History Main / FingerSnapLighter

-->-- Incinerate! plasmid advert, ''VideoGame/BioShock1''

* {{Inverted|Trope}} with in the ''ComicBook/XMen'' comics, who can control fire but not create it. In his first appearance in ''ComicBook/DaysOfFuturePast'', he pranks the Blob when the latter strikes a match to light his cigar, turning the tiny flame into fiery "monster".

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1492857531082604000
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.

Subtrope of BadassFingersnap.

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist's'' Colonel Mustang wears [[TrickedOutGloves gloves]] that spark when he snaps his fingers. Then he uses the alchemic circles woven into said gloves to decompose water in the air into hydrogen and oxygen then reignite as needed to turn the tiny spark into an inferno. While Mustang himself doesn't smoke, his squadmate Havoc does and will sometimes ask him for a light.

* Yubaba from ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' lights a cigarette this way while coolly threatening to roast Chihiro's parents-turned-to-pigs for her bathhouse guests' dinner.

* Alberto the Shockwave from ''Anime/GiantRobo'' likes to light his cigars this way.
* Mikoto Suoh, the Red King in ''Anime/{{K}}'' does this, for himself and for [[spoiler: the Blue King, when they have a discussion in the end]].

* Pyro does this often in the ''ComicBook/XMen'' comics and adaptations.
* In an issue of ''ComicBook/GrimJack'', Crane, a ConMan is contemplating the collapse of his latest scam when he asks a stranger in an alley for a light. The stranger was [[MeaningfulName Lord Chaos]] from the sister comic, ''Warp''.
* The Human Torch of the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' is also prone to this, and literally lit someone else's cigarette--to their great surprise--this way.
* In the graphic novel ''ComicBook/TheRedStar'', the soldiers consider it good luck for a sorceress to light their cigarettes this way.

* Jenny Sparks of ComicBook/TheAuthority does this fairly often in her mini-series and in the comic proper. Jenny Quantum starts when she starts smoking after her PlotRelevantAgeUp.
* After possessed Julie in ''ComicBook/DarkmanVsArmyOfDarkness'' resurrects Darkman's arch nemesis Durant, she lights his cigar by snapping her fingers.
* In ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'''s parody of ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'' [[note]] Harry Plodder's Gotta Retire[[/note]] ends with Hagrid joking about how the [[DawsonCasting actors are getting older than the characters they're playing]] and a stubbly Harry lighting a cigarette with his wand.

-->'''Bob''': On the plus side, we don't really ''need'' the map now.

* The demon Chernabog does this a few different ways in the ''Night on Bald Mountain'' sequence of Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'' while demonstrating his profane powers.

* Colwyn, a prince in the land of ''Film/{{Krull}}'' gains the power to throw fire from his hand after reuniting with Princess Lyssa. It begins as a small flame when he holds his hand upright.
* Egg does something similar when he lets a magical energy bolt play between his hands in ''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina.''
* The Judge from ''Film/FullContact'', in his first scene, uses his fingers to light a cigarette to impress a female store attendant. Right before stabbing her. Have we mentioned he's FauxAffablyEvil?

* In the film ''Film/Warlock1989'', the titular character does this a couple of times--from generating a green flame to heat up some food to creating red flames while performing a magical ritual.
* Done by Creator/LaurelAndHardy in ''Film/WayOutWest'' (1937; probably the [[TropeMakers Trope Maker]]). Stan ignites his thumb as if it were a cigarette lighter several times; each time, Ollie stares in disbelief and tries to copy him. And eventually it works for Ollie... who then reacts with horrified alarm.

* In ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum'', the protagonist Larry Daley [[BadassFingersnap is really fond of snapping his fingers]], up to the point that he even invented the Snapper, an electric switch which is similar to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clapper the Clapper]], but responds to the sound of finger-snapping.
* The Devil was fond of this one in ''[[Film/OhGod Oh God! You Devil]]''.

* Gandalf uses this to light his pipe in the film version of ''Film/TheHobbit''.
* ''Film/JusticeLeague2017'' ends with The Flash and Superman challenging each other to a race to the Pacific, with the Flash snapping his fingers and using static electricity to set off firecrackers heralding the race's start.
* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] by Pyro in the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries''. He can control but not conjure flames, so he always keeps an actual cigarette lighter handy.
* Harley Quinn asks Diablo if he's ever done this for a girl in ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'', saying how romantic it would be but Diablo has no interest as [[spoiler: he accidentally burned the only people he ever loved to death.]]
* The Fire Gang from ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' can light their fingers by striking them like matches.
* ''Film/TheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney'': At the beginning of the movie, Gandalf lights his pipe with a small flame he makes appear in his hand. He later uses the same effect toward the climax to set pine cones on fire, throwing them at the wargs.
* In ''Film/SkyHigh2005'', Warren does this to light a candle during a date with Layla.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', when Lupin is first seen conscious, he's got a little fireball thing in his hand, as the Dementors have made all the lights in the train go out. It's apparently not much of a big deal; he's just a pretty good wizard... Or rather, it wouldn't be a big deal if he had had his wand. He didn't, and that makes it much more impressive.

* This trope is used by both Valentin Ivashchenko and Iar Elterrus in their respective fantasy settings - almost every mage will light a cigar, a pipe or a bonfire in this manner. As the MagicAIsMagicA rule prohibits some mages from casting fire spells, e.g. sea-wizards (limited to water and weather magic) and necromancers, any mage pulling this off is about to mess with specialization.
* At one point in the ''Literature/TwilightWatch'' series, an enraged Anton Gorodetsky subconsciously forms a fireball in his hands while attempting to cook a bowl of rice. He winds up incinerating the bowl because he already had the spell readied.
* ''Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant'': It's how [[ElementalPowers Elementals]] cast fireballs; they take the friction from the finger snap, add magic, then fireball.
* Archivist Lindhorst from ''[[Creator/ETAHoffmann The Golden Pot]]'' once lit a few pipes that way.
* Creating a small flame in his hand is one of [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]]'s nastier spells, which he uses to terrorize people whom he feels deserve it. He also has a spell for igniting the candles and/or fireplace in his apartment, which he activates with the incantation "[[CanisLatinicus Flicum Bicus]]".
* Elliot does this for Quentin the first time they meet in ''Literature/TheMagicians''.
* Luke lights Astrid's cigarette this way in ''Literature/EightDaysOfLuke''.

* In ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' demons do this ''a lot''. In fact, one episode with Barbas the fear demon had his powers amplified, then depowered without knowing it. His look of utter confusion at not being able to conjure up a fireball this way was priceless.
* Ted Sprague and Meredith Gordon from ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' both do this. (Meredith does it so much that fans nicknamed her "Flamepalm".)
* ''Series/TheXFiles'': The episode "[[Recap/TheXFilesS01E12Fire Fire]]" has a pyrokinetic villain who sets fire on his fingers in order to impress two kids and mess around with a young woman at a bar.
* Kryten the android lights a cigar with a flame from his index finger in the ''Series/RedDwarf'' episode "Bodyswap". This was apparently a difficult and uncomfortable trick for the actor to achieve, involving pipes and cables running across the floor and up through the costume--and not made any easier or more comfortable by the fact that the script called for him to be knee-deep in water at the time. The scene was then deleted from the finished episode, therefore making all the effort and suffering for nothing. To further add insult to injury, the footage has since gone missing and was unable to be included on the DVD.

* Referenced in the opening sequence of ''Series/ImprovHeavenAndHell''--one of the hosts (Canadian improv duo "The Devil's Advocates") demonstrated his ability to do this to light his cigarette; the other tried several times unsuccessfully, even going so far as to stick his hand in an open flame, only to finally succeed and set his whole arm alight. The first host grins at the camera and displays a small lighter hidden in his palm.
* A VillainOfTheWeek on ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' does this using electricity powers to light his cigarette whilst holding the Kents hostage.

** In the final scene of "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E88TheLastRitesOfJeffMyrtlebank The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank]]", the title character demonstrates this ability when he lights a match without striking it. He tells his fiancée Comfort Gatewood that it was just her imagination.
** In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS4E111PrintersDevil Printer's Devil]]", Mr. Smith, being the Devil, has the ability to create fire. He snaps his fingers to light his cigar while Douglas Winter isn't looking.
* Grandpa does a variation of this on ''Series/TheMunsters''; he uses his index finger to light cigars.
* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': In "The Last Defender of Camelot", Morgan le Fay snaps her fingers to light her cigarette after Lancelot refuses to do so, telling her that chivalry is dead.
* The mundane version (see Real Life) gets subverted as a RunningGag on ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'' -- hapless {{stage magician}} Gob tries to do it to impress people but always screws it up, usually just spraying them with lighter fluid.
-->'''Gob:''' ...but where did the lighter fluid come from?

* Shiva's top left hand as a symbol of cosmic destruction is depicted as doing this when Shiva is portrayed as Nataraja (Lord of Dance). Shiva Nataraja is also wreathed in an [[PowerGlow aura of flame]] for the same reason.
* The Archangel Uriel is frequently depicted holding a flame in his left hand.
* In folklore of the Hawaiian Islands, the goddess Pele sometimes masquerades as a humble hitchhiker who only asks for a ride up the mountain, and asks for a cigarette. She then lights the cigarette with a snap of her fingers -- and vanishes.

[[folder: Theater]]
* In ''Theatre/DamnYankees'', pulling a lit cigarette out of the air is the easiest trick the Devil can pull off, which rather annoys him as he's trying to give up smoking.

* Used as various intro and victory poses for Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami of ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'', in both finger-snap (Kyo only) and open-palm flavors. Orochi Chris, Kyo's EvilCounterpart from the Orochi Team in ''[='97=]'', also performs a open palm variant with both hands for his intro, which is copied by Ash Crimson in his ''[[AlternateContinuity Maximum Impact]] [[UpdatedRerelease Regulation "A"]]'' pre-fight exchange with Kyo as a MythologyGag.
* Used in adverts for the Incinerate! Plasmid in ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}''. In fact, both Jack and Subject Delta snap their fingers when you use the plasmid. So truth in advertising!
** In the ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'' DLC game "Burial At Sea: Part 1", Booker [=DeWitt=] uses this ability to light up Elizabeth's cigarette.
* Axel does this occasionally in ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' sometimes independently and sometimes as a part of summoning his weapon. The most notable example is in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories Chain of Memories]]'' when [[IncendiaryExponent he does this to]] [[spoiler:poor Vexen]], who more or less explodes on contact (being [[spoiler:[[LogicalWeakness an ice-user]]]]). [[PreMortemOneLiner "You're off the hook."]] [[note]]"Goodbye." in ''Re:Chain of Memories''.[[/note]] *snap*
* Mario and Luigi in ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]''.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'', Drebin lights Snake's last cigarette on the Missouri with his fingers. He was shown to be into stage magic earlier (making an apple disappear and replacing it with a grenade), so he most likely pulled it off with a lighter-cloth glove.
** Professor Galvez in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'' has a mechanical hand with a lighter in the thumb. Much later, he loses it, and Big Boss is seen using the hand as a cigar lighter since his regular lighter doesn't work.
* In [[ScaryBlackMan Rodin's]] intro in ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'', he lights one of Enzo's cigars from a blue flame sprouted from his thumb.
* In ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'', Matsunaga Hisahide's fighting style is based completely around [[HavingABlast explosions]] and as such, he makes common use of this trope. The glove on his left hand is fitted with special claws that produce a spark when he snaps his fingers, igniting the gunpowder he throws about.
* [[PlayerCharacter Mage!Hawke]] of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' can use this in conversation to prove his/her magical ability.
** ''[[VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins Origins]]'' and its expansions have all the NPC mages adopt variants of this pose as their 'active' stance in the party menu.

* Sasha Nein can do this in ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', utilizing his PsychicPowers to do so.
* Bugs Bunny does it in ''Lost in Time''. Merlin the sorcerer doesn't seem very happy at being shown a trick he can't do himself.
* Fan depictions of Fujiwara no Mokou from ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' often show her lighting cigarettes in this manner.
* Pyromancers in ''VideoGame/TreeOfSavior'' do this when casting Flare, which causes affected targets to explode into flames.
* Celica of ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia]]'' snaps her fingers to conjure the hovering ball of fire that follows her around as a torch for her DungeonCrawling.

* ''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'': In "Seeing Stars", when Loona has trouble with her lighter, Octavia snaps her fingers to create a small flame to light her cigarette.

%%* Arcane casters are always drawn this way in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' -- and in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' manuals, for that matter.
%%* ''Webcomic/LookingForGroup'''s Richard has been known to do this.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Overside}}'' The One Electronic (and possibly his brothers) has a power to make sparks with a snap of his fingers. In combat, it comes across more as ShockAndAwe, but he mostly uses this power to light fires.

* Danny does this in ''Webcomic/{{Sorcery 101}}''. When [[LampshadeHanging it's pointed out that it would be easier to use a lighter]], he more or less responds "Yeah, but it looks cool".
* When Mischief of ''Webcomic/UnknownLands'' [[http://unknownlands.thecomicseries.com/comics/80/ lights Vard's cig with a snap]] Vard puts it out and gets a new one. '''''Warning:''' linked page is safe but comic is NSFW.''

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', the firebenders do this ''all the time''.
** Iroh used this in lighting some incense candles. In ''Film/TheLastAirbender's'' film trailers he is seen doing something similar with fire on the back of his hand.
* In SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'',
** In "Welcome to Republic City" the Firebender of a PowerTrio of gangsters pulls this to back up [[ShameIfSomethingHappened his boss's threat]] against a shopkeeper who was behind on his protection money.
** In "The Voice in the Night" after Korra challenges Amon to a duel and [[spoiler:is ambushed]], she uses a ball of fire in her palm to verify that [[spoiler:Amon did not take her bending away.]]
** When Korra is kidnapped by [[spoiler:Tarrlok, who frames]] the Equalists, Mako pins a Mook to the wall and lights his hand while demanding to know where she is.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/HeckleAndJeckle'' cartoon ''The Power Of Thought,'' Heckle and Jeckle demonstrate this to the bulldog cop in showing how anything is possible in a cartoon. When the cop tries it, his hand is caught on fire.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short "Knight-mare Hare", Bugs Bunny does the flaming thumb trick for a wizard, who tries in vain to do it.
** This joke is repeated in ''VideoGame/BugsBunnyLostInTime''.
* ''God'' does this as a ''bar trick'' in a CutawayGag in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', but His aim is off and He winds up burning his new lady friend.
* In the intro to ''The Bugs and Daffy Show'', Daffy Duck's increasingly desperate attempts to get the audience's attention eventually include frustratedly walking onto the stage as a magician, making a hoop appear, bringing up a lit [[FeatherFingers thumb]] to set it on fire, but before he does, gesturing at it while continuing to look at the audience, as if to say, "That's my thumb with the fire on it."

* Done by Creator/LaurelAndHardy in ''Film/WayOutWest'' (1937; probably the [[TropeMakers Trope Maker]]). Stan ignites his thumb as if it were a cigarette lighter several times; each time, Ollie stares in disbelief and tries to copy him. And eventually it works for Ollie, who reacts with horrified alarm.

* Alberto the Shockwave from ''Manga/GiantRobo'' likes to light his cigars this way.

* An early episode of ''Series/TheXFiles'' has a pyrokinetic villain who sets fire on his fingers in order to impress two kids and mess around with a young woman at a bar.