History Main / HumanCannonball

[[quoteright:258:[[UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cannonball_small_9949.jpg]]]]

* Unsurprisingly, the UsefulNotes/{{Atari 2600}} video game ''VideoGame/HumanCannonball'' is all about this trope. The player must set the cannon's position, angle, and blast strength in order to shoot the subject into a water tank.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

** In ''[[VideoGame/SonicRushSeries Sonic Rush Adventure]]'', the Ghost Titan, who is the boss of Big Swell, is in the air, out of Sonic's reach. On the platform Sonic is on, there are cannons protected by force fields. Sonic has to use the Ghost Titan's projectiles to destroy these force fields, since any contact with these force fields will damage him. Once the force fields are gone, these cannons will shoot at Sonic. He then needs to hit the cannon enough times so that he can enter it and use it to launch himself at the Ghost Titan to damage it.

* ''VideoGame/HenryStikminSeries'':

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' episode, "[[CircusEpisode Circus Angelicus]]", when Angelica stages her own circus in Tommy's backyard, she wants Chuckie to be a "[[{{Malaproper}} human candyball]]". However, Chuckie can't remember what he's supposed to do, and as Angelica tries to explain it to him [[SeesawCatapult by sitting on one end of a seesaw, Phil and Lil jump onto the other end, launching her into the air]].

[[caption-width-right:258:There are few men of his caliber.]]

* In ''Fanfic/{{Fractured}}'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[=/=]''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' [[MassiveMultiplayerCrossover crossover]], Lilith is placed in a canister and blasted out of a magnetic railgun. In a nod to what would [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome normally happen]] in such situations, it's [[HandWave handwaved]] by saying the gun fired at "minimum power." Plus, she's a Siren, so her physiology is [[SuperToughness more robust]].

* ''[[VideoGame/MonsterHunter Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate]]'' features the Artillery Mask for your [[NonHumanSidekick Shakalaka companions]] to wear. The mask's special power is to turn the wearer into a cannon and fire the other Shakalaka out of it, making for a surprisingly effective projectile.

[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_cannonball The human cannonball]] is, of course, an old circus staple that still sees some use today in many performance acts. Obviously, no explosive propellant is used, so springs or compressed air is used to eject the human, with the housing still structured to look like a cannon to keep the idea of the trope alive. The targets are usually nets, air bags or bodies of water, but as noted on Wiki/TheOtherWiki, it still comes with its share of risks, specifically during [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou the landing part]] of the act.

Fiction treats being shot out of a cannon in a very literal way. Cannons used for this purpose in RealLife are powered by a large spring or compressed air, but those in fiction use gunpowder, and are often set off by lighting a fuse[[note]]any explosions you might see in circus acts are just for show – using gunpowder to fire a living person becomes less like a human cannonball and more like [[LudicrousGibs human grapeshot]][[/note]]. Their range is even longer than that of real artillery, often on the country-wide or even interplanetary scale.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Terramex}}'', you need to do this to cross a lake. By the time you reach the cannon, you will have collected three kegs of gunpowder of varying sizes. Use too much gunpowder and you will end up smashing yourself against a mountain, too little and you will fall into the lake. Choose wisely. [[spoiler: It's the medium sized keg.]]

* In the Youtube video ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4f9m4OYkCY Friendship is Magic Bitch]]'', it turns out that this is how [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Princess Celestia]] banishes her adversaries to the moon. Or not quite.

** ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' has many tracks, often those based on the ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' series, where you and your vehicle get launched out of a cannon with tremendous speed. These are, namely, DK Mountain from ''VideoGame/MarioKartDoubleDash'', WaluigiPinball in ''VideoGame/MarioKartDS'', and DK Pass and Maple Treeway in ''VideoGame/MarioKartWii'' (DK Mountain from ''Double Dash!!'' is featured here as well).

* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' sometimes uses these to get from place to place. They serve as "beat the clock" challenges, because Kirby has to light the fuse and get inside the cannon before it goes off.
** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry''-style floating cannons appear in ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' (''Ultra''), and later, ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' and ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe''.

* ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' has many tracks, often those based on the ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' series, where you get launched out of a cannon.
** From ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'' there is DK Mountain.
** From ''Mario Kart DS'' there is Waluigi Pinball.
** ''Mario Kart Wii'' has three tracks where you are fired out of a cannon: DK Summit (DK's Snowboard Cross) in the Flower Cup, Maple Treeway in the Star Cup, and DK Mountain, which returns in the Lightning Cup.

* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', probably once per game now. There are pipe cannons in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'', cannons in various levels in ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', a giant cannon that launches you to Pinna Park in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'', cannons in space in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', cannons used as a WarpZone in ''New Super Mario Bros''...

* Several stages in the Subspace Emissary mode of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'' feature the barrel cannons as a ShoutOut to ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry''.