A half-ghost, or colloquially among ghosts, a "halfa"[1], is a human whose genetic structure is infused with ectoplasm. Half-ghosts have the ability to change between human and ghost forms at will, and possess the same supernatural powers that ghosts have. Though more have existed temporarily, there are currently only three known half-ghosts in existence: Danny Fenton, Vlad Masters, and Dani Phantom.
History[]
Vlad Masters/Vlad Plasmius, the first half-ghost.
Though the first half-ghost shown in the series is the titular Danny Phantom himself, he was not the first half-ghost to come into existence.
During Jack Fenton and Vlad Masters' college days, Vlad became the world's first half-ghost when he was caught in the blast of Jack's prototype ghost portal.[2] Twenty years later, Danny would go on to suffer a similar accident inside Fenton Works' completed ghost portal.
Later, Vlad, in an attempt to create a half-ghost son, experimented with trying to clone Danny, but all his attempts failed except one, which produced a female half-ghost that he named Danielle.[3]
Creation methods[]
The only shown method of permanently changing a human into a half-ghost is when a human is exposed to an intense amount of ectoplasmic energy, such as being inside or near a ghost portal when it is activated, rearranging the human's molecules and genetic structure.[4] This is how Danny and Vlad became half-ghosts. Other methods that were shown, but not permanent or reliable, include:
- A human can be enhanced with ghost powers from ghosts or ghost artifacts that grant wishes, such as Desiree[5] or the Reality Gauntlet. This is how Tucker Foley briefly became half-ghost; however, Danny later separated the monster ghost that had overtaken Tucker from him with the help of the Fenton Ghost Catcher.
- A half-ghost can be created from an existing half-ghost using cloning technology, like Dani Phantom and the other clones of Danny that Vlad created. This is the only case where the half-ghost was not originally an ordinary human.
- A half-ghost who has lost their powers, but still has an active remnant of them in their DNA such as the white streak in Danny's hair after he used the Fenton Ghost Portal to take his powers away, can regain them if the remnant is reintroduced to an intense amount of ectoplasmic energy. This is how Danny got his half-ghost status and ghost powers back after losing them in "Phantom Planet." When Danny got his ghost powers back, it appears he also gotten an increase in his abilities, as he used his Ghostly Wail with no ill effects. However, this method is probably the most dangerous of all, as Danny was close to dying if the process hadn't worked.
Characteristics[]
Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom, before and after "going ghost"
Half-ghosts have access to ghost powers such as intangibility, invisibility, and flight. Initially, a half-ghost has only a few powers, however, as time passes, they acquire more and more abilities, becoming more and more powerful. This can be seen with Vlad who, having had his powers for twenty years, has possessed a variety of powers.
Half-ghosts can use the majority of their powers while in human form, and can change into ghost form (Danny refers to this transformation as "Going Ghost"[6]) to use them to their fullest extent.
Half-ghosts have immunity to many effects due to their dual nature. For example, they can pass through anti-ghost shields unharmed while in human form, and their ghost half makes them resistant to ghostly effects, such as Ember's hypnotic music, that would otherwise affect humans. However, like full ghosts, they are still vulnerable to ghost weaknesses such as Ecto-ranium and Blood Blossoms while in ghost and human form.
In some cases, half-ghosts have been shown to be susceptible to overshadowing by full or other half-ghosts. Danny was overshadowed by Sidney Poindexter and the weaker ghost was able to switch bodies with him as a result. Later a clone of Danny was capable of briefly overshadowing him, though Danny was able to resist due to his will power. Danny himself was able to overshadow a duplicate of Vlad.
Known half-ghosts[]
(alternate timeline)
(briefly)
(formerly)
(deceased)
(deceased)
(deceased)
(deceased)
Trivia[]
- According to creator Butch Hartman, not everyone can become a half-ghost. There are limitations to the process and it appears DNA is limited in the transformation process. Hartman said that if Sam or Tucker had gotten caught in the Fenton ghost portal accident, it would have likely killed them.[7]
- While Danny and Vlad’s ghost half are connected to their human half to a degree, it has been shown multiple times that one does not need the other in order to survive and one will not share the same fate if the other is "killed/destroyed".
- Majority of the Half Ghosts in the series were artificially created.
References
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| V - E - H - DSpecies in Danny Phantom | |
|---|---|
| Main species | Ghost | Half-ghost | Human |
| Other species | Alien | Clone | Cyborg | Demon | Dragon | Genie | Gorgon | Mummy | Robot | Siren | Unicorn | Vampire Werewolf | Zombie |