Hyperspace Mallet: Difference between revisions

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In [[Fanfic]] circles, the notional storage place for mallets when not in use is known as "[[Hammerspace]]" or "malletspace".

A recent variation is to have the character pull out a ''harisen'', a huge folded fan made out of paper or metal, a.k.a. the [[Paper Fan of Doom]], and smack them with that. This is usually less painful-looking than the mallet, unless she uses it to deliver a [[Megaton Punch]].

Ironically, this is now a [[Dead Horse Trope]] in the West, where it originated; modern Western examples are typically from shows invoking anime, which has added its own touches to the mix, or from homages to [[Looney Tunes|Warner Brothers cartoons]].

For more tropes on the spontaneous generation of matter, see [[Shapeshifter Baggage]], [[Elemental Baggage]], [[Variable-Length Chain]] and [[Telescoping Robot]].

For characters that use hammers for purposes other than comedy, see [[Drop the Hammer]], for when the Trope is enacted for comic effect but the actual reason the girl is supposed to be angry is missing from the context see [[Unprovoked Pervert Payback]].

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== Anime and Manga ==

* Kaori in ''[[City Hunter]]''; She pulls an over 100t iron hammer out of nowhere to beat Ryo up. In the alternate timeline of ''[[Angel Heart (manga)|Angel Heart]]'', Shanin picks up this ability from Kaori's heart inside her. We later find that Kaori's sister can also do it.

** In one of the anime episodes, Kaori is shown to have purchased a new hammer at a boutique before the action of the episode started.

* ''[[Ranma ½]]'' uses it on occasion. [[Fanon]] makes it far more prominent and always has Akane Tendo to be the one to use it; this actually varies depending on continuity. In the anime, Akane only uses a hammer four times: the 3rd and 5th season episodes "Ryoga's Miracle Cure!" and "Into the Darkness" respectively, the OAV "Team Ranma Vs. The Legendary Phoenix", and the 1st movie "Big Trouble in Nekonron, China". It's only slightly more prominent in the manga, and just about everyone has used it, from Kodachi (the first person to wield it) to Soun Tendo to Happosai to Ranma Saotome himself.

** In the manga Akane most frequently uses her fists, samurai weaponry such as shinai and bokken, or usually any blunt object at hand. She doesn't really use a mallet more than anyone else.

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== Literature ==

* In the Tom Holt novel ''Grailblazers'', one of the knights has an hereditary power -- that any male of his line can, when reaching vaguely behind them, always grab a weapon of some sort.

* In [[The Stormlight Archive]] by [[Brandon Sanderson]], some of the most powerful weapons in the setting, Shardblades, can be summoned from thin air with an effort of will by their owner, they will appear after ten of the owner's heartbeats.

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* ''[[Highlander]]'' and, particularly its spinoffs, makes little to no effort to explain where the immortals pull their swords from. While early on, they'd have characters wearing long coats, later on they'll have characters (particularly females) pull out swords while wearing form fitting clothing.

* While being less a Mallet and more a [[Ocarina of Time|Megaton Hammer]], Ramona Flowers uses one in [[Scott Pilgrim vs. the World]] to fight her [[Bi the Way|ex-girlfriend]].

** As mentioned in the Comics section above, Ramona pulls this full-length sledgehammer out of a handbag that looks small enough to have difficulty containing Scott's self-respect.

== Live Action TV ==

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== Video Games ==

* Overlaps with [[Hyperspace Arsenal]], but a vast number of video games incorporate the ability for characters to draw a weapon (or similar tool) at will from nowhere.

* [[Sonic the Hedgehog|Amy Rose's]] signature weapon is a mallet that shows up out of nowhere. There's not a single TV show or video game she shows up in either in which she doesn't have the hammer at all (since [[Sonic Adventure]]) or in which she keeps the hammer in a logical place. It gets [[Lampshaded]] in [[Sonic X]].

{{quote|[Amy throws hammer at Eggman's airship]

Eggman: "We got your hammer up here, so you can't touch us!"

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Bokun: "She's got more hammers than a hardware store!" }}

* Literally in the game [[Patapon]] 2. Ormen Karmen, the Karmen chief and the Penultimate Boss, has one attack where a gigantic hammer appears in his hands and he crashes it down on the patapons. When he finishes attacking, the hammer shrinks back into the void.

* In the ''[[Super Smash Bros]]'' series, one of Peach's attacks strikes the target with a random blunt object from out of nowhere, such as a golf club.

* In the ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' series, one of Peach's attacks strikes the target with a random blunt object from out of nowhere, such as a golf club.

* While most of [[The Legend of Zelda|Link]]'s equipment would fall under the [[Hyperspace Arsenal]] trope, he does acquire oversized-hammer weapons in various games, such as the Megaton Hammer or the Skull Hammer.

* A serious example happens in the ''[[Elder Scrolls]]'' games, where the Bound Weapon / Armor spells are basically pulling an [[Infinity+1 Sword|Infinity Plus One Weapon or Armor]] from [[Hammerspace]].

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** In a later [[Cerebus Retcon|more serious turn]] Susan told she was taught how to use the hammers in more dangerous circumstances (though non-lethal, it's still a [[Depleted Phlebotinum Shells|magical weapon]]). And later was rather surprised to discover their original purpose. {{spoiler|During that revelation it was revealed [[It Makes Sense in Context|Hyperspace Mallets would henceforth no longer be accessible but Susan could still access special versions of them using her own magical abilities]].}}

* Parodied in [http://www.webcomicsnation.com/shaenongarrity/narbonic/series.php?view=archive&chapter=13021#strip2 this strip] of ''[[Narbonic]]''.

* The sweet pacifist healer White Mage of ''[[8-Bit Theater ~~(Webcomic)~~|Eight Bit Theater]]'' carries a giant holy hammer (usually invisible) with which she smacks Black Mage around in response to his lewd pick-up lines. (Or when he kills people. Or when he suggests doing lewd things with dead people. Take your pick.)

* The sweet pacifist healer White Mage of ''[[8-Bit Theater|Eight Bit Theater]]'' carries a giant holy hammer (usually invisible) with which she smacks Black Mage around in response to his lewd pick-up lines. (Or when he kills people. Or when he suggests doing lewd things with dead people. Take your pick.)

* The characters of ''[[Looking for Group]]'' use [[Hammerspace]] a lot for their weapons and other gear, because they certainly don't seem to carry around backpacks (despite changing their outfits from time to time) and their weapons are curiously absent when not in use. But they never pull a weapon from hammerspace just for a humorous toonish effect (not even Krunch, the huge minotaur scholar wielding a massive sledgehammer), so it's more a case of both audience and characters deliberately ignoring the question where the weapons go.

** The Warlock Richard, on the other hand, often manifests odd items from nowhere for humorous effect and Fourth Wall Breaking; at one point he explained that "[his] mind can make arrows", so his mind probably can make dice, too.

* Eddie from ''[[Emergency Exit]]'' does this on occasion, despite being male. Of course, Eddie's [[Cloudcuckoolander|completely nuts anyway]], so nobody gives it a second thought. In a slight subversion, the mallet becomes a powerful weapon when combined with Eddie's coolness enhancer

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* ''[[Girl Genius]]'' doesn't do this with hammers, but with [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20071005 every] [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20081024 other] [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20081015 tool] that the well-equipped Mad Scientist might need.

** [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20091002 Now, with real mallet!]

* Tsunami of ''[[Tsunami Channel]]'' one-ups most of these by using a ''[[8-Bit Theater ~~(Webcomic)~~|hammer-chuck]]'' [http://www.tsunamichannel.com/index.php?date=2002-07-10&comic=ExCoKo on Professor Hasegawa.]

* Tsunami of ''[[Tsunami Channel]]'' one-ups most of these by using a ''[[8-Bit Theater|hammer-chuck]]'' [http://www.tsunamichannel.com/index.php?date=2002-07-10&comic=ExCoKo on Professor Hasegawa.]

* Lampshaded in [http://www.badlydrawnkitties.com/new/129.html this] ''[[Badly Drawn Kitties]]'' strip.

* In ''[[The Whiteboard]]'', Doc occasionally pulls his signature mallet out of [[Hammerspace]]