History Main / SmokeOut

* Used by Jafar in Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', wherein the villain's smoke bomb enables him to escape from two guards who ''had hold of his arms and were in the process of dragging him away''. When the smoke clears, the guards are holding onto each other instead. Of course, [[AWizardDidIt he]] ''[[AWizardDidIt is]]'' [[AWizardDidIt a sorcerer]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', Clopin first uses a smoke bomb as a standard magic trick during the Feast of Fools, seemingly replacing himself with Esmeralda onstage. Later, when Frollo orders his guards to capture Esmeralda, she uses a similar smoke bomb as an escape method instead. This is TruthInTelevision, as Roma performers were known for their skill in escapology and illusions.

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'': Malcolm Merlyn does this in "The Magician"; escaping from Nyssa and Oliver by dropping a smoke bomb and vanishing under the cover of the smoke.
* ''Series/BuckRogersInTheTwentyFifthCentury'' episode "Vegas in Space". Before being sent on a mission, Buck is given devices which cause a complete blackout in the immediate area. While on the mission, he uses one to escape from enemies.

* On ''Series/TheCape'', Max and anyone else trained by him can do this at a level verging on supernatural. Subverted in Episode 3 when Vince fights Gregor and gets grabbed by the cape in the middle of his smoke-out. For reference, Gregor is his EvilCounterpart, the former student of Max's who wore the unique cape but ended up abusing its power. He would know all of Max's (and Vince's) tricks.
* Subverted in ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}''; investigating the death of a magician, Beckett and Castle approach a street magician with a motive. The street magician, obviously not keen to answer questions, does the standard Smoke Out disappearance -- and Beckett (who, as it turns out, knows a little something about magic) merely rolls her eyes, opens up the box he's standing on (and which he slipped into after dropping the smoke bomb) and yanks him out.

* ''Series/{{Cowboy Bebop|2021}}''. In "Darkside Tango", Jet and Fad are in an opium den and see a couple of ISSP detectives they're rather avoid being seen by, so Fad smashes the hookah bowl filling the place with drug-mixed opium gas, which not only hides their escape but knocks everyone else out and makes the cops too high to follow them for a while.
* The Spike TV show ''Series/DeadliestWarrior'' gives a highly possible real-world origin for the Smoke Out in the form of "black eggs", literal whole eggshells painted black and filled with either sand, pepper (either ground or as a mace-like extract oil), and/or glass that is thrown into the enemy's face; the theory was, the egg would shatter upon impact (or, if the contents were dry ingredients, crushed pre-throw) and splash all over the enemy's eyes, blinding them for several seconds and giving the illusion that the escaping ninja vanished in a puff of smoke.
* ''Series/DoctorWho''. Spoofed in "The Masque of Mandragora". The Doctor appears in a puff of smoke by popping up from behind an astrologer's cauldron while he's casting an incantation.
* ''Series/FallenAngels''. In "Tomorrow I Die" (based on a story by Creator/MickeySpillane), a gang of robbers take several hostages, load them into two cars and make a RunForTheBorder, intending to execute them once they're in Mexico. The protagonist is driving one of the cars, so to gain time he drives near the curb of a dirt road, kicking up dust into the vehicle behind, which eventually goes off the road and crashes.
* ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'' episode "[[Recap/TheFlash2014S3E7KillerFrost Killer Frost]]" has a variation, as [[AnIcePerson Killer Frost]] creates thick mist with her breath and escapes from the cops under the cover of it.
* Lee Van Cleef's character, an ''Series/AmericanNinja'', used to do this all the time in the short-lived TV series ''Series/TheMaster''.
* Luke does this on ''Series/ModernFamily'', at the end of an argument with his parents about how much he dislikes doing magic and wants to quit (leaving Phil confused).
* ''Series/TheProfessionals''. In "Fugitive", terrorists are taking an aircraft out of the country and have Bodie with them as a hostage. [=CI5=] trigger smoke bombs on the runway to create confusion so Bodie can escape. The aircraft then starts its engines so the propellers will blow the smoke away to give the snipers a clear shot.

* ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone|1959}}'' episode "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S2E5TheHowlingMan The Howling Man]]". After the Devil is released from his cell, he conjures up a cloud of smoke to cover him as he disappears from sight.
* ''Series/WonderWoman'': Count Cagliostro (a descendant of ''the'' [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cagliostro Count Cagliostro]]) in "Diana's Disappearing Act," one of the few bad guys to just flat-out escape Wonder Woman.

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* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': Parodied. Roger did this twice but he kept falling over unconscious. Klaus tried this in "The One That Got Away", and he ''ended up in another dimension'' for 60 years ([[YearInsideHourOutside a few seconds in his world's time]]).

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheDeserter The Deserter]]": Chey uses smoke bombs as distractions when fleeing the Fire Nation troops. Rather than using them to hide himself, he prefers to throw them at the feet of his pursuers and then escape while they're disoriented by the bang, flash, and cloud of smoke.

** In "Shriek", Batman tries a smoke bomb against Shriek, but Shriek blows the smoke away with a sonic blast just as Batman barely gets behind a counter.
** In "Eyewitness", the new Batman uses the standard schtick to get away from the police when he is framed for murder. However, the Police Commissioner is Barbara Gordon, formerly known as Batgirl. As such, she knows that stunt by heart and thwarts it easily using a police cruiser equipped with an industrial sized fan, which gives Batman a real challenge to get away.
* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'': An opportunistic rather than planned variant appears in "[[Recap/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteersS1E15SmogHog Smog Hog.]]" While they're covertly watching Greedly sell Road Hogs, one of the Planeteers says that they need a way to get into the factory unobserved. Wheeler comes up with the idea of using the smog produced when one of the Road Hogs drives away as a smokescreen, and it works.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{DuckTales|2017}}'' (2017): In the season one finale "Day of the Ducks", a depowered Magica [=DeSpell=] has to resort to a smoke bomb in order to escape from Scrooge and his family. [[FailedAttemptAtDrama It doesn't work out so well]], and she's seen stumbling away as the smoke clears.

* The Robot Devil pulls this move in the concert hall finale of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', declaring "It's back to hell for me!" and vanishing in a puff of smoke. The camera then cuts to the stunned audience's reaction, and we see him quickly running up the aisle and out of the theater.
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' has Grunkle Stan who uses this to get out of trouble at times. Unfortunately, he slips up in "The Stanchurian Candidate" by using an expired bomb that fizzles out.

** In "Into the Mouth of Evil", Jackie and Jade managed to escape the bad guys when Jackie made a cloud with a bag of curry powder.

** In "Isabella and the Temple of Sap", a guru the Fireside Girls meet gives them advice then disappears in a puff of smoke. Gretchen points out that he just moved a little ways away.
** In "Does This Duckbill Make Me Look Fat?", Dr. Doofenshmirtz is outclassed by Perry [[ItMakesSenseInContext in Candace's body]] bids hir farewell and appears to speed off screen in a Doofenshmirtz-shaped cloud of smoke. When the smoke clears, he's standing there, looking surprised, and asks "What just happened?"
* In ''WesternAnimation/RandyCunninghamNinthGradeNinja'' the eponymous Ninja uses smoke bombs for every entrance and exit of a battle. It always works, even though he yells out [[CallingYourAttacks "Smoke Bomb!"]] every time he uses one.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotomy}}'': "[[Recap/Robotomy08TheTrialsOfRobocles The Trials of Robocles]]": Chief Suckerpunch smokes out after he explains [[RiteOfPassage Jockstrap Island]] but keeps coming back to respond to comments then smoke out again until he only creates a small puff.

** In an episode, a fortune teller consulted by Lisa appears to attempt a Smoke Out, but when the smoke clears, she's still at her table, quietly waiting for ''Lisa'' to leave.
** In another episode, Mr. Burns attempts to use this trick to escape a tableful of stockholders -- however, being ludicrously old and not very fast-moving, he's still fumbling with the door-handle when the smoke clears...
** Bart pulls it once when Skinner discovers him running a card shark operation at the school fair. "Goodbye gentlemen."

** In an early episode, Plankton passes himself off as a StageMagician to appear at the Krusty Krab's first talent show and claims that he'll make a Krabby Patty "disappear"--[[MetaphoricallyTrue by stealing it.]] Mr. Krabs stops him, and Plankton tries to make a dramatic exit, complete with a magic phrase and a blast of smoke: "You may win ''this'' time...SHIA KAZEEK!" Unfortunately, the bomb simply [[AshFace explodes in his face]] and leaves him to walk out of the restaurant in shame--"Well, this stinks..."
** Squidward performed a variation in "Mutiny on the Krusty" which left a splash of ink when he zooms offscreen.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'', "[[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS1E10LairOfGrievous Lair of Grievous]]": During their duel at the end of the episode Kit Fisto keeps backing into the thick fog to hide his location from Grievous.
* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/StrokerAndHoop'', where David Copperfield tries this and Stroker just shoots into the smoke and kills him (though he turned out to have just been FakingTheDead).

** The 2000s ''WesternAnimation/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|2003}}'' cartoon has the Shredder's [[EliteMooks Elite Guard]] use this as a cover for OffscreenTeleportation, able to appear behind an opponent they've just vanished from in front of, all without being seen or heard by characters or viewers ''or'' having had time to go around and get into position. It's likely a legitimate super-power, what with the glowing red eyes.

** Used in ''WesternAnimation/{{Teen Titans|2003}}'' when Robin used it to get his team away from Now-Evil Terra. Beast Boy lingers for a bit before he runs off into the smoke.
** Later parodied in SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'', where Robin attempts to outwit Terra by using a smoke bomb, but it only lasts for a half-second and Robin remains in the same position.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TimeSquad'', Tuddrussel gets a new UtilityBelt full of gadgets and can't wait to try them out--and doesn't bother to read the instructions. When he's captured by [[ItMakesSenseInContext George Washington Carver's evil brother Todd and his peanut-suited minions]], Tuddrussel hits a random button that deploys a smoke screen...only the smoke is too thick and ends up keeping him from getting away.

** Inverted a couple of episodes later, when Chris uses the same technique to make an entrance.
** In the ''All Stars'' episode "Suckers Punched" Jose uses the same technique to appear.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'':

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'' episode "[[Recap/WakfuS1E8XavTheBaker Xav the Baker]]", a [[McNinja ninja]]-[[MartialArtsAndCrafts baker]] uses a cloud of flour to disappear. (WordOfGod clarifies there was indeed a ''Ranma ½'' inspiration for the character.)
* ''WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner'': Played with in "WesternAnimation/FastAndFurryOus". The Coyote gets Acme Fleet-Foot Jet-Propelled Tennis Shoes, and test-''runs'' them before the Road Runner arrives. First, the Road Runner makes his "BEEP BEEP" and starts his run with a dust cloud, the coyote in fast pursuit, only for the Road Runner to hold position. When the Coyote realizes the mistake and returns, the Road Runner does the same trick again, and the coyote waits for the dust cloud to clear, only for the runner to escape. Cue the pursuit.
* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'':

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Robotomy}}'' "Trials Of Robocles": Chief Suckerpunch smokes out after he explains [[RiteOfPassage Jockstrap Island]] but keeps coming back to respond to comments then smoke out again until he only creates a small puff.

** Played hilariously straight in [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 the Nickeleon show]] when Donatello creates smoke bombs for the first time. Michelangelo starts abusing them despite Don warning him they're hard to make, and the trope is so exagerated that it seems to give Michelangelo ''onscreen'' teleportation. At one point, he says he'll bring Splinter, throws a smokebomb... and when the smoke dissipates, not only has he disappeared, but Splinter is now standing in his place, asking calmy why they asked for him. Of course, at the end of the episode, when they actually ''need'' the smokebombs to escape Shredder, it turns out Michelangelo wasted all of them. Donatello made more in the following episodes through.

* ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone|1959}}'' episode "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS2E41TheHowlingMan The Howling Man]]". After the Devil is released from his cell, he conjures up a cloud of smoke to cover him as he disappears from sight.

* In ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesII/TheSecretOfTheOoze'', Tatsu immediately does this once his Foot Squad has obtained the last remaining mutagen canister before the Turtles can leave with it.

* ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast1992'': In the first chapter, Agahnim vanishes into blue mist with Zelda in his clutches.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheDeserter The Deserter]]": Chey uses smole bombs as distractions when fleeing the Fire Nation troops. Rather than using them to hide himself, he prefers to throw them at the feet of his pursuers and then escape while they're disoriented by the bang, flash, and cloud of smoke.

* Subverted in ''Series/{{Castle}}''; investigating the death of a magician, Beckett and Castle approach a street magician with a motive. The street magician, obviously not keen to answer questions, does the standard Smoke Out disappearance -- and Beckett (who, as it turns out, knows a little something about magic) merely rolls her eyes, opens up the box he's standing on (and which he slipped into after dropping the smoke bomb) and yanks him out.

* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad''. Roger did this twice but he kept falling over unconscious. Klaus tried this in "The One That Got Away", and he ''ended up in another dimension'' for 60 years ([[YearInsideHourOutside a few seconds in his world's time]]).

* Used in ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'' by Slinger (an AlternateTimeline version of ComicBook/SpiderMan) to escape Doctor Doom's MechaMooks along with his "Defenders" friends. The grenades are clearly special, as the smoke they produce also hinders the robots' sensors.

-->-- '''Henri Ducard'''/'''[[spoiler:the real Ra's al Ghul]]''', ''Film/BatmanBegins''

* ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'':
** Done straight in the latest movie, but also subverted when Raphael does a standard ninja Smoke Out, but instead of mysteriously vanishing he's seen running away. Also {{Lampshaded}} in the film when Karai and a henchman disappear.
** There is also a scene where Raphael smokes out... only to leave Casey Jones coughing and waving smoke away... then Raphael leans out from behind a nearby structure and chastizes Casey for just standing there like an idiot.
--->'''Casey:''' What is it with ninjas and smoke bombs?
** In ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesII/TheSecretOfTheOoze'', Tatsu immediately does this once his Foot Squad has obtained the last remaining mutagen canister before the Turtles can leave with it.

** The [[BanditMook Bandits]] from [[VideoGame/YoshisIsland Bowser's youth]] have these in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'', in addition to explosive cardboard copies of themselves, to help make unexpected fast stealing from enemies much easier.

-->-- '''Henri Ducard''', ''Film/BatmanBegins''

** DD favors the Smoke In, as his main weapon is a gun that fires various gas pellets. It accompanies his CatchPhrase, "I am the terror that flaps in the night..." Like many elements of his character (including his costume), this dramatic introduction is taken from Franchise/TheDCU's Crimson Avenger.

** However, in another episode, Darkwing creates a cloud of smoke and begins his CatchPhrase. The goons shoot the cloud of smoke, oblivious to the fact that Darkwing is, in fact, behind them...

A fairly standard disappearing trick, favored by {{ninja}}, {{stage magician}}s, and Franchise/{{Batman}}. Drop a clever little smoke bomb that puffs up and dissipates quickly, slip away during the distraction. A smoke cover apparently qualifies as being "offscreen" enough for OffscreenTeleportation, allowing a user to escape even if he or she was standing in a clear area where his/her exit would be seen at least by the viewer if not an opponent.

* In the ''WebVideo/SuperTherapy'' episode "Robin, Are You Gay?", Franchise/{{Batman}} gets out of the session with a smoke grenade.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Mysterio is fond of this, as per his [[MasterOfIllusion illusionist/performer]] persona.

* Used in ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'' by Slinger (an AlternateTimeline version of Franchise/SpiderMan) to escape Doctor Doom's MechaMooks along with his "Defenders" friends. The grenades are clearly special, as the smoke they produce also hinders the robots' sensors.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'''s [[GoldfishPoopGang Team Rocket]] frequently escapes by having their Pokemon fill the room with a truly massive amount of smoke that, realistically, would indeed allow most anyone to escape. Koffing/Weezing was the first pick, and later, when Weezing was released, Jessie's Seviper took over this role with its Haze attack. While not actual smoke, James's Cacnea can fullfill the same purpose with Sandstorm, if Seviper isn't available. They're not restricted to Pokemon either, as James performs the trick with an actual smoke bomb in the second "Best Wishes!" episode.

** In ''Secret of the Ooze'', Tatsu immediately does this once his Foot Squad has obtained the last remaining mutagen canister before the Turtles can leave with it.

* The Ninjas of ''VideoGame/{{Nightshade}}'' combine this with teleporting around.

* ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'': In the first chapter, Agahnim vanishes into blue mist with Zelda in his clutches.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'' episode "[[Recap/WakfuS1E8XavTheBaker Xav the Baker]]", a [[McNinja ninja]]-[[MartialArtsAndCrafts baker]] uses a cloud of flour to disappear.

* One unlockable ability in ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'' allows Wolf to turn the blood of fallen enemies into ''bloodsmoke'', creating a large cloud of red mist that temporarily blinds all nearby enemies, allowing him to either escape or commence backstabbing.

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''/''Creator/DCComics'' mashup ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1122046/1/Discworlds-s-Finest Discworld's Finest]]'', El Pipistrello, being a Batman pastiche, obviously does this. On one occasion, he smokes out, the other people in the room hear the sound of his horse galloping away through the open window... and then [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob Don Bryce de la Waggon]] comes in, wondering what all the fuss is about.

Characters who are underwater can achieve the same effect by using ink instead of smoke.