History Main / Zergrush

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': Redcloak's main tactic in his assault on Azure City is to drown the human defenders, who have better training and equipment, under an endless tide of hobgoblins, until he is on the receiving end of a DivingSave TakingTheBullet and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realizes that he is sacrificing actual lives to fulfill a grudge]]. Later on, some of the city's survivors decide to try to slow down the horde at a choke point (seen in the trope picture to the right). The enemy just rushes the hole and tramples them before they can so much as raise their swords.

The {{Trope Namer|s}} is the popular real-time strategy game ''VideoGame/StarCraftI''; the original meaning of the term was more a form of SequenceBreaking where the Zerg race "rushed" to an attacking unit technology and invaded to take out all the {{Worker Unit}}s of their opponents. It evolved into the current definition by MemeticMutation.

* ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'': One strip shows an amoeba army with the strategy "[[IncrediblyLamePun divide and conquer]]". Another uses the same joke with multi level marketing, "Just keep dividing and selling!"

* ''WebOriginal/HamstersParadise'': The [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Harmsters]] would evolve with this strategy in mind as they frequently reproduce in large numbers and mature quickly as a way of coping with a high mortality rate. This led to them placing no value on the lives of their fellows or even developing medicine since they could be easily replaced. One of their civilizations, the Bruteriders, would also use this as their primary military strategy when they begin their goal of global conquest, just overwhelm the enemy with swarms of soldiers, projectiles and [[AttackAnimal Brutes]] once their [[WarElephants rakatusks]] bring down the fortress walls. This served them well until they go against the calculating and technologically advanced Rockcookers, these Harmsters eschewed mindless horde tactics in favor of complex plans and strategies and quickly learn to target the rakatusks with artillery before they get close enough to do any damage, completely foiling the Bruteriders who had become reliant on this method and fall apart when one artillery strike fatally injures their leader.

* ''Roleplay/OpenBlue'': This is the primary tactic of the Yamani Empire. The ZergRush, combined with bushido.

* The well-known search engine ''Website/Google'' used to have an easter egg that occurs when searching '''literally''' the name of this trope! In that easter egg, you have to prevent the Os from the Google logo from destroying the search results by clicking on them until it's too late. When the Os have destroyed all search results, they all gather to form a [[Main/AlliterativeName GG, which likely stands for GooGle.]] This easter egg is now unaccessible.

* [[Website/Google]] : The well-known search engine used to have an easter egg that occurs when searching '''literally''' the name of this trope! In that easter egg, you have to prevent the Os from the Google logo from destroying the search results by clicking on them until it's too late. When the Os have destroyed all search results, they all gather to form a [[Main/AlliterativeName GG, which likely stands for GooGle.]] This easter egg is now unaccessible.

* ''Website/Google'': The well-known search engine used to have an easter egg that occurs when searching '''literally''' the name of this trope! In that easter egg, you have to prevent the Os from the Google logo from destroying the search results by clicking on them until it's too late. When the Os have destroyed all search results, they all gather to form a [[Main/AlliterativeName GG, which likely stands for GooGle.]] This easter egg is now unaccessible.

The TropeNamer is the popular real-time strategy game ''VideoGame/StarCraftI''; the original meaning of the term was more a form of SequenceBreaking where the Zerg race "rushed" to an attacking unit technology and invaded to take out all the {{Worker Unit}}s of their opponents. It evolved into the current definition by MemeticMutation.

The TropeNamer is the popular real-time strategy game ''VideoGame/StarCraft''; the original meaning of the term was more a form of SequenceBreaking where the Zerg race "rushed" to an attacking unit technology and invaded to take out all the {{Worker Unit}}s of their opponents. It evolved into the current definition by MemeticMutation.

* ''ComicBook/DungeonTwilight'' The BigBad simply throw a billion of conscripted soldiers at his enemies who can breath without his magic. Even though the heroes have a BadassArmy of their own and fire power in an age of sword, they have to surrender after the first wave.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': The general strategy of the Grimm. While even novice huntsmen can cleave through packs of younger Grimm with ease, the sheer ''number'' of Grimm means that they will eventually overwhelm a defender if they prolong the assault. They launch continuous, relentless attacks, with each subsequent attack being worse and worse as the negative emotions caused by the previous attacks attract more Grimm to the area. [[{{Kaiju}} And that's just the little ones...]]

* Put into action in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc_JWE_ypEk this simulation]] of twenty ''[[KingOfTheDinosaurs Tyrannosaurus rex]]'' against ten thousand [[FeatheredFiend angry chickens]].

** ''Comicbook/KryptonNoMore'': Franchise/{{Superman}} and Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} fight a warrior alien race called the J'ai whose favorite strategy is multiplying until they overwhelm their enemy by sheer force of numbers.

[[folder:Religion and Mythology]]
* Japanese mythology has stories of the ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyakki_Yagy%C5%8D Hyakki Yagyou]]'', the NightParadeOfOneHundredDemons, a collective -- and sometimes, a violent riot -- of innumerable {{Youkai}}.

%% New image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1324258438006905200

See also DeathOfAThousandCuts and WeHaveReserves. TheMinionMaster will frequently rely on this. May lead to TheWarSequence. Often a component of HollywoodTactics. Contrast the EliteArmy. SubTrope of QuantityVsQuality.

See also DeathOfAThousandCuts and WeHaveReserves. May lead to TheWarSequence. Often a component of HollywoodTactics. Contrast the EliteArmy. SubTrope of QuantityVsQuality.

** ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'': In the ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' issues, Steve mentions that most HYDRA mooks have no hand-to-hand combat training, and their strategy of choice is to overwhelm the opponent by sheer strength of numbers and weaponry. He also points out that this generally translates to no regard for human life.

** ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}'' involved Bane throwing villain after villain for Batman to defeat in order to wear him down both physically and mentally. This results in Batman being easy pickings for Bane who proceeds to deliver a NoHoldsBarredBeatDown to Bats, breaking his back.

* ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub'': The Trix's strategy when laying a massive invasion then siege on [[spoiler:Magix]] using the Army of Decay at the end of season one after they manage to [[spoiler:steal the Dragon's Flame]]. This is possible due to the Army of Decay's sheer numbers and made worse by the fact that cutting the monsters of Decay is useless since they either just regenerate the injury/lost limb after a few seconds or disintegrate to reform themselves, again and again. There are so many of them that the Army is shown to overwhelm the [[spoiler:whole alumni of Alfea, Cloud Tower, and Red Fountain]]. Thus, the only way to get rid of them is by injuring them so many times they end up unable to reform. Alternatively, you can set them on fire, arguably magical fire only, which is kind of a bluff since the only known fairy with fire powers is Bloom and she, well, [[spoiler:is the last of her kind. Is it even necessary to say that at that point she lost those very same fire powers?]]

* [[WesternAnimation/WinxClub]]: The Trix's strategy when laying a massive invasion then siege on [[spoiler:Magix]] using the Army of Decay at the end of season one after they manage to [[spoiler:steal the Dragon's Flame]]. This is possible due to the Army of Decay's sheer numbers and made worse by the fact that cutting the monsters of Decay is useless since they either just regenerate the injury/lost limb after a few seconds or disintegrate to reform themselves, again and again. There are so many of them that the Army is shown to overwhelm the [[spoiler:whole alumni of Alfea, Cloud Tower, and Red Fountain]]. Thus, the only way to get rid of them is by injuring them so many times they end up unable to reform. Alternatively, you can set them on fire, arguably magical fire only, which is kind of a bluff since the only known fairy with fire powers is Bloom and she, well, [[spoiler:is the last of her kind. Is it even necessary to say that at that point she lost those very same fire powers?]]

* ZergRush/ComicBooks

* ZergRush/{{Mythology}}
* ZergRush/NewMedia

* ZergRush/{{Webcomics}}
* ZergRush/WesternAnimation

!!other examples:

[[AC:Comic Strips]]
* A ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' cartoon showed an amoeba army with the strategy "[[IncrediblyLamePun divide and conquer]]". Another used the same joke with multi level marketing, "Just keep dividing and selling!"

[[AC: FanWorks]]
* A fan-made film created by [[Creator/RocketJump RocketJump]] literally titled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIIKUpryl2Q The Rush]] shows what happens when the titular, dreaded event happens on a small, simple farmstead. Needless to say... [[spoiler: it's '''painfully obvious''' from the title alone that it doesn't end well for the two... '''at all.''']]

[[AC:Pinball]]
* Several ''VideoGame/ZenPinball'' tables have a mode where small figures of enemies will pop up directly on the playfield and begin advancing relentlessly towards the flippers. Whether it be xenomorphs in ''VideoGame/{{Aliens|ZenStudios}}'', vikings in ''Castle Storm'', zombies in ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombiesPinball'' or Walkers from ''VideoGame/{{The Walking Dead|ZenStudios}}'', you'll be scrambling to knock down all the enemies with the ball while hoping it doesn't bounce straight down the middle.

[[quoteright:327:[[VideoGame/StarCraft https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zergrush-sc2_3101.jpg]]]]

* ZergRush/FanFiction