History Main / MoleMonster

* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': The savannah Fiora grew up in is home to ankhegs, insectoid predators who burrow through the terrain and hunt by bursting out of the ground underneath their prey. They're so feared that when she's cornered by axebeaks, she scares them off by magically conjuring the scent of an ankheg under them to invoke SummonBiggerFish.

[[folder: Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/{{Tremors}}'': the monstrous Graboids, the series' primary antagonists, begin their life cycle as massive worms that can tunnel underground with dizzying speed; it enables them to snatch victims from beneath, dig trenches as traps, and even collapse buildings by undermining them.

** The Mole enemies also tunnel underground, making them immune to most attacks. Unlike the Driller, they also count as a StealthyMook, and most units cannot target them unless the player has means to remove the Mole's Stealth.

[[caption-width-right:327:[[IncrediblyLamePun Sorry to undermine your plans.]]]]

* ''VideoGame/MetalSlug7'': The first level has tiny mole-like robots that periodically lunge out from underground and charge at the player. If they miss, they disappear back underground and try lunging out again and again until they either self-destruct after colliding with and killing the player, or get shot in mid-air.

* Franchise/MonsterVerse: The [[Characters/MonsterVerseKaiju MUTO Prime]] mainly moves around the world by burrowing underground, and it usually only emerges from the earth once awakened to feed, or do battle with Godzilla, aiming to weaken the latter battle by battle.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Spelunky}} Spelunky 2]]'' has Cave Moles, DemonicSpiders found in the ''first area'' that switch between digging around and emerging and running around the surface before doing it again. They have enough HP to tank an arrow, can't be damaged while (un)burrowing, and have the tendency to drop down right on top of you.

* ''VideoGame/MetalSlug 7'': The first level has tiny mole-like robots that periodically lunge out from underground and charge at the player. If they miss, they disappear back underground and try lunging out again and again until they either self-destruct after colliding with and killing the player, or get shot in mid-air.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Spelunky}} Spelunky 2]]'' has Mole Rats, DemonicSpiders found in the ''first area'' that jump between digging around and emerging and running around the level before doing it again. The tend to drop down from above you, take multiple hits to kill, and can't be damaged while (un)burrowing.

May or may not come with WormSign. If they don't have a WormSign, they can easily develop into GoddamnedBats or even DemonicSpiders. Related to SandWorm, though Mole Monsters are not necessarily giant worms ([[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant or giant monstrous moles, for that matter]])

* ''VideoGame/BugFables'' has [[SandWorm Arrow Worms]], who spend the entire battle underground, lunging at party members from the underground to attack. Because they are always underground, they must be unearthed to become targettable, either by Leif's base attack or attacks that can hit burrowed enemies such as Kabbu's Under Strike.
* ''VideoGame/CryptOfTheNecroDancer'': Moles move around underground in cardinal directions and are only vulnerable right when they surface next to you before they attack.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'': Mole rats are burrowing rodents that were created by a pre-[[WorldWarIII War]] US government program aiming to use them in China, survived the nuclear war and bred since. Most times you only know they're present when they burst from the earth right in front of you. Later games introduce other burrowing creatures with a similar M.O.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'': The King Scorpion boss spends most of his time under the sand, and you have to force him out to fight him.
* ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'': The Rockbreaker is a rare worm-like machine monster that can dive around the ground like a fish in water, which makes it nightmarishly hard for damage. Typically, the best way to fight the beast is to first use tear blast arrows to remove its diggers, thus preventing it from being able to burrow underground. However, this does not prevent it from still being a dangerous opponent.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'': The Molduga is a giant monster that lives in the desert and tunnels underneath you before leaping jaw first out of the sand. Fortunately, it navigates by sound, and can't tell the difference between footsteps and [[FeedItABomb a bomb being thrown]].

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'': Moldorms are wormlike creatures that live in the sand of the Gerudo Desert and in quicksand pits in the Arbiter's Grounds, where they move around beneath the surface and periodically jump out to attack Link.
* ''VideoGame/MegaMan4'': Drill Man likes to dig into the ground and strike an unsuspecting player from underneath.
* ''VideoGame/MetalSlug 7'': The first level has tiny mole-like robots that periodically lunge out from underground and charge at the player. If they miss, they disappear back underground and try lunging out again and again until they either self-destruct after colliding with and killing the player, or get shot in mid-air.
* ''VideoGame/{{Pankapu}}'' has [[SandWorm Sah'laks]], which burrow back and forth underground, emerging only to attack [[PlayerCharacter Pankapu]] when he gets close.
* ''VideoGame/Pikmin3'': The Sandbelching Meerslug spends a good portion of its boss fight lurking beneath the sand, well beyond your reach and only trackable by the trail of raised sand it leaves behind as it moves. It's only possible to attack it when it emerges onto the surface to attack you and your Pikmin, or by [[FeedItABomb feeding it a bomb-rock]] when it tries to create a funnel of sand leading down to its mouth.

* ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'': Zerg Lurkers in ''Brood War'' can only attack when burrowed, sending out trails of spikes from underground (and burrowed creatures are invisible).
* ''VideoGame/TheSuffering'' has Burrowers, Malefactors that burrow through the ground and emerge to attack by whipping chains at [[PlayerCharacter Torque]]. The basis of their form is people being BuriedAlive.
%%* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'': Mogura Mole is a more literal example of this trope.
* ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'': Most of the wormlike monsters are found underground. They burrow within the dirt while homing in toward you, launching out to do damage before going back into the dirt.

* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': Sand worms are centipede-like enemies that move swiftly underground and burst out only to attack players. They can only be tracked by bouncing rocks above them but can't actually be targeted until you enter within melee range of them, making them a headache for GlassCannon casters.

!!Non-Video Game Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Comic Books]]
* Franchise/MonsterVerse: The [[Characters/MonsterVerseKaiju MUTO Prime]] mainly moves around the world by burrowing underground, and it usually only emerges from the earth once awakened to feed, or do battle with Godzilla, aiming to weaken the latter battle by battle.

[[folder: Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/{{Tremors}}'': the monstrous Graboids, the series' primary antagonists, begin their life cycle as massive worms that can tunnel underground with dizzying speed; it enables them to snatch victims from beneath, dig trenches as traps, and even collapse buildings by undermining them.

%%[[folder: Live-Action TV]]
%%* ''Franchise/KamenRider'': Happens sometimes with the occasional mole-themed MonsterOfTheWeek. Happens in the ''Kamen Rider Taisen'' movie, where a mole monster pops up occasionally.
%%* ''Franchise/PowerRangers''
%%* ''Franchise/SuperSentai''
%%[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': One of the earthbenders at Earth Rumble 6, appropriately named The Gopher, uses tunneling attacks.

* ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'': The colossus Dirge acts like a giant sand worm, despite being the size of your average skyscraper.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'': The Moonlit Grotto miniboss, Subterror, is a mole-like creature with a drill for a nose. It chases Link around its room while burrowing in the ground, leaving a small raised trail to mark its position, and attacks with its drill when it's directly under Link. It cannot be harmed while in this state, so Link must use the shovel to dig it up and expose it to attack.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': One of the earthbenders at Earth Rumble 6, appropriately named The Gopher, uses tunneling attacks.
%%* ''Franchise/KamenRider'': Happens sometimes with the occasional mole-themed MonsterOfTheWeek. Happens in the ''Kamen Rider Taisen'' movie, where a mole monster pops up occasionally.

%%* ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'': The colossus Dirge acts like this, despite being the size of your average skyscraper.%%Acts like what?

->''"Watch out for the sneaky Monty Moles that are common to this area. They're dirty fighters. They pop up from underground and chuck rocks at people. The cowards!"''
-->-- '''Goombario''', ''VideoGame/PaperMario64''

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleOfAges'': The Moonlit Grotto miniboss, Subterror, is a mole-like creature with a drill for a nose. It chases Link around its room while burrowing in the ground, leaving a small raised trail to mark its position, and attacks with its drill when it's directly under Link. It cannot be harmed while in this state, so Link must use the shovel to dig it up and expose it to attack.

* ''VideoGame/CryptOfTheNecrodancer'': Moles move around underground in cardinal directions and are only vulnerable right when they surface next to you before they attack.