[[quoteright:256:[[{{Earthbound}} http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/territoak.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:256:[[OhCrap Oh]] [[NightmareFuel dear]] [[DemonicSpiders God]].]]

->"I do not understand why everything in this script must inevitably explode."\\
-- '''Teal'c''', ''{{Stargate SG-1}}'', "200"

StuffBlowingUp in violation of [[HollywoodScience science]] and [[FridgeLogic logic]].

In the wonderful world of fiction, nothing ever just breaks. If it's even slightly mechanical or electronic, its destruction is loud and accompanied by ImpressivePyrotechnics. Apparently, circuit boards, moving parts, and Tokyo are the most volatile substances in the universe.

And that's just in serious works. In comedies, ''anything'' can blow up, sometimes as part of an EpicFail.

'''Objects that are particularly prone to exploding include:'''
* [[ExplodingBarrels Barrels]] (especially in VideoGames)
* [[EveryCarIsAPinto Cars]]
* Robots
* [[ExplosiveInstrumentation Instrument panels]]
* [[YourHeadASplode Heads]]
* [[BaaBomb Sheep]]
** [[MadeOfPlasticine Humans]], [[LudicrousGibs too]]
* [[TheTokyoFireball Tokyo]]. It's been nicknamed "Matchstick City" considering how often it goes up....
* LosAngeles
* Furniture
* EVERYTHING in a MichaelBay movie.

Related to YouHaveToBurnTheWeb.

----
[[foldercontrol]]

!!Examples

[[folder:Advertising]]
* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiHsxQJ9ZOo "Awesome barbecue! Awesome pool!"]]
* A recent commercial for Sprite showed people running at one another. Upon contact, they explode in huge splashes of water.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''FullmetalAlchemist'' has State Alchemist Zolf J. Kimblee, who is capable of switching materials around inside of things so that they really are Made of Explodium. Buildings, machines [[strike: or]] [[strike:even]] and especially people.
* ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' gives it [[BeyondTheImpossible their usual treatment]]. While every mech that's beaten blows up, you can tell how important it is by how spectacular the explosions are. The ones found at the end of the arcs generally have them making three-pronged dust clouds and blowing up ''repeatedly''. The FinalBattle had the BigBad blowing out about ''seven times'', and in ''different colors each time''.
** Apparently someone had the nerve to ''edit out'' said final explosion from the Sci-Fi airing of the dub. And they '''[[ThisIsUnforgivable WILL PAY]]'''!
** The Mugann, in particular, are ''literally'' MadeOfExplodium, on purpose: When defeated, they turn into lots of pieces that fall down and explode on impact.
* ''SamuraiSeven'': Not only do robots immediately explode when cut in half, the explosion begins at a point ''between the two halves'', where there isn't actually any robot left. This troper and his friends theorize that they are built out of a material so volatile that its explosions travel through time.
** [[FanWank Perhaps you're seeing volatile gas igniting from the sparks of the sword's passage?]]
* ''[=~Pokémon~=]'' has been doing this trope for attacks to blast Team Rocket off since the beginning of the show, and has been using it recently even when TR's not involved.
** How the hell does a stream of water explode from hitting a barrage of sharp leaves?
** In the games, this is actually two attacks (Self-Destruct and Explosion) and an ability (Aftermath), which cause Pokémon to ''explode'' in a way that somehow doesn't kill them.
*** Maybe the 'self-detonate' attacks are based on BattleAura?
* Pick a ''{{Gundam}}'' show, '''any''' ''Gundam'' show. If your [[HumongousMecha mobile suit]] gets hit in the torso, it ''will'' explode in a spectacular manner. If a ship (spacefaring or seafaring) takes a certain critical amount of damage, ''it'' will explode in a spectacular manner. In addition, Gundamverse tanks appear to be Made of Explodium as well, since they regularly blow up when struck by the large caliber machine guns often wielded by mobile suits. This is rather puzzling [[FridgeLogic when you think about it]], since it's damnably hard to get a tank to explode in real life.
** The Leos of ''GundamWing'' are the worst by far; they seem to be painted with C4.
*** Somewhat averted in the OVA Endless Waltz when the Serpents don't explode, mainly because the main characters deemed this battle a "bloodless war".
** And just to show that someone (probably ''thousands'' of "someones") have far too much free time on their hands, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minovsky_particles#Minovsky_Ultracompact_Fusion_Reactor this page]] on TheOtherWiki relating to the AppliedPhlebotinum specific to ''{{Gundam}}'' includes a discussion on exactly why Mobile Suits are MadeOfExplodium.
** Somewhat averted in ''{{Gundam00}}'', where there are examples of mobile suits being destroyed without exploding, in some cases even when they're piloted by nameless grunts, but in general grunt suits/ships still tend to explode easily.
*** Only somewhat, as this troper distinctly remembers a point at which the titular Gundam is fighting against an innovator piloted suit in an asteroid field. The 00 Gundam cuts an asteroid into quarters with its swords... causing the ''asteroid to explode''. A chunk of rock. Probably made mostly of nickel and iron. '''Exploding when cut.'''
** ''Gundam 08th [=MSTeam=]'' takes an interesting approach to this trope. While it generally follows the exploding rule, many mecha are simply damaged to inoperation from machine gun fire about as often as they explode. However, during one scene, it's discovered a mobile suit is going to completely explode, starting from its reactor. Since mobile suits are operated by nuclear power, this is a very big deal, and it becomes a scramble to evacuate before the suit explodes. which makes one wonder why no one else ever makes a big deal about all the Zakus and Doms blowing up all over the place...
*** The 08th MS Team is by far the most realistic of all ''Gundam'' shows to date; the only time a mobile suit is documented as exploding was when the Federation were sending GM teams into the Zeon base in hopes of setting off booby traps left in the base entrance. This of course caused at least one reactor to explode, wiping the Zeon base off the map.
** Not to burst the ''Gundam''-hating bubble, but the reason for this has been implicitly clear since the first Gundam, especially in the novels. (At least for Universal Century). Mobile Suit are all powered by Helium 2 nuclear fusion reactor. Destroying said reaction cause a nice little huge explosion. It's the reason why, in the Gundam's first battle, Amuro learned the hard way about aiming for the reactor, as one of the semi-nuclear explosions ripped a hole through the colony. The second Zaku Amuro fought did not explode, as Amuro aimed directly for the cockpit only, rather than the core.
*** This isn't a ''Gundam''-hating bubble. Remember, Made of Explodium [[TropesAreNotBad is not bad]]. In fact, having mobile suits and ships blow up when destroyed [[RuleOfCool looks damn cool]].
* ''{{Neon Genesis Evangelion}}'s'' Angels sometimes play with this. The third (which is the first encountered) encountered blows up in a cross-shaped explosion, the seventh and tenth form new lakes when they explode, and the sixteenth [[spoiler:blows up the entire city when it dies.]] This is probably out of convienence, as it takes several episodes to clear out the body of one of the Angels that DOESN'T blow up.
** In the first movie of ''Rebuild'', one of the Angels that left a corpse in the original also blows up. Considering that what they find in its body is a bit of a plot point, this troper wants to know how they're gonna get around that one.
*** Either they will have a subsequent angel die without exploding, or else NERV already knows that [[spoiler:angels and humans share a nearly identical structure]] and just haven't told anyone. Misato already knows about what's in the basement, after all.
* In ''[=~Jojo's Bizarre Adventure~=]'', this is what the Stand [[ThemeNaming Killer Queen]] ''does'' -- its power turns objects and even people into explosives.
* Any monster defeated by {{Voltron}}.
* Cinque's Inherent Skill in ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' is the ability to turn any metal into explodium. She usually applies it to her [[KnifeNut knives]].
** Also, the [[MineralMacguffin Relics]] in ''[=StrikerS=]''. Being filled to the brim with magical energy, they explode spectacularly when they break. One of them was the cause of the airport fire at the start of the season.
* The various [[HumongousMecha Knightmare Frames]] in ''CodeGeass'' can be counted upon to violently explode even after the most minor of hits; a single, glancing strike from a sword or Slash Harken is often enough to do it. The few times when it ''doesn't'' happen actually come as quite a surprise. This is probably because of the [[{{Unobtanium}} Sakuradite]] they all use, which [[FridgeLogic makes you wonder]] why they would use it in such lightly guarded machines.
** One of the worst offenders is in Turn 18, when a MechaMook literally explodes when Suzaku uses his Knightmare to spin kick it. ''And it blocked!''
* [[RuleOfFunny For some strange reason]], Negi's [[MesACrowd duplicates]] in ''MahouSenseiNegima'''s Kyoto Arc don't just poof back to paper like normal when you kiss them. Instead, they explode.
* Everything in UchuuSenkanYamato that is not the titular ship.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comics]]
* An excerpt from Warren Ellis, on what his comic ''{{Nextwave}}'' is all about:
-->"It is people getting kicked, and then exploding. It is a ''pure'' comic book, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. And afterwards, they will explode."
** And it lives up to that hype, too.
* In one issue of ''[[strike: Frank Miller Adventures]]'' ''[[AllStarBatmanAndRobin All-Star Batman & Robin]]'', [[strike: Frank Miller in a]] Comicbook/{{Batman}} [[strike: costume]] sets what looks like a standard, buy-it-in-a-store bottle of bleach on fire with a road flare from his belt. That's commercial bleach, which is almost entirely ''water''. And he '''sets it on fire'''. He then throws it into a huge stack of similar bottles, causing a nice big explosion and gloating as it kills the small-time hoods that were stealing it. This was such a massive abuse of even comic book physics (and common sense -- he ''kills'' the guys that are trying to ''steal'' something by ''destroying'' what they're trying to ''steal''? Society is safe once more!) that even defenders of the title declared it a WallBanger.
* In ''{{Asterix}} in Corsica'', a Corsican cheese explodes, destroying a ship. Asterix and his friends already jumped the ship (fortunately for them), but then the pirates came on board (unfortunately for them, [[TheChewToy as always]]).
* [[DCComics The Human Bomb]].
** Likewise, [[MarvelComics Nitro]].
** Likewise, [[MarvelComics Gambit]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''{{Yugioh The Abridged Series}}'' has Pegasus' wife. Yeah.
** She really needs to stop doing that.
*** It was kinda weird.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films]]
* We can't have this page without mentioning the aptly named ass-blasters from ''{{Tremors}} 3''. Not only do they [[spoiler:light their own farts on fire to achieve enough thrust to glide after prey]], they explode spectacularly if exposed to any sort of intense heat [[spoiler:such as a can of unleaded gasoline ignited by one ass-blaster's own acid spit]] in [[HyperspaceArsenal Burt Gummer's basement]]. Burt Gummer being [[CrazyPrepared Burt Gummer]], [[spoiler:the gunpowder he keeps for his weapons goes up in flames soon after that, taking out his entire fortification]].
* ''JamesBond'' films in general are quite prone to this, but some take it to rediculous new heights.
** In one a helicopter explodes the second it touches the lake it's falling into, vaporizing as though it were made of magnesium.
** The plane is out of fuel. Why does it explode when it strikes the cliff face?
** ''{{Quantum of Solace}}'' featured the ''SupervillainLair'' which chain-react explodes into a spectacular fireball in the finale. The cause of the explosion? [[EveryCarIsAPinto Backing a jeep]] into a parking garage wall at 15 mph. Structural Engineering at its finest.
*** It backed into a hydrogen fuel cell, more of which were spread throughout the facility. This is more a case of [[NoOSHACompliance No OSHA Compliance]].
* ''DragonWars'' contains a scene in which six helicopters explode spectacularly within minutes of each other.
* ''TopSecret'' has a scene with an out of control jeep that finally slows down almost to a stop... but not quite. It gently taps the bumper of a [[EveryCarIsAPinto Ford Pinto]], and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glcj0szvevU both vehicles immediately explode]].
** Well, it ''was'' a Ford Pinto.
* ''BatmanBegins'' has an electric monorail crash. It explodes spectacularly, what with all the combustible material in a monorail and a microwave emitter.
* Averted in ''LastActionHero''. Jack Slater fires his gun three times at a fleeing car, expecting it to explode. Three dents appear in the trunk, and the car drives away.
** Ah, but earlier, when he's still [[ShowWithinAShow in the movies]], every car explodes with one shot. One even explodes just from getting a man thrown through the windshield.
** This is to be expected, as ''LastActionHero'' is a {{Deconstruction}} of action movies.
* In ''{{UHF}}'', during WeirdAlYankovic's ''{{Rambo}}''-inspired IndulgentFantasySegue, a Korean soldier explodes in a massive fireball after getting shot with an arrow.
* Weird Al also sings the title theme of the LeslieNielsen film ''SpyHard''. The final note of the song is so [[OverlyLongGag ridiculously drawn-out]] that the song ends with [[YourHeadAsplode Al's head exploding]], [[LudicrousGibs rather]] [[BloodyHilarious gruesomely]].
** And with that, you've already seen the best of the film.
* In ''ThisIsSpinalTap'', the other members of Spinal Tap claim that their third drummer died by spontaneously combusting on-stage, during a show. [[spoiler:The same fate befalls their current drummer, just before they strike it big in Japan.]]
** If, in ''GuitarHero 2,'' your band covers "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" (a Spinal Tap song) at the Battle of the Bands, as the song ends your drummer explodes in a puff of smoke.
* The SoBadItsGood ''CutthroatIsland'' had lots of stuff blowing up real good, especially the villain's ship at the end when the powder magazine igniting caused the ''entire ship'' to burst into flames and shrapnel. And this ''still'' didn't harm the treasure that everyone spent the movie fighting over...
** This could be ''TruthInTelevision'' though, since it was not unknown for ships that caught fire to explode spectacularly when the flames reach the powder magazine.
*** This is also why pirates favored grapeshot.
*** They still needed gunpowder to fire grapeshot. Oh, and an empty horse drawn carriage exploded in that movie as well.
* Quite a few things in ''{{xXx}}'' appear to be made of explodium, but none more so than the state Senator's Corvette that Xander steals and drives off a bridge in the opening scene of the film. That durn thing looks like it blew even before it hits the ground.
* In 80s cheesefest ''HudsonHawk'' (a definitive YourMileageMayVary movie), an ambulance goes off a ramp and explodes in mid-air.
* In the movie ''{{Doomsday}}'' a car flies through a bus. Despite only hitting the glass windows, and not the engine, gas tanks, or anything else remotely combustible, the bus still manages to explode (the car, being driving by the heroes, is perfectly fine).
** This is made even worse by the fact that buses and other large vehicles are nearly always powered by Diesel, which is hard enough to light (not that gasoline is exactly easy) yet alone cause to explode. Then again, CNG and LPG and now Hydrogen are sometimes used as fuels, but still very rarely.
* In ''{{Accepted}}'', one of the students expresses an interest in learning to blow things up with his mind. In keeping with South Harmon's [[{{Calvinball}} DIY curriculum]], he is allowed to major in mental detonation and classes are engineered to help him do so; later in the movie the same student is seen focusing intently on a pineapple, but beyond this it seems forgotten-until the very end, in a credits gag. The dean of the college who opposed South Harmon's accreditation is walking towards his car when suddenly it goes up in a massive Hollywood fireball. He stares for a moment before we cut over to the same student, looking satisfied, and Justin Long, who is blown away by the speed (and success) with which he has accomplished his goal.
** In [[TheOtakuNinja this troper's]] opinion, that is the ''best'' movie ending ''ever''.
* [[DoubleSubversion Double Subverted]] in ''GroundhogDay''. Bill Murray's character drives a pickup truck over the edge of a quarry. It lands upside down, crushing its roof, but does not explode. Chris Elliot, looking over the edge, weakly suggests that "He might be okay." The truck then suddenly erupts in a massive fireball. To which Elliot concedes, "OK, I guess not."
* In ''JudgeDredd'', after hatching one of Rico's incomplete clones, the entire cloning facility seems to suffer a catastrophic meltdown for no apparent reason.
** Although, really, the last four words of that sentence could be appended to a description of any aspect of the movie.
* In ''EagleEye'' there is no such thing as a simple car crash. [[IncendiaryExponent Everything just burns up or explodes]].
* Everyone who has seen the original ''BatmanTheMovie'' distinctly remembers [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0UJaprpxrk this scene]].
* Speaking of exploding sharks, ''{{Jaws}}'' ended with Sheriff Brody stuffing an oxygen tank in the shark's mouth, then shooting it. The tank explodes, spectacularly reducing the shark to chum.
** Then in ''Jaws: The Revenge'', the Spectacular Exploding VoodooShark gets ''impaled on the bowsprit of a research vessel and promptly explodes'', and rather lamely at that.
** DeepBlueSea makes exploding sharks cool again (this time, it blows up by impaling it with an explosive powder-covered harpoon and then igniting it).
* In ''TheIncredibleHulk'' a thrown forklift in a factory explodes quite spectacularly when it hits the... bottled soft drinks? Later on, two cars are seen at the end of an alley way lightly crashing into each other (a crash that would barely cause a fender bender in real life) and a large flame erupts ''between'' them almost instantly. Bizarrely averted however when the Hulk [[CarFu rips a police car in half and uses each half as a boxing glove]]
**The forklift could be justified, all the outdoor forklifts around here run on propane.
* Justified in ''{{Runaway}}'' where the evil scientist wires his robots and gizmos with "densepacks", which explode if captured by the good guys.
* In ''[[{{WallaceAndGromit}} Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit]]'', a plane from a plane theme ride somehow manages to explode when it crashes. Consensus amongst the tropers friends: it exploded because of [[RuleOfCool the awesome.]]
* Subverted (partially) in ''{{Duel}}''. In the final scene David Mann (played by Dennis Weaver) drives his car up a dirt road leading to the edge of a cliff. As the truck approaches, he aims his car at it, before jamming his briefcase onto the accelerator and leaping clear just in time. The car itself catches fire when the truck hits it (rarther than exploding) and the truck driver, blinded by the smoke and flames, is unable to stop before reaching the cliff, and the truck plunges over the edge. Surprisingly, despite being a tanker, and having "flammable" written on the side, it doesn't actually explode.
* Parodied in ''VanHelsing''; a horse carriage falls into a gorge, and naturally explodes in a huge ball of fire.
** The carrage ''does'' have a rather large explosive device in it on a timer set to go off about half way down the gorge in this case.
* A particularly hilarious example occurs in Arnold Schwarzenegger's ''{{TotalRecall}}''. A Johnny Cab bursts into flame after hitting a wall at ''maybe'' five miles an hour.
** It was already shorting out before then, because Ahnuld uprooted the driver. Li-ion battery tech (it was an electric cab) is fairly pyrotechnic stuff (see: laptop battery recalls). Plus, RuleOfFunny.
* In the film ''Grizzly'', the killer bear is finally killed when the hero shoots it with a bazooka, causing a massive explosion.
* In the cult classic, ''StreetsOfFire'', Cody blows a gang's motorcycles with a shotgun.
* Among countless other ridiculous things about the movie ''Armageddon'', the Mir space station explodes shortly after Bruce Willis's team docks there, for apparently no reason other than to get one of the wise-cracking Russian astronauts to escape onto Willis' ship, in order to provide comic relief for the rest of the movie.
* In ''DeepImpact'', an astronomer gets run off the road by a semi-truck, and his Jeep explodes in mid-air.
* Nominally justified at the end of ''{{Speed}}'', when a bus with a bomb on it runs into an airplane full of fuel. One gets the impression that the entire movie was a setup for that scene alone.
* At the end of ''Bride of the Monster'', an ''octopus'' explodes (apparently due to MadScience) with stock footage of a nuclear blast. Yes, it's EdWood.
* At the end of ''TheMarine'' the BigBad runs a semi cab through some small wooden buildings that explode in huge fireballs. While you can see some oxygen tanks in there they still '''explode on contact''' when they're designed to take some abuse before they go off in real life. Otherwise, oxygen tanks spontaneously combusting would be the number one killer of the elderly.
* ''Film/XMen Origins: Wolverine'' features a helicopter explodes when it crashes. Not so bad. But then Wolverine exchanges dialog with a crash survivor and walks away, only for the same helicopter to explode *again* in the background.
** If this tropers memory serves, Wolverine lit a trail of gasoline from a spark created by his claws striking stone, thus causing the second explosion, so it may be partially justified. Of course, this brings into question a number of ''other'' rules in setting gasoline ablaze.
* In ''TheFifthElement'', mega-corporation owner Zorg quite literally makes his products with explodium. That way, he can deliver YouHaveFailedMe retribution upon his mooks over the phone (public phones, anyway), simply by pressing a few buttons.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''{{Dragonlance}} Tales'', the characters are confronted by a door secured by a gnome-built time-lock (with lots of levers, mirrors and other bits -- gnomes are inveterate tinkerers). One character goes to touch it, but another shouts:
-->"Be careful! It might explode!"\\
"Why? Do you think it's trapped?"\\
"No! It was built by gnomes!"
* Partly [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in TerryGoodkind's ''{{Sword of Truth}}'' series: in one scene, a character blows up ''trees'' to kill portions of an enemy army. Granted, it's explained that it's really just superheating the sap, but still...
** Not so outlandish. One of the first rules of camping is to never set up your tent underneath a tree because a hot enough day can cause the expanding sap to more or less explode a tree branch off at any time. In the middle of an actual fire, exploding trees aren't so uncommon. If you're magically putting fire into the tree then...
* TomClancy also [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] explodium cars in ''{{Debt of Honor}}''. In a crash involving two sedans and a semi, both sedans exploded in [[ImpressivePyrotechnics huge fireballs]] soon after the crash. This was an important plot point -- the cars had faulty gas tanks -- and one of the accident investigators remarked that real cars ''don't'' blow up when they crash, [[ThisIsReality That Only Happens In Movies]].
* The small, doglike swamp dragons of ''{{Discworld}}'' are living, breathing explodium. The internal chemical factory required to breathe fire is incredibly unstable; when a swamp dragon hiccups, people dive for cover. As in the ''Pokémon'' example, this might seem a bad evolutionary decision, but Pratchett points out that there are very few predators prepared to eat explosive prey.
** In ''[[Discworld/GuardsGuards Guards! Guards!]]'', exploding as a defense is called a good evolutionary move. [[hottip:*:From the perspective of the whole species. Not from the perspective of the dragon landing in different chunks around the scenery.]]
* In the opening of ''Discworld/SoulMusic'', a coach runs off the road and falls into a gorge. When it hits the ground, it doesn't just break, it "erupts into fragments.... Then the oil from the coach lamps ignites and there is a second explosion, out of which rolls -- because there are [[{{Tropes}} certain conventions]], even in tragedy -- a burning wheel."
* Songs performed by FakeBand Disaster Area in ''TheHitchHikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' are described as following "the familiar theme of boy-being meets girl-being beneath a silvery moon, which then explodes for [[RuleOfCool no adequately explored reason]]."
** Also their actual music, which sounds best when listened to from bunkers at least 40 miles away from the stage. The band itself plays from a spaceship on the planet's orbit -- or, preferably, some other planet's. The music once terraformed a planet by causing its crust to flip over.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''MythBusters'' trades in this trope on occasion. Admittedly, the objects are not MadeOfExplodium until Adam and Jamie (and retired FBI agent Frank Doyle) get to modify them a bit, but their end results would do Monty Python's "not being seen" sketch proud.
** In one episode, inspired by the ending of ''{{Jaws}}'', they test to see whether an oxygen tank explodes upon being shot. It doesn't explode, but the gas spewing out of the bullet hole at high pressure would kill a shark just as well.
**[[YouNoTakeCandle "Jamie want]] [[MemeticMutation big boom."]]
* According to the earlier episodes of ''{{Stargate SG-1}}'', Naquadah is extremely volatile. Why, oh WHY would the Ancients build Stargates out of them?
** Lampshaded in "200". According to Word of God, important episodes are specifically designed to have as many explosions per second as possible.
* ''StarTrek'' was famous for using a minor version of this trope constantly. Whenever a ship gets hit, control panels on the bridge [[ExplosiveInstrumentation spray sparks everywhere]].
** Often resulting in the death of [[RedShirt Red Shirts]].
*** Justifiable, since ships in Star Trek run on matter-antimatter annihilation and electroplasma conduits. Think of it as having a bunch of appliances attached to a generator without any breakers in between the source and the consumers. Take away a few consumers and the rest are liable to suffer an aggressive failure of existence.
**** Sounds like a pretty horrendous bit of design. You'd think that someone would have come up with a breaker, load balancer, or some other way to prevent the bridge crew being blown up all the time.
** One Trek parody had them firing the highly-explosive control panels out the torpedo tubes when none of their other weapons made a dent in the enemy ship's NighInvulnerable ForceField.
* ''{{Scrubs}}'' [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] on this in the episode [[http://youtube.com/watch?v=krzU-R1-4sQ My Unicorn]]. As Murray's toy plane explodes, J.D. notes, "What an odd-sized explosion..."
* Hello, ''TopGear''. As James May put it after they somehow lit a car wash alight, "We managed to set fire to something that's basically made of water!"
* For the invention exchange at the beginning of ''MysteryScienceTheater3000: PodPeople'', Joel invents a guitar chord that, when played, causes the guitar to explode. It makes for an awesome end to a rock concert.
* In the sci-fi series ''{{UFO}}'', the alien FlyingSaucers heat up and explode if they spend too much time in Earth's atmosphere.
* Heck, GerryAnderson shows did that all the time. Most notoriously ''{{Thunderbirds}}'' -- TheMovie of which featured a helicopter and a rocket that exploded when they hit the water. The second movie then went on to [[ImpressivePyrotechnics top that]] with an exploding ''missile base''.
** ''FireballXL5'' also featured at least one episode where the main base went up in smoke after XL5 made a landing run just as another ship left the same runway.
** ''[[{{Space1999}} Space: 1999]]'' featured the exploding planet Psychon. We're unlikely ever to see the proof for ourselves, as destroying an entire planet apparently is a bit harder than it looks on the telly. So it's a bit disappointing to see that an exploding planet looks like two Roman candles ignited at once.
* Entire planets have also exploded at least four times on ''DoctorWho''. One, at least, was still in the process of formation and had help from several thousand megatons of explosives. Two others were victims of malfunctioning {{Phlebotinum}}.
** Let's not forget the time when some AlternateUniverse Cybermen's [[YourHeadAsplode heads blew up]] from regaining emotions. Or when an entire Dalek fleet went kablooie after flicking a switch.
* And speaking of exploding planets... take a bow, original recipe ''BattlestarGalactica''.
* Played with, like everything else, in ''[=~Monty Python's Flying Circus~=]'': "Mrs Niggerbaiter's exploded!" "Good thing too." "She was my best friend!" "Oh mother, don't be so sentimental, things explode every day."
** As does the penguin on top of the television.
*** "How did he know that was going to happen?!"
** And Radio 4
** "... This demonstrates the importance of not being seen."
** And now, the Exploding Blue Danube!
** One episode had animals randomly exploding throughout - one scene with a sign pointing to an offscreen zoo sounded like a battlefield.
* In the ''LookAroundYou'' Season One module "Germs", the scientists grow a culture of germs collected from the wings of a Brown Lady moth. A small tree grows from this, and small "moth apples" are collected from this tree. Quoth the narrator: "They're smaller than crab apples -- sweeter, too -- but you should never eat them, because they are ''highly explosive''."
** Naturally, [[YourHeadAsplode this is demonstrated]].
* Name any {{toku}} series. ''KamenRider, SuperSentai'', other franchises. You name it, and everything goes boom when they die. Hell, sometimes they go boom when they go down, even if they survive. One of the very few aversions is ''KamenRiderFaiz'', where the Orphnochs just crumbled to dust instead (but that exception was taken away from them when they returned in ''KamenRiderDecade'', where they blew up in blue explosions instead). ''KamenRiderAmazon'' also avoids explosions by adhering to BloodierAndGorier instead; you can't show ludicrous amounts of blood well if the enemies blew up, right?
** A notable subversion in {{Engine Sentai Go-Onger}} - a chainsw monster goes on a sawing rampage, filling the air in a building with sawdust. A spark is all it takes for the whole building to go up.
** To name a bunch of ''PowerRangers'' examples:
*** Recent seasons have become increasingly prone to very random explosions. ''PowerRangersOperationOverdrive'' episode "Man of Mercury, Part 1" features an exploding ''folding table'', after someone merely kicks it. The ''Operation Overdrive'' Pink Ranger's personal weapon can also cause explosions -- ''despite being called the Drive Geyser and firing a blast of water.'' In the same episode as this, two villains cause a huge explosion by POINTING at each other. These are known among fans as "Kalishplosions" after current producer Bruce Kalish. (However, sparks from things like cardboard boxes were common-ish ''before'' Kalish.)
*** The scene in "Forever Red", when all Red Power Rangers transform and pose in a wide-shot, everything behind them explodes for ''absolutely no reason.'' This is the RuleOfCool taken to the extreme. This particular situation, though, is something of a tradition. In any PR teamup, after the combined team poses, smoke clouds in the Rangers' colors erupt, followed by a massive explosion. An explosion's also optional for when an individual team goes through its posing routine.
*** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] (among many other things) in ''PowerRangersRPM'', in which Ziggy wonders why there's always an explosion behind them after they morph (turns out it's runoff energy from the morphing process), and later one of the Rangers actually uses this explosion to defeat several {{Mook}}s. These particular explosions have therefore been dubbed "Ziggysplosions" (since Kalish is no longer the producer).
** When a fight between two Kamen Riders take them past a bus - ''past,'' not even into or through, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZA1Mrb8f9Y this is the result]]. Even [[EveryCarIsAPinto the Pinto]] didn't have it that bad... (oh, just so you know: the "monsters" are the good guys in this scene. Long story.)
* While [[ATeamFiring spraying bullets in all directions]], {{The A Team}} would often hit a small bush, which would then violently explode and cause a nearby jeep to flip over (without injuring the occupants of course).
* ''{{House}}''. In the beginning of the season 2 episode "Distractions", a character has a DeadfootLeadfoot-type of problem while he's driving an ATV, which crashes and explodes in a fireball.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Another Weird Al example: The video of "Eat It" features a guitarist replicating Eddie Van Halen's work from MichaelJackson's "Beat It". At the end of the solo, he's working the guitar so furiously ... kaboom.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:New Media]]
* As a parody of the old Nintendo Power commercial, James "TheAngryVideoGameNerd" Rolfe eats a Nintendo Power magazine, causing his head to explode -- followed by the world and then the freakin' ''galaxy''! Don't worry; it's all for comedy.
** His other works also have their fair share of explosions -- specially after he started destroying the games after his ranting reviews. Best example being the one featuring a DieHard video game, where he throws the cartridge and it blows up!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* One episode of ''TheMuppetShow'' is a Western-themed sketch. Kid Fozzie, having discarded his pickles (which function as guns) and his carrot (knife), has an apple bomb which explodes in an impressive display of apple pyrotechnics.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* Certain things in ''{{Paranoia}}''. More specifically, ''everything'' in ''Paranoia''. One recommendation for bringing a mission to an end when the shafting has ceased to be funny is to have something -- anything -- explode. Even the ''shoe polish'' can be dangerously explosive.
* Some creatures from the ''[[DungeonsAndDragons Dungeons & Dragons]]'' games explode when killed. The most well-known are ''Dragonlance''[='=]s draconians, but there are other, like the greater fiend Balor, the ''Fiend Folio''[='=]s dark stalkers and dark creepers, ''Mystara''[='=]s huptzeens, etc. Some magical items, like the ''staves of power'', can also be broken to provoke a big explosion if the wielder wish to [[TakingYouWithMe take his enemies with him.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* {{Halo}} 2 and 3 have this with the Grunt Birthday Party skull (gameplay modifier). In H2, EVERY enemy explodes with the force of a Plasma Grenade when killed with a headshot. In Halo 3 it's only Grunts and weaker. However, in Halo 3, each time a Grunt dies this way you get the sound of children cheering YAY! each time... and confetti comes out of their heads in an explosion of confetti. *shoots a Grunt in the head* YAY!!!
* In ''CommandAndConquer Generals'' there are some specific units designed to detonate as a means of attack, most of them in the GLA. Also in Zero Hour General Jaziz of the GLA lives this trope as almost every one of his units and structures can be rigged to explode.
* The ''buildings'' in ''{{Blast Corps}}'' have a particular habit of turning into fireballs upon collision with the dumptruck, bulldozer, dune buggy, or from ''just trying to get out the vehichle while parked next to it''.
* [[GigglingVillain Hehehe...]] ''[[http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=55360 Living Bomb]]''. The mages of the ''{{World of Warcraft}}'' can turn anybody into explodium.
* In ''[[{{TheForceUnleashed}} Star Wars: The Force Unleashed]]'', you can pick up an enemy, put lightning on the enemy, and when you throw the lightninged enemy it will ''explode violently'' on impact. This is incredibly awesome.
* In ''{{Doom}} 3'', if you break any of the glass parts of the Hydrocon machine with a stray bullet, it will go up in a Level-Shattering Kaboom, killing everything in the area, including you. Unless you are in GodMode, in which case you can [[GameBreaker obtain the BFG early]].
* In ''SuperRobotWars'', any disabled unit will explode, whether it's a robot, a monster, or even a person. They also tend to take the massive explosion at the end of an animation like a man, then bounce along the ground and blow up from the inside. It's particularly funny when something gets cut in half with a BFS, slides BACK TOGETHER, and then just blows up.
** Later versions added Dynamic Kills for just this reason: killing enemies with certain attacks causes them to use different death animations, such as "not sliding back together when killed with a massive sword."
** Likewise in ''ShiningForce''; they get the standard dissolve in the battle sequence, and then on the map they'll spin around and explode. Possibly even more bizarre, since mostly what's causing this to happen is swords and axes, applied to (generally) flesh and blood creatures. And if you kill a boss, then all the mooks explode. AWizardDidIt, I guess.
* Several ''TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' games have Foot Soldiers and other enemies explode, often a second or so after defeat.
** {{Handwave}}d by the fact that the earlier games were based off of the [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 1980s cartoon]]. As of such, due to NeverSayDie, Foot Soldiers were [[AdaptationDecay demoted]] from an elite squad of ninjas into [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot ninja]] ''[[NinjaPirateZombieRobot robots]]''
* ''GoldenEye 007'' takes this trope to the logical extreme: everything explodes if shot a few times. This includes model helicopters, television screens, computers, security cameras, wooden crates, and even [[DieChairDie chairs]]. Note that explosions tend to set off nasty chain reactions in this game: A few stray shots in a room filled with computers can kill everyone in the room. This makes the penultimate "official" level [[FakeDifficulty annoyingly difficult]], as civilian personnel (whom you're not allowed to kill) operate the sensitive terminals you're assigned to destroy, meaning you have to scare them off lest they be killed in the ensuing explosions.
** Don't even get me started on the Archives level, where nearly each room is filled with cardboard boxes and filing cabinets with almost the entire world's supply of explodium inside them.
** Unfortunately, the statues in Statue Park do ''not'' explode, but it would have been cathartic to watch Lenin's [[YourHeadASplode head explode]].
** The list above only skirts on the absurdity: ''blueprints'' and ''keycards'' will cheerfully explode if handled correctly.
** Take a gun, stand very close to a wall, fire a shot while zoomed in as far as possible, and look very carefully. That's right; all bullets in the game cause really tiny explosions. I guess they saved time when making the game by only creating damage routines for explosive weapons, and then making *everything* an explosive weapon.
* The original (1998) ''SiN'' game also had furniture and electronics that explode violently (with visible shockwaves) when hit.
* ''FightingForce 2'' does the same thing, but it only requires Hawk Manson's fists to make things such as computers, soda machines, tanks, and even ''file cabinets''. Yeah...[[Comicbook/{{Doom}} he's a man-and-a-half]].
* And then there's ''LegoStarWars'', where if you can't blow something up by using a blaster or a lightsaber, you can by using the force on it. What's even more amusing is that the most common explosives are ''houseplants''. Seriously.
** All of Traveller's Tales' LEGO games use this trope in overkill terms. If anything, the original LSW is almost sparing in the stuff that can be blown up with little more than a few punches.
** There's also and extra that you can buy for Droids that makes them self-destruct when you press the X button. It's the same power as a thermal detonator. HilarityEnsues.
* Any enemy that is a machine of some type in ''GunstarHeroes''. That Includes the Mecha-Mooks
* In ''Game/EvilGenius'', any object that catches fire will take damage continuously. After it takes enough damage, it explodes. This means any object in your base, even bunk beds and lockers, will explode and cause everything around them to catch on fire, leading to some humorous situations in, say, a room filled with bunk beds. True story.
** Even the ''fire extinguishers'' explode. I once had my entire base burn to the ground because of an exploding fire entinguisher.
* ''MetalGearSolid 3'' features a somewhat bizarre variant: all of the boss characters, upon being defeated, will give their few last words before suddenly exploding violently. An explanation is provided that they all had bombs implanted in their bodies to prevent their remains from falling into the wrong hands should they be killed in action.
** This does not explain, however, the reasoning behind The Fear's explosion showering the entire area in hundreds upon hundreds of arrows, which appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Did he even carry a quiver?
*** The burning-away of the FROGS in MGS4 is even more nonsensical, and it happens to them ALL. [[AWizardDidIt LOL NANOMACHINES]].
* Similar reasons and effects for ''DeusEx''. Any MIB or augmented agent will explode violently leaving behind gory gibs, so as to prevent anybody else from taking them apart and studying their augmentations. Luckily, in the sequel they just dissolve into a cloud of poison gas instead.
** In the sequel, only KnightsTemplar powered armor suits explode, along with mechs is shot and destroyed (disabling them with EMP will avert that though). This can add some FakeDifficulty in some areas with cameras: gunfire won't set off the alarm, however, shooting the camera until it explodes with the force of a grenade will.
** I'm pretty sure the main reason the [=MIBs=] explode is to obliterate any evidence of their origins. It's hard to identify someone as a member of a secret organization if they look like leftovers from a slaughterhouse.
* In ''MassEffect'', using cryo or snowblind ammunition on an opponent causes their corpse to ice over, and then, a few seconds later, it shatters with a rather ''un''-shattery ''"boom!"''
* Really, explosions are just a surprisingly kid-friendly way to get rid of enemies in a game. Most of the enemies from games like ''LegendOfZelda'' explode cartoonishly when killed, [[SuperMarioBros Mario]] monsters tend to burst away in a puff of smoke, etc.
** Of course, there are some enemies that actually explode and deal damage - Bomb-ombs [[IncrediblyLamePun burst]] to mind, both in [[SuperMarioBros Mario]] games and TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening.
* Some ''[=~Pokémon~=]'' are made of explodium and, particularly in the wild, [[ActionBomb exploding without a moment's notice]]. These Pokémon suffer no more than unconsciousness after going boom.
* Ever wanted your own [[ActionBomb army of exploding troops?]] Exploding troops that happen to be [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins penguins]]? Well, [[{{Disgaea}} why didn't you say so before]], [[VerbalTic dood?]]
* All three ''[[{{Earthbound}} Mother]]'' games feature [[ActionBomb exploding enemies]] -- mostly robots, but then you get to the trees. Yes, you read that correctly. ''Exploding trees.'' (one even illustrates this page) The worst offenders are the Territorial Oaks found in ''{{Earthbound}}'''s Peaceful Rest Valley, which appear remarkably similar to the other trees in the landscape (aside from the fact that they're, well, ''moving'').
** Any enemy that explodes in ''EarthBound'' sucks except the smiling orbs (but those are still pretty bad). They all hurt when you fight them, so you can either kill them last and have them hurt your party, or kill them first and suffer the explosion. But this Troper thinks the worst offender is the robots that heal HP. So now you really have to decide which one to kill first.
* Two-for-one deal in ''PhantasyStar'' Universe; the MMO takes after many console {{[=RPGs=]}} in that non-boss enemies and monsters killed undergo CriticalExistenceFailure -- ''literally.'' Creatures explode in a puff of green smoke (with a satisfying "thoomp") unless they're SEED-forms, which gives you grape-flavored demise. It's the robot Guard Machines that embody this trope, though; once killed, they go haywire and ''explode violently''. It's kinda like dealing with those Territorial Oaks mentioned above; exploding robots '''''hurt''''' in this game!
** Despite being about to experience critical existence failures, the robots are nice enough to spin their heads around and beep wildly before exploding; giving you time to get clear.
* Just about everything in ''MetalWolfChaos''. Hell, even ''concrete'' explodes when shot at.
* Everything in ''{{Worms}}'' explodes. ''EVERYTHING''. Sheep, cows, birds, your (grand)mom, crates (especially ones with sheep in them), and so on.
** ''Health'' crates explode. If someone's unwell worm doesn't quite reach one within its turn, blowing it up is a hilarious way to finish them off.
* Most everything Terran in ''StarCraft'', except for people, unless you count their meaty corpses, too. For that matter, everything Zerg is a bag of blood and chitin, and everything Protoss is made of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/Magic_smoke Magic Smoke]].
** If possible, played even straighter with the Zerg Scourge in the original, flying units that cost the same as a Zergling and exist for the sole purpose of crashing into enemy flying units, exploding on contact, and the Zerg Banelings in the sequel, which are like the Scourge but ground-based and so bloated with explodium that they ''roll'' into targets and explode on contact.
* In ''{{Diablo II}}'', a Necromancer can make an enemy's corpse explode. This usually creates more corpses, leading to a chain reaction of exploding flesh. Somehow, the Assassin is able to mimic this with ''non-magical'' devices.
* The GBA RPG ''{{Robopon}} 2'' is a shining example of this trope: everything in this game explodes, from the boat that the hero uses in the prologue to the time machines that a mad scientist is forced to recreate over and over because, you guessed it, they keep exploding. One whole chapter of this game focuses around a construction company that blackmails people into paying protection fees - anyone who doesn't pay gets their house exploded. Let's not also forget that Robopon, the game's fighting robots, explode upon being defeated.
* ''{{City of Heroes}}'' has the classical ExplodingBarrels to start with, which are somewhat normal if not logical. Then there are exploding robots. Not too much of a problem there, although when the basic robots blow up while the ones armed with explosive missiles and powered by fusion reactors don't go boom, there's a bit of [[FridgeLogic head scratching]] to go around. Then you run into mission objects like the Explosive Desk OfDoom. It's even worse in Mayhem Missions, where villains are rewarded for destroying street-level objects, including newspaper stands, [[EveryCarIsAPinto cars]], trash cans, parking meters, SWAT vans, fire hydrants, and cardboard boxes. All of these explode, regardless of what particular power used to destroy them; freezing or slicing cardboard boxes cause the same pattern of scattered pieces as hitting them with a rocket. Most explode remarkably violently. This can lead to some interesting chain reactions, as the nuked police department [[EveryCarIsAPinto car]] ignites a trio of [[EveryCarIsAPinto other nearby cars]], each of which blow up a few seconds later and destroying nearby cardboard and metal crates, all of which simultaneously explode a short time later.
* The 2006 ''SonicTheHedgehog'' game has several amusing examples of this; notably, at one point in the infamous LetsPlay of the game, the player attempts to ride a speedboat up a wooden incline (the aerial speedboat is hardly a new gimmick in games, after all). Upon hitting the water again, the speedboat promptly explodes for no given reason. One could also argue that every last one of Robotnik's machines is MadeOfExplodium, for obvious reasons.
** Even more baffling is the sequence where the player has to destroy a train while chasing it with a machine gun equipped motorcycle... and at least TWICE during said LetsPlay the motorcycle explodes for ''no apparent reason''.
* Quite a few ''Mario'' objects explode for various reasons, such as robots and airships, but for some unknown reason, KINGFIN (underwater shark [[DemBones skeleton]]) explodes into about three million pieces after being defeated in a rather overly dramatic way.
* In ''StarWars: RogueSquadron'', pretty much everything will explode if shot. Of particular note are the Stormtroopers and civilians found in some levels- if you manage to shoot them, they explode with a burst of flame and a rather pathetic scream.
* In ''GrimFandango'', the solution to one puzzle depends on the fact that ''packing foam'' is highly combustible. Packing foam used to ship ''people''. (They're skeletons and thus don't breathe, but they'd still be more than a bit inconvenienced by catching fire or being blown up.)
** In an example of good game design, you find out about this early on, when a character working with some of the stuff and a machine has a mechanical problem and catches fire. If you haven't grabbed the fire extinguisher by now, you automatically run over and grab it; either way, he stops you and beats out the fire himself, because some of the contents of the fire extinguisher are what catalyze the explosion.
* Starting with ''FinalFantasyVIII'', every single boss monster has their own special explosion animation, ranging from dissolving into pieces to outright giant explosions -- all for no reason at all other than [[CriticalExistenceFailure the fact that they've run out of HP.]]
* Pretty much any enemy (human or not) in the ''Contra'' series.
* In ''{{Fallout}} 3'', the 200-year-old decaying cars littering the landscape do not merely explode when hit by enough stray (or deliberate) fire. Oh no. They go up in a massive mushroom cloud that shakes the scenery, which not only destroys everything nearby but ''irradiates the area'' for a short while afterwords. [[{{Zeerust}} Presumably, cars just before the apocalyptic war were nuclear-powered]].
** AllThereInTheManual: They ''were''.
** Try having a firefight in a crowded parking lot. Or not, because it'll last about 10 seconds until everyone is dead. One has to wonder what a car wreck on a crowded highway was like in Fallout world.
*** A certain area has a fort made of old cars piled upon one another. Raiders spawn there. The resulting gunfight can be more than lethal.
*** This troper obliterated an entire Raider camp with one sniper rifle shot. The Raiders had set up shop in an abandoned Drive-In movie theater clogged with car wrecks. The ensuing chain reaction was ''very'' satisfying.
**** [[FridgeLogic Why do '''burnt out''' cars explode?]] (The original two Fallouts did not have this problem.)
* The Commanders from ''TotalAnnihilation'' take a beating, sure, but they still go BOOM. Violently. And in multiplayer, you'll more than likely be wiped clean off the map (stupid Game Ends setting).
** In multiplayer where the only victory comes as Total Annihiliation of the other side, yes, abusing this is a good backup in case you're gonna make a last ditch effort and just lost the Kbot facilities, meaning no more suicidal spiders. Simply load your commander onto a carryall and park it in the center of the enemy base.
** SpiritualSuccessor ''SupremeCommander'' continues the proud tradition, with Armoured Command Units going down in a massive nuclear blast. Possibly [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by the fact they're the size of a ten-storey building and nuclear-powered in the first place.
* The pyroroamers in ''{{Geneforge}}''. They blow up when they die. And since they are so weak and usually travel in packs, it's easy to start a chain reaction.
** Also note that ''any'' power spiral is capable of "amazing pyrotechnics" if you so much as shut it down improperly. This is actually [[LampShade lampshaded]] in the fourth game.
* Every vehicle in ''TotalOverdose: A Gunslinger's Tale in Mexico'' has some cinema-realistic level of resistance to damage from collision. But leaping from that vehicle instantly transforms it into Explodium, a rolling missile that will impact with great balls of fire. Even if that vehicle is coasting along at a crawl and nudges into an obstruction with all the force of a kitten, it will go '''boom'''.
* In the shooting gallery level in ''CallOfDuty World at War'', shooting at the bridge of enemy merchant vessels will cause them to blow up just as spectacularily as the fuel tanks on the deck. In the tank level, shooting through the firing slits of bunkers several will cause them to blow up, though there is no evidence of anything explosive stashed inside.
** In a humorous nod (or is it?) to this trope, in ''CallofDuty 4'', there's a cheat called "Bad Year", in which all enemies, when killed [[spoiler:explode in a shower of tires]]. This is best served in a mission where you can kill a lot of enemies without suffering much return fire.
* The online RPG ''{{Mechquest}}'', do Mechs simply fall over when beaten? Oh no, they just have to ''explode'' instead! [[ThisIsSparta Every. Single. One of them.]]
** ''Almost'' every one. Some of the pirate mechs just kneel down. But hey, it's [[RuleOfCool cool]].
** They will sometimes explode for the most illogical of reasons, such as HURT FEELINGS. No joke.
* In ''NeverwinterNights'', if one sets the violence setting high, when you over-kill an enemy (i.e. your KB's either a crit or just that damn awesome) they will [[LudicrousGibs explode in a rain of guts and body parts.]]
* In SEGA game ''TheStoryOfThor'', at one point you can get your fire spirit to attack a small iceberg. It hits it until the iceberg explodes.
* Any destroyed vehicle in ''{{Warhawk}}'' explodes in an impressive fireball. Even if it was from being beaten with a wrench. If left unattended long enough, vehicles will spontaneously explode and respawn.
* Almost every enemy in ''DynamiteHeaddy'' dies with a rather high-pitched explosion. The bosses make huge explosions with lots of bouncing debris when you beat them. Collect enough of the debris, and you get a continue. Sure, why not?
* Bosses in ''Secret of Evermore'' explode extensively when they die, no matter what they are. This includes bosses half-submurged in water, such as the giant squid and swamp snake. One of the bosses, Aegis, even explodes ''before'' the fight, then ''again'' after.
* As a variation, in the survival horror game ''Shadowman'' for the N64 and PSX, everything explodes into bloody chunks, including ''rocks''. How a gun that shoots spirit energy can damage a rock in the first place is a different mystery.
* Virtually all vehicles in ''GrandTheftAuto'' will explode if they take enough damage, and a single bullet to the fuel cap will blow one up instantly. Even mobile staircases at airports will burst into flame if they are pushed over.
* In ''[=~inFamous~=]'', you can use your superpowers to make ''grenades made of electricity. As well as missiles.'' It's never explained how this works, but it's too awesome to worry about.
* In ''[[RatchetAndClank Ratchet & Clank]]'', Need I say more? Almost anything can explode: Lamp posts? Rocks? Iinflatable dolls? Why not mushrooms and small critters? You name it, there is even an upgrade that lets you create a ground slam that causes all the breakable objects around you to explode!
* Just about anything can be set ablaze in ''Garry's Mod''. Burning wooden objects don't char, though; they take damage and blow up after a few seconds. And the splinters continue to burn for a short while longer.
* In ''Total Carnage'', the goal is to capture the BigBad for an execution by electric chair. If you succeed, you get the satisfaction of pumping him with 60000 gigawatts of electricity, at which point he explodes about a hundred times in many beautiful colours, leaving only a charred skeleton and a TitleDrop by the game's voiceover.
* Every single boss in ''SkiesOfArcadia'' goes up in a fiery explosion after you defeat it. For the ship battles, this makes some sense. But when it's a giant hollow Jello monster filled with poison with skulls floating around in it? Or what appears to be a gigantic evil toucan? ''They explode about as violently as the ships do.''
*Let's not forget about '''SplosionMan''. A [[strike: person]] [[strike: thing]] 'splosion man practically made out of pure "splodium".
*In the '''Crusader''' games, pretty much every bit of decoration can explode. The funny thing is, computers can still work even after being blow into pieces!
*''WaynesWorld'' (SNES/Genesis): Any enemy that Wayne kills with his guitar are destroyed in a fiery explosion.
* In the {{Touhou}} game ''Shoot The Bullet'', once Aya has taken the requisite number of successful pictures, the enemy character suddenly explodes for no obvious reason.
*A common cause of death for newbies in NetHack is the gas spore, an otherwise relatively unthreatening enemy that explodes upon being killed.
*In the [[{{Mulan}} Land of Dragons]] in ''KingdomHeartsII'', one of the [[{{NPC}} NPCs]] randomly mentions that the tents in their encampment are filled with explosives. Which would explain why they explode when you hit them with a [[ImprobableWeaponUser giant key]]. Well... [[FridgeLogic maybe not]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* In ''HomestarRunner'', The Cheat's head is made of Explodium. It frequently blows up, in response to just about anything -- including Strong Mad standing near him and eating rocks. In one cartoon, they even use The Cheat in place of Fourth of July fireworks!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* In ''GunnerkriggCourt'', inside Dr. Disaster's space battle [[HardLight simulator]], the Enigmarons' DeathRay explodes when Antimony knocks it over. Of course, by this point it was already established that realism was the last thing on Dr. Disaster's mind when he designed the simulation.
* In [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff600/fv00541.htm This]] ''{{Freefall}}'' strip, Florence knows there's no logical reason for a desk chair to explode, but she decides to play it safe anyway because it belong to Sam Starfall.
* Spoofed in ''[=~8-Bit Theater~=]'': after blowing up icebergs with magic, Black Mage stabs another iceberg to get it out of the way... [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/01/18/episode-504-tis-a-good-question/ guess what happens]]? [[spoiler:(BM even lampshades: "Why would it explode?!")]]
* ''{{Adventurers}}!'' has the enemy named "Bombat" which explodes as soon as the heroes encounter it.
* In ''DominicDeegan'', '''{{soul}}s''' are MadeOfExplodium.
* ''{{DragonTails}}'': Bluey describes [[http://www.dragon-tails.com/comics/archive.php?date=010911 helicopters]] as being this way. For that matter, most things made or modified by the aforementioned Bluey qualifies.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* [[EveryCarIsAPinto Cars]] and [[YourHeadAsplode heads]] (the collars, so [[JustifiedTrope Justified]]) are included in ''{{Survival of the Fittest}}''. In the case of the exploding car, this causes an entire ''building'' to go up in a huge fireball too.
* In an [[http://choices.deviantart.com/gallery/#The-Cure OCT on Deviantart,]] one character encounters an [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Explodes After Large Impact Tree.]] They're extinct now. I hope they didn't cure cancer.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''FamilyGuy'': Meg gets in a drag race with an amish. When his carriage and horse go off a cliff, the carriage explodes. A second later, so does the horse.
* In ''AquaTeenHungerForce'', anything and everything explodes when thrown on the ground.
** Specifically when thrown by Shake.
** The Aqua Teen's television explodes in every episode.
* Pretty much everything in ''TheSimpsons'' is MadeOfExplodium.
** Taken to ridiculous lengths when a car the Simpsons had recently bought in winter lost control on the ice. The Simpsons bailed out only to watch the car skid into the middle of a frozen lake, break through the ice and sink into the water, and then ''explode'', raining fiery fragments down onto them.
--->'''Homer:''' Aww, I '''knew''' this would happen!
** This troper's favorite was when the driver of a tanker truck had to swerve to avoid something, the truck slid, tumbled end over end, and finally exploded in a huge fireball. The side of the truck had ''MILK'' painted on it in huge letters.
** And don't forget Chief Wiggum (dressed as a beer stein) and a (the?) flying nun.
** Not quite an explosion, but after setting a cooked breakfast alight, Homer makes Mr Burns some cereal, [[EpicFail and it too bursts into flames]].
** Similarly, this troper seems to recall such things as tipped over lawn chairs and tricycles bursting into flames for no apparent reason.
** There's also the episode with the monorail. Homer uses a giant letter M as an anchor and it tears Springfield oldest tree apart, sending it falling right on top of the log cabin where Jebediah Springfield was born, and it explodes.
** Hans Moleman's car is run off the road in one episode, and rolls down a hill towards a tree. The car stops several feet short of the tree. Before exploding.
** In another episode, Bart plays a prank on Homer by putting his can of beer in a paint shaker and putting it back into the refrigerator (as it is still shaking). When Homer opens the can, it detonates in a Springfield-sized mushroom cloud.
--->'''Bart:''' April f-- ''(an explosion of beer blasts out of the windows and chimney of the Simpsons' house and takes the shape of a mushroom cloud)''\\
''(Lou and Chief Wiggum stop the police car)''\\
'''Lou:''' That sounded like an explosion at the old Simpson place.\\
'''Chief Wiggum:''' Forget it. That's two blocks away.\\
'''Lou:''' Looks like there's beer coming out of the chimney.\\
'''Chief Wiggum:''' I am procceding on foot. Call in a Code 8.\\
'''Lou:''' ''(into radio)'' We need prezels. Repeat, prezels.
* In one episode of ''{{Futurama}}'', Doctor Zoidberg tries to re-coil a slinky after Bender has straightened it into a straight wire. It goes down two steps, falls over and then [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/uncyclopedia/images/2/29/Zoidberg.gif bursts into flame]].
** In another episode, Zoidberg claims a giant conch shell on the bottom of the ocean as his home. Later in the episode they return to it to find it's burned down, leaving only a charred framework. "How could this happen?" Zoidberg laments, to which Hermes responds "That's a very good question." Then Bender discovers his still-burning cigar in the ruins, picking it up and taking a hearty puff. "That just raises ''further'' questions!" Hermes objects.
* Robots in ''{{Gargoyles}}'' seem to suffer a violent catastrophic failure when defeated.
* As do the robots that ''SamuraiJack'' destroys.
* In [[http://youtube.com/watch?v=1XzhSuPt0TU this short]] from ''TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' a truck carrying a giant ''pillow'' blows up when shot with ''custard''.
** Who could forget the cinema classic, ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htUJM9dHtIU Exploding Penguins 3: Total Annilation]]''?
* While ''StarWars'' certainly has its share of explosions, in ''[[StarWarsCloneWars Star Wars: Clone Wars]]'', all machines are somehow ''even more'' combustible. For example, the battle droids would just fall over or fall apart in the films; in the cartoon, they light up like Life Day fireworks.
* On one episode of ''[=~SpongeBob SquarePants~=]'', Squidward explodes after falling down a cliff on his ''bicycle''. And mind you, this is taking place ''underwater!''
** Pretty much everything that falls or flies a great distance on that show will usually cause an explosion of sorts.
* Obligatory ''{{Avatar the Last Airbender}}'' example: The minor third-season antagonist "Combustion Man" had the defined power that he could blow ''anything'' up ''with his mind''. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnIa1-dzmoE A well-aimed boomerang,]] however, [[YourHeadAsplode gives him a taste right back.]]
* The ''{{Rambo}}'' cartoon has Rambo racing to stop a pipe from burning away like a fuse and making the fuel tanker it's connected to explode. He brandishes his knife and tosses it, slicing the pipe off at the source. Crisis averted, it seems... but that's not good enough for Rambo. He runs over and throws the remains of the pipe up into the air where -- you guessed it -- ''it explodes''.
** How do you cut a pipe with a knife?
*** You've never seen one of those infomercials advertising knives that can cut through pipe, concrete and ceramic tile, and still be sharp enough afterward to cut through a tomato without turning it into pulp?
*** Also, he wouldn't be military WITHOUT one.
* ''CodeLyoko'': Any of XANA's virtual monster, when critically hit, explodes either in robot debris, LudicrousGibs or plain light (with the exception of the Kolossus). Note, though, that monsters materialized in the real world don't explode.
* "MichaelBay [[RobotChicken presents]]: '''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRS90V8BQGo EXPLOSIONS!]]'''"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Eucalyptus Trees. They're filled with highly-flammable oil, and can literally EXPLODE in bushfires. SoYeah, in the LandDownunder, even the ''trees'' can [[EverythingIsTryingToKillYou kill you]].
** Of course, if it's a tree that gets you, you've been ''lucky''.
* Any form of organic dust will explode if mixed with enough air. Therefore mills of all kinds, especially the old-timey ones that use stones, are made of explodium.
** Submitted for your consideration -- next time you put a spoonful of sugar on your cereal, [[http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/ogh/Dixie_Crystal_Plant_Explosion remember this story.]] The resulting fire melted 3 silos full of sugar into sugar magma that didn't solidify for weeks.
* Oil wells and coal mines may not explode, but they won't stop ''burning'' if set aflame. A certain coal mine has been on fire for over ten years.
** The coal mine fire in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centralia,_Pennsylvania Centralia, Pennsylvania]] has been active since the 60s, and will keep going at least another 200 years.
* Uranium and other radioactive materials may release deadly radiation or explode merely by having too much of it in the same place.
* Sodium will explode if placed on water. Potassium and other elements in the same periodic table column are even more reactive (except cesium, which sinks in water so fast the explosion is contained by its weight).
** Caesium is in fact more reactive, just not as explosive in water.
* There are entire families of chemicals that are so unstable they [[http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2009/03/18/things_i_wont_work_with_chalcogen_polyazides.php cannot be synthesized without blowing up the test apparatus]]. Or they blow up [[http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2009/01/07/things_i_wont_work_with_azidotetrazolate_salts.php soon after they're synthesized]]. When the procedure recommends using teflon and stainless steel apparatus to minimise shrapnel -- that's Explodium.
** Indeed, most of the "Things I Won't Work With" are explodium of various kinds.
*** Or make other things explodium: [[http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2008/02/26/sand_wont_save_you_this_time.php Chlorine trifluoride]] sets such things as sand, water, concrete, and ''asbestos'' on fire.
* Imagine a factory that makes rocket fuel. Imagine the entire facility coated in highly unstable, incredibly dangerous powdered fuel due to lax safety protocols. Imagine this facility also stockpiling said rocket fuel from floor to ceiling. And then imagine somebody firing up a blowtorch in this same facility. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: [[http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=800 the PEPCON Disaster]]!
** Now, the same with a highly flammable fertilizer: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AZF AZF]].
** Then taken UpToEleven in Korea, with a train full of the same fertilizer colliding with a train full of fuel.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LZ_129_Hindenburg The Hindenburg zeppelin]]. Filling that thing with hydrogen was a ''very'' bad idea.
** As was coating it with solid rocket fuel.
* And while we're coating things in flammables, before decent paint became cheap, it was common to coat ships in pitch.
* [[http://www.cracked.com/article_17561_6-things-that-shouldnt-explode-but-did-anyway.html This Cracked.com article]] lists things that seemingly were made of explodium at some point, even an office chair!
*[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardier_beetle]] This beetle literaly farts out an explosive rocket fuel.
* Early examples of the Russian BMD-series (Infantry Fighting Vehicles designed to be dropped out of planes) had magnesium armor in order to save weight. This was abandoned after it was discovered that the vehicles had a tendency to catch fire when hit by RPGs.
* {{Antimatter}}.
[[/folder]]
----
<<|AppliedPhlebotinum|>>
<<|ComedyTropes|>>
<<|IndexOverdosed|>>
<<|RuleOfCool|>>
<<|{{Spectacle}}|>>
<<|ThisIndexIsOnFire|>>