History Main / DepletedPhlebotinumShells

* Kiritsugu Emiya of ''Anime/FateZero'' uses bullets containing one of his ribs (powdered, of course), which hit exponentially harder as his opponents dedicate more of their magic circuits to defense - and destroys those magic circuits in the process.

* Myth/NorseMythology: only mistletoe can harm Balder; everything else in the Nine Worlds has promised not to hurt him, because Balder is [[{{Bishonen}} just so damn pretty]]. (The mistletoe probably would have promised too, but Frigga forgot to ask it.) MagnificentBastard Loki simply cannot resist the opportunity this presented ...

* In ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom'', normal knives and bullets melt on contact with Koro-sensei, so the government developed a special "anti-sensei" substance that breaks down Koro-sensei's cells. The knives and ammunition used by his students charged with assassinating him are made entirely out of this substance, which is conveniently also harmless to humans.

** Also in this category is the energy weapon the SGC develops in ''SG-1'' season 7 to kill [[BossInMookClothing Kull Warriors]]. Since Kull armor is, for all intents and purposes, invincible (one of them stepped on a claymore and [[TheJuggernaut didn't even break stride]]), they develop a weapon that disrupts the energy keeping the clone body alive. Since the Warriors' are rapid-grown clones with hyperaccelerated bodies to give them super-strength and durability, the only thing keeping them alive is the healing powers of a Goa'uld symbiote and ancient technology used to "imbue them with life" in the first place. Disrupting the latter kills them instantly. Also, since their body armor is very similar to kevlar, it can be pierced with a tranquilizer dart, which is attempted to capture a Kull at one point.

* In ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'', CWH rounds are specially-made [[ArmorPiercingAttack armor-piercing bullets]] designed for use with an anti-materiel rifle when normal piercing rounds don't cut it. These rounds are so powerful that they can take down monsters the size of a building by blasting a bus-sized hole in their skulls while still retaining enough momentum to shatter a part of a concrete structure behind it. Smaller monsters are instead reduced to unrecognizable LudicrousGibs. Naturally, this level of power comes with a price tag that makes it TooAwesomeToUse, leaving hunters to pack only one or two of them for emergencies.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': Characters/{{Ma|rvelComicsMagneto}}gneto, Master of Magnetism is often faced with plastic or composite weapons, and was locked in a "plastic prison" on more than one occasion. In ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' a Sentinel boasts about how its plastic coating stops Magneto's powers... Magneto's response is an annoyed "You fools, this whole ''ship'' is my ''weapon!'' and promptly throws the huge generators nearby through the Sentinels.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In the classic series, the Cybermen's breathing apparatus intake was readily clogged by any gold which might accumulate there. Gold dust could be used to clog up the works if you could get your hands on it. However, the effectiveness of this weakness became {{Flanderiz|ation}}ed to the point that by the end, you had a handful of gold coins and a slingshot making a whole platoon of Cybermen a non-issue; when touched by gold they fall down screaming and sparking. When the Cybermen were brought back for the new series, they were an alternate universe breed who had the weakness dealt with in R&D according to a FreezeFrameBonus shot. However, a recent Cyberman appearance gives them some weakness to gold, though much much ''much'' milder than in the old series. (according to the writers, the two breeds have worked together for some time and this new breed that comes from that collaboration has aspects of both.)

* Myth/NorseMythology: only mistletoe can harm Balder; everything else in the Nine Worlds has promised not to hurt him, because Balder is [[{{Bishonen}} just so damn pretty]]. (The mistletoe probably would have promised too, but Frigga forgot to ask it.) MagnificentBastard Loki simply cannot resist the opportunity this presented...

* ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' once featured a CreepyChild named Wen that is really a boy that stopped aging and gained [[TheAgeless ageless]] immortality from the Lunar Astral Gate accident (which bombarded Earth with debris, killing most of its population and rendering it virtually uninhabitable). A stone from the incident is the only thing that can kill him, and Jet and Spike carve it into a bullet to use it.

* Dr von Goosewing's WeaponOfChoice in ''WesternAnimation/CountDuckula'' is basically a blunderbuss with a stake jammed in.

* ''Literature/FelixCastor'': Felix's landlord Pen fends off a [[HornyDevils succubus]] with a shotgun full of filed-down rosary beads. It seriously ruins the succubus's day.

-->-- '''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}'''

* The {{Trope Namer|s}}, Depleted Uranium Sabots. Not only do they one-up the usual materials used for tank shells, such as steel and tungsten in terms of density, and thus potential kinetic energy, it's also self-sharpening and pyrophoric, meaning while conventional steel or tungsten rounds blunt as they dig into armor, Depleted Uranium melts in a pattern that keeps it sharp, and when it penetrates, it drags all that molten metal along with it into the innards of its target. It also happens to be slightly radioactive, and a toxic compound, but those are largely irrelevant.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': soaks his Batarangs in crushed garlic for dealing with vampires.

* ''Film/{{Constantine}}'' melts gold from crosses to make shotgun shells.
** He also blesses the water tank in a building's sprinkler system (by adding another gold cross to the cistern) in order to spray all the demons there with HolyWater.

* ''VisualNovel/TearsToTiara'' has both the [[TheEmpire Holy Empire]] and [[spoiler:the [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels]]]] use weapons made of Electrum, a holy metal, against NobleDemon protagonist Arawn. ([[spoiler:The latter made it the ammunition of a biological "[[TankGoodness divine tank]]", which was used killed him [[DeathIsCheap the first time]]]]). In-game, any equipment made of Electrum given to non-human characters (elves, dragons, demons, etc.) is only as good as whatever they were wearing earlier. It doesn't lower their stats, but it doesn't boost them either.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'': {{Kryptonite|Factor}} is Superman [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} and]] [[ComicBook/PowerGirl his]] [[ComicBook/KryptoTheSuperdog family]]'s best known weakness, so it's hardly surprising that it's been weaponized against him. Kryptonite bullets, Kryptonite cannons, Kryptonite ray beams, Kryptonite cages, Kryptonite dust... ComicBook/LexLuthor and ComicBook/{{Brainiac}} have made a career out of making Kryptonite weapons. The most spectacular being the occasionally mentioned K-Bomb, a Kryptonite-tipped [[NukeEm nuclear bomb]]. In ''ComicBook/TheThirdKryptonian'', Amalak gets anti-Kryptonian weapons manufactured for his pirate crew: Green Kryptonite-powered sniper rifles, knives which give off red sunlight radiation, Kryptonite flechettes...

* At the beginning of ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'', Darkseid kills [[spoiler:his son Orion]] with a time traveling Radion bullet -- Radion being the one thing that can kill any New God no matter how powerful. Near the end of ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'', [[spoiler:Franchise/{{Batman}}]] shoots Darkseid with the same bullet which jump-starts the latter's RasputinianDeath.

* Subverted in ''Fanfic/AForceOfFour''. When three rogue Kryptonians attack Earth, ComicBook/PowerGirl looks for some piece of Kryptonite to build some sort of weapon, but it turns out her deceased cousin had done away with every fragment he stumbled upon.

** By the final season, they have bombs capable of destroying stargates, which are {{nigh invulnerab|ility}}le.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'': in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} Kryptonians could only be harmed by three things: other Kryptonians, kryptonite, and magic. So if you don't have any GreenRocks handy, get that Billy Batson kid to shout "ComicBook/{{Shazam}}" near him. This is [[PlayingWithATrope played with]] in ''ComicBook/KingdomCome'', with Superman accidentally cutting his finger while admiring Franchise/WonderWoman's magic sword. [[spoiler:Possibly intended as foreshadowing for his later battle with Captain Marvel.]]
* To take down ComicBook/BlackAdam, a bullet was made from a piece of the Rock of Eternity.

* ''Literature/WarhammerTimeOfLegends'': In the Nagash trilogy, Nagash is soundly defeated in a battle where his enemies have aquired special magic arrows that down an undead soldier in one hit.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': One story [[note]]"written by Bob Kane"[[/note]] pits Batman against a vampire, whom he kills (he did that back in the day) by melting down some silver candlesticks, forging bullets out of them, and shooting the vampire.

* ''Film/{{Blade}}'': at least the film and TV adaptations, uses silver-coated steel in his melee weapons (spikes and swords).

* ''Film/{{Blade}}'' has UV lights on his car and weapon-mounted tactical light. Hannibal King's guns shoot UV-radiating bullets, while Abigail Whistler uses a [[Franchise/StarTrek bat'leth]]-like weapon with a UV laser beam running through it. In the second film, Whistler and Scud design phosphorus-based flash grenades that can also deal severe burns to non-vampires, especially when a dozen blow up at once. Even Blade, who's immune to sunlight, is seriously hurt by the blast.

* ''ComicBook/{{Blade}}'': In his original comic book appearances, ComicBook/{{Blade}} used knives made from the hardest teak wood against Dracula and pals.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': ComicBook/{{Magneto}}, Master of Magnetism is often faced with plastic or composite weapons, and was locked in a "plastic prison" on more than one occasion. In the original animated series a Sentinel boasts about how its plastic coating stops Magneto's powers... Magneto's response is an annoyed "You fools, this whole ''ship'' is my ''weapon!'' and promptly throws the huge generators nearby through the Sentinels.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil'' games traditionally feature acid grenades and fire grenades in addition to normal grenade rounds. The precise effects of these specialized rounds varies from game to game. Acid grenades tend to be more effective against [[SuperSoldier B.O.W]] type enemies, such as the Hunters in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil1'' and the Lickers in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2''. Fire grenades can be used to burn up zombies (before or after they are "killed") to prevent them from becoming [[EliteMooks Crimson Heads]] in [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil1 REMake]], whilst in [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 RE2]], they can OneHitKill [[PlantPerson Ivies]] (and their range means they're a far better choice for doing so than [[VideoGameFlamethrowersSuck Leon's flamethrower]]).

* In ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', the "U-238 Shells" upgrade swaps out the standard Terran Marine rifle round for [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin one made from depleted uranium]]. This increases Marines' attack range by 25%.

** Equally, it takes multiple disruptor blasts or devastator missiles to take down ''your'' troopers at that stage, thanks to your {{Nigh Invulnerab|ility}}le disruption armor and stolen shield technology... and then the aliens bust out ''their'' enzyme guns, which shoot target-seeking organic "missiles" loaded with nasty stuff that can melt through your super-armor in seconds. They may still be stopped by shields, but the moment you see them on the field, you take notice.

* ''VideoGame/{{Rage}}'': Feltrite tipped bullets are more effective than lead, but rarer, more expensive and you are not able to carry as many of them.

* ''VideoGame/{{Stars}}!'' has depleted '''neutronium''' ammo -- presumably, dense far beyond the bounds of normal matter. (How you deplete neutronium is unknown to modern science.)

These modification usually include using the target's WeaksauceWeakness in the weapon, such as {{silver|Bullet}} melted [[GoodHurtsEvil from crosses]], [[WeakenedByTheLight UV ammunition]], and ColdIron. Expect the [[ContractualBossImmunity boss monster to be immune]] thanks to their CrossMeltingAura.

* In an episode of ''Series/BloodTies'', the protagonists find out that a [[OurElvesAreDifferent dark elf]] is impregnating women at a fertility clinic. [[PerkyGoth Coreen]] does her research and hands them a weapon to be used against the elf - a large and heavy iron spike. When they ask if there's anything more compact, she points out that the only other source of research about killing dark elves involves [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons using 20-sided dice]].

* While it's not explicitly stated to be magical, a Chinese-made artifact in ''Series/BloodTies'' called L'Iluminacion del Sol seriously weakens a vampire when stuck into his or her chest and opened.

* ''Series/BloodTies'': Detective Mike Sellucci is given silver bullets made for his police-issue Glock 9mm to kill a wendigo. He pumps it full of silver before the creature explodes.

* In ''Series/BloodTies'', a young vampire, made and abandoned by Henry's marker and ex-lover, tries to exact revenge on her by rigging the bright runway lights during a fashion show to produce a UV flash, which would have killed her had Henry not intervened. Her arm still gets burned.

* ''Series/{{Ultraviolet}}'': Instead of putting garlic in bullets, they put it in smoke canisters. Minimal effect on troopies, knocks the [[NotUsingTheZWord "leeches"]] flat on their backs.

* The paramilitary vampire hunters in ''Series/{{Ultraviolet}}'' use charcoal-nosed bullets.

* ''ComicBook/MightyAvengers:'' The ComicBook/BlueMarvel's last encounter with his arch-nemesis Evald Skorpion has the mad scientist shooting him with a bullet of neutronium -- essentially raw proto-matter, and Blue Marvel's weakness.

* ''TabletopGame/GURPSTechnomancer'': The magical metal Necronium, is used primarily as a power source (and can sometimes poison those exposed to it and bring them back as the [[ZombieApocalypse living dead]]), whilst depleted Necronium is toxic to all magical creatures. Depleted Necronium is also completely unaffected by magic, allowing it to penetrate nearly all protective spells.

* In ''TabletopGame/GURPSTechnomancer'', depleted necronium ignores magic, making depleted necronium shells spell-piercing bullets.

Said modification usually include using the target's WeaksauceWeakness in the weapon, such as {{silver|Bullet}} melted [[GoodHurtsEvil from crosses]], [[WeakenedByTheLight UV ammunition]], and ColdIron. Expect the [[ContractualBossImmunity boss monster to be immune]] thanks to their CrossMeltingAura.

* Kittan in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' at one point attempts to hold off a Mugann with a shotgun packing "Spiral shells." A more impressive one is issued to Grapearls, producing huge explosions ''and'' a shell to contain the aftermath of a Mugann going blooie.

* Kiritsugu Emiya of ''Anime/FateZero'' uses bullets containing one of his ribs (powdered, of course), which hit exponentially harder as his opponents dedicate more of their magic circuits to defense - and destroys those magic circuits in the process.
* One of Zazie's secret weapons in the ZOTT tournament in ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita Last Order'' is a pair of revolvers loaded with bullets with osmium tips (osmium being the densest naturally occurring metal.)

* In one ''Franchise/{{Wolverine}}'' comic, the protagonist is facing an opponent who is immune to any weapon forged by mortal man. He uses a weapon made of meteorite iron and forged by a demon to ruin said opponent's day.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', Quicksilver (which is essentially mercury) is used for making bullets against beast, since [[GunsAreUseless ordinary bullets do not work]] against them. Although proven effective, [[RealityEnsues firing liquid metal onto anyone]] wouldn't deal that much of damage as one might think. The bullets are also infused with the [[PlayerCharacter user's]] own blood, and having tainted blood makes the bullets deal more damage.

** It's unclear what exactly was special about the original bullets the Colt fired, but it allowed them to kill almost anything in one shot. [[spoiler:Lucifer]] claimed to be one of five things in all of creation it couldn't kill. After the original bullets were used up, Ruby showed Bobby Singer how to make make more that worked just as well. In Season 12, Sam revealed that the process was to take a silver bullet, coat it in holy oil, sage, and myrrh, and then use a particular spell. All of this together would "mimic the original etchings." Interestingly, despite this being used on the ''bullets'', no one then ever tried to fire them with any other gun. This suggests there was something unique about the Colt itself that no one knew how to duplicate.

* Hans in ''Film/TheTrollHunter'' has an ultraviolet array on his car and an ultraviolet gun which he uses to kill rogue trolls, which is important because trolls are nocturnal. The first troll killed in the movie turns to stone by the ultraviolet light; the second one outright explodes.

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' tightens the qualifications by having a cursed werewolf[[note]]As opposed to one of the other three different kinds, which are all vulnerable to normal weaponry[[/note]] that can only be killed by ''inherited'' silver. Karrin wounds it with her .22 sidearm using bullets made from her grandmother's candlesticks, but a .22 doesn't have the raw power for a killshot. [[spoiler:Harry eventually kills it by propelling his silver pentacle pendant, inherited from his mother, with magical wind.]]