Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Main / FearOfThunder

Go To

1%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
2
3[[quoteright:350:[[Anime/SonicTheHedgehogTheMovie https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lightningtails_8.png]]]]
4[[caption-width-right:350:Tails' fear of lightning is well-justified... especially in high places like where Franchise/{{Sonic|TheHedgehog}} is standing.]]
5
6->'''Tidus:''' Are you that scared?\
7'''Rikku:''' Mm-hm. When I was little, a fiend attacked me while I was swimming at the beach. My brother tried to beat it back with a spell. (''squeaks at another thunderclap'') But he missed and hit me instead! It was a Thunder spell -- "Bzzzzzzt!"\
8'''Tidus:''' Ouch!\
9'''Rikku:''' I've been scared of lightning ever since.
10-->-- ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''
11
12Your otherwise capable or serious character has an inordinate fear of thunderstorms. This is a primal, almost childish fear that surprises other characters, although it's not always played for laughs. The actual name of this fear is "Brontophobia" or "Astraphobia". [[note]] The former suggests a fear of late-Jurassic Apatosaurine dinosaurs while the latter, a horror of affordable German family cars.[[/note]] It also happens to animals, especially dogs, due to them having much more sensitive hearing.
13
14This trope in RealLife is OlderThanFeudalism, with the fear of thunder being a prime defining weakness of the UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar and the Julio-Claudian dynasty of Ancient Rome.
15
16Note that fear of thunder is often treated as silly; after all, it's just a lot of noise. Fear of lightning, on the other hand, is [[http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040827.html absolutely justified]] -- and [[http://www.snopes.com/horrors/techno/phone.asp confirmed]] by ''{{Website/Snopes}}'' -- but by the same token, since you hear the thunder ''after'' the lightning, it's good news: it means you weren't hit. NothingIsScarier may also come into play, as Creator/AlfredHitchcock once said: "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it."
17
18A subtrope of WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes, especially common in {{anime}}. Would be logical in settings with DramaticThunder, but the tropes seldom combine. May result in a FrightInducedBunkmate.
19----
20!!Examples:
21[[foldercontrol]]
22[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
23%%* ''Manga/ServantXService'': Lucy.
24* Ciel Phantomhive of ''Manga/BlackButler'' mentions that, as a smaller child, he would get scared during thunderstorms, and would always go sleep with his parents. It's not clear, however, whether he ever outgrew the fear or is simply hiding his fear to act more mature.
25* Ai from ''Anime/ZombieLandSaga'' is immensely terrified of thunderstorms and curls up whenever lightning strikes. It becomes reasonable once she reveals that she died after being struck by lightning during one of her concerts.
26* In ''Literature/TheEccentricFamily'', the Shimogamo matriarch is notably afraid of thunderstorms.
27* ''Manga/AiYoriAoshi'': Tina Foster has a panic attack during a thunderstorm that knocks out the house's electricity.
28* Haruhi Fujioka in ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'' has a debilitating phobia of thunderstorms despite having an abnormal lack of fear of anything else.
29* KidSamurai Motoko Aoyama in ''Manga/LoveHina'' is said to be afraid of lightning, although it never comes up.
30* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'':
31** Chiyo-chan is a genius, ridiculously cute, and scared of lightning. In her defense, she's still only 10 years old.
32** In the manga, one of the {{Yonkoma}} shows that Sakaki is also scared of lightning.
33** Osaka is scared of lightning too, but she enjoys it. She even peers closer to the window. If this doesn't make sense, remember, this '''is''' [[CloudCuckoolander Osaka]] we're talking about.
34** After having to endure a rather traumatic car ride with [[DrivesLikeCrazy Yukari-sensei]], Chiyo-chan is asked by [[TheGadfly Tomo]] if she thinks lightning or cars are worse during a particularly bad storm; [[ThousandYardStare Chiyo promptly suffers a BSOD]].
35* Elie, from ''Manga/RaveMaster'', is a young female BadassNormal who [[GunsAkimbo dual wields two high-caliber guns]] (with highly explosive ammunition) and other dangerous ballistic instruments, faces demonic threats with relative frequency, and carries the world's most powerful magic inside her... and is so scared of storms a little zap is enough to send her to the ground quivering and unable to act. In her defense this fear comes from the trauma of being almost killed by extremely powerful lightning spells -- ''twice''.
36* ''Anime/SailorMoon'': Usagi Tsukino had a touch of this throughout the series, though it was particularly played up during an episode of ''Sailor Moon R'' in which [[SharedFamilyQuirks Chibi-Usa was revealed to have the same fear.]] The villains used a MonsterOfTheWeek to create a massive thunderstorm as a way to ferret out Chibi-Usa, which works when the poor girl becomes so frightened she loses control of her powers after being left alone during the storm. Usagi spends the whole episode freaking out as well, and when she fights the monster later, she's particularly upset with it for ruining her day. This trope is also one of many clues that Chibi-Usa was Usagi's KidFromTheFuture.
37* ''Literature/DragonarAcademy'': [[UptownGirl Silvia Lautreamont]], First-year student at Ansarivan Dragon Riding Academy and Fourth Princess of Lautreamont.... [[CowardlyLion is shaken]] by the sound of thunder.
38* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'': Phoenix Wright is revealed in the manga side stories to have a paralyzing fear of storms, [[{{Doujinshi}} though the side stories are generally considered non-canon.]]
39* Kou Shuurei in ''Literature/TheStoryOfSaiunkoku'' goes into fits of screaming terror during thunderstorms, as memorably revealed during her brief stint of [[SweetPollyOliver posing as a boy]] to work for Ko Kijin.
40%%* Kyou from ''Manga/BinbouShimaiMonogatari''.
41%%* Lucia of ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'' possessed this trait.
42* It's played up for {{fanservice}} and BrotherSisterIncest Mikan Yuki of ''Manga/ToLoveRu'' is scared of storms and Rito used to comfort her.
43* ''Manga/CaseClosed'': In the Detectives Koshien arc, a storm starts when the four teenaged detectives are gathered in an old mansion [[spoiler:and one of them has actually ''been killed'']]. Once thunder breaks in, Natsuki "Detective of the South" Koshimizu screams in utter horror and collapses to the floor. [[spoiler:She was actually ''faking'' it, to distract the others while she was searching for a piece of lost evidence that could potentially reveal her as the SympatheticMurderer of the arc - and the one who killed her fellow sleuth. Conan and Heiji weren't fooled by her act, though, and later use it to unmask her.]]
44* Filicia Heideman of ''Anime/SoundOfTheSky'', the only visible chink in her [[CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough Captain Smooth]] persona.
45* In the first episode of ''Anime/{{Stitch}}'', Yuna is shown to be afraid of lightning.
46* Nano is shown to be afraid of lightning in ''Manga/{{Nichijou}}'' when she walks her Professor to the bathroom during a storm. The Professor herself is also afraid of lightning; considering the former is a robot and the latter only eight years old, it's not surprising at all.
47* Aria from ''Literature/AriaTheScarletAmmo'' is quite afraid of thunder. This presents problems in missions where it's raining.
48* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'':
49** Ramba Ral's Zeon crew are completely ''freaked out'' when they land on Earth in the middle of a thunderstorm, actually thinking that it's some sort of Federation defense system until Ral corrects them and explains what's going on. A JustifiedTrope: most of them were born and live in massive, climate-controlled colony stations, and have never been to Earth before.
50** Meanwhile, the children on ''White Base'', who have also lived in space for most or all of their lives, think it's a ''Zeon'' weapon.
51* Junpei/J.P. in ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'' is afraid of thunder and lightning; ironically, he is the [[ShockAndAwe Thunder Warrior element]] of the group.
52* In ''Anime/SonicTheHedgehogTheMovie'', Tails is shown freaking out, clinging to Sonic when lightning strikes nearby.
53* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
54** Pantherlily, Gajeel's Exceed companion post-Edolas Arc, is shown to have an inordinate fear of thunderstorms, although it is unknown whether his fear is only present when he is small, or also present in his much larger and stronger Battle Mode.
55** At a critical point in the anime during the Tenrou Island arc, all of the Fairy Tail mages present on Tenrou were shown suffering varying degrees of astraphobia. [[spoiler:Little did they know that the storm raging that night foreshadowed the [[BigDamnHeroes timely intervention]] of a [[HeelFaceTurn once-misguided former guildmate]]: Laxus Dreyar, the [[ShockAndAwe Lightning Dragon Slayer]].]]
56%%* ''Anime/FreshPrettyCure'': Daisuke is afraid of thunder.
57%%* ''Manga/NewGame'': Ko, as revealed in the OVA.
58* Fubuki from ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven'', thanks to the sound of thunder reminding him of that of avalanches, as his family died in one.
59* Chapter 15 of ''Manga/HowToTreatALadyKnightRight'' reveals that Leo has a phobia of lightning. She herself is surprised, as the only special memory she has of lightning was training outside on a stormy night and getting struck head on, but the lightning was so weak she was barely hurt, so it couldn't have traumatized her, right? When she can't deny it anymore, she swears Houli to secrecy. He is happy to comply, since it means he gets this side of Leo all to himself.
60* Chise Hatori from ''Manga/TheAncientMagusBride'' is afraid of thunder, perhaps because she had to suffer it alone.
61* In the 6th episode of ''Manga/AsMissBeelzebubLikes'', during a thunderstorm, it is revealed that Beel is afraid of thunder.
62* ''Manga/MusukoGaKawaikuteShikataganaiMazokuNoHahaoya'': Lizette expresses a fear of thunder during a lightning storm. In contrast, baby Gospel is loving it. Lorem tells Lizette a story of how her sister Merii was scared of it herself when they were younger, to the point of crying that if she got struck by lightning she'd die. When Lizette asks how Merii got over it, Lorem reveals the answer was ''actually'' getting struck by lightning, at which point she healed herself with her HealingHands powers and was fine. This actually helps comfort Lizette, since she her own HealingFactor that heals her when she drinks blood which would do much the same thing.
63* ''Manga/ShesMyKnight'': Mogami reveals she has this when she and Ichinose are LockedInARoom together and it starts thundering.
64* Tamako Shima from ''Manga/TaishoOtomeFairyTale'' is scared during a late night storm. A very close and loud clap of thunder startles her to the point she accidentally [[BringMyBrownPants wets herself]].
65
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:Comic Books]]
69* In a Silver Age Supergirl story, ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} dreams a WhatIf in which she was raised by Franchise/{{Superman}}'s parents. In one part of the dreams, she wrecks the Kents' house during a thunderstorm.
70* One ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'' strip had one thunderclap scare Veronica into the awaiting arms of Archie, exploiting this trope. Unfortunately for him, her father saw all that and told the both of them many tales and fables about thunder and lightning to lessen her fear of those elements and lessen her time in Archie's arms. It worked.
71%%* A ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' comic gave Aisha this.
72* ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'' had "Spy In The Sky" (Fun-In #3, August 1970), in which Muttley is sent to find out Yankee Doodle Pigeon's weakness. Yankee Doodle plants a fake fear for Muttley to take back--a fear of thunder and lightning. Dick Dastardly has the squadron push thunderclouds towards Yankee Doodle, but it backfires. He's wearing lightning rods atop his flying helmet and the lightning bolts strike the Vulture Squadron. Cue Dastardly relieving Muttley of his medals.
73[[/folder]]
74
75[[folder:Comic Strips]]
76* Tess Keene, mother of ''ComicStrip/PreTeena'', manifests this fear. While her daughter and her friends would happily go out to play in a thunderstorm and will sit discussing the cool noise and light show, Tess hides under the kitchen table.
77[[/folder]]
78
79[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
80* In Creator/AsbjornsenAndMoe's "Literature/TheOldDameAndHerHen", an enormous and violent troll flees terrified when he mistakes the bang of a huntsman's shotgun for the crack of a thunder.
81[[/folder]]
82
83[[folder:Fan Works]]
84* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]'': Italy is ''terrified'' of lightning. Let's just say he gets over it later on thanks to the...activities...he does with Germany and Japan during storms.
85* The WesternAnimation/MegasXLR[=/=]Franchise/TouhouProject crossover ''Fanfic/FantasyOfUtterRidiculousness'' depicts Flandre Scarlet as being afraid of thunderstorms... so much so, in fact, that the chaotic weather caused by the destruction of the Moon's Glorft base ''scares her sane.''
86* ''Fanfic/KyoshiRising''; Kyoshi expresses an extreme dislike for storms, citing that she used to run crying to her parents when she was little whenever a storm rolled in. Some have speculated this is due to the previous Avatar, Kuruk, dying while trying to quell an unusually strong storm, and the memory carried over to Kyoshi.
87* ''Fanfic/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiDuo'': In chapter 18, Seira is revealed to be just as terrified of thunder as Lucia is.
88* In ''Fanfic/ThePlanets'', Winry laments that Edward had a fear of thunder as a child. So did she and Alphonse, but Ed was especially stubborn and refused to admit his fear.
89* Played with in "The Eagle in the Oak Tree," a short fic for the ''Manga/FairyTail'' fandom, wherein Lucy acquires the silver key of a new Celestial Spirit, [[ShockAndAwe Aquila the Eagle]]. Aquila refuses to serve any summoner who is afraid of his element, so he throws lightning at people who approach his oak tree until a Celestial mage comes along [[OnlyTheWorthyMayPass who is brave enough to climb up and grab his key in spite of all his threatening behavior]]. Lucy [[DefiedTrope loses all her fear]] once she realizes that Aquila is testing her bravery, and [[LampshadeHanging credits]] the [[PsychoElectro once-]][[WellIntentionedExtremist misguided]] [[TookALevelInKindness Laxus]] with [[NiceJobFixingItVillain forcing her to overcome her fear of lightning]] when he had instigated the Thunder Palace incident seven years prior.
90* In the ''Jem'' fic ''Fanfic/FreshBlood'', Roxy hates storms. This stems from a childhood incident where she was locked outside during a storm.
91* In the ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' fic ''Fanfic/IrrationalFear'', both Lisa and Lily Loud are afraid of storms, and for Lisa it's the main plot point because she's embarrassed about having, well, an irrational fear.
92* In the ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'' fanfic ''Fanfic/FragileHandleWithCare'', Tae-young is shown to be afraid of thunder, which Jesse and Robaire console him over.
93* In ''Fanfic/RollerBrawlTheMegaCyborg'', [[spoiler: Xander Payne, the leader of the Emerald Spears, admits to suffering from astraphobia, but this is a more justified example, as he was maimed as a result of [[ShockAndAwe Elec Man]] when he was reprogrammed by Dr. Wily, so thunder and lightning are more of a TraumaButton for him.]]
94* ''Fanfic/TallPineTales'': In ''Paging Dr. Theresa'', [[Series/FraggleRock Wembley]] is freaked out from the above-ground thunder, and abandons a card game to instead cling onto Boober, who is napping nearby.
95[[/folder]]
96
97[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
98* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'': Émile shows signs of this in the movie, and the "Guide to Rémy's World" book outright states that he hates lightning.
99[[/folder]]
100
101[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
102* In the film ''Film/{{Mongol}}'' about the early life of UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan (called Temujin here), it is explained that Thunderstorms are a cultural fear of the Mongolian people. Of course, Temujin himself is the first one to overcome this fear.
103* Apparently ''all'' of the Von Trapp children in ''Film/TheSoundOfMusic'' are deadly afraid of thunderstorms, as shown in the scene leading up to "My Favorite Things".
104* In the film ''Film/TopHat'', a clap of thunder momentarily causes Ginger Rogers to drop her haughty manner towards Fred Astaire.
105%%* One of the many phobias/unreasoning terrors that the heroine experiences in Hitchock's ''Film/{{Marnie}}''.
106* In ''Literature/OneStormyNight'', one of the things that brings Gabu and Mei together when the first meet in a barn on a stormy night is their shared fear of thunder.
107* In ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' Loki becomes uneasy when a storm starts, prompting this exchange:
108--> '''Captain America:''' What's the matter? Scared of a little lightning?
109--> '''Loki:''' I'm not overly fond of [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor what follows.]]
110* In ''Film/{{Ted}}'': Ted and John have this. Not only that, but they also have a "thunder song" about it. It actually becomes a plot point by the end of the movie: [[spoiler:Ted claims he's the reason that John can't grow up, and uses this as an example ("He'll never be scared of thunder again!"). Sure enough, when Ted dies, there's a thunderstorm outside and John doesn't even flinch]]. Their Thunder Song:
111-->'''Ted and John:''' When you hear the sound of thunder, don't you get too scared/Just grab your thunder buddy, and sing these magic words:/[[PrecisionFStrike Fuck you thunder, you can suck my dick]];/You can't get me thunder 'cause you're just God's farts! ''*fart noise*''
112* ''Film/BrideOfFrankenstein'': Mary Shelley as said by Lord Byron:
113--> '''Byron''': Astonishing creature.
114--> '''Mary''': I, Lord Byron?
115--> '''Byron''': Frightened of thunder, fearful of the dark, and yet you have written a tale that sent my blood into icy creeps.
116* In ''Film/Mario1984'', Mario is scared of thunder because it reminds him of gunfire and explosions.
117* In ''Film/AManWithAMaid'', Alice is afraid of thunder. Jack uses a convenient thunderstorm, and her reluctance to leave during it, as an excuse to trap her in his sex dungeon.
118[[/folder]]
119
120[[folder:Folklore]]
121* In Swedish folklore, trolls and werewolves are said to be afraid of thunder. It has been suggested this is due to memory of Thor as a slayer of monsters.
122[[/folder]]
123
124[[folder:Literature]]
125%%* Josefina from ''Literature/AmericanGirls'' (although it's actually the lightning she's afraid of).
126%%* In Creator/KateDiCamillo's ''Literature/BecauseOfWinnDixie'', the dog is horribly afraid of thunderstorms.
127* Alfie from ''Dear Hound'' is a puppy who hates thunder. He promised not to chase any animals in exchange for his cat friend snuggling with him during storms. When he gets lost in the woods, he convinces a pair of foxes to help him due to his fear of thunder.
128* ''Literature/{{The Hike|2023}}'': Joni is absolutely terrified of thunderstorms, to the point she wasn't even comfortable with her make-up artist painting lightning stripes on her thumbnails. This stems from a childhood incident where she experienced her first thunderstorm and had no idea what was happening or where anyone was; there had been a powercut in the house and her father and his crew went to the pub next door, leaving Joni to wake up alone and run around the pitch-black house in terror. Consequently, when the group experiences a massive storm while camping on the second night, Joni quickly goes into panic-mode.
129* In the novelette "The Long Remembered Thunder" by Creator/KeithLaumer, it's noted that a character "fears the thunder". That's because he's really [[spoiler:an agent from a world of [[AnotherDimension "a different harmonic series"]] who has been fighting for decades to protect Earth from an interdimensional invasion by an alien race called [[LizardFolk the Niss]], [[MultiversalConqueror "evil beings who loot the continua"]]. The noise of the enemy's portal being opened sounds like thunder.]]
130* In Creator/HPLovecraft's "The Lurking Fear", the Martense clan [[spoiler:and their Morlock-like degenerate descendants]] share the hereditary trait of being driven to frenzied, violent panic by thunderstorms.
131* Marley in ''Literature/MarleyAndMe'' is terrified of thunder and the frequent south Florida thunderstorms cause him to frequently destroy the house in fits of fear.
132* ''Literature/MrsSmithsSpySchoolForGirlsDoubleCross'': [[TheProtagonist Abby]] finds out that Poppy Parsons is afraid of thunder [[spoiler:in Hawaii, while trekking through dense foliage to Owen Elliot's last known location]]. When thunder booms overhead, Poppy cries out "Thunder!" and jumps into Abby's arms.
133* The lesser-known character Monks in ''Literature/OliverTwist'' is afraid of thunder, and has a good old rant about it at one point. However, in his case it is a pretty legitimate fear.
134* Exploited in ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'', where [[MagnificentBastard Cao Cao]] assesses Liu Bei and says that the two of them are the only true heroes; Liu Bei is immediately mortified by the possibility that Cao Cao might see him as a rival and, thus, someone who the shrewd and powerful Cao Cao will eventually have to kill. Thankfully for him, a bolt of lightning happens to strike at this time, and Liu Bei pretends to cower in fear...thus causing Cao Cao to dismiss him as coward. Cao Cao would eventually regret this; Liu Bei walked off unscathed, and would later become the ruler of one of the rival kingdoms to oppose Cao Cao.
135* ''Literature/SheilaRaeTheBrave'': Implied for Louise, who cringes and covers her ears while lightning strikes.
136* Fami, from M.A. Bell's ''Literature/{{Spyhunt}}'', is terrified of thunder, mostly due to the fact that his father died and he went blind during a thunderstorm. Despite this, Fami crosses a roof during a storm in the first book.
137* ''Literature/SurvivorDogs'': The former pets are initially terrified of storms and thunder as they've never been outside their houses during a storm. It gets to the point where they ''run around in fear'' right in the middle of a thunder storm. They quickly learn to deal with their fears.
138* In the ''Literature/SwallowsAndAmazons'' books by Arthur Ransome, Peggy is afraid of thunder, much to the scorn of her sister Captain Nancy (who isn't afraid of anything). This comes to a head in ''Missee Lee'', where the girls are in a ship under attack by Chinese pirates with cannon, and Nancy comforts Peggy: "That's guns, not thunder!"
139* In Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Literature/TimePatrol'' story "The Only Game In Town", the Mongols refuse to be afraid of their technological gadgets because the only thing a Mongol should fear is thunder.
140* Creator/JamesJoyce had a fear of thunder and lightning, which he bestowed upon Stephen Dedalus, who serves a Joyce's AuthorAvatar in and ''Literature/{{Ulysses}}''. Dedalus, even though he is an atheist, sees thunderstorms as a manifestation of God's power, and believes that thunder is God's punishment against him for failing to meet the last wishes of his dead mother.
141* The official iOS app of the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' series claims that Hollyleaf has this - justified, since Ashfur had attempted to murder her and her littermates during a thunderstorm that started a fire.
142[[/folder]]
143
144[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
145* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Hodor's ''massive'' panic attack during a storm almost gets Bran and Rickon discovered by wildlings.
146* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': in the episode "C*A*V*E", Margaret comforts Hawkeye concerning his claustrophobia by telling him that she has a fear of loud noises, such as the nearby Chinese artillery strikes. She ends up confronting it when the two have to operate on a soldier right in the middle of the shelled area.
147* ''Series/AllMyChildren''. Erica Kane is afraid of thunderstorms. This is initially explained by her having seen a man get struck by lightning and killed right in front of her. Later, the explanation for her fear becomes even darker--there was a thunderstorm the night of her 14th birthday party, when she was raped by a friend of her father's.
148* ''WesternAnimation/FetchWithRuffRuffman'', Ruff has this phobia, due to him being a dog.
149* In ''Series/LittleLunch'', Atticus has a fear of thunderstorms, although he continually denies it. His attempts to tell stories about 'this kid I know who is afraid of thunderstorms' are usually interrupted by Rory going "That's you!".
150* Major Bedhead from ''Series/TheBigComfyCouch'' has this phobia, but Loonette helps him overcome it through a story.
151[[/folder]]
152
153[[folder:Music]]
154* "Thunder" by Katy [=McAllister=] revolves around a girl learning to like thunder when she spends time with a person she likes.
155-->''I've always been uptight when it comes to rain outside\
156Back then I never liked it--when it rained, it poured\
157I sit up and watch the lightning\
158You're here with me tonight and I've never been so frightened of something more''
159* "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Music/{{Queen}}, which includes the lyrics ''"Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening me."''
160* "Down under" by Music/MenAtWork, featuring the lyrics "Can't you hear, can't you hear that thunder? You better run, you better take cover." - expressing clear sentiment of fearfulness.
161* "I Know" by Music/BarenakedLadies references dogs' notorious fear of thunder.
162-->''Man's best friend wags his tail and\
163Bares his teeth at the man with the mail and\
164Though he's frightened of thunder he never goes to war''
165[[/folder]]
166
167[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
168* ''Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse'': In "Afraid Not", a thunderstorm happens outside the Big Blue House, and the thunder frightens Tutter, Ojo, and Treelo, especially when [[PowerOutagePlot it causes the lights to go out]]. Bear assures them that as long as they're inside the Big Blue House, they're safe from the thunder.
169* ''Series/TheNoddyShop'' had an episode about Truman having a fear of thunder called "Thunder and Lightning".
170* ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse'': In "Rainy Day", Pterri is afaid of thunder, and when Pee-Wee finds out, he has to calm him down.
171* ''Series/ThePuzzlePlace'' episode [[BigStormEpisode "All-Weather Friends"]] reveals that Leon is afraid of thunder, and the other kids help him overcome his fear.
172* Wimzie from ''Series/WimziesHouse'' has a fear of thunder, as seen in the episode, "The Storm", with the reason given being that it is very loud and happens very suddenly. The other kids also carry a fear of it for the same reason, but all to a different extent.
173* In the ''Series/TheWubbulousWorldOfDrSeuss'' episode, "[[BigStormEpisode There is Nothing to Fear in Here]]", Terrence [=McBird=] is revealed to be afraid of thunderstorms, especially ones that cause the lights to go out. The Cat in the Hat and the Little Cats help him overcome his fear by inventing in-the-dark games.
174[[/folder]]
175
176[[folder:Theatre]]
177* ''All'' the Von Trapp kids in ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic'', prompting the song "My Favorite Things".
178[[/folder]]
179
180[[folder:Video Games]]
181* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'': In a somewhat ironic twist, BigBad Colonel Volgin of game is afraid of storms. Although this is directly passed on via radio communication from one character to another, there are other subtle hints, such as how Volgin retreats to his quarters during storms and chants a Japanese charm against lighting strikes when forced to be outside while it's raining. This is ironic because Volgin himself has control over electricity, [[PsychoElectro uses it as his primary weapon]], and one of his nicknames is "Thunderbolt." Naturally, he is killed at the end of the game by [[spoiler:a direct hit from a lightning bolt when he decides not to say his little anti-lightning mantra for once. Standing knee-deep in exposed electrical cables on top of a giant tank probably didn't help.]]
182* In ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'', a tavern banter sequence reveals IntrepidMerchant Tressa is afraid of ghosts, thunder and debts. Interestingly, in gameplay wind-element enemies tend to be weak to lightning, and Tressa's elemental attack is wind.
183* Tails from the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series dislikes thunder according to his ''VideoGame/SonicJam'' profile. Though the games seem to have removed this character trait, as his [[ElementalPowers element power]] in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' is Thunder Shoot. It reappears in ''VideoGame/SonicMania'' when transitioning from Metallic Madness to Titanic Monarch, as the lightning that surrounds the big robot causes Tails to jump if he's present.
184* Rikku in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' suffers this, due to a traumatic childhood experience of a mis-aimed attempt to protect her from a sea monster using lightning magic. [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration She even screams out in fear when she's hit with a Thunder spell in combat.]] At one point, the party must travel through the Thunder Plains, where lightning is always shooting down, and never stops. ''Ever.'' Most people in RealLife would find it perfectly rational to be afraid of walking through a place where one must constantly dodge lightning bolts by ''jumping out of the way every few seconds''. The other party members, meanwhile, consider Rikku's reaction to be well over-the-top. [[note]]But then again, lightning in the real world is often lethal, whereas getting struck by lightning in this game (outside of battle) doesn't even take off any HP.[[/note]] By the time of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'', she has cured her phobia through the fairly simple method of camping for a week in the Thunder Plains. [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration In battle]], when casting Thunder spells, she'll occasionally quip "Astraphobic? Not me!".
185* [[KickChick Chie Satonaka]] from ''VideoGame/Persona4'' is revealed to be this in the ''Golden'' UpdatedRerelease. A thunderstorm in early May sends her into a state of undiluted panic, which is not helped when the school blacks out - and [[CloudCuckoolander Yukiko]] decides ''now'' is the time to tell a ghost story to a ''very'' unreceptive Chie. She gets [[TearsOfFear upset]]. [[InnocentlyInsensitive Yosuke]] ends up teasing Chie for it, and the Protagonist himself [[VideoGameCaringPotential can either comfort her]]... [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential or tap her back in sync with Yukiko's story, or tell her]] ''[[VideoGameCrueltyPotential another]]'' [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential ghost story on top of Yukiko's]]. Weirdly enough though, Chie [[GameplayAndStorySegregation doesn't show any particularly unique reactions to the thunder spells]] used by [[TheHeartless Shadows]] in the [[TrappedInTVLand TV World]], while Yosuke [[HypocriticalHumor of all people]] should be the one worried about lightning given his [[FightingSpirit Persona]] [[ElementalRockPaperScissors is weak to]] [[ShockAndAwe Electric spells]].
186* Shion in ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' is traumatized by lightning because her fiancé and parents were both killed during thunderstorms. This also appeared in the anime adaptation of the game.
187* Played straight in ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 4'' in one of the Shu Endings. Liu Bei is eating with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei when a bolt of lightning strikes, causing Liu Bei to dive under the table in panic while Guan Yu and Zhang Fei Watch.
188%%* Skilled {{Samurai}} Sakura Shinguji in ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' is in fact deathly scared of lightning. [[Manga/LoveHina Motoko's]] phobia may be a reference to, or parody of, this.
189%%* Lucy from ''[[VideoGame/AmourSucre Amour Sucré]]'' has thunderstorms listed as one of her dislikes.
190%%* Kei Hinohara from ''[[VideoGame/WagayaNoHimegamiSama Wagaya no Himegami-sama!]]'' has thunderstorms listed as her dislike.
191* ''VideoGame/FridayNightFunkin'': Girlfriend will keep a straight face through pretty much anything... except when there's a storm; she'll jump a little whenever there's thunder. Boyfriend is similar, with him displaying a slightly startled and fearful look whenever thunder strikes, even if the player never misses a note.
192* During the final section of ''VideoGame/SnufkinMelodyOfMoominvalley'', the police officers, [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy for once]], stand in positions that lead to their field of vision covering the entire area with no way to sneak around them. However, they're also all afraid of thunder, and it just so happens that a very convenient storm came along at the start of this level. Whenever thunder cracks, the guards all get so scared that they basically go blind for a few seconds, giving you time to run past them.
193[[/folder]]
194
195[[folder:Webcomics]]
196* In ''Webcomic/PixieAndBrutus'', the [[SeenItAll normally unflappable]] Brutus is terrified of thunder because it gives him [[TraumaButton PTSD flashbacks]] to firefights during his time as a military dog in the U.S. Marines.
197* ''Webcomic/RainingKnives'': A flashback depicts Jerry [[FrightInducedBunkmate going into his brother Dylan's room]] due to a storm.
198[[/folder]]
199
200[[folder:Western Animation]]
201* ''WesternAnimation/TheBabaloos'': Baby Towel is revealed to have this phobia in “Baby Towel’s First Storm”, but gets over it by the end of the episode. Then in “A Stormy Night” in Season 2 [[AesopAmnesia he’s back to being afraid again.]]
202* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/ShaggyAndScoobyDooGetAClue'' revealed that both the villain and Scooby have lightning issues. Phibes apparently gets so upset that his prosthetic laser gun is fired off when he so much as hears the word "lightning". He explains that he accidentally altered his body during a failed attempt at gaining immortally, which causes him be struck by lightning every time he steps outside, regardless of the current weather. His plot of the episode revolves around creating a never-ending thunderstorm, thus leaving the ''severely'' astraphobic Scooby as a paranoid wreck. Since the lightning bolts are apparently violent and can strike anything, Scooby actually has justification for this. Shaggy drags him along to stop the storm anyway.
203* ''Literature/{{Franklin}}:'' In both an original storybook and an episode based on it, Franklin Turtle was afraid of thunderstorms. He was worried that his friends would make fun of him, since in most other matters he was normally pretty courageous, but they turned out to be quite understanding.
204%%* ''Literature/TheMagicSchoolBus'': Arnold of was shown to have this in "Kicks Up a Storm".
205%%* Creator/{{Nelvana}}'s take on ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears'' adapted the book "Count Their Blessings", dealing with Brother and Sister being afraid of a severe thunderstorm.
206%%* ''WesternAnimation/{{Braceface}}'' had Sharon's best friend Maria admit she is afraid of thunderstorms in one episode.
207%%* ''Literature/LittleBear'' had the episode "Thunder Monster", where Little Bear thinks that a noisy thunderstorm is being made by a "thunder monster" up in the sky.
208%%* Lola on ''Literature/CharlieAndLola''.
209* Defied on ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'', while laying in his bed during a thunderstorm, Dexter dismisses his initial fear by reminding himself of the science behind lightning.
210* Dudley from ''WesternAnimation/TuffPuppy'' is afraid of thunder. He got over it the same episode that it was introduced.
211* In ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'', Dean contemplates living with Dr. Orpheus, fantasizing that he's comforting Triana when she's scared of a storm.
212%%* Martha and Skits from ''WesternAnimation/MarthaSpeaks'' are both afraid of thunderstorms. Martha deals with it better than Skits does.
213* Jasper the wasp on ''WesternAnimation/TheHive''; his friends and family help him to get over it by singing a song.
214* In ''WesternAnimation/MuchaLucha'', Pulgita is afraid of thunderstorms; her brother the Flea helps her by telling a scary story, and at the end she no longer fears them.
215* In ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', the Hill's dog Ladybird develops a fear of thunder and bites Hank, and the rest of the episode deals with the repercussions and discussions about medicating her (which fails) or having her put down before she attacks someone else, at the end of the episode Hank's ready to decide when he learns that [[spoiler:Ladybird's gone deaf.]]
216* The ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' episode "When It Rains" revolves around one of the Gems [[MistakenForApocalypse mistaking]] a thunderstorm for the apocalyptic event of [[spoiler:the Cluster emerging from the Earth's core]].
217-->'''[[spoiler:Peridot]]:''' IT'S HAPPENING!
218* Tails in ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' displays a comical fear of lightning storms, often jumping into Sonic's arms and shaking when one occurs.
219* In ''WesternAnimation/DennisTheMenace'', Dennis, Joey, and Margaret get stuck in a hot air balloon. Eventually a storm hits, and Joey notes how he's afraid of thunder. Margaret assures him that thunder is nothing to be afraid of, but then she sees a lightning strike, [[OhCrap and notes that lightning, on the other hand, is something to be afraid of.]]
220* In the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' episode, "[[Recap/ThomasAndFriendsS11E25SkarloeyStormsThrough Skarloey Storms Through]]", Skarloey is revealed to be afraid of thunder, and he hides in a siding when he, Rheneas, and Peter Sam are tasked with delivering a farmer's sheep to a shelter. Rheneas and Peter Sam collect as many sheep as they can, but they run out of coal. Realizing that he let his friends, the farmer, and the sheep down, Skarloey overcomes this fear and collects the rest of the sheep.
221* During one episode of ''[[WesternAnimation/YoungJustice Young Justice: Outsiders]]'', Artemis tries to comfort her two/three-year-old niece Lian during a thunderstorm with both Violet and Tara present. When she tries to use Violet as an example of being brave during a storm, a particularly loud thunderclap frightens Violet, as it is technically her first thunderstorm, too ([[ItMakesSenseInContext long story]]).
222-->'''Artemis:''' ''[sighs]'' Okay, Tara, you cuddle Lian; I'll cuddle Violet.
223* Chief and Diablo in ''WesternAnimation/HouseBroken''. They call it "the monster in the sky."
224* The eponymous character of ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'' is revealed to have a fear of storms in the episode "Movies", to the point that she's worried that the movie she and her family are going to see will have thunder in it due to one of the posters depicting it in the background.
225[[/folder]]
226
227[[folder:Real Life]]
228* UsefulNotes/JohnAdams had one of these, making his successful argument in the debate for American independence (which took place during an intense thunderstorm) an even ''bigger'' SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome.
229* The Russian composer Tchaikovsky would hide under his bed during thunderstorms. Modern psychologists theorize that he was Brontophobic.
230* Culturally, fear of lightning/thunder is common in the Middle East (where there is little cover in the desert). For this reason, the US Army experiments with [[LightningGun nonlethal targeted-energy electric discharge weapons]] that resemble arc lightning.
231* Many dogs and cats are scared of thunder and loud noises. In certain, very rare cases, this can make them a threat to others as they [[FreakOut blindly lash out at anyone or anything around them]].
232* Likely anybody raised in an area without thunderstorms and several people raised in areas with frequent thunderstorms, more likely if they've been struck by lightning.
233* Thunder can sometimes sound a little like artillery, and is therefore likely to [[ShellShockedVeteran bring back unpleasant memories]] if you've ever been on the receiving end of it.
234* According to Roman historians Tacitus and Seutonius, the Julii family had considered thunder to be their own personal curse, as every time they were caught in a thunderstorm away from home in Rome something awful was going to happen.
235** This likely stems from Julius Caesar's stint as Pontifex Maximus, the most powerful priest in Rome, and receiving auguries about such things happened frequently.
236** Augustus had a particularly strong fear of thunder because a slave was once struck by lightning right in front of him while traveling. Emperors are recorded as doing any number of things to avert the danger: wearing a bit of sealskin, wearing a laurel wreath, and going underground.
237** Romans, ''as a whole'', had lots of beliefs and superstitions related to gods of nature. I.e.: Thunder and lighting were associated with Jupiter, the Father of the Gods, and being on the bad side of a pissed off Jupiter was something you ''really'' did ''not'' want.
238* Thunderstorms may strike tall electric poles, knocking out power from nearby areas, which can easily create this fear if it causes the lights to go out at night, or the air conditioner to shut off while sleeping during a hot day/night.
239* The Natchez City Cemetery in Mississippi contains [[https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-grave-of-florence-irene-ford this unusual grave]] of a 10 year old girl named Florence Irene Ford who was deathly afraid of thunderstorms in life. It was outfitted with a staircase so her mother could go inside the grave and comfort her daughter whenever a thunderstorm rolled in. Natchez locals have since taken to visiting Florence's grave during thunderstorms to comfort her as well.
240[[/folder]]
241

Top