Pillar of Light: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

 

In the case of more disastrous events, the Pillar of Light is just an extension of the [[Pre-Explosion Glow]]; in other cases, it can be part of a truly cosmic [[Battle Aura]]. The rest of the time it is relatively benign, if exciting to watch.

 

{{examples}}

* In ''[[Futari wa Pretty Cure]]'', the protagonists' [[Transformation Sequence]] is performed within a Pillar of Light, and is one of the most pyrotechnically impressive transformation sequences known.

* A [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic|cross-shaped version]] is often seen as the results of Angel attacks in ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''.

* ''[[Mai-Otome]]''

** The Harmonium Organ.

* In ''[[The Big O]]'', a pillar of light effectively triggers the end of the world... [[Gainax Ending|maybe]].

* ''[[Haibane Renmei]]'' has one for the Day of Flight.

* In ''[[Trigun]]'', Vash The Stampede gets [[Puppeteer Parasite]] into firing his weapon at full power against an enemy. He manages to redirect the aim to the sky, and when the weapon fires a huge Pillar of Light rises up to the planet's moon and bores a large crater in it.

** Near the end of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha (anime)|Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]] A's'', {{spoiler|the return of Hayate and her Wolkenritter}} is accompanied by one of these.

* In the anime version of ''[[Sailor Moon]]'', Chibi-Usa frequently emits one of these from the moon mark on her forehead when she's frightened or upset due to {{spoiler|the Silver Crystal being inside her body.}}

* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]''

** Especially large-scale magic tends to do stuff like this. Especially the time {{spoiler|the bad guys used Konoka's latent magical powers to summon a giant demon.}}

* Many of the events of the anime ''[[Boogiepop Series|Boogiepop Phantom]]'' appear to be precipitated by a mysterious pillar of light that shot into the sky. {{spoiler|As revealed in ''Boogiepop and Others'', this was the result of Echoes' transmitting himself as information back to the higher plane he came from.}}

* In ''[[One Piece]]'', the first hint of God Eneru's presence and power is a column of light that vaporizes people who make "blasphemous" statements. After Eneru actually appears on-screen, it is used as a particularly devastating attack.

* Bad stuff happens when this shows up in ''[[Saikano]]''. ''Really'' bad stuff.

* The perfected form of the [[Ki Attacks|Shishi Hokodan]], in ''[[Ranma ½]]'', looks a lot like this. The user launches a bolt of depression-generated ki straight up into the air, forming a brief pillar of blazing energy that then colaesces into a pulsing fireball, then goes emotionally limp and lets it fall back down, smashing everything around the user. The biggest problem with this move is that, if the user gets snapped out of being emotionally hollow at the wrong time, the move will crush ''them'', too.

* In the ''[[Saint Seiya]]'' arc set in Asgard, Hilda's God Warriors are awakened when their Cloths emit great pillars of light to match the stars of Ursa Major.

* Any sufficiently powerful attack on ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' or ''[[Dragonball Z]]''; especially when it's a deflected beam attack.

* An episode of ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'' shows a Pillar of Light coming down to a village from the [[Our Vampires Are Different|Wraith]] [[Living Ship|hiveship]] in orbit. Sheppard goes to check it out but never reveals what he found, and no-one bothers to ask him. No such beam has been seen on the show before or since.

* In ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' one of these was produced when Lucifer was freed.

 

 

== Tabletop Games ==

 

 

* In ''Magic and Mayhem: The Art of Magic'', the "Judgement" spell appears as a column of light.

* ''[[Super Robot Wars]]''

** Similarly, [[Spell My Name with an "S"|Ganleon/Gunleon]]'s final attack in ''[[Super Robot Wars]] Z'' ends with a [[Victory Pose|"victory" pose]] in which ''the robot itself'' cries [[Manly Tears]] for its fallen opponent. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7WaRZpOV_I It then roars and fires those tears into the stratosphere.]

* ''[[Mother 3]]'': The [[Cosmic Keystone|Seven Needles]] briefly turn into beams of light when pulled.

** The [[Strange Journey|Schwartzwelt]] ''starts'' as one. [[World-Wrecking Wave|As for what comes next]]...

* The Smiting Prayers elite skill Ray of Judgment in ''[[Guild Wars]]'' calls forth a pillar of glowing white light that heavily damages (and sets on fire) anyone foolish enough (or knocked-down enough) to remain within its radius.

* In ''[[Dragon Age]]'' when the Archedemon is slain. The whole of the Fereldin army sees it from a distance.

* In ''[[Dragon Age II]]'' the {{spoiler|bomb Anders planted in the Chantry creates a pillar of red light during the explosion}}.

* Happens when Crocodile Isle explodes and sinks into the sea in ''[[Donkey Kong Country]] 2'' after K Rool gets thrown into the island's core.

* Minor variant: Slain colossi in ''[[Shadow of the Colossus]]'' leave pillars of light as beacons to their areas, if the player wanted to rebattle them in Reminiscence Mode.

 

== Web Animations ==

 

== Web Comics ==

* In ''[[Slightly Damned]]'' this is the form that {{spoiler|portals leading out of Hell}} take.

* In ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'', when Miko Miyazaki crosses the [[Moral Event Horizon]], her gods hit her with one, [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0407.html taking away her paladin powers].

* In ''[[Our Little Adventure]]'', [http://danielscreations.com/ola/comics/ep0084.html when Julie activates the Magicant Pendant,] a Pillar of Light shows up. It also unfortunately attracts the attention of the bad guys.

 

 

== Western Animation ==

* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''

** In the series premiere, Prince Zuko guesses that the random Pillar of Light that suddenly appears in the South Pole signals something of great, powerful significance, like the return of the Avatar. Lampshaded by Iroh, who thinks it might just be the natural polar lights. "We've been down this road before, Prince Zuko."

* In ''[[Code Lyoko]]'', whenever a monster or hero falls into the Digital Sea, a white Pillar of Light rises from the spot into the sky of Lyoko (with the notable exception of William in Season 4, since a dive into the Digital Sea doesn't harm him).

* The signal in ''[[Beast Wars]]'' season one, "The Trigger, Part 2". Not a ''good'' thing, but a ''significant'' thing.

** Willow in episode 14, after getting Moon's hammer.

** Another one in episode 17, {{spoiler|when Grougaloragran is defeated by Nox and he explodes, his wakfu soaring in the sky}}. This pillar could be seen all over the world.

* The [[wikipedia:Tribute in Light|Tribute in Light]] memorial to the September 11 attacks.

* The searchlight on top of the Luxor pyramid in Las Vegas can allegedly be seen for hundreds of miles at night. Lights on the pyramid's edges sometimes even do a streaming-upward effect to give the beam [[Sucking-In Lines]].

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Spectacle]]