History Main / DisintegratorRay

A SubTrope of RayGun.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}}'''s mentor Jingles Morgan used this kind of weapon in "[[Recap/BravestarrS1E2FallenIdol Fallen Idol]]". Bravestarr rightfully called it "a dangerous weapon", and admired Morgan for his ability to use it properly. [[BrokenPedestal This admiration was misplaced]]; he later discovered that his hero was wanted for ''murder'', having used the weapon to kill someone after losing his temper.

* Several of the experimental weapons in ''{{VideoGames/Crusader}}'' disintegrate their targets. One weapon reduces its victim into dust, another completely destroys their molecular structure and vaporizes them at once, and so on. Note that killing enemies this way prevents them from dropping weapons or ammunition or supplies.

* ''Film/MarsAttacks'' has the Martians armed with disintegrators that leave a brightly colored skeleton behind.

* Old-timesy desintergrator guns are found in ''TabletopGame/StarFinder,'' where they have the TechnoBabble official designation of "Protonic De-Couplers." Everyone calls them "Desintergrators" anyways

** Yuri's Revenge had the Floating Disk with its Disintegrator Ray which reduced infantry to gloop with its radiation laser, while Yuri's Psychic Blast let enemy soldier's brains explode. In-game, they were reduced to nothingness by this.

* ''The Compleat Arduin'' ''Book 2: Resources''

** Adrathic Destructors are [[LostTechnology ancient human weapons]] that unravel the target's molecules, leaving naught but a flaring after-image. When the Emperor arose he had all existing Adrathic weapons handed over to him on pain of death, and then issued them to his [[PraethorianGuard Adeptus Custodes]].

** The Asgard used their [[TeleportersAndTransporters transporter systems]] this way to spectacular effect in a second season episode, with a single ship completely disintegrating three pyramid ships and an entire Goa'uld army. [[ForgottenPhlebotinum This was never mentioned again.]]

* Frank's dialogue in ''Theatre/TheRockyHorrorShow'' implies his Sonic Transducer is a sort of teleporter that disassembles people until the user feels like reassembling them somewhere else later on. The movie just shows it turning people to stone.

** Subverted in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E12BadWolf "Bad Wolf"]], where the ray used in several deadly game shows turns to be a [[TeleportersAndTransporters transmat device]], but those affected generally end up as Dalek meat (as in their cells are used to grow Daleks). In the next episode, [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays "The Parting of the Ways"]], one of the robots from those deadly game shows turns up, with its ray having been upgraded to a genuine disintegrator, and inflicts the Daleks' only casualties before [[PhysicalGod Bad Wolf]] arrives.

* ''Series/TheMandalorian''. The title character's rifle is powerful enough to disintegrate a person, but as it's a single shot weapon he only uses it for sniping, preferring his hand blaster for close-up work against multiple enemies.

** In the [[Film/TheWarOfTheWorlds1953 1953 Hollywood movie adaptation]], the "heat ray" truly could burn tanks to ashes, but for extra appeal, the war machines gained a second weapon, the green "skeleton beam" which "neutralized mesons," truly causing its victims to vanish in a glow of green light that, as the name suggests, [[StrippedToTheBone left theur skeleton visible for a breif instant]] before that also turned into dust.
** The [[Film/TheWarOfTheWorlds 2005 Spielberg adaptation]] included not only a scene with many fleeing civilians getting disintegrated, but also a scene afterwards where the protagonist realizes that he's covered in ''people'' dust.

* ''Series/TheMandalorian''. The title character's rifle is powerful enough to disintegrate a person, but as it's a single shot weapon he only uses it for sniping, preferring his blaster for close-up work against multiple enemies.

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's robot story "Robot Al-76 Goes Astray". A robot creates a Disinto device powerful enough to destroy the top 3/4 of a mountain.

** In the [[Film/TheWarOfTheWorlds1953 1953 Hollywood movie adaptation]], the "heat ray" truly could burn tanks to ashes, but for extra appeal, the war machines gained a second weapon, the green "skeleton beam" which "neutralized mesons," truly causing its victims to vanish in a glow of green light.

* ''Film/SkyCaptainAndTheWorldOfTomorrow'' homages all of MadScience, including a hand held disintegrator pistol that fires a little blue ring that disintegrates a neat hole through a foot of metal.

* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', Dust Release works like this.

** There was one ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' episode where a DisintegratorRay used by [[ThoseTwoBadGuys a couple of snarky murderers]] ''did'' burn the carpet after unmaking their unfortunate target. "Oh? Now look what you did to the rug." They covered the stains with a chair, which was not enough to fool Odo.

** In the original series episode "The Apple", a ''lightning bolt'' acted as a DisintegratorRay.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Strife}}'', you get the [[{{BFG}} Mauler]], which functions as a disintegrater ''shotgun'' with a combination energy bomb launcher.

* In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'', this is what the explosions created by Yoshikage Kira's [[HavingABlast Killer Queen]] look like to non-Stand users: a puff of smoke, and suddenly a person is gone, with only a hand left behind. Stand users, of course, see it for what it is: a massive explosion.

* ComicBook/{{Darkseid}}'s most oft-seen use of his [[EyeBeams Omega Beams]] is to disintegrate anyone he chooses. Furthermore, if he changes his mind, Darkseid can restore anyone so hit just as easily.