History Main / NonFatalExplosions

* In the ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' series, Dr. Robotnik/Eggman's machines almost always end up exploding with him still inside when they're defeated, but the worst he gets from it is an AshFace.

* ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'': In "[[Recap/BlackadderS3E4SenseAndSenility Sense and Senility]]," a BombThrowingAnarchist throws a grenade at Prince George. After the explosion, the next shot is George sitting in bed with a bandaged head and a few plasters on his face, eating a pie and jabbering away as usual.

** Played infamously where [[spoiler:A bomb with a 5-kilometer blast radius is carried into the sky by Pell in an apparent HeroicSacrifice, [[DisneyDeath but he managed to survive.]]]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' has tons, to the point where it's almost a RunningGag. It’s pretty ridiculous in one episode where Plankton, desperate to open a safe which he believes contains the Krabby Patty Formula, manages to cause a nuclear explosion and ''still'' survives.

* ''Franchise/JohnWick'' seems to have a super power that renders him immune to explosives as he's blown clear of his house by high explosives without even a CareerEndingInjury.

* A running gag in the ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' cartoons, although Tom has died at least three times from an explosion in the episodes "Yankee Doodle Mouse", "Safety Second" and "Mouse Trouble".

* In ''Film/DadsArmy1971'', all the Local Defense Volunteers hide inside a barn to shelter from Lance Corporal Jones' anti-bomber rocket. The rocket ends up hurtling into the barn, yet the platoon is unharmed (although with tattered clothes and {{Ash Face}}s.

* In ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'', after Vector shoots Gru with about hundreds of explosives, Gru emerges from a ditch, only slightly singed.

* Applies to an extent in ''TabletopGame/{{BattleTech}}'', where most vehicle-scale weapons do significantly reduced damage to conventional infantry units and salvo-fired explosive ordnance such as missiles or autocannon shells is no exception. A standard class 20 autocannon, capable of shredding over a ton of 31st-century armor (or a light building) in one burst and potentially ripping limbs or heads off 'Mechs, will when used against common ground-pounders eliminate at most ''four'' troopers out of an infantry platoon of any size -- two if they have any sort of cover like "rough" terrain or woods. (Weapons with an explicit area effect ''on'' the vehicular scale are highly lethal to the same units if they're caught in said area, however.)

* ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasTreasureIsland'' have Doraemon tossing one of his gadgets -- the Timed Stupidity Bomb -- to the leader of a pirate gang who's trying to hijack his ship. Being from the past and unfamiliar with Doraemon's gadgets, the pirate leader simply looks quizzically at the bomb before it explodes a few inches from his face, without fatal results save for him coughing smoke comically.

In [[RealLife the real world]], explosions are lethal. Let's assume, for a start, that the blast doesn't vaporise you or [[LudicrousGibs blow you limb-from-limb]]. If the pressure-wave doesn't kill you (instantly) by turning your organs to mush or dashing you to pieces against something, all the things and bits of things - shrapnel - caught in the blast can kill you all the same. These aren't usually chunks of rubble big enough to punch your guts out through your chest[[note]] those can smart a bit, mind[[/note]] but rather little shards of (sharp) stuff travelling fast enough to bury themselves in your brains. Even if you survive the pressure-wave and the shrapnel, there's a real chance you'll just plain bleed to death from the internal and/or external wounds those two gave you. That's assuming the heat-wave isn't enough to (instantly) cook your internal organs either or sear enough of your flesh from your bones that you'll die of blood loss. [[SteelEardrums Never you mind the effect of all this on your hearing]], i.e. perforating or just plain damaging your eardrums (perforation may well render you [totally] deaf for life). Merely seeing an explosion can be harmful, as some (e.g. [[AtomicHate thermonuclear]]) explosions are so bright they cause blindness - which is, moreover, permanent within certain ranges.

It should come as no surprise, then, that their lethality means that explosions are used in modern warfare. Numerous explosive weapons are used to kill infantry; there exist anti-personnel grenades, anti-personnel mines, mortars, and shrapnel/high-explosive artillery shells. These blow people apart and/or pulp them with shrapnel, which causes them to die of shock or blood loss. Most countries don't bother stocking less-lethal or non-lethal explosive weapons, e.g. stun ('flash-bang') grenades - such weapons are only useful in very specific situations which involve Special Forces (such as in hostage situations).

* ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasTreasureIsland'' have Doraemon tossing one of his gadgets - the Timed Stupidity Bomb - to the leader of a pirate gang who's trying to hijack his ship. Being from the past and unfamiliar with Doraemon's gadgets, the pirate leader simply looks quizzically at the bomb before it explodes a few inches from his face, without fatal results save for him coughing smoke comically.

* ''Literature/FullMetalPanic'' has two different types of episodes- in the school-based comedy ones, things explode in people's faces all the time and they just shake it off. Away from the school, in the plot-based stories, people get hurt.

** Played completely, utterly straight in the best Destroy ending of the third game. Shepard is caught at the heart of a MASSIVE explosion in the center of the Citadel, and yet is still shown to have somehow survived - after apparently surviving reentry into Earth's atmosphere as well.

* All of [[VideoGame/MetalGear Snake's]] attacks in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' are explosive based (assuming he's not just using close-quarters combat skills). Apparently, Nintendo thought guns would be too violent and would seem jarring compared to other characters, not to mention [[GameBreaker too easy to break the game with]], so now all of his smash attacks and most of his special moves become variations of grenades, rockets, and missiles - his forward smash attack involves him pulling out an RPG and shooting the ground less than two feet in front of him with it. This actually makes him a very unique character with a strong field-control if used right.

** ''I seem to have been impaled by a piece of debris from that explosion. [[CatchPhrase Oh bother.]]''

* Played infamously in ''Manga/OnePiece'', where [[spoiler:A bomb with a 5-kilometer blast radius is carried into the sky by Pell in an apparent HeroicSacrifice, [[DisneyDeath but he managed to survive.]]]]
** Additionally, Mr. 5 has the power of the Bomb Bomb Fruit, enabling him to make any part of his body (including his entire body) explosive. It seems like a deadly power, but several people, including Luffy, Usopp [[spoiler:and as it turns out, even Mr. 9 and Ms. Monday]], manage to survive direct hits from it.

* In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' this occurs when Falcon is going up against the hellicarriers in the finale. [[PointDefenseless A trio of flak turrets fail to hit him]] during a series of barrel rolls, even though realistically those flak bursts would have filled him with shrapnel. [[note]] A much more realistic version would have been using Gatling guns of the same type shown in the movie Battleship as used on modern warships, that would have instead filled the sky with tracer rounds. [[/note]]