History Main / FlareGun

** In ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2'', Elastigirl uses one as a weapon to shoot Evelyn's oxygen-tank backpack, causing it to rupture and propelling her out of the plane.

* The distress pistol in ''VideoGame/TheLongDark'' is a surprisingly strong self-defense weapon. The flare it fires provides considerable light for a short time, and it'll scare away any animals that hear the shot or see the flare – even bears. If you manage to hit something living with it, the flare will stick to your target and deal considerable DamageOverTime from the embedded flare's fire ''plus'' regular bleeding, and adding to that, it'll be very easy to track down the animal thanks to the luminosity of the flare and the blood trail on the ground. However, it's not all bright red roses: the distress pistol is a very rare item in story mode (getting one is a plot point in the Wintermute campaign), flare shells are only slightly more common than the gun, it's slow to operate[[note]]single-shot and sluggish to reload, has to be cocked every time it's pulled out and de-cocked when holstered, and the player character doesn't load a new shell automatically once you fire, you ''have'' to press Reload for it[[/note]], and the projectiles fly slowly and arc as they go, so it's very difficult to pull off long distance shots.
* In ''VideoGame/Manhunt2'', the Flare Gun is a HandCannon with OneHitKill ammunition, it can only be looted from Michael Grant and there's no ammo supply for it.

* ''Literature/AbleTeam''. In ''Amazon Slaughter'', a mercenary leader is ordered to mark Able Team's position with flares so DeadlyGas can be used on them. Knowing his [[BadBoss boss doesn't care about collateral damage to his own men]], he increases the distance between himself and the target by having his mercenaries remove the nosecaps of their rifle grenade-flares and cut off the tiny parachute inside, so they won't deploy and slow down its flight.

** In the ActionPrologue of ''Film/AViewToAKill'', Bond takes down a patrolling Soviet helicopter by shooting a flare through its side doors, causing it to veer out of control and hit an iceberg.

* Inverted in ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'': the Silencing Blank is a flare gun which drives away co-operators or returning to your own world if you're in the other's world, rather than calling someone in.

* The Arbalest in ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' can use her crossbow to fire flares with the Rally Flare move. This slightly increases torchlight, clears marks and stuns from your party, and with the Shieldbreaker DLC, deals ScratchDamage and breaks stealth.

* By Update #15 in ''Videogame/HotDogsHorseshoesAndHandGrenades''. The Orion Flare Gun was added in, not only could it fire 12 gauge flares but could also fire 12 gauge shells in-game, although doing so with any sort of high-pressure shell (i.e. anything other than flares, "Cannonball" rounds, Dragon's Breath shells, or "Freedomfetti" shells) will destroy the Orion, rendering it useless. However, by Update #17 added the fictitious "HP" (high-pressure) steel-framed version of the Orion, capable of handling high-pressure loads.

* ''Film/HardTarget'': During the chase scene of the second movie, protagonist Wes Baylor, getting into a ConveniantEscapeBoat, uses the flare he found in it to blow up a stack of oil drums, incinerating the entire waterfront and killing a few pursuing mooks in the process.

* ''[[Film/{{Sahara2005}} Sahara]]'': One of the characters, not having any other weapons on hand, uses one to take out an enemy truck. His boss (hearing the play-by-play over their walkie-talkies) is less than amused.

* ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'' has a flare gun for [[StandardFPSGuns the standard FPS pistol slot]]. Shots stick to enemies and deal constant fire damage, and it's powerful enough to turn most enemies into [[ManOnFire flailing humanoid fireballs]] in less than three shots.
** They also return for the sequel, taking a much more different appearance, now taking on a more futuristic construction and appearing almost like a revolver. The weapon is still as useful as ever, as certain Cabal enemies teleport when they take damage and a type of miniboss is intangible unless it's attacking, as the burning flare stays on them. SecondaryFire is a starburst pattern of eight flares that explode on contact and set everything in the contact area alight[[note]]or at least it ''should'' in ''Blood II'': the attack is glitched and deals absolutely no damage[[/note]].
* Inverted in ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', the Silencing Blank is a flare gun which drives away co-operators or returning to your own world if you're in the other's world, rather than calling someone in.

* By Update #15 in ''Videogame/HotDogsHorseshoesAndHandGrenades''. The Orion Flare Gun was added in, not only could it fire 12 gauge flares but could also firing 12 gauge shells in-game, although doing so with any sort of high-pressure shell (i.e. anything other than flares, "Cannonball" rounds, Dragon's Breath shells, or "Freedomfetti" shells) will destroy it, rendering the flare gun useless. However, by Update #17 added the fictitious "HP" (high-pressure) steel-framed version of the Orion, capable of handling high-pressure loads.

* The distress pistol in ''VideoGame/TheLongDark'' is a surprisingly strong self-defense weapon. The flare it fires provides considerable light for a short time, and it'll scare away any animals that hear the shot or see the flare – even bears. If you manage to hit something living with it, the flare will stick to your target and deal considerable DamageOverTime from the embedded flare's fire ''plus'' regular bleeding, and adding to that, it'll be very easy to track down the animal thanks to the luminosity of the flare and the blood trail on the ground. However, it's not all bright red roses: the distress pistol is a very rare item in story mode (getting one is a plot point in the Wintermute campaign), flare shells are only slightly more common than the gun, it's slow to operate[[note]]single-shot and sluggish to reload, has to be cocked every time it's pulled out and de-cocked when holstered[[/note]], and the projectiles fly slowly and arc as they go, so it's very difficult to pull off long distance shots.

* A flare gun can be used as an item (and an ability of the human faction's Mortar Team) in ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'', but it's main use is to only reveals terrain and invisible units from anywhere on the map.

* ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'' has a flare gun for the standard FPS pistol slot. Shots stick to enemies and deal constant fire damage, and it's powerful enough to turn most enemies into [[ManOnFire flailing humanoid fireballs]] in less than three shots. Very useful in the sequel where certain Cabal enemies teleport when they take damage and a type of miniboss is intangible unless it's attacking, as the burning flare stays on them. SecondaryFire is a starburst pattern of eight flares that explode on contact and set everything in the contact area alight[[note]]or at least it ''should'' in ''Blood II'': the attack is glitched and deals absolutely no damage[[/note]].

* A flare gun can be used as an item (and an ability of the human Mortar Team) in ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'', but it only reveals terrain and invisible units from anywhere on the map.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': Not a flare gun, but the Doctor uses its bigger brother the signal rocket (taken from [[LighthousePoint the lighthouse stores]]) against the Rutan in "The Horror of Fang Rock".

[[folder:Toys ]

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[[quoteright:320:[[ComicBook/HarleyQuinn https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flare_gun.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:320:[[{{Pun}} All's flare]] in love and war.]]

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[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

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[[folder: Films -- Live-Action]]

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[[folder: Toys ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* In ''VideoGame/Manhunt2'', the Flare Gun is a HandCannon with OneHitKill ammunition, it can only be looted from Michael Grant and there's no ammo supply for it.

* ''VideoGame/UrbanDead'': Humans can obtain flare guns from certain locations. They do 15 points of damage, but have very low accuracy. As in real life, players can use flare guns to signal their location to humans and zombies alike.
* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'''s Pyro can get not just one, but ''three'' different flare pistols. Four, if you count the laser firing Manmelter.
** The first one is the Flare Gun. While hard to aim and easy to dodge, flares will do a small amount of damage to a target and [[KillItWithFire set him on fire]], causing afterburn damage (the afterburn adds up to twice the flare's impact damage). The bonus comes if you hit an already-burning opponent with a flare, which causes a CriticalHit for triple damage; being hit by two flares in a row is a guaranteed kill against 4 of the 9 classes. Needless to say, being killed by failing to dodge a flare at long range while on fire can be [[CherryTapping quite embarrassing]].
** A later unlock is the Detonator: a modified flare gun whose flares cause a small explosion as SecondaryFire (or a smaller one when it hits an object); this explosion can be used by the Pyro to do a mini RocketJump about as high as a Scout's double jump. In exchange, it deals increased self-damage and only deals a mini-crit on burning enemies instead of full critical.
** The Pyromania update introduced the Scorch Shot, a flare gun that's weaker in damage than the normal Flare Gun, but has a significant amount of {{knockback}} upon the flare impacting a target, that increases with distance and does SplashDamage when hitting a surface; a good shot can deal damage twice to a target and knock him off a cliff or into a hazard. The mini RocketJump is smaller than the Detonator's, though, and like the latter, Scorch Shot flares only deal mini-crits to burning targets.
** The Manmelter, while not quite a flare gun, functions in much the same way as the other three. However, it requires no ammunition, automatically recharging after a short time, and instead of getting bonuses from hitting burning players like the other flare guns, the Manmelter can extinguish teammates with alt fire, which stores a crit for later use. This gives it good synergy with the Phlogistinator, which sacrifices the airblast and thus the extinguishing ability of other flamethrowers. The "flare" the Manmelter fires is also the fastest of all of Pyro's non-hitscan secondaries.

* A flare gun can be used as an item (and an ability of the human Mortar Team) in ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'', but it only reveals terrain and invisible units from anywhere on the map.
* One of the WWII-era weapons in ''VideoGame/TimeSplittersFuturePerfect''. It appears in story mode when Cortez uses it to shoot a guard (and accidentally give a signal to start a bombardment of the island he needs to be on). Like most other examples, it's not very accurate but sets enemies on fire.
* ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'' has a flare gun for the standard FPS pistol slot. Shots stick to enemies and deal constant fire damage, and it's powerful enough to turn most enemies into [[ManOnFire flailing humanoid fireballs]] in less than three shots. Very useful in the sequel where certain Cabal enemies teleport when they take damage and a type of miniboss is intangible unless it's attacking, as the burning flare stays on them. SecondaryFire is a starburst pattern of eight flares that explode on contact and set everything in the contact area alight[[note]]or at least it ''should'' in ''Blood II'': the attack is glitched and deals absolutely no damage[[/note]].

* ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' has a flare gun as an available weapon for fighting your light-hating enemies. It's the most powerful weapon in the game, easily capable of instantly destroying most weaker enemies and producing light for a few seconds afterwards to drive away any surviving others. Naturally, you don't find a lot of ammo for them, but they're very handy for emergencies. The Flare Gun is also the only way to defeat the final boss, [[AntiFrustrationFeatures so you get infinite ammo for it]].

* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
** The Torch item [[DefogOfWar illuminates spaces]] beyond the user's vision in FogOfWar.
** The Torch staff, usable by only [[SimpleStaff staff]] wielders, functions like the Torch item except the user can illuminate spaces a distance away.
* ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars: Days of Ruin'': the Flare unit has the unique ability to fire Flares which [[DefogOfWar illuminate squares]] in FogOfWar.
* In ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', there is a combat item called the Flare Gun. When used it "Calls down an 'Arrr Strike'", and a pirate ship fires a cannonball at your enemy. [[spoiler:To get the best reward in the Mysterious Island War quest, you need to use it in "The Last Stand" adventure]].

* ''VideoGame/DinoCrisis2'' briefly features one as a PuppetGun of sorts. Dylan and Regina take turns using it in a dino-infested base to signal to one another where they should direct fire from heavy artillery cannons dotted around the area.
* ''Franchise/FarCry''
** Enemies in the first games sometimes use them to summon [[DeathFromAbove chopper support]].
** ''VideoGame/FarCry2'' has a flare gun as a pistol-slot item. It can torch an enemy to death with one flare (if you hit), but it's real use is as a very large supplement to your MolotovCocktail supplies for [[KillItWithFire starting brushfires.]] [=NPCs=] under attack will also fire them into the air on occasion to try (and fail) to summon reinforcements.
** It also makes an appearance in ''VideoGame/FarCry3'', now slightly less useful for starting bonfires but capable of torching a heavy or a flamer in one hit - extremely useful early on. It also can take out a vehicle in one hit.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bulletstorm}}'': [[RevolversAreJustBetter The Screamer's]] special rounds are flares. [[KillItWithFire They set people on fire]] and [[BlownAcrossTheRoom send them flying with a direct hit]].
* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' has a DLC, Lonesome Road, which introduces a flare gun. It isn't all that powerful, but it is quite useful in spooking the various monsters listed as 'abominations' in the game.
* ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' has a flare gun that can be used to summon Minuteman reinforcements. There are also grenade-type signal flares for calling in artillery strikes from the Minutemen [[spoiler: or a Chinese submarine]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}''
** The first ''VideoGame/Borderlands1'' has an [[ImportedAlienPhlebotinum Eridian]] weapon literally called ''The Flaregun''. It fires slow, low-arcing projectiles that almost always set enemies on fire. While not a literal flare gun, it behaves exactly like one.
** ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' also has a weapon that functions in a near-identical way: ''Flynt's Tinderbox''. It further acts like the video game interpretation of a flare gun by dealing very little impact damage, but near-always setting targets on fire for massive Incendiary damage. It also produces a distinctive 'whump' sound when fired.
* The first ''VideoGame/KillingFloor'' has its own version of a flare gun called the "Flare Revolver", a modified Colt 1851 Navy. As with the other handguns in the game it can be dual-wielded, but unlike the rest it is meant for the Firebug Perk, and as such it is modified to launch .36-caliber flares rather than bullets. The Flare Revolver's an interesting weapon as it's flares actually act as actual flares and can light up dark areas. It returns in ''VideoGame/KillingFloor2'' with a slightly new look and is now dubbed the "Spitfire Revolver" now a cross-perk weapon with The Gunslinger Perk.
* ''Videogame/PlanetSide 2'' has several flavors of flareguns available as [[PromotionalPowerlessPieceOfGarbage event weapons which are only sold on New Year's Day and the 4th of July]]. They do pathetic amounts of damage, [[PainfullySlowProjectile travel slowly]] and have huge amounts of projectile drop as a result, and can only fire one bullet before needing to reload. [[JokeItem Their chief use is to spam fireworks]]. A reskinned flaregun called the "Deep Freeze" available on Christmas, functions pretty much identically except for firing a snowball instead of fireworks.

* Flare guns are equippable items in ''[[VideoGame/{{Rebuild}} Rebuild 3]]''. They give a large bonus to Leadership and a small bonus to Defense.
* ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'': [=McCree=]'s Lifeguard skin has his revolver in the appearance of a flare gun, although it still functions like his normal revolver.
* Strix's pistol from ''VideoGame/{{Paladins}}'' can shoot flares that reveal enemies to him in the area where they land. The flares can also set enemies on fire, but hitting an enemy consumes the flare and its reveal effect.
* The distress pistol in ''VideoGame/TheLongDark'' is a surprisingly strong self-defense weapon. The flare it fires provides considerable light for a short time, and it'll scare away any animals that hear the shot or see the flare – even bears. If you manage to hit something living with it, the flare will stick to your target and deal considerable DamageOverTime from the embedded flare's fire ''plus'' regular bleeding, and adding to that, it'll be very easy to track down the animal thanks to the luminosity of the flare and the blood trail on the ground. However, it's not all bright red roses: the distress pistol is a very rare item in story mode (getting one is a plot point in the Wintermute campaign), flare shells are only slightly more common than the gun, it's slow to operate[[note]]single-shot and sluggish to reload, has to be cocked every time it's pulled out and de-cocked when holstered[[/note]], and the projectiles fly slowly and arc as they go, so it's very difficult to pull off long distance shots.
* The Arbalest in ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' can use her crossbow to fire flares with the Rally Flare move. This slightly increases torchlight, clears marks and stuns from your party, and with the Shieldbreaker DLC, deals ScratchDamage and breaks stealth.
* Spotters in ''VideoGame/SniperElite4'' use flare guns to call down artillery strikes. After killing one, you can loot his gun from his corpse and use it to call in your own strikes, either directed at a single location or spread around an area. Unfortunately, while enemies have unlimited flares, you only get one - make it count.
* A flare gun can be purchased from the gun stores in the online version of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV''. It's extremely difficult to hit other people with it, but a direct hit will set the player or NPC on fire for a few seconds. One of the possible missions for your bunker will have you stealing supplies from a group of cultists and most of them attack by shooting flare guns at you.
* Scouts and Pilots in ''VideoGame/Battlefield1'' can wield one of two flare guns, one that functions as EnemyDetectingRadar (presumably due to outside observers scanning for activity in the area), and another that [[BlindedByTheLight makes your screen glow]]. Both types can also burn nearby infantry, and often follow a quick SniperRifle hit. An elite kit carries a third variety that calls in the more typical DeathFromAbove.
** ''VideoGame/BattlefieldV" continues the "pocket sensor" usage, but also includes some signal flares in its BattleRoyaleGame mode.
* ''Videogame/DeepRockGalactic'' has a profoundly weird one that, rather than the blazing sort of flares, shoots out the more electric sort with large, sharpened stakes like some manner of harpoon gun, so as to embed them in the cavern walls to provide prolonged illumination. It's not a particularly good weapon, but it's ''vital'' for seeing where the hell you're going.
* ''VideoGame/RaptorValley'': The PlayerCharacter has a flare gun that they can shoot into the sky. It can reveal dinosaurs hiding in the darkness.
* By Update #15 in ''Videogame/HotDogsHorseshoesAndHandGrenades''. The Orion Flare Gun was added in, not only could it fire 12 gauge flares but could also firing 12 gauge shells in-game, although doing so with any sort of high-pressure shell (i.e. anything other than flares, "Cannonball" rounds, Dragon's Breath shells, or "Freedomfetti" shells) will destroy it, rendering the flare gun useless. However, by Update #17 added the fictitious "HP" (high-pressure) steel-framed version of the Orion, capable of handling high-pressure loads.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' has a Flare Gun as a weapon. It deals 60 damage and sets anything flammable on fire, but has a slow reload time so it can't make successive shots. Its most useful function is the ability to mark the location of nearby enemies when fired into air.

[[folder: Web Original ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* In the first ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' series, Hudson shot Demona with a flare gun while she was making her escape. Amusingly enough, he credits ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove'' for the inspiration to do that. Seems he's a Creator/SeanConnery fan.

* Three members of the Comicbook/FantasticFour regularly use flare guns to inform each other of their position and to call them for help. The flame [[FlamingEmblem burns in the shape of a huge 4 in a circle]]; being designed by [[ReedRichardsIsUseless Reed Richards]], it's not that atypical. The ComicBook/HumanTorch doesn't need to carry one, since his power to create and shape flames allows him to create the flaming logo without such a device.

* During the fight against the dirt bikers in ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'', Furiosa shoots a biker in the face with one, causing him to lose his balance and fall under the wheels of the rig. The flare in question is a variant that bursts into brightly coloured powder designed to be visible in bright daylight--Immortan Joe's war party are shown using them for signaling.
* ''Film/JamesBond''
** Bond uses a flare gun in ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove'' to ignite spilled fuel and incinerate several enemy speedboats pursuing him at the end of a boat chase.
** In the ActionPrologue of ''Film/AViewToAKill'', Bond takes down a patrolling Soviet helicopter by shooting a flare through its side doors, causing it to veer out of control and hit an iceberg.l
** Bond also uses one in ''Film/{{Thunderball}}'', to signal for help after the final battle.
** ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'' has Bond using a flare gun to during the oil platform battle to light up an oil pipe leaking gas, resulting in a vertical pillar of flames taking out another (this one has a set of buzzsaws underneath) enemy helicopter.
* Viggo Mortenson's character in ''Film/TheRoad'' uses a flare gun on people he thinks are following him with malicious intent.
* In ''Film/{{Tobruk}}'', the British Colonel uses a flare gun to clear out a pillbox.

* ''Film/JudgeDredd''. The Lawgiver pistol could fire flare rounds. At the end of the movie, after Rico's pistol runs out of lethal rounds, Dredd uses it to fire off a flare to distract Rico.
* At the end of the execrable Joe Don Baker movie ''Film/FinalJustice'', the police escort finally stops being a NeutralFemale and uses one to dispatch TheMole.
* The climax of ''Film/KongSkullIsland'' sees Mason assisting Kong during the big fight against the lead Skullcrawler by firing a flare into the Skullcrawler's right eye.
* In ''Film/{{Tremors}}'', a flare gun is one of the ''[[RasputinianDeath many]]'' [[WallOfWeapons weapons]] used by Burt and Heather Gummer on the Graboid that smashes into their underground "rec room."

* ''Film/TheGunsOfNavarone'': while Andrea is sniping at the German soldiers on the mountain, a German officer uses one to mark his position and direct his troops' fire.
* Used in a ChaseScene in ''Film/StrikingDistance'' to blow up the local SerialKiller's car.

* Likewise in ''Film/MissionImpossibleIII'' against a pursuing Cobra gunship firing heat-seeking missiles. It also helps that they're flying ''through'' a wind turbine farm whose spinning blades also intercept some of the missiles.
* Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger's character in ''Film/RawDeal'' fakes his death by opening the valves on a refinery storage tank, then firing a flare gun into the spilt fuel. He then rides a motorcycle OutOfTheInferno. Ironically he only uses a single flare despite this particular model (a Heckler & Koch EFL) having a five shot magazine.
* A hysterical female victim in ''Film/Jaws2'' tries to shoot the shark with a flare gun, accidentally blowing herself up as well due to the spilled petrol from a can whose cap had come off.
* Used to drive off the Spinosaurus the final time they bump into it in ''Film/JurassicParkIII''. The Spinosaurus had ruptured the fuel tank when it attacked their boat, so the flare gun set it on fire, at which point it retreated in pain.
* Charlie is carrying one on him when he arrives near the end of ''Film/SevenPsychopaths''. The guy who shoots him is pissed to realize he didn't bring a real gun (he was hoping for a Hollywood-style shootout ending to all of this), but then he catches onto its real use: [[spoiler:it's to call Charlie's goons in should things go wrong. He promptly fires it off and gets the ending he wanted.]]
* ''Film/PacificRim''. After two [[HumongousMecha Jaegers]] are destroyed and a third immobilised, the two surviving pilots climb out onto its hull and [[GoForTheEye take potshots at the kaiju's eyes]] with flare guns because it's the only weapon they've got left. [[spoiler:The creature has six eyes though, and getting hit in one only pisses it off. Luckily another Jaeger arrives in time to kill the kaiju and save their lives.]]
* ''Film/MemphisBelle'': Bombers carrying wounded airmen launch flares as they approach their airfield, to alert emergency response personnel. Early in the film a disheartening number of the bombers are launching flares due to heavy casualties on a recent raid.
* ''Film/HarbingerDown'': The [[MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong Russian chick]] shoots a ZombieInfectee, who goes up like a torch (maybe she soaked him in petrol first; it's not clear, but he was certainly freaking out). She then lampshades the KillItWithFire trope.

* One figures into the defeating the rampaging dragon clone in ''Dragon Fighter''. The hero sets the beast on fire by shooting it with a flare gun, which gives enough heat to provide a target for his allies' heat-seeking missiles.
* In ''Film/SixDaysSevenNights'', while stranded on an island, Robin tries to signal a plane with a flare gun, but trips and blows up a tree instead. Quinn berates her for wasting their only flare and points out the plane is a commercial airliner. There was no way the pilots could have seen the flare, and even if they did, there was no way such a huge plane would land on such a small island.
* In ''Let Him Have It'', a schoolteacher asks his entire class to hand in their guns. One student places a Webley flare pistol on the teacher's desk. The teacher identifies it as a "Wolseley" and comments he hadn't seen one in quite some time.
* ''Film/{{Screamers}}''. Having lost his weapon, the protagonist retrieves one from the escape rocket's cockpit and shoots the killer robot in the chest, [[ImmuneToBullets but to little effect]]. [[spoiler:Fortunately at that moment the rocket fires up its pre-launch burn, which provides a much more effective means to KillItWithFire.]]
* ''Film/TheRedBaron'': a German pilot machine-guns a British observation balloon, then fires his flare pistol at it to ignite the hydrogen gas spilling out through the bullet holes.
* ''Film/TheLastStand'': Lewis Dinkum shoots a fleeing bad guy with it. The flare ends up igniting his BadassBandolier (which sets off grenades just under said bandolier), which explodes and results in a gory mess.
* During the AerialCanyonChase of ''Film/MagnificentWarriors'' between the heroine Ming-ming and a Japanese Zero-type plane, Ming-ming managed to ascend her plane until it is above the enemy's, at which point she whips a flare gun and [[SnipingTheCockpit fires it into the Zero's cockpit]]. Cue the Zero crashing into a cliffside.
* ''Film/AbandonShip'': A deranged passenger produces a revolver and tries to take control of the lifeboat. The ship's purser takes the flare pistol from the survival kit and shoots him in the stomach.

* ''Film/{{Zeppelin}}'' (1971): A Very pistol is used for a demonstration that with German zeppelins you have to KillItWithFire, though the recently invented (but still not yet perfected) incendiary bullet is what is actually being demonstrated.

* ''Film/GreatWhite'': When they battle the shark underwater, Charlie gets Kaz to fire the flare gun into the shark's mouth to distract it while he comes at it from behind and attempts to stab it between the eyes.

* In the Matt Helm novel ''The Intriguers'', one character uses a flare gun as an improvised weapon to incapacitate the BigBad. Afterward, Matt uses it to signal for help.
* A variation: in ''Literature/TheFifthElephant'', Sam Vimes used a modified Clacks flare (no gun involved) as a weapon against a werewolf. [[spoiler: Said werewolf's over-confidence and instincts made him catch the flare rocket in his mouth, which promptly exploded and killed him.]] Later the story was greatly exaggerated, leaving the flare out, and making Vimes ShroudedInMyth: the man who killed a werewolf barehanded.
* Flare Guns were routinely carried in the ''Literature/{{Biggles}}'' books set in UsefulNotes/WW1 and were occasionally used as a makeshift weapon to set enemy planes on fire.

* Carver uses one (actually two due to him being prepared for the poor accuracy of the flare gun) to kill [[spoiler:Trench]] in ''Literature/TheAccidentMan''.

* Desmond shoots Mikhail with one on ''Series/{{Lost}}''.
* On ''Series/{{Wings}}'', after the gang crash lands in the water on the way to Boston for Helen's Big Break as a professional cellist, when the cello bobs up from underwater, Helen uses the flare gun's one charge to shoot and sink her cello.

* [[Series/TwentyFour Jack Bauer]] once shot a guy with a flare gun.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. In "The Initiative" Xander gives Buffy a flare pistol to signal for help if she needs it when she goes to fight Spike. It turns out to be [[ChekhovsGun just what she needs]] when a team of Initiative soldiers attack Willow in a dorm corridor; Buffy fires the flare, [[SensoryOverload overloading their night vision goggles]].
* On an episode of ''Series/NightCourt'', Dan had to remove someone's appendix due to his incompetence with a flare gun. (Loooooong story there.)
* ''{{Series/Supernatural}}'': after his MolotovCocktail shatters when hunting a {{wendigo}} that can only be killed by fire, Dean is happy to find a couple of flare pistols in a backpack which he puts to good effect.

* In ''Series/TheSweeney'' episode "Hard Men", a Glasgow gangster punishes another gangster who tried to kidnap his daughter by shooting him in the back with a flare gun; he goes up in flames, screaming, and burns to death. Another gangster who witnesses the incident tells a policeman, "Dud ye see that? Dud ye see whut they dud? That was DIABOLICAL!"
* ''Series/TheHardyBoysNancyDrewMysteries'': The 3rd season episode ''Dangerous Waters'' not only has Frank Hardy firing a flare gun to signal the rescue boat to come in, but also fires it directly at the mooks to drive them off.

* ''Dark Conspiracy'' supplement ''Darktek''. The flare gun can fire signal and illumination flares and in an emergency can be used as a weapon doing burn damage.
* ''DeadReign'' has these, though they aren't really intended to be used as a weapon. About their only combat-related advantage is their ability to set zombies on fire.

* In ''Film/Seven1979'', Cowboy uses a flare gun to blow uo Kimo's limo after first dousing it in gasoline.

* ''Presumed Dead'' by Rick Kennett. After being stranded on an alien world, Cy De Gerch has to resort to one after she uses up the power in her laser pistol, ''[[TheLastManHeardAKnock then]]'' discovers that one of the StarfishAliens humanity is fighting is stranded on the planet with her. RealityEnsues as the weapon is of limited use except for distracting or inflicting minor injuries on the alien during their battles. However in the final battle, the flare bounces off the alien's skin and rolls beneath its body, where it detonates just as Cy De Gerch is about to be smothered to death by the alien.

* Three members of the Comicbook/FantasticFour regularly use flare guns to inform each other of their position and to call them for help. The flame burns in the shape of a huge 4 in a circle; being designed by [[ReedRichardsIsUseless Reed Richards]], it's not that atypical. The ComicBook/HumanTorch doesn't need to carry one, since his power to create and shape flames allows him to create the flaming logo without such a device.

* ''VideoGame/FarCry''

** Bond uses a flare gun in ''Film/FromRussiaWithLove'' to ignite spilled fuel.
** Bond also uses one in ''Film/{{Thunderball}}'', to signal for help.

* In ''Fil/{{Tobruk}}'', the British Colonel uses a flare gun to clear out a pillbox.

* ''Zeppelin'' (1971): A Very pistol is used for a demonstration that with German zeppelins you have to KillItWithFire, though the recently invented (but still not yet perfected) incendiary bullet is what is actually being demonstrated.

* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' episode "Being Bad" had a cornered suspect kill himself with a flare gun; as noted, it didn't penetrate his skull but killed him via the impact off his head. Seen-it-all coroner Ducky said a flare gun suicide was a first, even for him.

*** Albeit one with [[ShortRangeShotgun no real barrel to speak of,]] [[AwesomeButImpractical and a chamber made of plastic,]] making it a (nearly) literal example of a GlassCannon. Military surplus flare guns are usually made of steel and robust enough to handle live ammunition (with a rifled adapter to fit it into the bore); separately, neither is a firearm but together, they become a handgun and -- in the US -- fall under all applicable federal, state and municipal firearm laws. It's still a single-shot pistol with no ejector, so usability is mostly for plinking and wilderness survival. Adapters for conventional 12 gauge flares are also available. [[note]]Smoothbore adapters become [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_II_weapons#Any_other_weapon Any Other Weapon]] whether they're chambered for 12 guage shells or pistol cartridges and require registration and a $5 BATF stamp (it was $200 like other NFA-listed items until it was lowered in 1960).[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' has a new DLC, Lonesome Road, which introduces a flare gun. It isn't all that powerful, but it is quite useful in spooking the various monsters listed as 'abominations' in the game.