[[quoteright:310:[[Anime/DragonBallZ https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dragon_ball_z_updraft.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:310:After [[TimeToUnlockMoreTruePotential unlocking more power]], Trunks set his sights on updrafting a mountain.]]

->''"Wooooooahhhh making small rocks float up off the GRROOOOOOUUUUUUUND!"''
-->-- '''Stinkoman''', ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner''

A character that has previously been shown to be able to [[SwirlingDust swirl dust]] must now show off that they've gotten even ''stronger''. [[PowerMakeover How do they go about this?]] Frequently, by causing the very ground around them to break apart and start to float away. This debris might even [[SphereOfPower orbit the character]] as if they were generating a magnetic/gravitational field.

Bonus points if the chunks are large enough and a character is badass enough to use them as [[SteppingStonesInTheSky stepping stones]].

They may also cause a sudden shallow but pronounced indentation in the ground, as if they weighed several tons. This indentation is usually circular, indicating an AreaOfEffect, and will be much larger than their footprints (both effects presumably the result of the force of their BattleAura pushing against the ground, or possibly becoming a lesser form of a SphereOfDestruction). [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Has nothing to do with vomit]], LudicrousGibs, [[VideoGame/DonkeyKong64 or Chunky Kong]].

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!!Examples

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
** The series, particularly ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', is famous for this. It was first done in ''Manga/DragonBall'' by Master Roshi, when he used his Lightning Flash Surprise Attack. The effects become more dramatic and spread further out as the characters get more powerful; in his first appearance, Future Trunks makes the corpses of Frieza's minions fly up into the air.
** Parodied (along with a few other tropes) long before it was played straight, in ''Manga/DoctorSlump'', another Akira Toriyama classic. This time, with ''robots''.
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' may be the spiritual successor to ''Dragonball Z'' in this regard.
* ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' did this too, with both Tetsuo and the SOL weapon (which seems to be just a space-based laser). At least Tetsuo [[PsychicPowers had an excuse]].
* Happens sometimes in ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' too, Ikki using it the most.
* Rin, a little boy [[spoiler: who is the reincarnation of an insane alien, Sion]], does this at least once in ''Manga/PleaseSaveMyEarth''.
* Subaru from ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' can do this when "awakening." [[spoiler:More precisely, when she peruses her insane Combat Cyborg power output.]]
* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' employs this fairly frequently during the Dark Tournament arc.
* Some very powerful demons in the ''Anime/InuYasha'' anime do this when they're really pissed off - Sesshoumaru is the most notable.
* The first indication that Saki's powers in ''[[Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash* Star]]'' are based on the earth, besides her flowery transformation sequence, is how she calls upon a BattleAura from the ground. Later on, after her [[FrillyUpgrade Cure Bright]] powerup, dirt clods fly up into the air as she does this.
* This occurs in the first anime of ''Anime/SailorMoon'' whenever the sailor senshi teleport.
%%* Happens in ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'''s climax.
* Mirajane causes this in ''Manga/FairyTail'' after a rival mage lays a serious beat-down on her brother.
* Manga/{{Naruto}} causes this whenever he transforms into his [[SuperPoweredEvilSide later Demon Fox forms]].
** The first time we really see this in action, though, is when Rock Lee [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique opens the third inner gate]] during his fight with Gaara in the Chunin Exams. It was most likely a ShoutOut to ''Manga/DragonBall''.
** Orochimaru and the Third Hokage's combined chakra does this to the roof tiles they're standing on at the start of their fight.
** Naruto causes this when entering [[GoldenSuperMode Tailed Beast Mode]] for the first time. When he begins to transform his chakra into Kurama's form, the updraft ''stops in midair''.
** The transformation of the Gedo Mazou statue into the [[EldritchAbomination Ten-Tailed Beast]] provides so much updraft that a good part of the battle between Tobi and Naruto's group takes place [[SteppingStonesInTheSky on the resulting airborne boulders]].
* In ''Manga/SoulEater'', Death the Kid's use of soul resonance does this, along with other similar examples. When Shinigami and Death Scythe's soul resonance causes this in episode 48, the onlookers several metres away get hit by the updraft.
* A gentle variety of this occurs in ''Anime/MacrossZero''. When singing at a pond decorated with [[spoiler:Protoculture]]-like markings of the Mayan people, Sara Nome can cause rocks to rise into the air.
* In ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', when using the perfected form of the [[KiManipulation Shishi Hokodan]], Ryouga's ki will lift huge chunks of rock into the air, propelled by the technique's massive [[PillarOfLight pillar of force]].
* ''Manga/{{Guyver}}'': Bio-Booster Armor Guyver envelops the invocator of a bio-booster armor in a SphereOfDestruction ringed by Chunky Updraft. Needless to say, you don't want to be in grabbing-range when this happens.
%%* ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' Might be the TropeCodifier.
* Jack Rakan from ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi''.
* Whenever [[Anime/PokemontheFirstMovie Mewtwo]] unleashes one of his powerful psychic attacks, the ground beneath him will always be torn up by said attack.
* Walpurgisnacht in ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', a [[EldritchAbomination Witch]] so powerful her mere presence rips up thirty-story buildings and circles them in the air like juggling balls.
* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'':
** Kenshin's [[BattleAura swordman's spirit]] manifests by rustling leaves around him, shredding those that come close enough to him or his sword. This appears to be something normal of very talented/focused swordsmen, as [[spoiler:Yahiko generates the same effect during a dramatic fight in the manga's final arc.]]
** In contrast, [[SocialDarwinist Makoto Shishio]]'s swordsman's spirit can make fire erupt violently into the stratosphere like miniature volcanos.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* Kida (still in her crystallized form) actually does this during the climax of Disney's ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', gathering the stone faces representing the dead kings of Atlantis so she can save her kingdom from an erupting volcano.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', this is seen when all of the panda women are lifted by the magic of the ritual circle.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/ManOfSteel'' the shot focuses on a few small rocks levitating before either Superman or Zod takes off.
* ''Film/ResidentEvilExtinction'' Scene occurs when Alice (Creator/MillaJovovich), Umbrella's greatest bio organic weapon, is now alone in the desert wastelands of the remains of the United States. She has a psionic attack while asleep and having a nightmare/vision that causes the surrounding rocks, boulders and her motorbike to be lifted, and subsequently destroyed as she awakes with a start. This makes her ''massive development'' seem even more powerful since she was not even consciously trying to do anything.
* Jean Grey/Phoenix does this towards the end of ''Film/XMenTheLastStand''.
* In ''Film/DeathTrance'', The Goddess of Destruction causes this to happen during her awakening.
* ''Film/{{Chronicle}}'' features Andrew Detmer doing this when he first learns how to fly, scooping up woodchips and pebbles from the ground as he [[MindOverMatter telekinetically]] lifts himself into the air.
* The trailer for ''Film/TheLastJedi'' shows Rey doing this.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Manhwa]]
* ''Manhwa/AngelDiary'': Happens a fair bit. Especially if someone ticks off [[spoiler: Bi-Wal]] by, say, trying to harm Dong-Young.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* As the telekinetic powers of the characters in the music video for "Bury It" by Music/{{CHVRCHES}} grow, bigger and bigger things start spontaneously rising into the air. (Haley does in fact use some of them as [[SteppingStonesInTheSky stepping stones]], before [[IBelieveICanFly demonstrating that this is actually unnecessary]].) By the end of their power-up montage, things are randomly drifting into the air from blocks away.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* This happens in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' [[TimeyWimeyBall every time]] the giant parasite Lavos finally emerges to destroy the planet.
* The GDI [[KillSat Ion Cannon]] from ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars'' does this, likely as a consequence of the jumbo magnetic fields required to fire a kiloton ion beam all the way from orbit.
* ''Very'' common in attack animations from Creator/NipponIchi games such as ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' and ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom''. As an example, the animation of Revya's [[EleventhHourSuperpower Demon Blade]] from ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'' turns the whole ''map'' into chunky updrafts.
* An early cutscene in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' has Auron walk across a puddle of water and ''droplets begin floating up from its surface''. At the same time, it is made clear that it's not Auron who causes it, but [[EldritchAbomination Sin]], which is still ''miles away from there''. Ominous foreshadowing at its finest.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' has this as the animation for the Monk job ability "Boost", which is actually learned at level 5 and used incredibly trivially, considering it 1) causes a small but cumulative increase in attack power to the next hit, as long as that hit comes within 3 minutes of the first use, and 2) can be used once every '''15 seconds'''. This has not stopped {{JustForFun/egregious}}ly dumb players from putting inconsiderate things like "/shout Yaaaaaahhhhh!" or "/emote goes Super Saiyan." in their Boost macros.
* Thunder spells in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' tear up the ground before unleashing a bolt of lightning upwards. One of the rare times you'll see a video game developer [[ShownTheirWork doing the research.]]
* In ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' and all Kirby games beyond, the Crash ability has this effect added to it when you charge it up.
* Happens towards the end of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask''.
* Doctor Doom has this as a special attack, name of Molecular Shield, in the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' series.
* ''VideoGame/AgeOfConan'' uses this as part of the buff animation for the 'Claws of Stone' spell of the Bear Shaman class. After the Chunky Updraft, a circle of rock pillars emerges from the ground and collapses into rubble.
* [[spoiler:Kristoph Gavin]] is so frustrated by his defeat in the first case of ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'' that he does this in his FreakOut animation... using the lobsters on the courtroom floor left over from the ''previous'' witness' FreakOut animation.
* ''Dawn of War 2's'' Orbital Bombardment does this; mostly with enemy units.
* A few ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' attacks feature this. Special mention goes to [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsCompact3 Folka Albark]]'s ''Gou Sho Sen'', which actually shows where the rocks are coming from - namely, the trench the robot carves into the ground by pure [[RuleOfCool force of awesome]].
* Shamans in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' have this as a shielding ability.
* In ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'', Giant Baby Bowser creates one when he roars, with boulders huge enough to tear huge gashes in the platforms Yoshi is perched on when they fall.
* ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' has Armor of Earth, an elementalst spell.
* In ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'', the move Superpower makes small rocks rise as the user [[SuckingInLines gathers energy]] for a massive attack.
* In ''VideoGame/BarkleyShutUpAndJamGaiden'', performing Chaos Dunk causes chunks of rock to fly upward (even if it's inside a spaceship) as well as rain and thunders (once again, even inside the spaceship).
* In ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial 2'', the main protagonist's aura creates a lot of Chunky Updraft during his LimitBreak acquisition sequence.
* Common in ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' whenever Asura and Augus power up.
* The Issue 22 expansion of ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' introduces an enemy group that uses Earth powers with Chunky Updraft-style graphics. The combination of violent shaking and rapid motion has been known to produce [[VomitDiscretionShot Chunky Downdraft]] in players.
* In the [=PS2=] remake of ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'', Stahn's Phoenix [[LimitBreak blast caliber]] starts with this [[{{Kiai}} (And lots of yelling)]].
* This happens when Cloud and Sephiroth face off in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI - Final Mix''.
* The intro of ''[[VideoGame/BatmanSunsoft Batman: Return of the Joker]]'' (NES version) shows this happening around Batman in an AssKickingPose.
* The box art for ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime'' and the teaser key art for ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankIntoTheNexus'' feature this, the former due to a depiction of a crack in time, and the latter for depicting [[spoiler: the eye of the extremely powerful villain of the game, the Nether Leader]]. ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2016'' also has this in its box art for [[EarthShatteringKaboom the ]][[KillSat Deplanetizer]] in the background.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Meteos}}'', the Sages of Hevendor can do this, though because of the LimitedAnimation, it looks more like they're spitting out rocks.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonBallXenoverse2'', this happens when Goku or a Saiyan PlayerCharacter transform into Super Saiyan 3 or when any character uses a ki-charging move.
* When Jesse gets the Levitate power in ''VideoGame/{{Control}}'', small objects near her can get caught in her (invisible) levitation field and float along with her. Nearby lights also tend to flicker.
* The final boss Hell Chaos in ''VideoGame/{{Splatterhouse}}'' releases one each time it emerges from the ground, with the chunks of earth then subsequently raining down to damage Rick. This is actually more dangerous than the giant monster's attacking hands, since the falling rocks are less telegraphed and harder for Rick to avoid.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* In a ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' thanksgiving special, Stinkoman manages it while lampshading "Whoa, making small rocks float up off the ground!".
* During his fight with an infected Lewa in one of the ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' online animations, Onua uses the [[MaskOfPower Mask of Telekinesis]] to lift up the rubble around him (and unwittingly, a nearby electric bug) and hurl them at Lewa. He manages to block the rocks with his axe, but the bug knocks the infected mask off his face.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomic]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Exiern}}'' when [[http://www.exiern.com/?p=1304 Cytx kinda loses it]] a little.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'':
** When Flash unleashes his full power to stop Brainiac-Luthor, he runs so fast that he [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIn9IaUUeco leaves large gashes in the Earth]] from his footsteps. And then ends up with a true Chunky Updraft that he doesn't seem to know how to ''stop''.
** In the final episode, Franchise/{{Superman}} '''punches''' Darkseid hard enough to [[KungFuSonicBoom make this happen]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywo6F4xYTvA Ow.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'':
** Ron Stoppable truly showed this trope in the GrandFinale. Orbiting rocks, orbiting alien equipment, battle aura, while floating. (Witness the fully badass moment [[http://caps.kpfanworld.com/images/graduation2/0888.jpg here]].)
** He does this in an earlier episode as well. He spends the episode training in a secret martial arts retreat and at its climax produces a battle aura and chunky updraft immediately before splitting a glacier.
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
** Aang has done this several times, usually when entering the [[UnstoppableRage Avatar State]]. Subverted/justified in that it's not the special effects team following RuleOfCool, but is actually caused by Aang's ability to control [[ElementalPowers both earth and air]]. (The Chunky Updraft is usually followed by [[BewareTheNiceOnes pwnage]] and explosive damage to surrounding architecture, environments and personnel.)
** [[http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/9827/avatarchunkyupdraft.png Used most spectacularly in the finale]].
* At the climax of the ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' episode "Think Positive", after spending all day trying not to lose his temper at Mordecai and Rigby, Benson turns into a white-hot ball of rage that rips up the turf beneath him, and even starts pulling up trees, along with the golf cart Mordecai and Rigby just crashed.
* When Twilight Sparkle from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' merely starts to [[spoiler: fly after getting powered up with the magic of Celestia, Luna, and Cadance]], the ground starts tearing up into the air before she even begins.
* In ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' Ezra Bridger's first use of TheDarkSide causes rocks in the cavern to float around him as the power overwhelms him, eventually [[PowerStrainBlackout passing out]] from the strain. In the series finale, bits of rubble float around him as he [[spoiler:telekinetically holds air within the bridge so he and Thrawn will survive the subsequent hyperspace jump]], only this time [[TookALevelInBadass he is in control]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* The mushroom cloud from a nuclear weapon's detonation is composed of dust and debris from the blast being sucked into the updraft created by the bomb's heat
* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI2LNfv35iE this footage]] of the second of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Tianjin_explosions 2015 Tianjin explosions]], the blast can be seen not just vaporising an entire building, but launching pieces of debris of varying sizes (up to the size of shipping containers) into the air and towards the camera's location. It is highly unlikely that whoever was filming survived at such close range; if the shockwave didn't get them first, the flying debris almost certainly did.
* Powerful tornadoes often suck up large pieces of debris, even automobiles, and toss them hundreds of yards. Lighter objects may be blown around the tornado repeatedly, giving the impression the material is ‘orbiting’ it.
[[/folder]]

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