History Main / FireBalls

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Fireball is perhaps the definitive sorcerer/wizard spell, having been carried over into all editions of the game. The spell shoots a "glowing, pea-sized bead" that explodes upon impact into a gigantic sphere of flame (the actual "fireball"), doing nasty damage over a twenty-foot radius, making it the first ranged [=AoE=] damage spell that magic users can cast. There's also Flaming Sphere, a 10' wide ball of fire that rolled around on the ground at the caster's will. And then there's [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Delayed Blast Fireball]] and Meteor Swarm. Non-core improvements include things like Fallion's Fabulous Fireball (runs a programmed path), Teleport Fireball or Symkalr's Forest (does not affect plant matter) / Friendly (e.g. don't burn elves) / Unfriendly (e.g. burn only orcs) / Deathbane (undead-only, but bypassing usual fire protections) Fireball spells that all cause the same damage as a basic fireball, but snuffs any fires they created.

*** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has Fire spells form one half of the BlackMage[='s=] main offensive repetoire, the other half being [[AnIcePerson Blizzard spells]]. Their playstyle revolves around switching between Astra Fire and Umbral Ice [[StanceSystem stances]]: Astral Fire increases Fire spells' attack power and MP cost, while Umbral Ice trades off attack power for MP regeneration. RedMage[=s=] also have a fireball in the form of the Verfire spell.

%%* ''LightNovel/{{Kampfer}}'': Natsuru has this as her main offensive power.

** ''VideoGame/Warcraft3'': A fireball is a standard mage projectile. There's also a spell that hurls a fireball to stun a target.

* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'': "Fireball" is Lina's main offensive spell, who is prone to fireball into oblivion anyone and anything who is annoying her.

* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'': Imps love throwing fireballs at you. Cacodemons spit them at you. Hell Knights and Barons of Hell hurl green fireballs that hurt a lot more. And in ''VideoGame/DoomII'', Mancubi and Revenants shoot fireballs at you that act a lot like rockets -- and the Revenant's have the ability to home in on you like a heatseeker.

** Annie's ''Disintegrate'' has her hurl a ball of fire at an enemy, damaging them and refunding the ability's mana cost and half of its cooldown if it kills the target. It's a very simple and powerful ability that introduces new players to the basics of mage combat. She can also use it to stun people if her passive is built up.

* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'': Imps love throwing fireballs at you. Cacodemons spit them at you. Hell Knights and Barons of Hell hurl green fireballs that hurt a lot more. And Mancubi and Revenants shoot fireballs at you that act a lot like rockets -- and the Revenant's have the ability to home in on you like a heatseeker.

* An old trick not seen much in shows later than 1998, [[Wrestling/EdFarhat the original Sheik]], Wrestling/JerryLawler and Wrestling/JimCornette all did it. The closest thing to a famous post Wrestling/{{WCW}} example would be Wrestling/{{Kane}}, though even then he did it rarely after the demise of the company. It is more popular in some regions than others, such as El Mega Triple Campeon de Wrestling/{{AAA}} throwing fireballs around Mexico and the Caribbean but not making much mark in the continental USA, where his use of them in Wrestling/WrestlingSocietyX killed the promotion's tv deal when it upset MTV executives. The effects of a fireball range from burn marks to {{temporary blindness}} to [[ManOnFire instant blazes]]. They are considered a cheat during matches but can be used for "heroic" actions in other circumstances, such as when a baby {{face}} is cornered by multiple enemies or protecting a charge. The reason why fireballs fell out of favor in North America is due to a notorious botch in the match between Wrestling/HulkHogan and Wrestling/UltimateWarrior at the 1998 Halloween Havoc PPV. The match was supposed to end with Hogan throwing a fireball into Warrior's face, but Hogan took forever to get the trick ready, leading to several awkward moments as he fumbled around trying to light the flash paper. Then when he finally succeeded, the flash paper burnt up too quickly and the fireball went off in Hogan's face, singeing his eyebrows and beard. Overnight, the trick's credibility was completely dead.

** ''ComicBook/HumanTorch'': While Johnny Storm mostly uses his power to shoot streams of flame, he sometimes tosses fireballs instead.

** ''ComicBook/SupermanVsShazam'': During the final battle, [[EvilSorcerer Karmang]] hurls balls of golden fire at Supergirl and ComicBook/MaryMarvel. Kara is taken out, but Mary manages to grab them and fling them back.

[[folder: Western Animation]]

%%* ''Anime/PrettyCure'': Cure Rouge of ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5GoGo'' and Cure Sunny of ''Anime/SmilePrettyCure'' have fireball attacks.%%Which are?

* ''VideoGame/WarhammerDarkOmen'': Even before you get your first wizard your warband has someone capable of shooting fireballs. The commander Morgan Bernhardt is the proud owner of [[CoolSword Grudgebringer, a magical sword that's been enchanted to cast the fireball spell]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'' has violas and multiviolas, which are fireball ''creatures''.

** ''Franchise/XMen'': When fighting, Sunfire is prone to alternate fireballs with streams of flame.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Fireball is perhaps the definitive sorcerer/wizard spell, having been carried over into all editions of the game. The spell shoots a "glowing, pea-sized bead" that explodes upon impact into a gigantic sphere of flame (the actual "fireball"), doing nasty damage over a twenty-foot radius, making it the first ranged [=AoE=] damage spell that magic users can cast. There's also Flaming Sphere, a 10' wide ball of fire that rolled around on the ground at the caster's will. And then there's [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Delayed Blast Fireball]] and [[UpToEleven Meteor Swarm]]. Non-core improvements include things like Fallion's Fabulous Fireball (runs a programmed path), Teleport Fireball or Symkalr's Forest (does not affect plant matter) / Friendly (e.g. don't burn elves) / Unfriendly (e.g. burn only orcs) / Deathbane (undead-only, but bypassing usual fire protections) Fireball spells that all cause the same damage as a basic fireball, but snuffs any fires they created.

* ''VideoGame/BlackSigil'': [[BlackMagicianGirl Aurora]] has spells that are along the line of {{Fireballs}}, More Fireballs, and [[UpToEleven Really Big Fireballs]].

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': Vaarsuvius casts Fireball quite often. During the Battle of Azure City, [[BigBad Xykon]] casts its big brother Meteor Swarm at [[BaldBlackLeaderGuy Roy]], [[spoiler: leading to Roy's death]].

* ''VideoGame/PathOfExile'': Fireball is an early game spell that does what you'd expect: it's a projectile deals fire damage and explodes in a small radius on impact. Other flavors of flaming balls include Magma Orb, which fires a bouncing fireball, Blazing Salvo, which sends multiple fireballs in unpredictable arcs, and Volatile Dead, which summons homing fireballs from corpses.

* ''ComicBook/MalibuComicsStreetFighter'': Projectile energy blasts like Hadouken and Sagat's Tiger Shot are made of fire here, instead of nondescript energy like in the games.

** In the Malibu ''[[ComicBook/MalibuComicsStreetFighter Street Fighter]]'' comic, the base Hadouken and Sagat's Tiger Shot were fireballs.

* In [=WW1=], a still inconclusively explained phenomenon of German anti-aircraft fire was described as ''flaming onions'' by Allied airmen who witnessed it. It was described as resembling a string of blazing fireballs coming up which appeared to be loosely connected to each other and followed the same path. The most plausible explanation is that this was an early form of incendiary shell, magazine-fired by the same weapon in quick sucession, that ignited a long way short of its target: or else broke up in the air into a succession of seperate blazing fragments in the manner of a "Roman candle" firework.

** The first ''Shantae'' game has Fire Balls that work like improved [[SpikyBallsOfDoom pike balls]], revolving around Shantae at a faster rate to protect her from enemies.
** ''Risky's Revenge'' had more typical Fire Balls that Shantae launched in front of her from her hands and [[StatusEffects continuously burned their targets until they die]]. The game also had the Spit Fire, an upgraded version of the attack that launches three fireballs SpreadShot style. Besides serving as the only long-range attacks in Shantae's arsenal, they're also used to burn away the occasional overgrown plant-life that blocks her path.

** ''Risky's Revenge'' had more typical Fire Balls that Shantae launched in front of her from her hands and [[StandardStatusEffects continuously burned their targets until they die]]. The game also had the Spit Fire, an upgraded version of the attack that launches three fireballs SpreadShot style. Besides serving as the only long-range attacks in Shantae's arsenal, they're also used to burn away the occasional overgrown plant-life that blocks her path.