Pyromaniac: Difference between revisions

 

{{examples}}

* Claude "Torch" Weaver in ''[[Black Lagoon]]'' was a pyromaniac wielding a flamethrower. Unusually he was also a [[Family Values Villain]] and was unusually nice and collected [[Dissonant Serenity|even while he was indiscriminately setting things on fire]]. {{spoiler|He was eventually defeated when Revy managed to shoot his fuel tank. [[Stuff Blowing Up|KABOOOOOM!]]}}

* Kimbley in ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' is a variant. He seems to delight in blowing buildings (and people) up.

* In ''[[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]]'', Gokudera Hayato threatens to blow someone up every time he gets pissed.

* [[Anti-Hero]] Ogami from ''[[Code Breaker]]''. Though it makes sense, considering that his designated powers are burning people by touching them. Not to mention that he's an [[The Stoic|emotionless]], [[Insane Equals Violent|automatically violent]] person who ''loves'' dealing out swift punishment. His catchphrase is even telling people to "Burn."

** Not only does she have the eyepatch, but she {{spoiler|hides small explosives in the empty socket!}}

** Randy and Pecho, apparent Mooks and career arsonists, inadvertently kick off the plot of one arc with their enthusiastic blazes. They use fire to [[Kill It with Fire|end the arc]], as well.

* Menbil from ''[[The Familiar of Zero]]''.

 

* Heatwave, one of the ''[[Flash]]'' villains. It's hinted he burned down his childhood home while his family was inside.

* Firefly, one of the more minor members of the ''[[Batman]]'' [[Rogues Gallery]] is this.

* ''[[Mega Man (comics)|Mega Man]]'' Issue #3, in response to that issue's [[Drunk on the Dark Side]] plotline, Roll wonders how she would react to having all that power. Rock then goes into an [[Imagine Spot]] where Roll sees a dirty room, then pulls out Fire Man's weapon, declaring ''Fire is the ultimate cleanser!''.

 

* {{spoiler|Ronald Bartel (Donald Sutherland)}} from ''[[Backdraft]]''.

* Paul Newman's character in ''[[The Long Hot Summer]]'', Ben Quick, is accused of being a "barn burner." A Southern term and phenomenon, it means someone who will exact revenge for a real or perceived injustice or slight by setting fire to his antagonist's barn, or other outbuilding if the barn isn't accessible.

* ''Point of Origin'', another Biopic, this one about prolific arsonist and mass murderer John Leonard Orr.

 

* {{spoiler|Ben Ladradun}} in [[Tamora Pierce]]'s ''[[Circle of Magic|Cold Fire]].''

* Trashcan Man in ''[[The Stand]]'', who got his name due to lighting trashcans on fire at his school.

* Blister from ''[[Friday the 13th|Jason X: To The Third Power]]''.

* Aerys Targaryen, "The Mad King", from ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' eventually became a full-fledged pyromaniac. Jamie reveals in book four that the king, late on in the marriage, was generally 'uninterested' in the queen except for on days when he'd seen someone burned to death in front on him.

* The 1986 young adult novel ''The Fire Raiser'', by [[New Zealand]] author Maurice Gee, is about a group of kids tracking down the title character during [[World War I]]. Later made into a [[Miniseries]].

 

* ''[[CSI]]'' actually had a somewhat sympathetic and restrained pyromaniac. When the team's investigating an arson case that killed a teenager, one of the suspects is a woman with a history of pyromania. She reveals to Nick (in a scene tinged with [[Fetish Fuel]]) that she controls her urges by burning her junk mail in the fireplace. {{spoiler|She's not the culprit.}}

* ''[[The Closer]]'' has a very creepy pyromaniac as a recurring character; it's mentioned that he's [[Nightmare Fuel|sexually aroused by the smell of burning flesh]], and he repeatedly comments on the ways to make people go up in flames. {{spoiler|He's not the culprit in either of his appearances (though it's heavily implied that he did set a girlfriend on fire years ago, but due to witness death the verdict at trial was Not Guilty), and even helps Priority Homicide find the culprit both times with his knowledge of fires.}}

* A number of unsubs on ''[[Criminal Minds]]'' have been pyromaniacs, notably the unsub in "Ashes and Dust". It was subverted in "Compulsion", where the unsub was revealed not to be an arsonist, but to {{spoiler|suffer from scrupulosity, an extreme form of OCD}}.

 

* Till Lindemann of [[Rammstein]] loves fire and is a certified pyrotechnics expert. You haven't noticed?

** He even had the entire band be trained in pyrotechnics so they can put even more fire and flamethrowers on the stage as they perform.

* "The City Sleeps" by MC 900 ft Jesus is about an arsonist who lights fires to get a spiritual thrill.

* The song "Raze" by Exodus starts with this lovely bit:

* In "Lament for a Toy Factory", [[Doctor Steel]] sings about burning down the toy factory that fired him with "gasoline-filled Super Soakers."

* The narrator of "Psalms 40:2" by [[The Mountain Goats]] is a pyromaniac seeking a meaningful connection with God through setting fires.

 

* Each and every Ork Burna Boy, and most Skorcha gunners, in ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]''—at least to the degree that orks can be called 'mentally ill' by human standards. The Arch-Arsonist of Charadon, an Ork warlord, measures his success in ''worlds burned''. Orks do not do things by halves (well, except people anyway).

* In ''[[GURPS]]'' having Pyromania forces you to make a self control roll every time the opportunity to light something on fire pops up.

* Pyromania (called "Firebug") is a mental disorder in ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]]'', which forces the character to roll willpower whenever given a chance to start a fire (which is surprisingly often) and gives Fellowship penalties from depression whenever the character isn't setting fire to stuff. Most characters who acquire it tend to live short, interesting lives before being put down by law enforcement or their fellow party members after setting fire to something they really shouldn't. And if the party [[Playing with Fire|Red Wizard]] ever gets it, run. Run like your pants are on fire, which they will be shortly if you do not.

 

* The ''[[Bionicle]]'' fandom likes to joke about [[Playing with Fire|Tahu]] possibly being one of these. ("BURN STUFF!" became a popular [[Memetic Mutation|meme]] at one point.) Occasionally referenced in the canon:

{{quote|'''Tahu''': What do you have in mind, and does it include explosions?}}

 

* The French Mercenary in the first ''[[Syphon Filter]]'' uses a flamethrower. You use it to your advantage - he's slow to turn, and his flamethrower isn't very fireproof.

* [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|The Pyro]] ''[[Team Fortress 2]]''. Apart from the fact that most of [[Ambiguous Gender|his/her/its]] weaponry causes people to be set on fire, the game makes it very clear that the Pyro takes delight in starting said fires: About [[The Unintelligible|the only intelligible thing]] the Pyro can utter is a maniacal laughter made when using the flamethrower.

* A trait in ''[[The Sims]] 3'', which ironically is only found in natural children of NPC firefighters. They can set things on fire, turn fruits into flame fruit, and survive longer while on fire.

 

* ''[[Another Gaming Comic]]'' features the fire-obsessed Nuclear Dan, who dissects every gaming system he comes across to master its use of fire and explosives. His standard reaction to any provocation is to cast Fireball, usually centered on himself.

* ''[[Cuanta Vida]]'': "So he's as flammable as anyone!"

* ''[[The Non-Adventures of Wonderella]]'' has Devlin. Seeing [http://nonadventures.com/2010/02/13/premature-evacuation/ a fire-summoning superheroine] closely made him... [[Jizzed in My Pants|overexcited]].

 

* Simon from the ''[[Yogscast]]'' will burn something when ever possible and has even built bridges made of TNT in the ''[[Minecraft]]'' videos.

* In ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'', the Freelancers at one point encounter a flamethrower-wielding [[Elite Mook]] who gives two of their best a serious run for their money in combat. He's only stopped by a Gravity Hammer to the face. Fans have taken to calling him "Sharkface", after his helmet's paintjob.

* Tisiphone of the ''[[Whateley Universe]]''. All she seems to think about are setting fires, and getting even with Phase by setting him on fire.

 

* Beavis from ''[[Beavis and Butthead]]''. "[[Catch Phrase|FIRE! FIRE!]]"

** At least until the [[Moral Guardians]] [[Bowdlerise|took notice]]. Allegedly, a young boy burned down his house after watching ''Beavis and Butt-Head''... even though his house [[Media Research Failure|didn't have cable]], meaning that they couldn't watch the show.

* In ''[[The Lion King]] 2'', it's pretty obvious that Nuka has some issues even before his "WHOO, FIRE!!!" outburst.

* ''[[Beast Wars]]'': Burn! BURN FOR THE ROYALTY! BUUURRRRRNNNNN! [[Evil Laugh|AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]]

** Reverend Lovejoy is also implied to have these tendencies, such as his being overenthusiastic towards a burning as well as buying a van whose sole purpose is to burn books.

* Izzy from ''[[Total Drama Island]]'' was the first member of the team to successfully start a fire with a massive explosion while laughing like a lunatic and we later found out she burned down the mess hall at her military camp.

 

* Let's just say that [[Real Life]] Pyromania is very much a case of [[Truth in Television]] and leave it at that. The main difference is that real life pyromania comes in varying degrees of severity (like all mental illnesses); some people merely like fires too much, but can control their compulsions most of the time, while others are the killers you hear about on the news and in mental hospitals.

 

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