First introduced in the film Tron, they are used as part of a deadly virtual game conducted by the villainous Master Control Program.

The arena in which they are used features a white grid on black ground, marking the distance the Light Cycles travel.

[5] Light Cycles became well known in popular culture as one of the first mainstream cinematic appearances of a sports bike [citation needed], and have been called symbols of futurism and posthumanism.

In an analysis, author Esperanza Miyake interpreted the Light Cycles of the original Tron as representations of male power: only men get the chance to ride them, while the sole female character, Lora, does not.

[6] The Light Cycle sequence inspired John Lasseter, who was then working at Disney, to enter computer animation; he went on to direct Toy Story, crediting its creation to Tron.