History Main / ShootingTheSwarm

* ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy'': During part 2 of the GrandFinale-three parter, the Stratoforce and Centaurus [[HumongousMecha megazords]] form the first line of defense as [[BigBad Trakeena]] sends her entire army of [[{{Mooks}} Stingwingers]] on a SuicideAttack against Terra Venture and the rangers. While both megazords can easy CurbStomp any [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever giant monster]] they face, they are utterly helpless against the swarm of human-sized insects. Centaurus, whose WeaponOfChoice is a [[{{BFG}} laser cannon]], takes a couple of shots at the Stingwingers, but fails to hit a single one of them. Eventually, both are taken down by a ZergRush.

Your choice, the wrong one at that: For some reason you decide to pick up a gun and start blasting at the swarm hoping to kill some members, but there's little to no success in doing so? even with a {{HandCannon}}. Worse case scenario? You're dead. But if you have a weapon capable of dealing SplashDamage, like a {{BFG}} or a mounted GatlingGood, then you may have a fighting chance.

Your choice, the wrong one at that: For some reason you decide to pick up a gun and start blasting at the swarm hoping to kill some members, but there's little to no success in doing so? even with a {{BFG}} or a mounted GatlingGood. Worse case scenario? You're dead. But if you have a weapon capable of dealing SplashDamage, then you may have a fighting chance.

Your choice, the wrong one at that: For some reason you decide to pick up a gun and start blasting at the swarm hoping to kill some members, but there's little to no success in doing so? even with a {{BFG}}. Worse case scenario? You're dead. But if you have a weapon capable of dealing SplashDamage, then you may have a fighting chance.

Your choice, the wrong one at that: For some reason you decide to pick up a gun and start blasting at the swarm hoping to kill some members, but there's little to no success in doing so. Worse case scenario? You're dead. But if you have a weapon capable of dealing SplashDamage, then you may have a fighting chance.

* [[Franchise/Starcraft]]:

* ''Franchise/Starcraft'':

* ''VideoGame/Starcraft'':

* ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'':

* In ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', Samus and the investigating Galactic Federation soldiers encounter a huge monster [[TheWormThatWalks made out of individual bugs]] and start shooting at it with guns. It doesn't work until they start using freeze guns and Samus' missiles to destroy them and the bug's leader/eye.

* In ''TabletopGame/Pathfinder'', this is usually played straight, with swarms of particularly tiny/numerous creatures being completely immune to weapon damage, but there's an item known as the "Swarmbane Clasp" which lets you ignore this... that just so happens to be particularly useful if you're a gunslinger, letting you snipe 10,000 bees with one bullet.

* ''VideoGame/DiabloII'': This actually works against Swarm monsters like Black Swarm and [[UndergroundMonkey its stronger variants like Hell Swarm]] if you shoot them with arrows or throwing weapons. Also the same thing about them being too small to carry objects or hide them as said for ''Commando.''

* ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions'' (pictured): During the battle of Zion, the human defenders in A.P.U. mechas led by Captain Mifune all [[MoreDakka concentrate fire]] on the hole the Machines just opened in the city's celling with the giant drill. While the first swarms of Sentinels get utterly shredded, more and more of them manage to get through the fire barrage and the mechas have to reload, leading to the forces of Zion being rapidly overwhelmed. Mifune keeps shooting (and {{shouting|shooter}}) at the swarms through and through no matter how hopeless the situation gets, until they eventually lacerate him to death.

* ''Film/AntMan1'': When Ant-Man and his swarm of flying ants attack [[BigBad Dr. Darren Cross]] and his henchmen, who are about to escape in a helicopter, Cross grabs a gun and fires at the approaching swarm. He only manages to hit a few ants, including Anthony, the ant that Ant-Man was riding.
* In ''Film/HolmesAndWatson'', the TriggerHappy Dr. Watson attempts to shoot a swarm of killer bees with his revolver; to no effect, obviously.

** When a horde of flesh-eating scarab beetles are chasing the heroes in ''Film/{{The Mummy|1999}}'', O'Connell first resorts to hurling his torch at them, then emptying a shotgun at the mass of insects. Each blast sends a fountain of dead bugs flying, but doesn't even slow the swarm down. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Just legging it is a far more practical solution.]]

* {{Subverted}} in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''. On two occasions a swarm of small ships attacks a large capital ship (Starfleet {{attack drone}}s against a Borg cube in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E26S4E1TheBestOfBothWorlds The Best of Both Worlds, Part II]]", Lysian sentry pods against the ''Enterprise'' in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E14Conundrum Conundrum]]"), but are rapidly destroyed with pinpoint fire.
* ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' has ''Discovery'' and ''Enterprise'' using this strategy with a bit more success, while backed up by a screening force of smaller fighters and shuttles when fighting [[spoiler: Control, in control of Section 31's fleet.]] Both ships are very nearly overwhelmed until reinforcements [[spoiler: from the Kelpians and the Klingons]] arrive to help, and the swarm deactivates when [[spoiler: [[KeystoneArmy Leland is killed.]]]]
* ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy'': During part 2 of the GrandFinale-three parter, the Stratoforce and Centaurus [[HumongousMecha megazords]] form the first line of defense as [[BigBad Trakeena]] sends her entire army of [[{{Mooks}} Stingwingers]] on a SuicideAttack against Terra Venture and the rangers. While both megazords can easy CurbStomp any [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever giant monster]] they face, they are utterly helpless against the swarm of human-sized insects. Centaurus, whose WeaponOfChoice is a [[{{BFG}} laser cannon]], takes a couple of shots at the Stingwingers, but fails to hit a single one of them. Eventually, both are taken down by a ZergRush.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Manga/SoulEater'', during the climax of the fight between 400 years-form Mosquito and Death the Kid, the former dissolves in a giant swarm of bats to attack Kid from multiple sides with sonic waves, while the latter answers by unleashing MoreDakka using Brew to enhance his firepower: he actually manages to wipe out the swarm and force Mosquito to turn solid again.
[[/folder]]

* Can show up in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', when confronted by Swarm Units, such as Jungle Swarm or Tomb Swarm. You ''can'' try to fire your bows or muskets into the mass of it, but using magic or fire or simply [[WeHaveReserves hurling an expendable unit]] into its path is far more effective.

-->"There's got to be a way. I can't very well stab them one by one..."

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyAdvancedWarfare'' has drone swarms that you can try to shoot down, but you are encouraged to use an EMP pulse to disable them instead. The first mission features a friendly HumongousMecha tank trying to fend off one such swarm with machine guns. If you don't take down the drones quickly enough, the tank is destroyed.

[[folder: Western Animation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/SpidermanAndHisAmazingFriends'', when the cartoon's version of Swarm (a sentient swarm of bees mutated by a meteorite) appears, a farmer tries to chase him off by throwing a pitchfork at him, which naturally just passes straight through.
* Exaggerated in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E21MargeInChains "Marge in Chains"]], where Chief Wiggum fires his gun at ''a cloud of air'' that's spreading disease.
** Played straight and inverted in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS20E8TheBurnsAndTheBees "The Burns and the Bees"]] when Wiggum ineffectually shoots at a swarm of bees, which responds by [[SynchronizedSwarming snatching his gun]] and shooting him in the arm.

!![[AvertedTrope Averted]] Examples:

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]

* When Swarm type enemies were {{nerf}}ed in 5th Edition D&D, they were changed so they simply take half damage from physical attacks and full damage from elemental effects regardless of whether or not the elemental effect targets a single creature or an area. So shooting a swarm with Magic Missile or Ray of Frost is now a perfectly valid option.
* In ''TabletopGame/Pathfinder'', this is usually played straight, with swarms of particularly tiny/numerous creatures being completely immune to weapon damage, but there's an item known as the 'Swarmbane Clasp' which lets you ignore this... that just so happens to be particularly useful if you're a gunslinger, letting you snipe 10,000 bees with one bullet.

* Averted with the Scrin Buzzers from ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberiumWars''. They are a swarm of buzzing blades that can rip apart any infantry but they still function as a single unit and die to just about any guns.

* Passenger pigeons, before their extinction, were known to fly in flocks so vast and thick that one passing overhead could obscure the sun for the better part of a day. As such, people hunting them would simply aim their guns into the flock and shoot. with the pigeons flying as thick as they were, each shot was usually enough to send up to a half a dozen at once falling out of the sky.

However, there is a chance that TheSwarm has a type of {{Synchronization}} where if one member dies, usually a matriarch, the rest of the swarm will die

* ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'': Once the plot moves to Char, Tychus Findlay can be found manning a huge machine gun sending bullets into Zerg swarms. He calls it "the biggest turkey shoot in the galaxy".

* ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions'': During the battle of Zion, the human defenders in A.P.U. mechas led by Captain Mifune all [[MoreDakka concentrate fire]] on the hole the Machines just opened in the city's celling with the giant drill. While the first swarms of Sentinels get utterly shredded, more and more of them manage to get through the fire barrage and the mechas have to reload, leading to the forces of Zion being rapidly overwhelmed. Mifune keeps shooting (and {{shouting|shooter}}) at the swarms through and through no matter how hopeless the situation gets, until they eventually lacerate him to death.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/TheMatrixRevolutions https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/swarm1_3.jpg]]]]

![[AvertedTrope Averted]] Examples:

** When a horde of flesh-eating scarab beetles are chasing the heroes in ''Film/{{The Mummy|1999}}'', O'Connell first resorts to hurling his torch at them, then emptying a shotgun at the mass of insects. Each blast sends a fountain of dead bugs flying, but doesn't even slow the swarm down. [[RealityEnsues Just legging it is a far more practical solution.]]

* In ''Film/StarTrekBeyond'', the ''Enterprise'' comes under attack by a swarm of small ships led by Krall, which Captain Kirk attempts and fails miserably to destroy with phasers and photon torpedoes. There are too many targets for ''Enterprise'''s FrickinLaserBeams, and the swarm simply evades the torpedoes (because Hollywood thinks missiles need a direct hit to detonate). [[spoiler:Starbase ''Yorktown'' attempts the same tactics when Krall attacks the station in the third act, to equally little success. Ultimately, the re-activated USS ''Franklin'' and ''Yorktown'' are able to destroy the swarm by jamming the drones' communications by spamming the radio frequency with the Music/BeastieBoys, causing the drones to crash into each other and explode.]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/swarm1_3.jpg]]