History Main / SpikeBallsOfDoom

* They can hang mid-air and even move independently. Sometimes they're even [[SpectacularSpinning spinning]].

** When on chains, they will often swing back and forth or even in a 360 degree motion, [[PerpetualMotionMachine perpetually]].

In video games, those objects started making more widespread appearance from third generation consoles afterward and can sometimes still be present in seventh generation platform games.

-->--'''Dr. Robotnik''' (to a captured Sonic) ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog''

* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'': Wile E. Coyote sets up a cluster of spike balls tethered to a pole, set spinning like a top, in the road -- they break loose and fly up a short distance and land right where he's hiding.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** Uses spikeballs extensively. They are a rather common attack of many of the bosses in the series. Some of the spikeballs can be seen in environment spinning or mid-air. Also, some enemies, like Orbinaut, have spikeballs.

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

* In ''Film/EvenLambsHaveTeeth'', Sloane and Katie create these by shoving roofing nails through tennis balls. They then throw these balls into Boris's face. (And possibly other body parts, as the subsequent hits occur off-screen.)

* ''Rollerball'', one of the Commander Shaw spy thrillers by Philip [=McCutchan=], has a flanged sphere twelve feet in diameter rolling on an unstoppable course towards a Soviet base.

* ''Blues Brothers'': This NES game has stationary versions, mobile versions and larger spikeballs on chains.
* ''Bonze Adventure'' has indestructible blue spike balls that sway back and forth.
* ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend''
* ''CJ's Elephant Antics'': Sometimes these cover floors and skies.

* ''VideoGame/{{Valis}} II'' has spiked balls that mostly move back and forth along straight lines. They can be temporarily stopped, but not destroyed.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'': A particularly fancily described one (see the above quote) appears in the episode "[[Recap/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehogS01E06SonicBreakout Sonic Breakout]]", as one of the traps Robotnik has for Sonic's own wing in his [[HellholePrison Rot-Your-Life-Away Dungeon]], set to swing on the sight of anything the eponymous hedgehog's shade of blue. A captured Sonic takes advantage of it using a poster of himself (that [[ChekhovsGun he earlier got free]] in his issue of ''Crack-Ups'') that he sticks to Grounder's back, [[GuileHero causing the giant spikeball to demolish both his cell and guards]].

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'': A particularly fancily described one (see the above quote) appears in the episode "Sonic Breakout", as one of the traps Robotnik has for Sonic's own wing in his [[HellholePrison Rot-Your-Life-Away Dungeon]], set to swing on the sight of anything the eponymous hedgehog's shade of blue. A captured Sonic takes advantage of it using a poster of himself (that he earlier got free in his issue of ''Crack-Ups'') that he sticks to Grounder's back, [[GuileHero causing the giant spikeball to demolish both his cell and guards]].

[[quoteright:238:[[VideoGame/{{Cobra}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/deathball_769.PNG]]]]

* In some cases, they are alive (see PricklyPorcupine, PainfulPointyPufferfish and SeaHurtchin for some common examples).

* ''VideoGame/{{Battletoads}}'': These are located in many stages like 4 and 6, and mean instant death for the 'toads. Unlike other spikeballs, they are in a slightly irregular shape.

* They can hang mid-air and even move independently. Sometimes they're even [[EverythingsBetterWithSpinning spinning]].

Not to be confused with the SeaMine.

* ''VideoGame/MegaMan2'': Bubble Man's stage has a lot of them. In ''9'', one type of spikeball is even an enemy.

* In some cases, they are alive (see PainfulPointyPufferfish and SeaHurtchin for some common examples).

** ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'' and ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'': There are spike balls that act like enemies and destroy anything they touch.
** ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheOrigamiKing'': When trying to climb out of Chestnut Valley, Mario's progress is hampered by giant, spherical and very spiky chestnut shells that come rolling down the slopes he needs to ascend.

In video games, those objects started making more widespread appearance from third generation consoles afterward and can sometimes be still present in seventh generation platform games.

* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series:
** Has a few of them. For an example, in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'', there are spikeballs spinning around in a few stages. In ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'' and ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'', there are spike balls that act like enemies and destroy anything they touch.
** Introduced in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'', certain species of [[ManEatingPlant Piranha Plant]], referred to as 'Ptooies', have the ability to keep a spiky ball suspended above them by blowing upwards. Naturally, they cause contact damage if Mario touches them. When brought in as a fighter in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', the Piranha Plant is shown to be able to spit them out as part of its neutral special move.
** Bowser in ''Videogame/SuperMarioRPG'' can wield a variety of weapons, one of them being a spiked ball on a chain that he hurls at enemies.
** Bowser again, in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' can form ''himself'' into a spike ball and roll at you in his final battle.
** There's also [[TheSpiny Spiny eggs]], which are thrown by [[MookMaker Lakitus]], and will either turn in Spinies (red), bounce on the ground (green), or explode (yellow); as well as light green enemies called Spikes, which puke up spiked balls and throw them at the player.
** In the spinoffs there are various types of these. ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' has blue spike balls called Thorns that kill Yoshi in one hit and can be destroyed by eggs, and ''VideoGame/WarioLand 4'' and ''Shake Dimension'' have spiky mines and mine like stationary enemies which look and act like this trope as well.

A variation of SpikesOfDoom: Take a sphere and cover it with spikes and you got yourself a very typical obstacle. Common in video games but also occasionally present in other media. They come in many forms: