History Main / RevolversAreJustbetter

* From the ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' series, Revolver Ocelot. It's right there in his CodeName. In the prequel ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 3|SnakeEater}}'', he starts off with a semiautomatic and is pretty good with it, killing one man with a richochet shot. However, Snake notes his technique is more suited to using a revolver, and he soon switches to the Single Action Army. Interestingly, when he first switches to the revolver, it's shown he has to do some adjusting; for example, he doesn't realize the gun's only got six shots the first time he takes on Snake with it[[note]]Compare the quote on top of this page, showing off his growth over the years[[/note]]. In any case, he [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything rather enjoys]] reloading.

*** In a different episode, Togusa is able to quickly load a bullet containing an electronic tracer into his revolver and fire it into the bumper of a fleeing vehicle. He uses a similar trick in the first movie, with another character pointing out that, had he been using the standard issue semi, he could have planted ''two'' trackers on the car in the same time.
*** Ultimately, in ''Solid State Society'', TheMovie of ''Stand Alone Complex'', Togusa [[spoiler:has succeeded Kusanagi as the commander of Section 9, and has received cybernetic implants and, at the same time, replaced his revolver with a semi-automatic.]] He himself {{lampshades}} the symbolism behind this.

* "Cowboy Andy" from ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' uses a revolver as opposed to the usual semi-automatics everyone else uses. Of course, this fits with his intended theme.

* [[BadassNormal David]] from ''Anime/BloodPlus'' wields a revolver as his WeaponOfChoice. A [[HandCannon very large, high-powered revolver]]. Presumably because smaller bullets hardly even count as an annoyance to [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Chiropterans]], but David's revolver doesn't do much better.

* Inverted in the CYOA-style ''A Road Less Traveled'' from Jeffrey Dean and ''Greek Winter Media'', in the first game ''Westward Dystopia'' - your character uses his revolvers as his WeaponOfChoice and he can upgrade them with a laser sight and hollow point ammo. He likes them so much that he doesn't even pick up the superior assault rifles he finds. However in the prequel ''Spire Ablaze'', the hero gets a choice of starting weapon - a shotgun, an Uzi or a Colt Single-Action Army revolver. Of these, the weakest weapon is the revolver (to make up for this, the Technocrat Guild gives you some extra medkits). The hero only gets his favourite set of revolvers (they were part of his graduation test to successfully refurbish them) when his instructor gave them to him.
* In ''VideoGame/Ashes2063''[[note]]a [[GameMod total conversion]] for ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}''[[/note]], the .45 Revolver is one of [[PlayerCharacter Scavenger]]'s most reliable weapons. It is always pinpoint accurate, deals considerable damage – on the Survival modes where all attacks are more powerful, it can sometimes kill bandits or even a Pit Fiend in one single shot – and can be fired relatively fast if needed. Heavy bullets for it are not quite as plentiful as light bullets for the 9mm Autoloader and Machine Pistol outside of bandit drops, but the Revolver offsets this with its ammo efficiency. In the game art, it is often featured as Scav's WeaponOfChoice, whether it be on foot or on his [[CoolBike motorcycle]].

** Its sequel, ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'', has the Python... which is the only pistol that can have a scope. Or you can [[GunsAkimbo dual-wield]] it. In the story, Mason takes it as his WeaponOfChoice after the first couple of missions, starting with one or pulling one out of nowhere for scripted sequences on several occasions.

*** And the Tornado-6, Ocelot's WeaponOfChoice in the game. It sports greater damage-per-shot than the WU S333 and can even take advantage of ricochets to hit enemies beind obstacles, but cannot be modified in any way. If the player chooses to play as Ocelot in [=FOBs=], Ocelot will [[GunsAkimbo dual wield them]].

** In ''VideoGame/Persona4'', Naoto Shirogane and Tohru Adachi use revolvers as their WeaponOfChoice. In both this game and ''VideoGame/PersonaQShadowOfTheLabyrinth'', Naoto can get a freaking [[HandCannon .44 Colt Anaconda]]. And that's only a mid-game weapon - the late-game revolvers are truly terrifying.

* ''VideoGame/SCPSecretLaboratory'' has the .44 Revolver, a pinpoint-accurate HandCannon exclusively found in the hands of Chaos Insurgency Marauders. Against human players, what armour they have doesn't matter - a single headshot will kill them on the spot unless they're under the effects of Adrenaline. It leaves a lot to be desired against SCPs, however, owing to its slow rate of fire and low mag capacity.

*** It's not the first revolver-carbine to solve these issues either. The Belgian Pieper M1893 Revolving Carbine did so in a more complicated way by using the same gas seal system as the more famous [[CoolGuns/{{Revolvers}} Nagant M1895]]. Pieper's carbine is obscure today, but at the turn of the century it was a popular weapon in Mexico. However, a certain [[VideoGame/Battlefield1 World War I Video Game]] reintroduced it to the current era.

In [[TheWestern Westerns]], cowboys and outlaws are seen with revolvers. But this is because revolvers were the only repeating handguns at that time in history, not because of any cool factor. That doesn't stop it from ''being'' cool, though. One could argue this is where revolvers [[NostalgiaFilter first picked up their mystique]], though ''Film/DirtyHarry'' is probably responsible for popularising Magnum-loaded revolvers as the Hand Cannon of choice; this has faded a little in recent years, with the first choice for movie hero personal artillery more likely to be a .50AE [[RareGuns Desert Eagle]], much to the annoyance of gun enthusiasts. An enduring legacy of ''Dirty Harry'' is that it's often assumed that every powerful revolver is a Magnum.[[note]]"Magnum" does not mean "really powerful;" it refers to a longer (and yes, inherently more powerful) cartridge version of an existing caliber. The .454 Casull, for example, was the most powerful revolver available to civilians for many years, yet doesn't even have "Magnum" in its name (despite still technically being one to the .45 Long Colt and .45 S&W calibers).[[/note]] An easy demonstration is that while the revolver is the Hand Cannon to a regular semi-auto pistol in most media productions, one shouldn't expect to see a semi-auto pistol as the Hand Cannon to a regular revolver. This is particularly evident in videogames, where the revolver will ''always'' outclass a semi-auto shot-for-shot: after all, if the revolver didn't have that advantage, then it would be totally useless.

* Sam, of ''ComicBook/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice'', uses a gigantic revolver. His partner Max favors a [[RareGuns Luger]].

* In ''VideoGame/{{Killzone 2}}'', the Helghast are given the semi-automatic [=StA=]18 pistol, a fairly powerful gun with a magazine that [[UnorthodoxReload slots in under the barrel forward of the trigger assembly]]. What do the ISA give the good guys as their sidearm in response? The M4 Revolver. A good solid magnum revolver based on the [[RareGuns Mateba]], with excellent accuracy (to the point that you get a [=PS3=] trophy for scoring three headshots in a row with it) and stopping power.

* UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar era [[RareGuns/{{Revolvers}} [=LeMat=]]], which had a nine-shot ammo capacity ''[[MoreDakka and a single shotgun charge in a secondary barrel]]''.

* ''Videogame/TheLastOfUs'': The .357 revolver that Joel acquires does more damage than the 9mm pistol (the latter requiring three body shots to kill unarmored humans and runners, while the latter only requires two shots. On Grounded difficulty, the revolver becomes a OneHitKill on humans.) but has a slower rate of fire and less ammo capacity. Then there's El Diablo, a high-calibur revolver with a scope that Joel finds near the end of the game, which will kill all non-armored enemies in one shot by default, and can be upgraded to pierce armor as well.

* ''Videogame/TheLastOfUs'': The .357 revolver that Joel acquires does more damage than the 9mm pistol (the latter requiring three body shots to kill unarmored humans and runners, while the latter only requires two shots. On Grounded difficulty, the revolver becomes a OneHitKill on humans.) but has a slower rate of fire and less ammo capacity. Then there's El Diablo, a high-calibur revolver that Joel finds near the end of the game, which will kill all non-armored enemies in one shot by default, and can be upgraded to pierce armor as well.

In [[TheWestern Westerns]], cowboys and outlaws are seen with revolvers. But this is because revolvers were the only repeating handguns at that time in history, not because of any cool factor. That doesn't stop it from ''being'' cool, though. One could argue this is where revolvers [[NostalgiaFilter first picked up their mystique]], though ''Film/DirtyHarry'' is probably responsible for popularising Magnum-loaded revolvers as the HandCannon of choice; this has faded a little in recent years, with the first choice for movie hero personal artillery more likely to be a .50AE [[RareGuns Desert Eagle]], much to the annoyance of gun enthusiasts. An enduring legacy of ''Film/DirtyHarry'' is that it's often assumed that every powerful revolver is a Magnum.[[note]]"Magnum" does not mean "really powerful;" it refers to a longer (and yes, inherently more powerful) cartridge version of an existing caliber. The .454 Casull, for example, was the most powerful revolver available to civilians for many years, yet doesn't even have "Magnum" in its name (despite still technically being one to the .45 Long Colt and .45 S&W calibers).[[/note]] An easy demonstration is that while the revolver is the HandCannon to a regular semi-auto pistol in most media productions, one shouldn't expect to see a semi-auto pistol as the HandCannon to a regular revolver. This is particularly evident in videogames, where the revolver will ''always'' outclass a semi-auto shot-for-shot: after all, if the revolver didn't have that advantage, then it would be totally useless.

For a competing product, see the {{shotgun|sAreJustBetter}} (particularly the SawedOffShotgun) or the {{katana|sAreJustBetter}}. Tends to be a PunchPackingPistol or a SniperPistol when not a HandCannon outright.

* The only sidearm available to Artyom in ''Videogame/{{Metro 2033}}'' is, curiously enough, a revolver chambered in .44 Magnum (rather out of place in Moscow, as the .44 Magnum cartridge is only really popular in America). Next to the Bastard SMG, it's one of the most ubiquitous guns around. It is more accurate and does more damage per shot than most weapons firing the 5.45 round--justified, since those cartridges are survivor-made 'dirty' rounds and are inferior to proper 5.45 rounds. It the first game, it can be upgraded to a ridiculous degree, with accessories including an extended barrel or silencer, a scope, and a freaking stock, turning it from a handgun to a downsized revolver hunting rifle. It loses some of this versatility in the sequel, but a silenced version is the first weapon you're given once the game starts in earnest and can carry you through most of the game due to the ammo availability and the fact that [[PunchPackingPistol it hits like a brick]].

*** The Skitarii warriors of the [[MachineWorship Adeptus Mechanicus]] wield a number of weapons, such as the [[ShockAndAwe galvanic rifle]], [[ILoveNuclearPower radium carbine]] and arc weaponry, are revolver weapons that fire a variety of AbnormalAmmo that make them far more effective than the equivalent weapons of most other armies.

** South Korean beat cops carry either the Smith & Wesson Model 10 or Model 60 because reolvers allow them to use a mix of blank and live rounds.

** Its sequel, ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'', has the Python... which is the only pistol that can have a scope. Or you can [[GunsAkimbo dual-wield]] it.

For a competing product, see the {{shotgun|sAreJustBetter}} (particularly the SawedOffShotgun) or the {{katana|sAreJustBetter}}. Tends to be a PunchPackingPistol or a SniperPistol when not a HandCannon outright. Compare and/or contrast with RevolversAreForAmateurs, where they're just better for someone inexperienced.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' gives you a choice of a few Magnums, but the potentially most powerful one you can get during the game is, of course, the revolver. Coolness is balanced out by the shortage of ammo for it, however; when you get the first one - either by buying it or [[GuideDangIt getting it for free at a certain point of the game]] - the ammo is amazingly hard to come by, making it not very usable.
*** Without a doubt the most powerful magnum in the game is the Handcannon, which you can get InfiniteAmmo for. You get it for free ([[HundredPercentCompletion if you can get five stars, with every character, on all four Mercenaries levels]]), but upgrades are hugely expensive...and if you try to sell it, its monetary value drops to 0.

[[folder:Film]]

* In ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'', [[MagicWand Devices]] can get "cartridge systems" that allow them to fire powerful bursts of magic. The titular character's [[SimpleStaff staff]] loads cartridges from assault rifle-style magazines, and the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots Wolkenritter's]] Devices have shotgun-style brute-force mechanisms... but guess what Fate, the former DarkMagicalGirl who gets the really cool gear, gets for hers? Yup, six-shot revolver cylinder.

** ''VideoGame/{{Trailblazer}}'', created by the same author as ''Russian Overkill'' and ''guncaster'', has three revolvers as part of the player's arsenal.

* ''Manga/CityHunter'': Ryo Saeba's personal arm, Colt Python .357 Magnum, seems to be superior to most types of weapons in the manga. With ImprobableAimingSkills and surprisingly powerful bullets, Ryo that can disable a car or a helicopter with one precise hit.

** The first gun found in ''VideoGame/BioShock1'' is a six-shot revolver that is loaded by replacing the entire cylinder like a magazine. It's the most basic gun in the game, and deals relatively low damage. [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon Until you upgrade it that is]]. When fully upgraded, it gains a damage-increasing "ammunition accelerator" and has it's clip size quadrupled by the addition of an extra ammunition attachment. This effectively turns the revolver into a [[UpToEleven belt-fed, Gauss-revolver]]. Not that you would need all that [[MoreDakka dakka]], since once you get enough Research points one clean headshot with an Antipersonnel bullet is enough to kill all but [[BossInMookClothing bosses in mook clothing]], and piercing rounds will put a huge dent in Big Daddies.

* Cassidy/[=McCree=] of ''Videogame/{{Overwatch}}'' carries a revolver [[ICallItVera dubbed the Peacekeeper]] as his main weapon. Its high power coupled with accuracy makes it one of the most powerful weapons in the game.

*** Hong Kong and Japan are some of the few places remaining where uniformed officers still use .38 Special revolvers as their main sidearms, Hong Kong still soldiering on with the S&W Model 10, and Japan with the [[http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2018/08/ttag-contributor/gun-review-smith-wesson-360j-japanese-service-revolver/ S&W Model 360J.]] Officers who operate in other divisions (such as surveillance or in special response units) use semi-automatics. In Hong Kong & Japanese TV shows/movies that involve the police, revolvers are the most likely gun to be used by officers. Although if the protagonists are inspectors in Hong Kong media, they'll be using Glocks instead, and if they're Japanese detectives, they'll have the Minebea P9 (a licensed copy of the 9mm SIG Sauer P220).