History Main / TunnelKing

%%* ''VideoGame/DigDug's'' Taizo Hori and his sons, Susumu and Ataru Hori of ''VideoGame/MrDriller'' fame.

* ''VideoGame/MrDriller'' is the spiritual successor of the aforementioned ''VideoGame/DigDug''. The title character Susumu Hori is the son of Taizo Hori. Susumu drills through whatever beneaths him provided if air is given.

* The Vietcong digged huge networks of tunnels during UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar to conduct guerrilla warfare in rural areas. The most impressive lies in Cu Chi, just northeast of the South Vietnamese Capital of Saigon.

* WesternAnimation/BugsBunny is shown doing it in almost every medium, though he often ends up taking a WrongTurnAtAlbuquerque. In fact, two games require Bugs to use tunneling to solve puzzles or bypass enemies, and another relies solely on ''him'' for transport between game worlds.

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out.

In animated series, this character will often be a burrowing animal with [[FastTunnelling their digging abilities carried to ludicrous extremes]]. Once in a while, it will save the trapped main character(s) because [ItKnowsAWayOut].

* The Diggers from ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' who are two boys who have enjoyed digging holes since kindergartern. In the first episode, they end up digging a hole all the way to Beijing.

* The North Vietnamese Army had build up a huge network of tunnels through Vietnam during UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar.

** Ground Man from ''Mega Man and Bass'' could do the same, except he could also drill into the ceiling too AND spike you with a giant drill from there.

In animated series, this character will often be a burrowing animal with [[FastTunnelling their digging abilities carried to ludicrous extremes]].

* Bunnymund the EasterBunny from the film version of ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'' creates magical tunnels that can lead absolutely anywhere by just tapping his foot.

* Oddly, one of Team Rocket's specialties on ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', and often noted by them. Their holes are good enough to impress the very Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann-esque Byron.

* The Mole Man of East Hackney.

* Superspeed digging was one of Zippy's many talents in ''ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop''.

** The Underground Man in ''Diamond/Pearl/Platinum'', responsible for starting out Sinnoh's extensive [BeneathTheEarth Underground]] with his digging, along with his son and grandson, Byron and Roark.

* The Skaven from ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' have a tunneling unit. Whether it appears where it should (directly underneath the enemy's artillery units, usually) or the tunnelers screw up horribly and either collapse their tunnel, arrive somewhere on another continent or at least at a different spot on the battlefield than they should (whereupon they spend the rest of the turn bickering who held the map the wrong side up) is dependent on the roll of a die... Dwarven miners are a somewhat more reliable version.

* The player in ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' can certainly become this; many players begin this way to avoid monsters at night.

** Also, the Underground Man in ''Diamond/Pearl/Platinum'', along with his son and grandson, Byron and Roark.

%%* The Diamond Dogs of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''.

* * ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'', [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2709 SCP-2709 ("Can Anyone Hear You Scream?")]]. SCP-2709-1 is a giant anomalous antlion that digs tunnels underground. It performs a DigAttack on human beings by collapsing the ground under their feet.

* Professor Moliarty from ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck''. A mush-mouthed mole who schemes to put the surface world into an eternal darkness. His name is a reference to Literature/SherlockHolmes nemesis James Moriarty and his persona may be inspired by MarvelComics' Mole Man.

* Mexican crime lord ''Joaquin Guzman'', aka ''El Chapo'', who has dug miles of tunnels under the US-Mexico border to smuggle contraband narcotics across the border- his method of escape is, predictably, having his thugs dig a tunnel into his cell from the outside. Also, the French officers who were captured during World War II- [[spoiler:they dug a tunnel out of the camp against all odds and escaped]].

* * Mexican crime lord ''Joaquin Guzman'', aka ''El Chapo'', who has dug miles of tunnels under the US-Mexico border to smuggle contraband narcotics across the border- his method of escape is, predictably, having his thugs dig a tunnel into his cell from the outside. Also, the French officers who were captured during World War II- [[spoiler:they dug a tunnel out of the camp against all odds and escaped]].

* The North Vietnamese Army had build up a huge network of tunnels through Vietnam during the UsefulNotes/VietnamWar.

* [[DishingOutDirt earthcrafters]] in ''Literature/CodexAlera'' can phase through earth and rock, allowing them to travel underground without leaving any sign of their passing.

* Similar to the ''Belgariad'' case listed above, [[DishingOutDirt earthcrafters]] in ''Literature/CodexAlera'' can phase through earth and rock, allowing them to travel underground without leaving any sign of their passing.

* The Mole from the ''{{Burke}}'' novels by Andrew Vachss: He's an anti-Nazi Jew who specializes in bombs, weaponry, breaking and entering, biology and computer hacking and who lives in a series of tunnels he constructed under a junkyard.

%%* The two ancient sappers in ''TheWindOnTheMoon''.

* The TropeNamer is ''Film/TheGreatEscape'', which featured Danny and Willie, nicknamed 'The Tunnel Kings', as well as Archibald 'The Mole' Ives. Subverted in that Danny has claustrophobia, but it really just makes Danny more of a {{Badass}}; he's scared as hell about the tight corners and cave-ins, but hey, stuck in a German POW camp, what choice does he have? Being portrayed by Charles Bronson also doesn't hurt.