History Main / ActionBomb

An Action Bomb is anybody or anything which tends to use [[SuicideAttack "Blowing Myself Up"]] as a combat technique. Though it kills the user, this is actually a logical tactic for those willing to [[HeroicSacrifice expend their lives]]; the more accurate an explosive device is, the more likely it is to accomplish its goal, and how much closer do you get than right next to the target?

* ''TabletopGame/DCHeroes'': If the Bomb power is combined with the Self Link power, a character can use it to blow themselves up (and re-form later).

** Especially in [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsFourthEdition 4th Edition]], monsters have the all-too-common feature of exploding upon death, usually doing more than any of their regular attacks would do. Results in many an amusing combat with everyone swarming an enemy for a round or two, then scattering to let the mage kill it with fire from range and watch it go boom.
** In the 4E ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'' book, there are details about if a PC is infected with Filth Plague, and if it progresses to its critical state, the infected loses all surges, cannot heal, and when reduced to 0 hit points, explodes and all creatures within a burst 3 contract the Filth Plague.
** [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Balors]] have had this ability since the beginning of the game. Draconians from ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' were notorious for these nasty deaths. A wizard breaking a Staff of the Magi or Staff of Power can invoke this trope, though the damage is ''technically'' survivable.

** Among the homies that Big Mom creates with her Devil Fruit are living cannonballs. These are actually a brutal deconstruction of the trope as many of the cannonballs don't ''want'' to be blown up.

** The solar flare is a new power that ComicBook/{{Superman}} developed in the ''ComicBook/New52''. As of ''Superman'' (vol. 3) #38, he has the power to cause a massive explosion of concentrated [[ThePowerOfTheSun solar energy]], incinerating everything within a quarter of a mile. According to ComicBook/{{Batman}}, his heat vision was just a precursor to his new ability. The drawback, however, is that the explosion depletes all the solar energy in his cells, rendering him human for the next 24 hours.

** In the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS2E26S3E1Basics Basics]]", the crew of ''Voyager'' pick up a wounded Kazon who unfortunately turns out to have been [[BatmanGambit chemically altered to become a suicide bomb]]. Unfortunately, for ''Voyager'', it comes off as a weak copy of ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'' episode 81, "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E7Reunion Reunion]]", which uses largely the same stunt.

* ''TabletopGame/StarRealms'': Some cards allow the player to scrap (remove a card from their deck) certain ships and bases for additional damage points. Notably, the card Battle Station has this as it's only ability.

* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': Seth can summon toy biplanes to kamakazie into opponents.

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': Agatha's Dingbots have the ability to do this, a rather uncomfortable fact that the Baron's army learned when they found themselves fighting several swarms of them.

** Even as late as WWII Britain used the fireship idea with a modern twist, packing the obsolete destroyer HMS ''Campbeltown'' with 4 tons of high explosive and sending it on an operation to take out the only German-held drydock in all of the French coastline capable of servicing the battleship Tirpitz, in Saint-Nazaire. Loaded with commandos and coming in the dead of night, it charged full tilt through coastal gunfire and rammed into the drydock gates so hard it rode up and nearly through them entirely. After a fierce battle with the commandos destroying the machinery to operate the dock gates, and either dying, being captured, or escaping back to England, the Germans began mopping up the damage as best they could the next day after all was said and done. Except for the matter of the bomb onboard the destroyer which they were completely unaware of up until it exploded at about noon, taking out about 360 men and what was left of the drydock, putting it completely out of commission for the rest of the war and even 5 years beyond that.

* Becoming increasingly common in 21st century warfare via "kamikaze" drones, formally known as "loitering munitions". Such as the U.S. ''Switchblade 300'' and Russian ''ZALA KYB'' drones both fielded in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They range from highly advanced systems such as the aforementioned, capable of constantly surveying an area before launching themselves at breakneck speed and slagging a tank, to simple things like SYPAQ "cardboard" drones which are just flown as low as possible, from the least radar-reactive materials possible, and made as cheaply as possible ([[ZergRush and as abundantly as possible]]) while still packing enough explosives to set a parked plane on fire.
** Naval Drones became a common weapon in the Ukrainian arsenal as well, essentially remote-controlled large boats with a low profile comparable to a kayak and packed with ''hundreds'' of pounds of explosives. They've proven very effective, as they're not especially expensive and if just one reaches a warship they can easily blow a hole on the side ten feet wide.

** Chiaotzu blows himself up to kill Nappa. Yeah, he still lives.

** Most, if not all, of Dr. Gero's Androids incorporated very powerful self-destruct devices. 17 and 18's are removed by Shenron on a wish from Krillin, (which is used as a plot point in GT because 17 was not made aware of that fact,) while 16's is removed by Bulma. The problem is that she doesn't make him aware of that either, so 16 attempted to use his nonfunctioning self-destruct mechanism against Cell. When it failed, Cell kills him, [[FromASingleCell not that the bomb would've helped anyway according to him.]]

* ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'', specifically the Bro Trip 40,000: A Tale of Two Primarchs (Catachan Capers). The Catachan Barking Toad is an alien species of frog that explodes and releases toxic gas, killing everything in a 1 mile radius. It is compared to Virus Bombs in potency, weapons designed for ''exterminating planets''. And it even [[spoiler: managed to kill Vulkan temporarily (much to the chagrin of his brother Corvus). That being said, he's basically immortal, so it didn't put him down for long]]. A larger specimen was later encountered, and only by the intervention of [[PhysicalGod Sly Marbo]] were the protagonists able to escape.

* ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'': the Catachan Barking Toad is an alien species of frog that explodes and releases toxic gas, killing everything in a 1 mile radius. It is compared to Virus Bombs in potency, weapons designed for ''exterminating planets''. And it even [[managed to kill Vulkan temporarily. That being said, he's basically immortal, so it didn't put him down for long.]]

* ''WebAnimation/WhatIfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'': the Catachan Barking Toad is an alien species of frog that explodes and releases toxic gas, killing everything in a 1 mile radius. It is compared to Virus Bombs in potency, weapons designed for ''exterminating planets''. And it even [[managed to kill Vulkan temporarily. That being said, he's basically immortal, so it didn't put him down for long.]]

** The Saibamen used by Nappa and Vegeta in the Saiyan saga, which infamously managed to kill Yamcha long before the other Z Fighters even took on Nappa.

* ''Literature/AThreadOfGrace'': Lidia Leoni decided that she had a long life and she rather go out fighting for the Resistance than waiting for old age or a stray bomb to kill her.

* ''TabletopGame/TranshumanSpace'' has "Autonomous Kill Vehicles", small ships piloted by sometimes AIs (which [[SlidingScaleOfRobotIntelligence may or may not be sapient]]) or occasionally [[VirtualGhost Ghosts]] whose main function is to ram enemy ships (since [[ExplosionsInSpace explosives aren't very effective in space]]). If a suicide attack isn't necessary, they're also armed with [[MagneticWeapons coilguns]], and if it is, most infomorphs have [[BodyBackupDrive backups]].

* In ''Manga/Cyborg009'', three teenagers get bombs implanted in them and are given the mission of killing someone they know and love: [[spoiler:the eponymous Cyborg, Joe/009]].
** Also, in the older TV series Albert/004 has a nuclear bomb stored in his stomach. [[spoiler:And in the 80's movies, he ''does'' use it to save his teammates. He manages to survive, though.]]
* ''Anime/{{Daimos}}'': Episode ten featured a [[{{Robeast}} Mecha Soldier]] designed to latch on [[HumongousMecha Daimos]] and detonate the nuke built in its body.
* ''Manga/DanceInTheVampireBund'' has vampires pull creative twists on this twice so far. One reporter [[TheMole secretly involved in a conspiracy]] has herself turned so she can cut herself open and sew a sizable block of [=C4=] in her abdomen before attending a press conference given by Mina Tepes. In an apparently separate case [[spoiler:an agent of a rival vampire clan implants vials containing a chemical that reacts explosively with the blood of vampires and rigged to rupture with a cell-phone signal inside the bodies of numerous minions, and tries to blackmail Mina by [[WesternTerrorists dispersing them within the Tokyo subway system]]]].

** Chiaotzu blows himself up to kill Nappa. Yeah, he still lived.

* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', Fu tries to commit a HeroicSacrifice by jumping at [[spoiler:Wrath]] while covered in lit dynamite. [[spoiler:[[SenselessSacrifice The explosives never go off, but he dies nonetheless.]]]]

* In ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' this was Netero's trump card against the Chimera Ant King. By stopping his own heart after all of his other efforts barely scratched the King, he activated the extremely powerful bomb implanted in his body. It very nearly worked too.

* In the ''Mazinger'' franchise:
** ''Anime/MazingerZ'': [[{{Robeast}} Mechanical Beast]] Aeros B3 was designed to plunge into the Mount Fuji's crater and blow himself up in order to set off an eruption and bury the [[HomeBase Photon Atomic Energy Research Institute]].

* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]] in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. Deidara's weapon of choice are [[MadBomber self-made explosives]]. When cornered by the heroes he claims to explode himself but what he actually does is detonate an explosive clone. Later Deidara ''does'' however use his self-destruction technique. [[spoiler:He is then revived by Tobi's Impure World Resurrection technique. Suddenly he has an infinite amount of chakra and his body pulls itself together automatically. Even though he even lampshades himself the fact that he could use his self-destruction technique as many times as he wants, he doesn't do this because [[MadArtist it would decrease the value of his "ultimate art".]] Deidara also [[WhyAmITicking turns a few mooks into bombs by booby-trapping them with his explosives]].]]

* In ''Anime/NinjaScroll'', Zakuro is a sadistic explosives expert who specialises in setting explosive traps to kill her enemies... including using living creatures as disguises for her bombs. She turns a mutilated captive ninja into one of these in her first battle, then kills [[IfICantHaveYou Yurimaru]] with a setup involving a rigged warehouse and a small explosive sewn into a living rat.
** She ends up being used as one herself (sadly, she didn't realize that carrying a large amount of potent, powerful explosives at all times can be a liability if those explosives are highly flammable) seeing as the CoolOldGuy managed to distract her and use ''her'' [[SelfDemonstratingArticle to blow a hole]] in [[{{Pun}} the hull]] of the ship.

* Shana and Alastor in ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana'' do this to end the first season in a DangerousForbiddenTechnique version, although she thought it was a [[SuicideAttack certain fatality]] when she did it.

* The [[NightOfTheLivingMooks Marriage]] in ''Audioplay/StrikersSoundStageX'' are composed of some sort of material that allow them to turn their [[ShapeshifterWeapon arms into weapons]]. This same material can be converted into a powerful liquid explosive and detonated by the Mariage at a thought, letting them [[TakingYouWithMe perform a final attempt at their enemies' life]] [[CyanidePill should they somehow be captured alive]].

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[[folder:Card Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': A number of cards have the ability to deal damage to an opponent by sacrificing themselves, often representing something along these lines. Goblins in particular have a combination of a love of destruction and a lack of self-preservation that makes them particularly prone to this sort of tactics, as depicted in [[https://scryfall.com/card/ema/138/mogg-fanatic Mogg Fanatic]], [[https://scryfall.com/card/plist/132/goblin-grenade Goblin Grenade]].
* ''TabletopGame/StarRealms'': Some cards allow the player to scrap (remove a card from their deck) certain ships and bases for additional damage points. Notably, the card Battle Station has this as it's only ability.

* One of the ''Literature/DirtyPair'' comics has bioengineered ''exploding chihuahuas''.
* Fred Perry's ''ComicBook/GoldDigger'' has the Peebos, which originated as artificially intelligent robot bombs before developing into a group RobotBuddy for the series. Brianna would later install a system that flash-downloads their A.I. into a replacement body when they go off, allowing them to blow themselves up to their hearts content without sacrificing themselves.
* ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'':
** The HeroicSacrifice of [[spoiler:Rex Splode]] in the one-issue [[CrisisCrossover summer blockbuster crossover]] "The Invincible War''.
** One of the first villains Mark faces is a [[EvilTeacher disgruntled teacher]] who abducts students and turns them into walking bombs. Only one of his victims is still alive, and while he's no longer volatile, his torso is still metal and wires.

* Paul in ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'', though he would [[ActualPacifist never use it around any living thing more advanced than a plant]], and even then he'd hesitate. Though it feels really, ''really'' nice....
* In ''Fanfic/WhenThereWasATomorrow'': The Covenant-Reaper alliance has turned out Grunts husks called Gremlins, which run at and suicide bombs their enemies.
* The ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/PicklesAndDepredation'' has an Eevee that learns the move Self-Destruct, allowing it to detonate like a demolition bomb at will.
* Ladies and gentleman, a "[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic ponified]]" ''[[https://derpiboo.ru/1081953 bomb]]''. Apparently she follows CartoonPhysics when she explodes, though, as the last time she did she "[[TakeThat almost did as much damage as Rainbow Dash at the Weather Factory]]".
* The ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fic by Creator/AAPessimal, '''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11536013/1/Hyperemesis-gravidarum Hyperemesis Gravidarum]]''', has an explosives-minded Assassin giving creative thought to Agatean Fireclay, and reflecting that a golem made of explosive clay, with a suitably written suicide-chem in its head directing it to the location of the client, would be an elegant weapon for inhumation. Lord Vetinari advises her to turn her mind to ''less dangerous'' lines of philosophical reflection. She also reflects that Adora Belle Dearheart would have words to say to an Assassin seeing golems as disposable weapons, and decides it's safer to shelve the idea.

* In ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers'', during the battle at Helms Deep the Uruk-Hai set a bomb in the drainage tunnel at Helm's Deep, with an Uruk with a torch blowing himself up to set it off.

* [[spoiler:Robert Neville]] in the theatrical ending of ''Film/IAmLegend''.
* ''Film/DrStrangelove'', in the famous scene where Major T J Kong rides the nuke down to its destination below, [[spoiler:thereby causing the Soviets' doomsday device to detonate and end the world]].
* In ''Film/Armageddon1998'' [[spoiler:Harry Stamper manually detonates the nuclear bomb, sacrificing himself to save the world]].
* In ''Film/IronMan3'', the Extremis soldiers' PowerIncontinence is used to turn them into living bombs. [[spoiler:Tony also activates the self destruct on some of his automated armors to take out Extremis users in the FinalBattle.]]
* ''Film/TheDarkKnight'': [[spoiler:Joker, while imprisoned, requests 'his one phone call' multiple times. When he's finally granted it, it turns out that the number he intended to call connected to a cell phone set to trigger a bomb implanted in one of his henchmen several cells down, allowing him to escape]].

* In the later Flinx and Pip novels of Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''Literature/HumanxCommonwealth'' series, the eponymous hero has learned how to deliberately trigger the SuperPowerMeltdown of his PsychicPowers and uses it intentionally to escape tricky situations, since he knows it won't hurt him or anyone he really cares about. It [[PowerIncontinence doesn't always work]], something he remains frustratingly {{Genre Blind|ness}} about.
* [[Literature/AThreadOfGrace Lidia Leoni]] decided that she had a long life and she rather go out fighting for the Resistance than waiting for old age or a stray bomb to kill her.

* Creator/JohnVarley's science fiction short story "Bagatelle" is about a lunar police officer dealing with someone who has had an atomic bomb implanted in his body, and warns everyone that he will explode in a set period of time.
* In ''Literature/WindAndSparks'' some necromancers like creating "fishes". It is a walking corpse covered by small scale-like pieces of metal, hence the name. It walks to a group of people and explodes, killing them with shrapnel. What's worse, when a powerful necromancer dies, "the breath of Abyss" starts raising nearby dead and some of them spontaneously become "fishes".
* It the conclusion to Christopher Paolini's ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'', Glaedr mentions that during the fall of the dragon riders, a Rider who lost his dragon converted the matter in his body to energy, producing what's heavily implied to be a nuclear blast. [[spoiler:Galbatorix [[{{Foreshadowing}} does the same thing in the book's climax]] when Eragon forces him to have a VillainousBSOD]].
* In John Steakley's ''Literature/{{Armor}},'' if a SpaceMarine flips all the switches in his PoweredArmor to "On," the safety features are overloaded and it [[GoingCritical goes Prompt-Supercritical.]] This is used twice.
* Creator/IsaacAsimov:
** ''Literature/FoundationSeries''' "Literature/TheMule": Captain Pritcher convinces the remaining democratic underground, who had been resisting the tyranny of the Indbur family for eighty years and now struggled against the rule of the Mule, to let him try a [[HeroicSacrifice suicide bombing attempt]] with an atomic bomb small enough to fit in his mouth but powerful enough to explode the entire mayoral palace.
** "Literature/LetsGetTogether": Each of the [[DeceptivelyHumanRobots humanoid robots]] that have [[TheMole infiltrated]] "Us" is equipped with components for two types of bomb. One is a normal chemical explosive. The other is a [[RidiculouslyPotentExplosive Total Conversion bomb]], which requires all ten of the robots to meet in-person.
* ''Literature/WarGirls'': Near the beginning, a suicide bomber starts the attack on the War Girl camp.
* [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Swamp dragons]] in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' have a tendency to blow themselves up when ill or enraged (as well as a tendency to ''be'' one or the other for most of their lives). One is actually weaponized in ''Literature/MenAtArms'' to blow a hole in the wall between the Fools' Guild and the Assassins' Guild.
* ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'': Some draconians (the Aurak and Bozak variants) explode after dying.

* In ''Literature/APracticalGuideToEvil'', Catherine, as a cadett at the War Academy, comes up with the tactic of filling dead goats, antilopes or oxes with goblin munitions, leading them towards an enemy target through necromancy, and then targeting the dead animal with a fireball to let it violently explode. These "undead suicide goats" work wonders against fortifications.

* In ''Literature/TheLockedTomb'', there's a technique where a necromancer detonates their entire thanergy reserve at once. [[spoiler:Palamedes]] uses it to damage [[spoiler:Cytherea]] enough for the others to finish her off, and nearly gets Gideon in the blast too. The Fourth House, the vanguard of the Emperor's army, is particularly fond of it.

* In ''Series/{{Lexx}}'', the state of the art in both spaceships and bombs consists of semi-sentient, biomechanical insects.
* Played with in ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', where anyone with the nuclear explosion ability will survive their own explosions. Not so much for everyone around them.
* In the ''Series/RedDwarf'' episode "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonIIIPolymorph Polymorph]]", Dave Lister's suggested method of dealing with the Polymorph is "why don't we go down to the armory, get a nuclear warhead and strap it to my head. I'll nut the [[UnusualEuphemism Smegger]] to oblivion!". This after said creature has [[spoiler:[[FearlessFool drained all his fear]]]].

* ''Series/ChoujuuSentaiLiveman'': [[spoiler:Arashi Busujima, being reverted back to his old self, straps dynamite onto himself and charges to the incredibly tough MonsterOfTheWeek. All while being fired at. He runs the whole way and successfully makes it, killing both of them]].

* Dean agrees to be this in the season 11 ender of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', as they desperately need to take out the BigBad and he's the only one who can approach her. He gets a SoulPower bomb implanted in his chest and preps for a HeroicSacrifice. [[spoiler:She senses the bomb as soon as he gets near, and simply takes it out of him. Luckily, he's then able to talk her down.]]
* ''Series/TheBoys2019'': Naqib. He can detonate, and live to do it again.
* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': The episode [[Recap/AgentsOfSHIELDS4E13Boom "Boom"]] revolves around an Inhuman that turns into self-igniting combustible gas and then reforms back into a humanoid.
-->'''Mace:''' He's the perfect weapon. An undetectable suicide bomber who ''gets to walk away''.

* ''TabletopGame/DCHeroes''. If the Bomb power is combined with the Self Link power, a character can use it to blow themselves up (and re-form later).
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' monsters, especially in 4th Edition, have the all-too-common feature of exploding upon death, usually doing more than any of their regular attacks would do. Results in many an amusing combat with everyone swarming an enemy for a round or two, then scattering to let the mage kill it with fire from range and watch it go boom.
** In the 4E TabletopGame/{{Eberron}} book, there are details about if a PC is infected with Filth Plague, and if it progresses to it's critical state, the infected loses all surges, cannot heal, and when reduced to 0 hit points, explodes and all creatures within a burst 3 contract the Filth Plague.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'': ''TabletopGame/TranshumanSpace'' has "Autonomous Kill Vehicles", small ships piloted by sometimes AIs (which [[SlidingScaleOfRobotIntelligence may or may not be sapient]]) or occasionally [[VirtualGhost Ghosts]] whose main function is to ram enemy ships (since [[ExplosionsInSpace explosives aren't very effective in space]]). If a suicide attack isn't necessary they're also armed with [[MagneticWeapons coilguns]] though, and if it is most infomorphs have [[BodyBackupDrive backups]].

* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'': A player in 8th Edition can try to cast a spell with more power than their wizard can safely handle, hoping for an "unlucky" miscast surge of violent magical energy. This can be devastating when the wizard is in a unit and his unit is on the losing end of an engagement.

* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'': Andy the bomb is eternally frustrated that he's never able to fulfill his purpose. Sadly, he appears to [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything not be able to perform]].
* In ''WebAnimation/GirlchanInParadise'', one character detonates himself using his most powerful (and apparently only) technique. He then proceeds to be [[UnexplainedRecovery poorly edited in so that he isn't dead.]]

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'', probably as a ShoutOut to the Voyager/TNG example above, features former Ambassador Ch'vorthq. Ch'vorthq is a genetically engineered bomb, set to go off at a meeting between the Creethlings (for whom he is the nominal ambassador) and the Golbwerians, killing the Golbwerian diplomats and allowing the Creethlings to attack in force. He's disarmed before he can do any actual damage. Unusually, Ch'vorthq doesn't '''know''' he's a bomb; he thinks he's a legitimate diplomat, and is horrified to discover that his employers/designers didn't ''actually'' want him to make peace. However, the 'disarmament' only stoped him from being forcibly detonated - he could still blow himself up at will. Or, rather, (since he's ugly, not crazy), setting a part of his anatomy on a short fuse and throwing it. After losing both his arms and one eye that way he retreated to the background for several years before an emotional crisis set off an irreversible chain reaction that caused everything but his brain (removed and stored in a jar in time) to detonate.
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': Agatha's Dingbots have the ability to do this, a rather uncomfortable fact that the Baron's army learned when they found themselves fighting several swarms of them.
* In ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' Bun-Bun uses this tactic during his last fight with Blacksoul:[[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=060119 You're not taking me with you. I'm taking you with me."]]
* ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'': Ran is built of shoddy Soviet materials, and breaks so often (and is made so cheaply) that his creator simply set a machine to automatically download his memory and personality into a new body and teleport it back to the location of the previous one when he dies. Result, when the heroes are facing an army of Robot Masters? [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/040910 Ran Bombs!]]

* Clubs Deuce attempts to invoke this during the Midnight Crew intermission in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', by running around with a hat full of bomb and a head full of empty. It manages to terrify Fin, but not Stitch, because C4 is a stable explosive and thus unlikely to detonate with gunfire.
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Damien turned himself into this in order to [[TakingYouWithMe kill Grace]].

[[folder:Web Original]]

* In ''WebVideo/PokemonApokelypse'', a Voltorb is used to blow up a car.
* In ''Series/{{Noob}}'', neogicians have a kamikaze ability.
* At one point the superhero guide ''Blog/HowToHero'' mentions an anthropomorphic nuclear bomb as the kind of supervillain a superhero might find themselves fighting.

* ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers''; one episode has three shapeshifting aliens visit Earth, one of which likes the place too much, and doesn't want to leave. When the other two find out he's taken the form of Dale, they threaten to blow the Earth up unless he shows himself. Gadget thinks their bluffing and points out the obvious - that if they did so, they'd blow ''themselves'' up - but they just laugh, and give her a demonstration of this Trope, saying that they ''like'' blowing up. (Dale gets a better idea, drawing the guy out by tempting him with alien food the other two says he loves.)
* The Mad Bomber from 'Napoleon Blown-Aparte' in [[Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises DePatie-Freleng's]] ''WesternAnimation/TheInspector'' series is revealed to be a literal bomb when he takes his hat off at the end of the cartoon.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'': In the finale of ''Ninjago:Rebooted'', Zane, an Android, blows up his power source to destroy the main villain, The Overlord.
* This is the main/only attack of [[MeaningfulName Grenader]] from ''WesternAnimation/SkysurferStrikeForce''. It's 'OK' though, he's a Robot, and he reforms shortly afterwards.

* ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'' has the RidiculouslyCuteCritter, Tashy 497, a living bomb designed to set off an EarthShatteringKaboom the instant it dies.
* Starscream of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' once used two decoy clones as bombs that began a countdown to detonation after they were captured and placed in close proximity.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'' has the Goliath Serum, which turns any living thing into an explosive. Hank has a brief bout with it in "Ice Station Impossible!".

* ''Film/IndependenceDay'': Upon realizing that the missiles of his airship are stuck and thus cannot be shot at thealien saucer's WaveMotionGun, Russel Casse performs a HeroicSacrifice by piloting straight at it to prevent the next city destruction. His last words are "Hello boys! I'm baaaaaaack!"

* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', Oni Lee's power is a mix of VillainTeleportation and MesACrowd; he teleports, leaving behind a copy of himself and all his equipment for a few seconds. His equipment includes a belt of grenades, allowing him to be the world's only serial suicide bomber. This, along with his UndyingLoyalty and/or EmptyShell "personality," makes him a horrific force multiplier for [[MadBomber Bakuda]], who's MadScientist bombs would otherwise be in sharply limited suppy.

* Russel Casse in ''Film/IndependenceDay'': "Hello boys! I'm baaaaaaack!"

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' had the Goliath Serum, which turns any living thing into an explosive. Hank had a brief bout with it in "Ice Station Impossible!"

If the user is [[RedShirt expendable enough]], he'll die. If the user is special or a hero, expect to see him either have it as a DangerousForbiddenTechnique that will one day get him KilledOffForReal, or resurrected and re-deployed ''ad infinitum.''

* Becoming increasingly common in 21st century warfare via "kamikaze" drones, formally known as "loitering munitions". Such as the U.S. ''Switchblade 300'' and Russian ''ZALA KYB'' drones both fielded in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

* ''WebOriginal/OrionsArm'': The early modified humans [[http://www.orionsarm.com/xcms.php?r=oaeg-view-article&egart_uid=4ac6247bd1611 Homo Jihadi]] had a modified endocrine system, "naturally" producing explosives that accumulated in their bones and other calcium-containing tissues. They were modified at the zygote stage and have not been known to reproduce. It did not help the reputation of genetic engineering...

** There's two DC characters called the Human Bomb, whose superpowers are exactly what you'd expect. They're super-heroes who generate massive explosions, usually members of the ComicBook/{{Freedom Fighters|DCComics}}. This dangerous condition requires them to constantly wear containment suits.

* Becoming increasingly common in 21st century warfare via "kamikaze" drones. Such as the U.S. ''Switchblade 300'' and Russian ''ZALA KYB'' drones both fielded in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

** She ends up being used as one herself (sadly, she didn't realize that carrying a large amount of potent, powerful explosives at all times can be a liability if those explosives are highly flammable) seeing as the CoolOldGuy managed to distract her and use ''her'' [[SelfDemonstratingArticle to blow a hole]] [[JustForPun in the hull]] of the ship.

** In ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'', the first issue begins with super-scientist Leo Quintum and his comrades on a dangerous mission to study the Sun…which becomes much more complicated when one of them turns out to be a Lex Luthor-designed living bomb. When Superman comes to dispose of the Action Bomb, it responds with the supremely absurd line "The purpose of my ''existence'' is to explode! You have no right to limit my ambitions, fascist!"

** There's two DC characters called The Human Bomb, whose superpower is exactly what you'd expect. He is a super-hero who generates massive explosions, usually a member of the ''ComicBook/FreedomFightersDC''. This dangerous condition requires him to constantly wear a containment suit.
** The premier superteam of the USSR, the People's Heroes, featured Molotov, a heavyset man who could make himself go kaboomski and reform sooner or later depending on the magnitude of the 'splosion.

** One of these was present when Judomaster was introduced to the ''Comicbook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica'' title, working as a {{Yakuza}} super-assassin. [[StockCharacters Built like a sumo wrestler, called himself Kamikaze, and self-detonated by shouting "Banzai!"]]. Set up the loophole to her NighInvulnerability powers - only ''direct'' attacks against her are deflected - then [[OneShotCharacter probably never showed up again.]]
** The solar flare is a new power that Franchise/{{Superman}} developed in the ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}''. As of ''Superman'' (vol. 3) #38, he has the power to cause a massive explosion of concentrated solar energy, incinerating everything within a quarter of a mile. According to Franchise/{{Batman}}, his heat vision was just a precursor to his new ability. The drawback, however, is that the explosion depletes all the solar energy in his cells, rendering him human for the next 24 hours.
** Superman's cousin ''Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'' can release the solar energy within her as an explosion without harming herself. In ''ComicBook/RedDaughterOfKrypton'' She [[spoiler:used this ability to knock down Worldkiller-1]].

** Marvel also had z-lister Powderkeg, a mutant baddie who sweated nitro-glycerin.

* One of the ''Literature/DirtyPair'' comics had bioengineered ''exploding chihuahuas''.

** One of the first villains Mark ever faced was a disgruntled teacher abducting students and turning them into walking bombs. Only one of his victims is still alive, and while he's no longer volatile his torso is still metal and wires.

* ''Series/StargateSG1''. In "Singularity" SG-1 rescues a small girl who turns out to have had an inoperable Naqahdah bomb put in her by [[spoiler:Nirrti]] to destroy the SGC. [[spoiler:Ultimately the girl is given to the care of Dr. Janet Fraiser, the SGC physician, after they discover that the bomb will dissolve if she is kept away from the Stargate.]]
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''.
** In "Basics" the crew of Voyager pick up a wounded Kazon who unfortunately turns out to have been [[BatmanGambit chemically altered to become a suicide bomb]]. Unfortunately for Voyager, it came off as a weak copy of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]] episode 81, "Reunion", which used largely the same stunt.
** ''Enterprise'' featured a group of ScaryDogmaticAliens on board, who...well...you can guess from the trope name.

* Dave Lister's suggested method of dealing with a Polymorph (in the ''Series/RedDwarf'' episode Polymorph. natch) was "why don't we go down to the armory, get a nuclear warhead and strap it to my head. I'll nut the [[UnusualEuphemism Smegger]] to oblivion!". this after said creature had [[spoiler:drained all his fear]].

* ''Series/ChoujuuSentaiLiveman'': [[spoiler:Arashi Busujima, being reverted back to his old self, straps dynamite onto himself and charges to the incredibly tough Monster of the Week. All while being fired at. He runs the whole way and successfully makes it, killing both of them]].
* One of Series/UltramanTaro's most powerful abilities is the Ultra Dynamite, a FinishingMove in which he sets himself aflame and grabs his foe before exploding and annihilating them. Unlike most examples though, Taro reforms shortly afterwards [[CastFromHitPoints albeit with a great deal of his life energy drained]].

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'' has Sheer Heart Attack, a sub-stand of Killer Queen. It's a small, vaguely turtle-shaped object on tank treads which follows heat sources and explodes whenever it makes physical contact with one. This is also PlayedForDrama in that Sheer Heart Attack is [[NighInvulnerability completely indestructible]], survives its own explosions, and the only way it could be stopped was by getting its user, [[SerialKiller Yoshikage Kira]], to deactivate it, which was ''not'' an easy task to do.

* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]] in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': Deidara's weapon of choice are [[MadBomber self-made explosives]]. When cornered by the heroes he claims to explode himself but what he actually does is detonate an explosive clone. Later Deidara ''does'' however use his self-destruction technique. [[spoiler:He is then revived by Tobi's Impure World Resurrection technique. Suddenly he has an infinite amount of chakra and his body pulls itself together automatically. Even though he even lampshades himself the fact that he could use his self-destruction technique as many times as he wants, he doesn't do this because [[MadArtist it would decrease the value of his "ultimate art".]] Deidara also [[WhyAmITicking turns a few mooks into bombs by booby-trapping them with his explosives]].]]

* In ''Film/IronMan3'' the Extremis soldiers' PowerIncontinence is used to turn them into living bombs. [[spoiler:Tony also activates the self destruct on some of his automated armors to take out Extremis users in the FinalBattle.]]
* In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' [[spoiler:Joker, while imprisoned, requests 'his one phone call' multiple times. When he's finally granted it, it turns out that the number he intended to call connected to a cell phone set to trigger a bomb implanted in one of his henchmen several cells down, allowing him to escape]].

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* Becoming increasingly common in 21st century warfare via "kamakaze" drones. Such as the U.S. ''Switchblade 300'' and Russian ''ZALA KYB'' drones both fielded in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.