History Main / PreExplosionGlow

* Destroyed Strains in ''Anime/StrainStrategicArmoredInfantry''.
* It's been said no ''[[Literature/{{Slayers}} Slayers]]'' series or movie can truly begin before Lina's nearly disintegrated a building of some kind with her trademark Fireball spell (actually, every series begins with her blowing something up with her trademark nuke-level ''Dragon Slave'' spell). And that's not including the countless times it'll happen after that.
** Heh, well, Slayers Revolution (4th season) is kicked off with someone ELSE blowing something up with the Dragon Slave, which seriously pisses Lina off and causes her to complain about it for an episode and a half.
* ''Anime/DragonballZ'' has a number of these with almost all of the main characters.
* Whenever a Gundam self-destructs in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam Wing'' (and it happens more than you'd expect), it lights up like a Christmas tree first.

%%* ''VideoGame/HexenII'': Every boss.

%%** ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'': This happens whenever a boss is defeated.

%%* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':

%%** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'': Bowser's Galaxy Reactor goes out this way at the end of the game.

* Voltorb and Electrode in the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime have an almost evolution-like glow before using [[SelfDestructMechanism Self Destruct]] or [[ActionBomb Explosion]].

* Virtually anything touched by or in general proximity of Kei or Yuri in ''LightNovel/DirtyPair''.

* It's been said no ''[[LightNovel/{{Slayers}} Slayers]]'' series or movie can truly begin before Lina's nearly disintegrated a building of some kind with her trademark Fireball spell (actually, every series begins with her blowing something up with her trademark nuke-level ''Dragon Slave'' spell). And that's not including the countless times it'll happen after that.

* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''LightNovel/StarshipOperators'' when the [[spoiler:''Amaterasu'' explodes, as the ship's armor converts heat to light.]]
* The destruction of [[AnotherDimension closed space]] in ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'', as demonstrated to [[UnreliableNarrator Kyon]] by [[HoYay Itsuki]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'': Creepers and TNT blocks both glow slightly when they prime themselves to explode. Also, the Ender Dragon releases beams of light as it dies before it explodes.

* In the '90s ''WesternAnimation/XMen'' cartoon, whatever object Cable shot would glow like this before it exploded. Probably to [[MediaWatchdog give anyone enough time to escape before it exploded.]] Naturally, no ''person'' ever took a direct hit from this weapon.

May also cause a PillarOfLight. May result from a ChainReactionDestruction. A SubTrope of PowerGlows. Compare, contrast DisappearsIntoLight.

* ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'': ''Gradius V''[='s=] stage bosses create a bright orange glow as most of them [[ChainReactionDestruction are peppered with smaller explosions]] until they blow up like the Butsutekkai from Creator/{{Treasure}}'s previous Shoot-Em-Up, ''VideoGame/{{Ikaruga}}''. Also like ''Ikaruga'', the boss explosions not only slow down the game for dramatic effect, the bosses' outlines are visible until the animation ends. [[RuleOfCool Still looks pretty awesome nonetheless]].

* With the sheer amount of StuffBlowingUp in the ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' series, it's only natural that some of the explosions include this. Examples include Kurtis' Solidus Arm in ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 3|AbsenceOfJustice}}'', and the God Scraper axe skill in ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4|A Promise Unforgotten}}''.
* A number of targets destroyed by the heroines of ''VideoGame/SakuraWars''.
* Destroyed capital ships in the original ''VideoGame/ColonyWars'' game exhibited this, with pure white light spilling out of giant cracks in the hull right before the explosion blanks out the entire screen with white. Later games in the series toned this down a bit.
* At least one boss in ''VideoGame/StarFox64'' goes bye-bye this way. The creature on Solar gets an especially spectacular version, culminating in a PillarOfLight replacing its head before it explodes.
* Most bosses in ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'' onwards, as well every boss in the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' and ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZX ZX]]'' series. ''ZX'' ups the bar by having the screen go dark except for the exploding robots.
* The Armos in the 3D ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' titles. After being exploded/receiving an arrow in the back or being fed with bombs/hit enough in the back, they start hopping around madly and eventually explode, glowing in-between.
* Bowser's Galaxy Reactor goes out this way at the end of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy''.

* Dark Samus in ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes''.
** And again in ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption Corruption]]''. [[spoiler: That, and her planet too.]]
** Also from Echoes: the sphere Amorbis was guarding explodes in this fashion when the boss dies.
** Also happens after each of ''Corruption'''s major boss battles. Cue UnflinchingWalk.
** Also [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment also]] happens with Samus' Bombs and Power Bombs in the [[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy Prime series]].
* Hitting certain enemy ships in ''[[VideoGame/RType R-Type Delta]]'' with a ChargedAttack causes their midsection to glow for a moment before they are torn in half by the explosion.
* In the Adventure Mode of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'', [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Planet Zebes]] does this.
** Happens a lot with exploding planets in video games. Zebes, Phaaze, [[VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Bacterion]]... I guess video games really like having an extra glow before the EarthShatteringKaboom.
* Speaking of ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'', ''Gradius V's'' stage bosses create a bright orange glow as most of them [[ChainReactionDestruction are peppered with smaller explosions]] until they blow up like the Butsutekkai from Creator/{{Treasure}}'s previous Shoot-Em-Up, ''VideoGame/{{Ikaruga}}''. Also like ''Ikaruga'', the boss explosions not only slow down the game for dramatic effect, the bosses' outlines are visible until the animation ends. [[RuleOfCool Still looks pretty awesome nonetheless]].

* The bosses in ''VideoGame/{{Darius}}'' Gaiden and G-Darius explode in this fashion.
* The Volatile Dweevils in ''[[VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} Pikmin 2]]''.
* The move animations for [[ActionBomb Selfdestruct and Explosion]] (especially Explosion) in Franchise/{{Pokemon}} games begin suggesting this since the 4th generation.
%%* A couple of bosses in ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'' die this way, including the first boss, Fullmetal Hugger.
* Crono's [[HolyHandGrenade Luminaire]] attack from ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger''.
* Every boss in ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}} II''.
* Happens in ''[[VideoGame/BillyHatcherAndTheGiantEgg Billy Hatcher]]'' when you lose or break a golden egg.
* In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', the E-Series robots that E-102 Gamma fights as bosses have [[PillarOfLight Pillars of Light]] jutting from their bodies in the moments before they explode.
* Some enemies die in this fashion in ''VideoGame/{{Aquaria}}''.
* Happens whenever a boss dies/gets defeated in the VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi series.
* The explosive abilities Blow Up and Meltdown in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance''.
* Some bosses in the ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' games die this way.
* Played for laughs in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker''. Once Link uses all the goddess pearls, the three statues he placed them in give off a glow and explode, revealing the inner statues. Link sees the last statue as it begins glowing and runs away to avoid the imminent blast. [[WrongGenreSavvy Nothing happens.]] He gets back up to see what's going on... and the statue explodes, [[ButtMonkey sending him flying.]]
* Shao Kahn gives off a bright glow before exploding when fought as the FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat3'' and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', Creepers glow slightly when they prime themselves to explode. Also, the Ender Dragon releases beams of light as it dies before it explodes.
* This happens when you delete a saved game in ''VideoGame/{{Spore}}'', since each save is represented [[EarthShatteringKaboom as a planet]].
* In ''VideoGame/GunsOfIcarusOnline'', the sides of your screen glow red when your ship is at severe risk of being destroyed. The eventual explosion is marked by the entire screen rapidly turning red, then white.
* Defeated enemies in the ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' games freeze in place, glow brilliantly and then [[LudicrousGibs explode into bloody chunks.]]

* The Beast in Disney's ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' gets all kinds of PreExplosionGlow when [[spoiler:turning back into a human]].
* TheDragon of ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'', Gantu, loses his first ship this way.

** In Twilight's mindscape, as she is [[spoiler:getting the upper hand over Midnight Sparkle, the wings that have sprout from her back begin to fissure, then light pours from between the cracks before they blow up]].

* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''Anime/StarshipOperators'' when the [[spoiler:''Amaterasu'' explodes, as the ship's armor converts heat to light.]]

* The Beast in Disney's ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'' gets all kinds of PreExplosionGlow when [[spoiler:turning back into a human]].
* TheDragon of ''Disney/LiloAndStitch'', Gantu, loses his first ship this way.

* A couple of bosses in ''VideoGame/SeikenDensetsu3'' die this way, including the first boss, Full Metal Hugger.

* Defeated enemies in the ''VideoGame/Bayonetta'' games freeze in place, glow brilliantly and then [[LudicrousGibs explode into bloody chunks.]]

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': Nearly all of the Doctor's regenerations involve him glowing, but two of them particularly qualify for this:

[[caption-width-right:300:Boom.]]

* Played for laughs in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker''. Once Link uses all the goddess pearls, the three statues he placed them in give off a glow and explode, revealing the inner statues. Link sees the last statue as it begins glowing and [[GenreSavvy runs away to avoid the imminent blast]]. [[WrongGenreSavvy Nothing happens.]] He gets back up to see what's going on... and the statue explodes, [[ButtMonkey sending him flying.]]