Aran's Phazon Suit and a sample of her DNA...
...and uses the two to reincarnate as Dark Samus.
Heather Mason (Silent Hill), the reincarnation of Alessa Gillespie.
Michael Roa Valdamjong (Tsukihime) is nicknamed "The Infinite Reincarnator", having reincarnated 18 times in 800 years.