Hyperspace Mallet: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

[[Hammerspace|It comes from nowhere]], it strikes without mercy, and disappears again. It's a mallet the size of a circus sledgehammer, and it's evidence that [[Anime]] characters watch too many [[Bugs Bunny]] cartoons or [[Three Stooges]] shorts. An angry character -- usually but not restricted to [[Tsundere|short-tempered schoolgirls]] -- can often whip out a massive hammer with which to slam the target (and cause) of her ire.

 

== Anime and Manga ==

** 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 One Half|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.

* ''[[One Piece]]'', in Usopp's fight against Mr. 4 he uses a gigantic hammer. But it turns out that the hammer is actually fake and can collapse for storage.

** In a straighter example of the trope, one of Whitebeard's commanders can pull a giant hammer out of a small compartment in his chin.

*** It's shown to be retractable. Yellow's fishing rod on the other hand...

** Jessie has also pulled mallets out of hyperspace, as well as frying pans.

** He's also done that to the Arcobaleno Skull, too, when in the filler arc, Skull screwed up his Trial, and Reborn ticked off about that {{spoiler|Don't forget that Colonello added his fists into this, and the Skull asks for Lal's mercy, and she just simply gives the cold shoulder.}}

* In one episode of ''[[Princess Resurrection]]'', the main characters are fleeing from their enemies on a jet ski. During one cut back to the heroes, Hime is suddenly wielding a giant metal hammer.

* Variant: Maka from ''[[Soul Eater]]'' has a heavy book that follows all the conventions of this trope, barring its shape.

** Also Shinigami and his gigantic hands. Students or staff pissing you off? Smack them on the head. Also good for punishing Big Bads and evil witches.

** Tsubaki also attacked Black*Star with shurikens to the forehead in early chapters/episodes.

* Guchuko, the feral mochi-mochi in ''[[Potemayo]]'', has a portal into hammerspace inside her pants. She keeps her axe in there, for one thing, but at other times she variously keeps a snake and a pile of corn cobs. That may have been how she transported the carcass of a cow into Kyo's yard. (Quite a feat considering that Guchuko is about the size of a cat.)

** Although not a hammer, Hinagiku pulls her borrowed wooden sword out of nowhere. Sometimes this even surprises her.

*** Should be noted that this was explained and is a plot point, while the Sakuya and Nagi examples are played for laughs.

 

== Comic Books ==

** Sandman does it with his hands on occasion. Sometimes he even creates spiked mallets.

* The titular character of ''[[Leonard Le Genie]]'' often pulls hammers, anvils and other heavy, blunt objects from his beard to punish his clumsy assistant Basile.

* This is [[The Awesome Slapstick|Slapstick's]] primary method of attack.

* In one strip of the Italian Comic ''Lupo Alberto'', one of the two characters starts talking about old comics and their "special effects", until the other one, annoyed, reminds him the last one, A.K.A. said "Mallet that popped out of nowhere used to punish the bad guys".

== 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.

 

 

== Film ==

* In the 1992 [[Marx Brothers]] homage ''[[Brain Donors]]'', Harpo-equivalent Jacques pulls a huge wooden sledgehammer out of nowhere when the decision is made to "take care of" egotistical ballet star Volare. He is, unfortunately, restrained from actually ''using'' it.

** 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 ==

 

 

== 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.

{{quote| [Amy throws hammer at Eggman's airship] <br />

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

* 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]].

** Actually, it ''is'' [[Pistol-Whipping|her gun]].

*** Not so sure, in her [http://www.rpgplanet.com/chrono/images/ct/oaw-lucca.jpg official artworks], she is depicted as carrying a mallet. Its no surprise at all that she carries one since she is a [[Wrench Wench]] and hence, the mallet is unlikely to be a hammerspace one.

* In ''[[Lego Batman]]'', Harley Quinn can pull a mallet out of nowhere and bludgeon the enemy with it. This is one of the most effective melee attacks in the game.

* In Samurai Showdown V, Rimururu has a finishing move that involves freezing her opponent before smashing them with a gigantic ice mallet (which she of course summons out of nowhere.)

 

 

== Webcomics ==

** In one twist of the trope, Susan once [http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2003-04-29 hammered] the local [[Jerk Jock]] not because he did something to her, but because he pushed aside Tedd. Elliot and Sarah are left wondering why she was able to do so. "He's just ''[[Dude Looks Like a Lady|that]]'' androgynous."

** 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 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

* 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.]

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

* Barely comedic example in ''[[Suicide for Hire]]:'' [http://suicideforhire.comicgenesis.com/d/20061101.html where'd that bat come from?]

 

 

== Western Animation ==

** The sizes of mallets he uses are also quite flexible, ranging from the semi-sensible, to the ridiculously-large. In one short, the Warners are filling in for Plotz's sick secretary and Wakko has trouble with the photocopier. His solution is to smash the offending machine with a mallet that's about ''half the size of the room''.

* [[Inspector Gadget]] had one in his hat, held aloft by a gloved mechanical arm. In the second live-action film, G2 did this as well.