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Playing With / Chainsaw Good

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Basic Trope: A chainsaw is used as a weapon.

  • Straight: Upon being surrounded by zombies Bob pulls out a chainsaw to use as a melee weapon.
  • Exaggerated:
  • Downplayed: Bob uses the chainsaw in a fight against a fencepost. The chainsaw is effective.
  • Justified:
  • Inverted: A chainsaw is used as a shield.
  • Subverted:
    • Bob attempts to use a chainsaw in a fight, but it backfires and he accidentally decapitates himself.
    • Bob appears to be using a chainsaw as a weapon but this is only a diversion. As soon as his enemies close in for attack he tosses the chainsaw to the side and pulls out a gun.
  • Double Subverted: Bob does the above, but the enemy knocks the gun out of his hand, forcing him to use the chainsaw.
  • Parodied: Bob walks into a store to buy a chainsaw. The box with the chainsaw in it states that it’s great for cutting down trees, making firewood, trimming bushes, and killing zombies.
  • Zig-Zagged: Bob puts the chainsaw to great use, but it gets jammed with blood and guts at a critical moment. He cleans it and uses it again, but other characters point out that it's just not worth the trouble, convincing Bob to use a more conventional weapon. At the very end, Bob kills the Big Bad with the chainsaw anyway.
  • Averted: Upon being surrounded by zombies Bob pulls out a sword to use as a melee weapon.
  • Enforced: In an attempt to reboot a 1970s children's cartoon as a Darker and Edgier comic series, Lumberjack Bob starts using his chainsaw as a weapon against zombies who are ruining the ecosystem.
  • Lampshaded:
    Alice: Bob, there are hundreds of different reasons why that is an absurdly poor choice for a weapon.
    Bob: Alice, there are thousands of reasons why I don't care.
  • Invoked: Bob, a huge fan of zombie films, pulls out a chainsaw and proceeds to imitate various moves that he's seen in these films in order to dispatch his undead foes.
  • Exploited: The Big Bad grabs a large rock as Bob charges after him with a chainsaw and holds it up like a shield. The rock is hard enough to force the blade of Bob's chainsaw to kick back, throwing the moving blade dangerously close to Bob's neck and injuring him.
  • Defied: Bob reaches for a chainsaw, but someone points out that it’s not a effective weapon and instead instructs him to use a sword.
  • Discussed:
    • "Zombie outbreak? I'll bet Bob is going straight for the toolshed."
    • In a discussion with Alice, Bob suggests that a lumberjack would have a higher chance of survival in the event of a zombie invasion than the average person.
  • Conversed: "How does Bob carve through fifteen zombies without the blade ever getting stuck once?"
  • Implied: Our Ragtag Bunch of Misfits grab weapons to fight The Horde. Bob is the last one to take something. A chainsaw is the most potentially damaging thing within his field of view.
  • Deconstructed:
    • Bob uses a chainsaw but it turns out to be a horrible weapon. It’s too heavy and cumbersome to swing around with any effectiveness. Furthermore Bob could end up cutting himself if he is not careful. The chainsaw can also run out of fuel, leaving Bob without anything to fight with. Cranking the chainsaw to start it is slow and impractical and can take several tries, and using it in a fight is loud, meaning stealth is a non-option.
    • The chainsaw jams from too much zombie flesh and explodes in Bob's face. Or the chain breaks and hits Bob in the face.
    • Chainsaws, being too messy, can spread the zombie's blood and contaminants (virus, bacteria, chemicals, etc.) all over Bob, turning him into a zombie as well.
  • Reconstructed: Later, Bob gets a chainsaw made of Unobtainium. It’s lightweight, easy to use, and can never run out of gas. Bob also takes special training to learn how not to cut himself with the chainsaw blades.
  • Played for Laughs:
    • The zombies obligingly stand around while Bob tries to rev his chainsaw after it fails to start.
    • In a scientific paper, the chainsaw is noted to be one of the zombie's natural predators, along with the Sawn-Off Shotgun and maggots.
  • Played for Drama: Bob harms Alice and/or himself with the chainsaw.

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