Darkness Manipulation

Darkness Manipulation
Richard Swift/The Shade (DC Comics) can manipulate darkness via connection to the Shadowlands/Dark Zone, a dimension of primordial, quasi-sentient darkness.
Power/Ability to:	Manipulate darkness/shadows.

"Oh, Now don't go making that face. I did get my power stolen, really i did. But the power i lost i cannot make yours. My power is Black."

― Ichibē Hyōsube (Bleach)

"I have seen the night torn into thin darkling strips and woven into shapes too bleak for dreams."

― Crovax (Strands of Night, Magic: The Gathering)

"The shadows betray you, because they already belong to me!"

― Bane (The Dark Knight Rises)

"It shall begin soon... Darkness will pour forth from the doors of hell... a darkness to swallow all the world's light."

― Mard Geer Tartaros (Fairy Tail)

"What's the matter!? Afraid of the dark!?"

― Raven (Teen Titans)

"Darkness is a friend, an ally. Darkness allows us to understand others, to see what they value when they believe no one else is looking. It allows us to be honest with ourselves, to express those values that we would disavow in the light. The light blinds us. It is only in the dark that we see clearly, and there is a great dark hidden among these worlds"

― Darth Revan (Star Wars)

The power to manipulate darkness/shadows. Variation of Absent Energy Manipulation. Opposite to Light Manipulation.

Also Called

• Achluokinesis
• Blackness Control/Manipulation
• Darkness/Shadow Element Control
• Darkness Control
• Erebokinesis
• Obtenebration
• Sciakinesis/Scotokinesis
• Shadow Bending/Control/Manipulation
• Shadow Matter
• Umbrakinesis

Capabilities

User can create, shape and manipulate darkness and shadows. By itself, darkness is mostly used to cloud everything into total darkness, but by accessing a dimension of dark energy it can be channeled to a variety of effects, both as an absence of light and a solid substance: one can also control and manipulate the beings that exist there, create and dispel shields and areas of total darkness, create constructs and weapons, teleport one's self through massive distances via shadows, etc.

Applications

• Animated Shadow
• Create/generate darkness/shadow.
  • Absolute Darkness
  • Light Absorption
  • Shadow Camouflage/Cloaking
• Darkness Adaptation
  • Night Vision
• Darkness Attacks
• Darkness Solidification
  • Create Tentacles/tendrils, chains and/or threads to attack or bind.
  • Umbrakinetic Constructs
• Manipulate the properties of darkness/shadows.
• Shadow Absorption
• Shadow Erasure
• Shadow Marionette
• Umbra-Telekinesis
  • Umbrakinetic Flight
  • Umbrakinetic Surfing

Techniques

• Dark Portal Creation/Umbrageous Teleportation using darkness/shadow by understanding the fundamental connection all shadows/darkness share.
  • Dimensional Storage to store stuff into darkness/shadow.
  • Dimensional Travel to enter their own pocket dimensional darkness/shadow.
• Darkness Aura
• Darkness Defense
• Darkness Empowerment
• Darkness Healing
• Darkness Mimicry
• Darkness Transmutation
• Shadow Mutilation
• ‎Shadow Reanimation 
• Shadow Stealth
• Shadow Swimming
• Umbrakinetic Combat
• Umbrakinetic Regeneration

Variations

• Dark Energy Manipulation
• Dark World Manipulation
• Death Darkness Manipulation
• Diabolic Darkness Manipulation
• Conceptual Darkness Manipulation
• Esoteric Darkness Manipulation
• Grim Darkness Manipulation
• Life Darkness Manipulation
• Primordial Darkness Manipulation
• Psychic Darkness Manipulation
• Pure Darkness Manipulation
• Sacred Darkness Manipulation
• Spiritual Darkness Manipulation
• Shadow Magic

Associations

• Absent Energy Manipulation
• Cosmic Space Manipulation
• Dark Element Manipulation by tapping into the dark aspect of the elements.
• Dark Form
• Darkness Embodiment
• Darkness Weaponry
  • Darkness Artillery
• Darkside View by manipulating the dark corners of one's mind and soul.
  • Mental Manipulation by learning to control dark corners of mind and soul.
• Death-Force Manipulation death is often associated with darkness.
• Death Shadow
• Fear Inducement - Fear is often associated with darkness.
• Freezing as darkness is absence of light, so cold is the absence of heat.
• Ink Manipulation - black ink.
• Gravity Manipulation by using darkness in a way that it gains the power of a Black Hole.
• If user also has Light Manipulation, they could learn Twilight Manipulation.
• Light-Darkness Manipulation
• Lunar Manipulation
• Night Embodiment
• Personal Void
• Twilight Manipulation when combined with Light Manipulation.
• Umbrakinetic Immunity

Limitations

• Distance, mass, precision, etc. depend upon of the knowledge, skill, and strength of the user, and their power's natural limits.
• Light Manipulation and Light Generation are especially effective against this power.
  • As shadow is a dark area produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface, light may strengthen shadow magic or may even be a requirement in some universes.
• Umbrakinetic Immunity.
• May be unable to create darkness/shadow, being limited to manipulating only from already existing sources.
• May have to be in sync with darkness, whether their own or the source of their power.
• May become affected/corrupted through extended exposure.

Known Users

See Also: Casting a Shadow.

Darkness

Comics/Cartoons

• Darklight (DC Comics)
• Richard Swift/The Shade (DC Comics)
• Barbatos (DC Comics)
• Raven (DC Comics/Teen Titans)
• Cloak (Marvel Comics)
• Gorr the God Butcher (Marvel Comics); via the All-Black symbiote
• Knull (Marvel Comics)
• Jordan Lewis (Marvel Comics)
• Count Spankulot (Codename: Kids Next Door)
• Users of the Spell of Absolute Darkness (Kaijudo: Rise/Clash of the Duel Masters)
• Vaatu (The Legend of Korra)
• Black Velvet (Loonatics Unleashed)
• Nightingale (Static Shock)
• Black Hat (Villainous)
• Darcy (Winx Club)
• Shadow Weaver (She-Ra: Princess of Power)
• Eclipsa (Star vs the Forces of Evil)

Literature

• The Darkling/Aleksander Morozova (The Grisha Triology)
• Ungoliant (The Silmarillion)
• Solomon Wreath (Skulduggery Pleasant)
• Lord Vile (Skulduggery Pleasant)
• Thantos (Twitches)
• Moonchild (Wild Cards)
• Brian Laborn/Grue (Worm)

Anime/Manga/Manhwa

• Yami Sukehiro (Black Clover)
• Rood Chrishi (Black Haze)
• The Dark (Cardcaptor Sakura)
• Koichi Kimura (Digimon Frontier); via Spirits of Darkness
• Brain/Zero (Fairy Tail)
• Jellal Fernandes (Fairy Tail)
• Jose Porla (Fairy Tail)
• Simon (Fairy Tail)
• Macbeth (Fairy Tail)
• Freed Justine (Fairy Tail)
• Mirajane Strauss (Fairy Tail); via Satan Soul
• Anubis/Cale (Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers/Ronin Warriors)
• Ajimu Najimi (Medaka Box); via Dark Elbow (Magic Skill)
• Marshall D. Teach/Blackbeard (One Piece); via the Yami Yami no Mi
• Beatrice (Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World)
• Abzu (Saint Seiya Omega)
• Pisces Amor (Saint Seiya Omega)
• Pegasus Kouga (Saint Seiya Omega)
• Mars (Saint Seiya Omega)
• Hornet Sonia (Saint Seiya Omega)
• Izraf (The Seven Deadly Sins)
• Demon Clan (The Seven Deadly Sins)
• Leslie Sperado (The Monster Duchess and the Contract Princess)
• The Shadow Riders (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Season I)

Folklore/Mythology

• Satan/Lucifer (Christianity)

Video Games

• Mr. Scratch (Alan Wake)
• The Shadow (Amnesia: Dark Descent)
• Ragna the Bloodedge (BlazBlue)
• Oryx (Destiny)
• Duskmon (Digimon)
• JagerLoweemon (Digimon)
• Loweemon (Digimon)
• Velgemon (Digimon)
• Nero the Sable (Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII)
• Maxwell (Don't Starve); via Codex Umbra
• Lu/Ciel (Elsword)
• Cloud of Darkness (Final Fantasy III/Dissidia)
• Henry (Fire Emblem Awakening)
• Ansem, Seeker of Darkness (Kingdom Hearts)
• Riku (Kingdom Hearts)
• Terra (Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep)
• Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep)
• Master Xehanort (Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep)
• Ganondorf (The Legend of Zelda)
• Sho Minazuki (Persona 4 Arena Ultimax); via Tsukiyomi
• Malefor (Skylanders)
• The Darkness (Skylanders)
• Dark Skylanders (Skylanders)
• Dark Gaia (Sonic the Hedgehog)
• Mephiles the Dark (Sonic the Hedgehog)
• Rumia (Touhou Project)
• Dark Mystic (Valkyrie Crusade)
• Polar Night (Valkyrie Crusade)
• Vampires (Vampyr)
  • Jonathan Reid
• Aimi Yoshida (X-Men: Destiny); depending on player's choice of actions
• Grant Alexander (X-Men: Destiny); depending on player's choice of actions
• Adrian Luca (X-Men: Destiny); depending on player's choice of actions
• Dharkon (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)

Web Animation

• Kage (TF2 Freak)
• Dr. Robograden (TF2 Freak)

Shadow

Comics/Cartoons

• Analay (Avatar: The Last Airbender - New Recruits)
• Trigon (DC Comics)
• Raven (DC Comics' New 52)
• Obsidian (DC Comics)
• Shadow Walker (DC Comics)
• Mandarin (Marvel Comics)
• Knull (Marvel Comics)
• Farabu the Caretaker (Aladdin: The Animated Series)
• Mirage (Aladdin: The Animated Series)
• The Makuta species (Bionicle)
• Shadow Matoran (Bionicle)
• Takanuva (Bionicle); temporarily
• Fang (BoboiBoy)
• Luci (Disenchantment)
• Magica De Spell (Ducktales Reboot)
• Oni (Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu)
  • Lord Garmadon
  • The Omega
  • Mistaké
• Shade (Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu)
• The Miller sisters (Moonbeam City)
  • Pizzaz Miller
• King Sombra (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)
• Stygian/Pony of Shadows (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)
• The Beast (Over the Garden Wall)
• Ebon (Static Shock)
• Claire Nunez (Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia)

Movies

• Chernabog (Fantasia)
• Jadoo (Krrish series)
• Dr. Facilier (The Princess and the Frog)

Literature

• Mrs. O'Leary (Percy Jackson and The Olympians)
• Nico di Angelo (Percy Jackson and The Olympians)
• Hades (Percy Jackson and The Olympians)
• Necromancers (Skulduggery Pleasant)
• Shadowbinders (A Song of Ice and Fire)
• Aleksander Morozova/The Darkling (The Grisha Trilogy)
• Phobia (Renegades Trilogy)
• Mia Corvere (The Nevernight Chronicles)

Live Television

• Woogyman (Charmed)
• Vashta Nerada (Doctor Who)
• The Shadow Master (Round the Twist)
• Melisandre (Game of Thrones)

Anime/Manga/Manhwa

• Nacht (Black Clover)
• Tsukiyo (Boruto: Naruto Next Generation)
• Mizuki Tsujimura (Bungou Stray Dogs Gaiden)
• The Shadow (Cardcaptor Sakura)
• Nagi Arisuin (Chivalry of a Failed Knight)
• Rui Hachiouji (Code:Breaker)
• Saechika Hachiouji (Code:Breaker)
• Kurumi Tokisaki (Date a Live)
• Sir Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott (Date A Live)
• Rogue Cheney (Fairy Tail)
• Kageyama (Fairy Tail)
• Shade (Fairy Tail)
• Father (Fullmetal Alchemist)
• Pride (Fullmetal Alchemist)
• Yuzuki Mikage (Hell Girl: Three Vessels)
• Connla (Highschool DxD)
• Junk (Junk the Black Shadow)
• Ajimu Najimi (Medaka Box); Via Shadow Step
• Nara Clan (Naruto)
• Gekko Moriah (One Piece) via the Kage Kage no Mi
• Beatrice (Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World)
• Betelguese Romanee-Conti (Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World)
• Natsuki Subaru (Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World)
• Reflejo (Tower of God)
• Makora (Samurai Deeper Kyo)
• Sung Jin-Woo (Solo Leveling)

Video Games

• Dawn (Contrast)
• Anna Schwagerin (Dies Irae)
• Zato-1 (Guilty Gear); Via Forbidden Beast, Eddie
• Raven (Honkai Impact 3rd)
• Zed (League of Legends)
• Zor (Sonic The Hedgehog)
• Shadow (Valkyrie Crusade)
• Shadow Magician (Valkyrie Crusade)
• The Lady (Little Nightmares)

Tabletop

• Ophiel Akerontes Zeros (Anima: Beyond Fantasy)
• Pandemonium (Anima: Beyond Fantasy)
• Lasombra Vampires (Vampire: The Masquerade); via Obtenebration

Both

Comics/Cartoons

• Toa of Shadow (Bionicle)
• Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls)
• The First Spinjitzu Master (Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu)
• The Overlord (Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu)
• Oni (Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu)
  • Lord Garmadon
  • The Omega
  • Mistaké
• Black Velvet (Loonatics Unleashed)
• Unicron (Transformers)
• Lord Darkar (Winx Club)
• Black Hat (Villanos/Villainous)
• The Darkness (Top Cow/Image Comics)
• Jackie Estacado (Top Cow/Image Comics)

Movies

• Pitch Black/The Bogeyman (Rise of the Guardians)
• The Rider/The Dark (The Seeker)

Folklore/Mythology

• Erebus (Greek Mythology)
• Nyx/Nox (Greco-Roman Mythology)
• Hades/Pluto (Greco-Roman Mythology)

Literature

• Rhysand (A Court of Thorns and Roses series)
• Grace McKnight (The Eidolon Saga)
• Children of Hades (Percy Jackson and The Olympians/Heroes of Olympus)
  • Bianca di Angelo
  • Nico di Angelo
• Nightwielder (The Reckoners)
• Necromancers (Skulduggery Pleasant)
  • Valkyrie Cain
  • Lord Vile/Skulduggery Pleasant
  • Solomon Wreath
• Queen Maeve (Throne of Glass)
• King Erawan (Throne of Glass)
• Shaidar Haran (The Wheel of Time)
• Cynthia Andrews (The Young Guardians)
• The Overlord (Frenzy Series)
• Francisco Fischer/Xeoz (The New Real)
• Daruxians (Los Hechiceros del Dragon)

Live Television

• Phoebe Frady (Heroes Reborn: Dark Matters)
• Some Chromatics (Mutant X)

Anime/Manga

• Darkus Bakugan (Bakugan)
• Ai Enma (Hell Girl)
• Alucard (Hellsing)
• Ajimu Najimi (Medaka Box); Via Dark Elbow And Shadow Step
• Fumikage Tokoyami (My Hero Academia)
• Zaruchim and Raushin Mo (Zatch Bell!)

Video Games

• Master of Darkness (Heart of darkness)
• Aragami (Aragami)
• Emily Kaldwin (Dishonored 2); via Shadow Walk, Doppelgänger and Far Reach
• Wilfre (Drawn to Life)
• Arlon the Serene (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
• Hades (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
• Medusa (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
• Pandora (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
• Dark Matter (Kirby series)
• Void Termina (Kirby series)
• Dark Mind (Kirby series)
• Zero (Kirby series)
• 02 (Kirby series)
• Gooey (Kirby series)
• Dark Nebula (Kirby series)
• Miracle Matter (Kirby series)
• Dark Crafter (Kirby series)
• Zed (League of Legends)
• Mr. Dark (Rayman)
• Nox (Smite)
• Bi-Han/Noob Saibot (Mortal Kombat)
• Shadow Queen (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)
• Most Dark-type Pokémon (Pokémon)
• Pandora (Valkyrie Crusade)
• Aisha (Elsword)
• Shadow conduits (Infamous Paper Trail)

Known Objects

• Darkinator (Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog)
• Medallion of Acrata (Arrowverse/Supergirl)
• The Kanohi Kraahkan (Bionicle); the Great Mask of Shadows
• Beelzebub (Date A Live)
• Canis Lykaon (Highschool DxD)
• Night Reflection (Highschool DxD)
• Key of Domination (Honkai Impact 3rd)
• Shadow-Shadow Fruit/Kage Kage no Mi (One Piece)
• Dark-Dark Fruit/Yami Yami no Mi (One Piece)
• Shadow Charms (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Season One)

Gallery

Comics

Todd Rice/Obsidian (DC Comics) can manipulate shadows and darkness to his will.

Shadow Walker (DC Comics) can create and manipulate darkness.

Jackie Estacado (Top Cow/Image Comics) wearing The Darkness as armor.

Literature

Ungoliant (Tolkien) the Gloomweaver.

Aleksander Morozova/The Darklin (The Grisha Trilogy)

Queen Maeve (Throne of Glass)

Anime/Manga/Manhwa

Yami Sukehiro (Black Clover) using one of his spells, Dark Magic: Dark Cloaked Dimensional Slash.

The Dark Card (Cardcaptor Sakura)

The Shadow Card (Cardcaptor Sakura)

Rui Hachiouji (Code: Breaker) can manipulate her shadow.

Saechika Hachiouji (Code: Breaker) can manipulate his shadow.

Jose Porla (Fairy Tail)

Mirajane Strauss (Fairy Tail) is a powerful user of this ability.

Zero (Fairy Tail) is a master of Darkness magic.

Rogue Cheney (Fairy Tail) the Shadow Dragon Slayer.

Gajeel Redfox (Fairy Tail)

Pride (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood) manipulating his shadows.

Shikamaru Nara (Naruto) uses the Shadow Sewing Technique to bind his opponents with materialized shadows.

Gekko Moriah (One Piece) can manipulate shadows (including his own) in a variety of ways via the Shadow-Shadow Fruit/Kage Kage no Mi...

... create a Doppelman...

... and Brick Bats...

... or absorb shadows to strength himself.

Having eaten the Dark-Dark Fruit/Yami Yami no Mi, Marshall D. Teach/Blackbeard (One Piece) can control darkness, giving to control gravity, create pocket dimensions, nullify one's power, and absorb the area around him.

Tsukiyo (Boruto: Naruto Next Generations) grabs at his shadow to manifest a tangible blade, wielding his Shadow Sword

Makora's (Samurai Deeper Kyo) Shadow Techniques are manipulating dimensional energy to create pockets of space for a variety of feats.

As a Shadow Monarch, Sung Jin-Woo (Solo Leveling) can manipulate shadows for a variety of purposes...

...like surround himself in an aura of shadowy darkness while using his Skill: [Bloodlust/Killing Intent]...

...create and bring to life an army of shadow soldiers and beast to serve and fight for him with his ability as a Necromancer...

...create a personal realm with...

...Domain of the Monarch that empowers his soldiers...

...teleport within his shadow with his Shadow Exchange technique...

Natsuki Subaru (Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World) using Shamac.

Having a symbiotic connection with his Longinus Canis Lykaon, Tobio Ikuse (Highschool DxD) has tremendous darkness based powers.

Shadow Riders from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Season I, used dark magic (darkness manipulation) during in-game duels, usually to capture the souls of their opponents. Atticus Rhodes as Shadow Rider "Night Shroud".

Live Television

Phoebe Frady (Heroes: Reborn) using this power to play with her shadow ...

... and to create some kind of black hole.

Video Games

Cloud of Darkness (Final Fantasy III/Dissidia)

Zato-1 (Guilty Gear) can manipulate his own shadow Eddie, a Forbidden Beast.

Dark Gaia (Sonic the Hedgehog) is the incarnation of darkness, night, and destruction. As such, it possesses power over darkness and dark energy on a global scale, able to create an army of supernatural monsters and cover the world in darkness.

Mephiles the Dark (Sonic the Hedgehog) is the malevolent conscience, mind, and will of the sun god Solaris. Being composed of living dark power, he is able to absorb anyone's shadow, use darkness create an army of clones and manipulate the area around him, and control dark energy forces.

Zor (Sonic the Hedgehog) is a Zeti that controls dark forbidden powers, able to cover an area in darkness and create minions and clones of shadows.

Dark Mystic.png

Dark Mystic (Valkyrie Crusade)

Polar Night (Valkyrie Crusade) the maiden of eternal darkness.

Shadow (Valkyrie Crusade)

Shadow Magician (Valkyrie Crusade)

Master Xehanort (Kingdom Hearts) embodies the true cunning nature of darkness.

Aragami (Aragami) can manipulate shadows for a plethora of purposes.

Dharkon (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) can create shadow eruptions and create Puppet Fighters from his own dark power.

Adrian Luca (X-Men: Destiny)

Noob Saibot (Mortal Kombat)

Cartoons

Chirox (BIONICLE) creating a giant fist out of shadow energy.

Stygian/Pony of Shadows (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) is known for this power.

Teridax (BIONICLE) uses his shadow powers to take over the island of Metru Nui.

Lord Garmadon (Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu), Lord of the Underworld and Darkness.

When angry enough, Pizzaz Miller (Moonbeam City) inexplicably forms shadows of Venetian blinds across her face, despite being in a room without blinds.

Darcy (Winx Club) is able to control darkness, illusions, etc.

As a demon, Luci (Disenchantment) can manipulate shadows and even make out with someone else's shadow.

Black Velvet (Loonatics Unleashed)

Raven (DC Comics)