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1[[quoteright:300:[[Series/{{Heroes}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Peter_explode.jpg]]]]
2[[caption-width-right:300:Here comes the boom.]]
3
4Since PowerGlows, everything emits light before it blows up, often in brilliant beams that work their way out of cracks in the surface of the doomed object. Often the object bulges like a balloon being squeezed before finally blowing to pieces.
5
6In one distinctive variant it meets the PillarOfLight in a "lighthouse meltdown" effect. Series of beams or lines of light spring out from the object, either from obvious locations, such as the eyes/[[ThroatLight mouth]]/other orifices for a creature, or they can simply shine randomly through the surface before it all gives up, often appear one at a time in rapid succession. The actual explosion may take the form of a giant burst of light.
7This is one way to depict exploding planets, usually by having lines of light crawl across the surface before the EarthShatteringKaboom.
8
9May also cause a PillarOfLight. May occur before a PostDefeatExplosionChain. A SubTrope of PowerGlows. Compare, contrast DisappearsIntoLight.
10----
11!!Examples:
12
13[[foldercontrol]]
14
15[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
16* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': Bakugo's Quirk has a tell-tale in that his hands glow orange/yellow whenever he's charging up an explosion.
17* Virtually anything touched by or in general proximity of Kei or Yuri in ''Literature/DirtyPair''.
18* When Mr. Fujisawa is dogpiled by Bugrom in the first episode of ''Anime/ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld'', the pile emits a PreExplosionGlow before he bursts out of it.
19* ''Anime/MazingerZ'': When the titular HumongousMecha hits an enemy with its EyeBeams, the {{Robeast}} uses to glow before exploding (although sometimes it disintegrates).
20* Destroyed Strains in ''Anime/StrainStrategicArmoredInfantry''.
21* It's been said no ''[[Literature/{{Slayers}} Slayers]]'' series or movie can truly begin before Lina's nearly disintegrated a building of some kind with her trademark Fireball spell (actually, every series begins with her blowing something up with her trademark nuke-level ''Dragon Slave'' spell). And that's not including the countless times it'll happen after that.
22** Heh, well, Slayers Revolution (4th season) is kicked off with someone ELSE blowing something up with the Dragon Slave, which seriously pisses Lina off and causes her to complain about it for an episode and a half.
23* ''Anime/DragonballZ'' has a number of these with almost all of the main characters.
24* Whenever a Gundam self-destructs in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam Wing'' (and it happens more than you'd expect), it lights up like a Christmas tree first.
25* Voltorb and Electrode in the ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' anime have an almost evolution-like glow before using [[SelfDestructMechanism Self Destruct]] or [[ActionBomb Explosion]].
26** Also seen in ''Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon'' when [[spoiler:Pikachu sets off a large amount of dynamite]].
27** This, however, has nothing on when it wrecked the Viridian City Pokémon center in the second episode.
28** This actually occurs almost ANY time Team Rocket's Meowth balloon explodes, or if it's one of their other huge robots (like the [=ArboTank=]) or whenever any building blows up.
29* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''Literature/StarshipOperators'' when the [[spoiler:''Amaterasu'' explodes, as the ship's armor converts heat to light.]]
30* The destruction of [[AnotherDimension closed space]] in ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'', as demonstrated to [[UnreliableNarrator Kyon]] by [[HoYay Itsuki]].
31* The Saint's Cradle's [[CrystalSpiresAndTogas crystalline]] engine in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'' goes out in this manner. First came the cracks, then the brilliant beams of light, then the big boom.
32* In an episode of ''Manga/YakitateJapan,'' Mokoyama tests one of his bread creations by forcing it down a subordinate's throat. Beams of light shoot out of his eyes and ears before the scene cuts to the exterior of the bakery as he shouts "DELICIOUS!"
33* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''
34** Anime episode 215. A trio of hollows is pursuing a young female Plus. One of them starts expanding, rays of light burst out of it and it explodes in a cloud of dust.
35** Anime episode 267. When Chad and Renji defeat the giant sand-based hollow, it emits beams of light before dying.
36* ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'' has Maki's hand prints glowing a split second between the activation of his power and explosion. Which gives ''very'' fast people just enough of warning to take cover.
37* ''Literature/DemonCityShinjuku''. In the 1988 OVA, this happens to the BigBad Levih Rah after Kyouya Izayoi cuts him in half with a Nempo energy strike and before he explodes.
38[[/folder]]
39
40[[folder:Comic Books]]
41* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': Shortly after Circe diagnoses that the White Magician's new magic is going to kill him the White Magician starts glowing from his throat and innards and manages to shout ''[[BigNo NOO!]]'' before going up in an explosive but very localized bit of pyrotechnics and leaving only a scorch mark and pile of ashes behind.
42[[/folder]]
43
44[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
45* ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'': The Beast gets all kinds of PreExplosionGlow when [[spoiler:turning back into a human]].
46* TheDragon of ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'': [[TheDragon Gantu]], loses his first ship this way.
47* ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'': As King Triton [[UnstoppableRage decimates Ariel's secret grotto]] with energy from his trident, this occurs when he fires at Prince Eric's statue as a finishing blow.
48* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsLegendOfEverfree'':
49** The sprinkles that Pinkie Pie infuse with energy briefly glow pink before exploding.
50** In Twilight's mindscape, as she is [[spoiler:getting the upper hand over Midnight Sparkle, the wings that have sprouted from her back begin to fissure, then light pours from between the cracks before they blow up]].
51[[/folder]]
52
53[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
54* Happens to Carrigan in ''Film/{{Casper}}'' due to having ''loads'' of unfinished business.
55* The death of Tom Riddle's memory in ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', though it's less "light escaping from cracks" and more "big glowy wounds before disappearing in a flash of light".
56* The witches from ''Film/HocusPocus'' after being touched by sunlight.
57* Agent Smith goes out this way twice, at the end of both ''Film/TheMatrix'' and ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions''.
58* In the end of ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet3DreamWarriors'', Freddy explodes in a swirling beam of light. Before he does, circles of light emanate from his skin. A cross of light even forms on his forehead.
59* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
60** The seismic charges in ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' might count, although it's more of a pre-shockwave glow.
61** The second Death Star in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' flashes lights, minor explosions and gouts of flame all over before it blows up.
62* The hangar-sized bomb in ''Film/{{Sunshine}}''.
63[[/folder]]
64
65[[folder:Literature]]
66* Ctuchik of Creator/DavidEddings' ''Literature/TheBelgariad'' series bites the dust this way when he tries and fails to will an object out of existence.
67* In Bill Baldwin's ''Mercenaries'', an enemy space fort goes up in this manner.
68* In ''The Fourth Bear'' by [[Literature/ThursdayNext Jasper Fforde]], this happens with [[spoiler:''radioactive cucumbers''.]] The author says he was inspired by the description of a scientist attempting to [[spoiler:extract sunlight from cucumbers]] in ''Literature/GulliversTravels''.
69[[/folder]]
70
71[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
72* ''Series/BabylonFive'': The destruction of Earth Force One.
73* Spike in the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' series finale before he [[spoiler:blows up Sunnydale with his soul]].
74* ''Series/DoctorWho'': Nearly all of the Doctor's regenerations involve him glowing, but a few in particular qualify for this:
75** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]]: When the Tenth Doctor starts regenerating, possibly as a result of the radiation and holding it in for days, it ''destroys'' the console room.
76** [[Recap/DoctorWho2013CSTheTimeOfTheDoctor "The Time of the Doctor"]]: The Eleventh Doctor, upon [[spoiler:getting a new regeneration cycle]], ends up outright exploding with enough force to blow the top off the clock tower he was standing on, send a shockwave for kilometres in all directions, and ''completely obliterate a Dalek mothership''.
77** [[Recap/DoctorWho2017CSTwiceUponATime "Twice Upon a Time"]]: The Twelfth Doctor's regeneration looks like ''lightning'' that damages the console room. The damage doesn't seem too bad until Thirteen presses a button, upon which the entire console room explodes[[spoiler:, and she ends up getting thrown out of the TARDIS]].
78* In ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'' episode "Plastique", things touched by the eponymous metahuman glow before turning into explosives. This include [[spoiler:Plastique herself when she is killed and her power goes awry. Flash has to relocate her at sea (by running on the water) and to get away fast, because the ensuing ka-boom is huge.]]
79* Ted Sprague, the radioactive man from ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' as well as [[spoiler: Peter (illustrated atop the page) and Sylar after they both gain Ted's power.]]
80* Happens with some monsters in ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' on occasion.
81** Examples from the ''[[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers Mighty Morphin]]'' era include Cyclopsis when it's destroyed the second time and Rito Revolto after getting his bony butt kicked by the Ninja Megafalconzord. He lived (although [[SparedByTheAdaptation his Super Sentai counterpart did not).]]
82** Every monster in ''Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder'' flashes green just before going kaboom for ''good.''
83** MMPR season one monsters often got an epic lights show after getting hit by the FinishingMove but before going kaboom.
84* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': When [[spoiler:Bizarro]] explodes.
85[[/folder]]
86
87[[folder:Video Games]]
88* ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'': With the sheer amount of StuffBlowingUp in the series, it's only natural that some of the explosions include this. Examples include Kurtis' Solidus Arm in ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 3|AbsenceOfJustice}}'', and the God Scraper axe skill in ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4|A Promise Unforgotten}}''.
89%%* ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'': A number of targets destroyed by the heroines.
90* ''VideoGame/ColonyWars'': Destroyed capital ships in the original game exhibit this, with pure white light spilling out of giant cracks in the hull right before the explosion blanks out the entire screen with white. Later games in the series toned this down a bit.
91* ''VideoGame/StarFox64'': At least one boss goes bye-bye this way. The creature on Solar gets an especially spectacular version, culminating in a PillarOfLight replacing its head before it explodes.
92* ''Franchise/MegaMan'': Most bosses from ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'' onwards, as well every boss in the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' and ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZX ZX]]'' series. ''ZX'' ups the bar by having the screen go dark except for the exploding robots.
93* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
94** The Armos in the 3D titles. After being exploded/receiving an arrow in the back or being fed with bombs/hit enough in the back, they start hopping around madly and eventually explode, glowing in-between.
95** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': Played for laughs. Once Link uses all the goddess pearls, the three statues he placed them in give off a glow and explode, revealing the inner statues. Link sees the last statue as it begins glowing and runs away to avoid the imminent blast. [[WrongGenreSavvy Nothing happens.]] He gets back up to see what's going on... and the statue explodes, [[ButtMonkey sending him flying]].
96* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
97** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'': At the end of the game, Bowser's Galaxy Reactor emits beams before exploding.
98** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosWonder'': Piranha Plants blocking the path on the map will glow, emitting rays when they're about to explode, opening up a path.
99%%** ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'': This happens whenever a boss is defeated.
100* ''VideoGame/ChzoMythos'', in 6 days a sacrifice [[spoiler: when the bomb is going off in the underground complex, you first see rays of light breaking through the ground before the explosion erupts.]]
101%%* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'':
102%%** Dark Samus in ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption''. [[spoiler: That, and her planet too.]]
103%%** ''Echoes'': The sphere Amorbis is guarding explodes in this fashion when the boss dies.
104%%** Also happens after each of ''Corruption''[='s=] major boss battles. Cue UnflinchingWalk.
105%%** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy': This happens with Samus' Bombs and Power Bombs.
106* ''VideoGame/RType'': Hitting certain enemy ships in ''R-Type Delta'' with a ChargedAttack causes their midsection to glow for a moment before they are torn in half by the explosion.
107%%* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'': In the Adventure Mode, [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Planet Zebes]] does this.
108* ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'': ''Gradius V''[='s=] stage bosses create a bright orange glow as most of them [[PostDefeatExplosionChain are peppered with smaller explosions]] until they blow up like the Butsutekkai from Creator/{{Treasure}}'s previous Shoot-Em-Up, ''VideoGame/{{Ikaruga}}''. Also like ''Ikaruga'', the boss explosions not only slow down the game for dramatic effect, the bosses' outlines are visible until the animation ends. [[RuleOfCool Still looks pretty awesome nonetheless]].
109* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. Sephiroth undergoes a variation: After the unlosable final battle against him in Cloud's mind, Sephiroth emits a glow and then dissipates into the Life Stream.
110%%* ''VideoGame/{{Darius}}'': The bosses explode in this fashion.
111%%* ''VideoGame/Pikmin2'': The Volatile Dweevils.
112%%* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': The move animations for [[ActionBomb Selfdestruct and Explosion]] begin suggesting this since the 4th generation.%%Suggesting what?
113%%* ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'': A couple of bosses die this way, including the first boss, Fullmetal Hugger.
114%%* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'': Crono's [[HolyHandGrenade Luminaire]] attack.
115%%* ''VideoGame/HexenII'': Every boss.
116%%* ''VideoGame/BillyHatcherAndTheGiantEgg': This happens when you lose or break a golden egg.
117* ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'': The E-Series robots that E-102 Gamma fights as bosses have [[PillarOfLight Pillars of Light]] jutting from their bodies in the moments before they explode.
118%%* ''VideoGame/{{Aquaria}}'': Some enemies die in this fashion.
119%%* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance'': The explosive abilities Blow Up and Meltdown.
120* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'': Shao Kahn gives off a bright glow before exploding when fought as the FinalBoss in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat3'' and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''.
121* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'':
122** Creepers and TNT blocks both glow slightly when they prime themselves to explode.
123** When defeated, the Ender Dragon releases beams of light from its torso before it explodes.
124* ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'': This happens when you delete a saved game, since each save is represented [[EarthShatteringKaboom as a planet]].
125* ''VideoGame/GunsOfIcarusOnline'': The sides of your screen glow red when your ship is at severe risk of being destroyed. The eventual explosion is marked by the entire screen rapidly turning red, then white.
126* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'': Defeated enemies freeze in place, glow brilliantly and then [[LudicrousGibs explode into bloody chunks]].
127* Stone-Like in ''VideoGame/RadiantSilvergun'' will glow, emitting rays every time it explodes. It survives every explosion.
128[[/folder]]
129
130[[folder:Web Comics]]
131* In [[http://www.dragon-tails.com/comics/archive.php?date=040703 this]] ''Webcomic/DragonTails'' strip, they parody the trope (like everything else really).
132* Played straight in [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=90 this]] ''Webcomic/SequentialArt'' strip where Art's computer can't handle a video game.
133[[/folder]]
134
135[[folder:Western Animation]]
136* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': In "Froggy Little Christmas" when Anne destroys the giant Santa bot and the prototype drone controlling it with her family's float tree, its lasers are misfired upwards into the sky like Hollywood spotlights.
137* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' entitled "Sir Yaksalot", when their fake comedy club explodes. It could be because Creator/TMSEntertainment animated this episode.
138* This happens in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' and its SequelSeries ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfKorra'' whenever [[StuffBlowingUp Combustion]][[MagicByAnyOtherName bending]] appears.
139** There are also specific instances where [[BadassNormal Sokka]] makes [[spoiler:Combustion Man]] explode, and [[spoiler: P´li blows up herself]] thanks to [[ExtraOreDinary Suyin]].
140* Justified in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', as the explosive was slowed in a time-warping field.
141* ''WesternAnimation/TheGhostAndMollyMcGee'': In "Molly vs. The Ghost World", this happens to the Chairman before he gets destroyed by Molly's joy-inducing touch.
142* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'': This happens to Bunny near the end of "Twisted Sister" when she is about to explode due to her instability.
143* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' episode 23. This happens to Demongo after Jack releases the spirits trapped inside him, leaving him a burned out husk.
144* In the '90s ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' cartoon, whatever object Cable shot would glow like this before it exploded. Probably to [[MediaWatchdog give anyone enough time to escape before it exploded.]] Naturally, no ''person'' ever took a direct hit from this weapon.
145** Gambit's cards, by the nature of his power, had the same deal- glow for a few seconds ''then'' blow up.
146[[/folder]]
147

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