History Main / MusicalAssassin

** Elite Tauren Chieftain (ETC), named after a [[Music/Level80EliteTaurenChieftain Warcraft-based band]], is a [[ALoadOfBull Tauren]] rockstar and his moveset has him utilizing his electric guitar-axe hybrid to send shocking melodies to the enemy for various effects.

* The Bard class from the various ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games uses a variety of instruments, the most popular of which is a trusty harp. Sometimes they induce StandardStatusEffects, but the chances of doing so are very low. Because of this, they're often also a QuirkyBard.

** The Necho Cat and Frootz Cat Dream Eaters in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' mix this with DanceBattler, launching various types of painful musical notes (Like exploding f-minors) with elements or StandardStatusEffects attached to them by dancing.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' games of late have adopted a Hammer subclass called the Hunting Horn, which induces StandardStatusEffects by entering what's called Recital Mode and then pressing attack buttons to play different notes. Different note combinations got you different effects. In a nice change of pace from your standard self-buffing classes in an action-RPG, they're also good for clocking a monster over the head without a Recital beforehand.

* In Stephanie Draven's ''Siren Song'', the protagonist is an EnthrallingSiren who can control men by singing. Although the heroine does not want to harm anyone, most sirens are described as serial-killer-types who compel men to drown themselves and enjoy the feeling of power it gives them. [[spoiler: The villain is also a siren, and by singing, can even compel a man to shoot himself with his own gun.]]

** Shoutmon of ''Anime/DigimonXrosWars'' is themed around rock music, so most of his attacks are named after types of rock, he uses a microphone as a staff weapon, and his Soul Crusher attack turns his singing into his microphone into a blast of fire.

* In ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'', Harpy's spell theme consists of her [[DreadfulMusician awful]] singing. Her skill in ''Puyo Quest'' causes a power reduction on blue-colored cards, while Songstress Harpy's skill, Shivering Chant, outright does direct damage. As a party member in ''[[VideoGame/MadouMonoggatari Madou Monogatari Saturn]]'', she has two spells that weaponizes her singing: Grand Song, her LimitBreak, and Shock Voice, which stuns enemies.

* In ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'', Harpy's spell theme consists of her [[DreadfulMusician awful]] singing. Her skill in ''Puyo Quest'' causes a power reduction on blue-colored cards, while Songstress Harpy's skill, Shivering Chant, outright does direct damage. As a party member in ''Madou Monogatari Saturn'', she has two spells that weaponizes her singing: Grand Song, her LimitBreak, and Shock Voice, which stuns enemies.

* In ''Manga/ArataTheLegend'', there's Kikutsune, whose hayagami Kisaru manipulates sound. His whistling once brainwashed [[spoiler: Hiruha]], and he used soundwaves to obliterate not just an airship, but also [[spoiler: Yataka's zokusho]]. Then there are his zokusho, who used their hayagami's to steal the hearing of the people in their domain.

* Possibly played for laughs and possibly played really, really weirdly straight in Libba Bray's ''Going Bovine'' with the trumpet battles between Junior Webster and the Wizard of Reckoning, with a jazz battle literally being a final face-off between the two.

-->-- '''[[Music/JimSteinman Jim Steinman]]''', "Wasted Youth"

* Gateau, a villain from the fifth game of the ''VideoGame/PrincessMaker'' series. He’s one of the evil rebel forces’ assassins sent [[spoiler:to kill all the princess candidates (fortunately only one survived). He is also responsible for killing the daughter’s biological parents/family)]] using his magic guitar. He’s the only assassin who uses it, and every time the daughter encounters him in her adventure, he will attack her using his magic guitar that shoots sparks.

* The "Devil's Wind" music on the 12th floor of Darm Tower in ''VideoGame/{{Ys}} I'', which drains your HP.

** A later ''Anime/LupinIIIRedJacket'' episode would have a conductor who could control the minds of people listening to his music by waving his baton.

* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' has Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart as a playable Caster whose Noble Phantasm, "Requiem for Death", summons an orchestra of decapitated angelic figures to perform a song inflicting status ailments on the enemies. His regular attacks are balls of light that he directs with a baton while yelling musical phrases.

* Ember [=McLain=] from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom''. Her guitar is her main weapon, containing both shock vibes and love impulses. Her voice that is hypnotic, entrapping people who hear her, and the more people say her name, the more power she has. Her #1 hit has as part of its chorus:

* Ember [=McLain=] from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom''. Her guitar is her main weapon.

* The main character in ''{{Otocky}}'' collects musical notes which he then uses against large boss notes.

* [[Literature/TheBible God told the Israelites to march around the walls of Jericho]] and shout, and sound trumpets on the seventh day. On the seventh day, the walls were breached.

* In Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'' series, the main character is a man sucked from his own world into one where animals are big and can talk. There, he finds out that he can do magic by singing about what he wants. God of Thunder would probably result in an awesome incendiary finish to his enemies. Guess what Pink Floyd's Money generates.

* In Jayne Anne Krentz's ''Arcane Society'' series about various types of psychic talents, book 5, titled ''Running Hot'', features a Siren, a singer who channels psychic energy through her voice. She can lightly mesmerize a large audience with lower notes but needs to be able to sing a D, E, F, or higher to focus her song on killing a person. The Siren in question is a trained opera singer who takes out enemies of her wealthy, well-connected family.

* When they care to, the Lanorei race in ''Literature/Eludoran'' can use [[MagicMusic song as a weapon]]. It's potent enough that their oppressors have to [[ShockCollar collar]] and [[PowerNullifier muzzle]] them to keep it under control.

* ''ComicBook/TheFlash'' villains the Fiddler and the Pied Piper can wreak havoc with a violin and a flute, respectively. In the ''Countdown to Final Crisis'' series, Pied Piper even destroyed a Brother Eye/Apokolips hybrid with Queen's "The Show Must Go On." Probably one of the best examples of a Musical Assassin ever.

* In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry 3'', Nevan, a [[HornyDevils succubus]] boss character, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oskw8aGIFk0 becomes an electric guitar]] after you defeat her as Dante. She is arguably the most difficult to use yet most powerful weapon in the game, easily allowing [[RankInflation SSStylish]] combos if used properly. It electrocutes enemies by shooting lightning at them and summoning bats to attack them.

* Azawa Kodame in ''Anime/HandShakers'' is an IdolSinger. Fittingly her weapons become more powerful when she puts on a performance mid-battle. Despite it leaving her wide open, this power-up can be very devastating if her opponent isn't expecting it.

* In ''Manga/KatekyoHitmanReborn'', one minor villain - M.M. - uses a clarinet that functions [[StuffBlowingUp as a microwave]], by using sound vibration to agitate water molecules and thus rapidly heating objects.

* In ''[[FanFic/NarutoTheSecretSongsOfTheNinja Naruto: Melody of the Shinobi]]'' Naruto takes up playing the shamisen as a hobby. [[spoiler:His elderly tutor, Otoshiki Koushino, turns out to be a renegade Sound jounin who abandoned Oto when Orochimaru took over to go into hiding and can use his shamisen to unleash devastating sonic attacks. As a bonus, he's actually the above-mentioned Tayuya's grandfather. Unfortunately, he refuses to teach these techniques to Naruto.[[note]]The title of the fic actually has nothing to do with this plot development; it's a spin-off of ''Naruto: the Secret Songs of the Ninja'' and the titles of both fics are metaphorical.[[/note]]]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' doesn't have just one of these, it has ''6''.

* Shirabe of ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' who is also a DreadfulMusician.
* Shiho Munakata's Element in ''Anime/MaiHime'' is a flute that lets her control sound waves and give orders to her CHILD, Yatagarasu.

* In ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'', Harpy's spell theme consists of her [[DreadfulMusician awful]] singing. Her skill in ''Puyo Quest'' causes a power reduction on blue-colored cards, while Songstress Harpy's skill, Shivering Chant, outright does direct damage. As a party member in ''Madou Monogatari Saturn'', she has two spells that weaponizes her singing: Grand Song, her LimitBreak, and Shock Voice, which stuns enemies.