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{{trope}}
[[
▲[[caption-width-right:275:[[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|Arson, murder, and]] [[Bait and Switch|more arson!]]<ref>[http://www.wordsources.info/book-phobias-154-180.html source]</ref>
{{quote|"This little hamlet has too much boring and not enough burning... Torch everything!"
|'''[[Monster Clown|Kefka Palazzo]]''', ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]''}}
In [[Real Life]], [[wikipedia:Pyromania|Pyromania]] is a mental disorder that compels a person to set fires, and causes the sufferer to feel enjoyment and stress release (and in some cases even sexual release) from firestarting and watching fires. In addition to being a very rare disorder it also has the standard mental disorder caveat of not two cases being identical and usually coming bundled with other issues and a difficult childhood.
While real-life pyromaniacs [[Captain Obvious|tend to be somewhat mentally unstable]], fictional characters with this disorder [[Hollywood Psych|tend to exhibit it]] to the level of [[Evil Is Burning Hot|evil murderous]] [[Ax Crazy]] who really only get their kicks from death and murder with fire. Pyromaniac characters enjoy lighting fires, watching fires, [[Playing
Note that using or favoring [[Kill It
Compare [[Psycho Electro]] for [[Shock and Awe|electricity-based powers]], and [[Mad Bomber]] for a common, terrifying overlap. For a more light-hearted take on mental illness-induced criminality, see [[The Kleptomaniac]].
{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==▼
▲== Anime and Manga ==
* 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.
* Dilandau of ''[[Vision of Escaflowne]]''. The lovably sadistic [[Psycho for Hire]] pilot of the flamethrower packing red Guymelef with the fun [[Catch Phrase]] of "Burn! Burn! Burn! [[Evil Laugh|HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA]]!"
* [[Night of the Living Mooks|The Mariage]] in ''[[Audio Adaptation|StrikerS Sound Stage X]]'' of the ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'', whose first step in doing anything always involves setting the location on fire.
* 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."
* Nice Holystone in ''[[Baccano
** 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
* During most of her formative years, Farnese from ''[[Berserk]]'' was one. She even ''[[A Date
* Natsu from ''[[Fairy Tail]]'' routinely lights objects of his interest on fire, including food (though of course he ''does'' eat fire). However, he's a pillar of sanity compared to his [[Evil Counterpart]] Zancrow of Grimoire Heart.
* Urumi from ''[[Great Teacher Onizuka]]'' likes to blow things up. She considers a [[Molotov Cocktail]] to be a "practical joke", and
* Sooto Henmi in [[Suehiro Maruo]]'s ''[[The Laughing Vampire]]''. [[Enfant Terrible|An A-student in elementary school]], he likes to set fire to the neighborhood and watch the reactions of the crowd. Like all self-respecting criminal, he keeps a diary and news clippings of the crimes he has committed.
* From ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' you have Quartum, {{spoiler|the Averruncus of Fire}}.
* Menbil from ''[[
==
* Heatwave, one of the ''[[Flash]]'' villains
* Firefly, one of the more minor members of the ''[[
** As well as Firebug, another minor Batman villain.
* The ''X-Men's'' [[Shaped Like Itself|Pyro]] is sometimes portrayed as a pyromaniac.
* Adult comic ''[[Viz]]'' parodied this in strips featuring boy band Busted as pyromaniacs/arsonists who would set anything on fire "for a laugh"
* ''[[Mega Man (
== Films -- Live-Action ==▼
* {{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.
* Saul in ''[[The Old Dark House]]'', who is kept locked in the attic so he won't burn the titular house.
* One of the main villains in 1982 ''[[Alone in
* The killer in ''[[Don't Go in
* ''Not Our Son'', a [[Biopic]] of serial arsonist-[[Serial Killer|killer]] Paul Kenneth Keller, starring [[Neil Patrick Harris]].
* ''Point of Origin'', another Biopic, this one about prolific arsonist and mass murderer John Leonard Orr.
== [[Literature]] ==▼
* {{spoiler|Ben Ladradun}} in [[Tamora Pierce
▲== Literature ==
▲* {{spoiler|Ben Ladradun}} in [[Tamora Pierce|Tammy 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.
** Surprisingly Charlie the pyrokinetic in ''[[Firestarter]]'' avoids the trope. Possibly due to her father willfully traumatizing her at a very young age precisely to avoid it.
* {{spoiler|Lofty Tewt}} in [[Discworld]]'s ''[[
* Jesse in ''[[My
* [[Ripliad|Tom Ripley]] is an unusually calm example of this. Because his parents died of drowning, he has something of a phobia of water and a corresponding comfort with fire. Thus, he feels really good in one book when he torches some mobsters' car with the occupants still inside.
* Mugabo the Magician in ''[[
* ''[[Parable of the Sower]]'': Taking place in a dystopian future with social chaos, a new drug is on the street causing consumers to become pyromaniacs.
* Daisy Parker from Helen Cresswell's ''[[Bagthorpe Saga]]'' may well be the youngest ever pyromaniac. She started at the age of four and has since solidified her reputation as an all-round [[Person of Mass Destruction|Holy Terror]].
* In ''[[Adrian Mole]]: The Cappucino Years'', {{spoiler|Adrian's house}} is burned down by {{spoiler|his sons' pyromaniac tutor, Eleanor.}}
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* 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.}}
* ''[[Blue Heelers]]'' had a special two part episode at the start of the 2003 season in memory of the horror bushfires that summer. All the fires were caused by a pyro.
* The series ''[[Fire]]'' had the platoon and the arson squad trying to chase down a pyromaniac who had been lighting fires for over a year. It turns out one of them is the pyro, discovered when a trap he sets kills a firefighter.
* Lee's uncle, nicknamed Firebug, in ''[[
* [[Jim Carrey]]'s "Fire Marshal Bill", from ''[[In Living Color]]''.
* On ''[[Deadliest Catch]]'' Edgar Hansen enjoys fire a little too much. He created the Northwestern's "flaming last hook" ritual and one year during the ritual lit [[Man On Fire|himself]] and the crab table on fire. Other times he torments crew members with a [[Aerosol Flamethrower]].
* Lila from season 2 of ''[[Dexter]]'' was a serial arsonist. When she blew up the cabin with {{spoiler|Doakes}} inside, she told Dexter the explosion was "brilliant". She then tried to kill {{spoiler|Dexter, Astor, and Cody}} by lighting her apartment on fire.
* Jubal Early from ''[[
* 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}}.
== [[Music]] ==
* Till Lindemann of [[
▲== Music ==
▲* Till Lindemann of [[Rammstein (Music)|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 song ''Feuer Frei'' means "fire at will", ''Benzin'' is "gasoline". There's also ''Mein Herz brennt'' (my heart is burning), ''Sonne'' (sun), ''Wollt ihr das Bett in Flammen sehen'' (do you want to see the bed on fire), ''Feuer und Wasser'' (fire and water). ''Asche zu Asche'' (ash to ash) is about being burnt at the stake. Even the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp9z-9RdwwM&feature=related bands name] is a reference to an air show disaster which is famous for the video footage of a huge fireball of a plane crashing into a crowd of spectators.
* Whiplash's "Burning of Atlanta", which is about some pyromaniac setting Atlanta on fire.
* "The City Sleeps" by MC
* The song "Raze" by Exodus starts with this lovely bit:
{{quote|
''You bring the matches, I'll bring the gasoline,
''Ignite it, delight it, the flames grow higher,
''Burn the world upon a funeral pyre! }}
* 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.
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* Each and every Ork Burna Boy, and most Skorcha gunners, in ''[[Warhammer
* In ''[[GURPS]]'' having Pyromania forces you to make a self control roll every time the opportunity to light something on fire pops up.
* Quite a lot of Jammers from ''[[
* A large number of mages and planeswalkers in ''[[Magic:
* ''[[Champions]]'' has a few villains like this, including Blowtorch and Firebug.
* ''[[Dungeons
* 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
== [[Toys]] ==
* The ''[[Bionicle]]'' fandom likes to joke about [[Playing
==
▲* 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
* Phoebe from ''[[
** And once you can, Raz will start having urges too. "Oops, sorry bird."
** "I AM THE MILKMAN. MY [[Molotov Cocktail|MILK]] IS DELICIOUS."
* The UNSC Flamethrower Marines in ''[[Halo]] Wars'' are described as "pyromaniacs to the core" and their in-game combat chatter backs it up, with the Marines shouting things like "I can't believe I get paid to do this!"
* ''[[Marathon
{{quote|
* Flame Tank pilots in ''[[Command
** Let's not forget the: "PURGE THEM WITH FIRE, PURIFY THEM!!" and "UNLEASH THE GLORY OF THE FLAME" when they are told to attack an enemy.
*** Not to mention the Black Hand infantry in aforementioned game.
* [[Meaningful Name|Ignus]] of ''[[Planescape: Torment]]''. He is [[Incendiary Exponent|perpetually on fire]], due to a portal to the Plane of Fire being opened ''inside his body''. It was his [[Infernal Retaliation|poorly chosen]] [[
* From ''[[
{{quote|
** The sequel adds a helpful description text to the firebat in the campaign, claiming that the rate of pyromania in firebat recruits is 'only' around 70% per cent and that recruits tend to be drawn from prisoners with arson sentences. That's a lot of fire-starting crazies...
* On that note... ''[[World of Warcraft]]''. One of the talents that can be selected in the fire talent tree is actually ''called'' "pyromania".
* ''[[Call of Duty]]: World at War'' has Doctor Richtofen as a character from the Nazi Zombies DLC. Out of the group of four sociopath soldiers who make up the playable characters, Richtofen is the most unhinged. Whenever a nuke powerup is detonated he will shout "Watch, watch the BEAUTIFUL FIRE!!" very enthusiastically.
* You can play one in ''[[Arcanum]]''. While it's one of the lamer character backgrounds (the bonus is rather useless when you intend to specialise in Explosives anyway), the description is just lovely:
{{quote|
* All of the ''[[Fallout]]'' games have a Pyromaniac perk, and they all cause the player to inflict greater fire damage in varying ways. Though ''Fallout 3's'' is perhaps the most spectacular, increasing fire damage by a whopping 50%. Enough to make the flamer out perform a [[Gatling Good|minigun]] at short range.
** Cook-Cook, one of the Fiend leaders in ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'', fights with a flamethrower. He's also implied to be completely psychotic, and his pyromania, combined with some of his [[I'm a Humanitarian|other]] [[Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil|hobbies]], puts him firmly in [[Complete Monster]] territory.
* Several villains of the ''[[Suikoden]]'' series, most notably with [[Psycho for Hire|psychotic]] [[Black Knight]] Yuber and even ''[[Serial Escalation|more]]'' [[Ax Crazy|psychotic]] [[Complete Monster]] Luca Blight.
* Paul Carson from ''[[Dead Rising]]''.
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** On [http://walfas.org Walfas], Reimu is often depicted as one, setting on fire people who annoy her. In [http://www.walfas.org/?p=81 one particular flash], she sets {{spoiler|'''the entire world'''}} on fire.
*** [[Fallout|She just wants to start a flame in your heart.]]
** Mononobe no Futo, apparently. She used to be afraid of Buddhist statues, and responded by setting them all on fire.
* Spawn a Pyro in ''[[Scribblenauts]]'' and he burns down anything possible.
* In ''[[Crash Bandicoot]]'', Dingodile's primary weapon is a flamethrower.
* Most of Pyro's proles in ''[[Sacrifice]]''.
{{quote|
* Matt Helms from ''[[No More Heroes]] 2'' uses a flamethrower-battle axe.
* It's implied in ''[[Gears of War]] 2'' that Delta squad rookie [[Mauve Shirt|Ben Carmine]] is somewhat pyromaniacal, with Marcus and Dom remarking on his love of fire and how he was always talking about it. This is reinforced by his multiplayer lines when he picks up and uses a flamethrower ("AHAHAHA, burn, bitch!")
* In ''[[Dragon Quest VII]]'' [[Hot Witch|Jessica]] seems to have a penchant for Fire magic. During a pub brawl she almost threw a ''fireball'' in the room to stop the brawlers!
* Kefka Palazzo from ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'' commits most of his atrocities using fire. For starters, he has a brainwashed Terra burn fifty of the Gestahlian Empire's finest soldiers alive, he torches Castle Figaro to persuade Edgar to hand over Terra, he has Thamasa burned to the ground (to which he explicitly states "This little Hamlet has too much "boring" and not enough "burning." Burn it to the ground!"), it was heavily implied that {{spoiler|his misaligning the Warring Triad}} also resulted in several fires on the planet, and don't forget his frequent use of the Light of Judgment which kills people by incinerating them {{spoiler|after his ascension to Godhood}}.
* Burner Man from ''[[
** Mega Man Powered Up also makes Fire Man this. Just about every single line is him screaming "FIIIIIIIIRE!!!" at the beginning or end of it.
* 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]]'':
* Elly from ''[[Nami Warriors]]'' is only happy when she gets to set someone or something on fire.
* Larisa from ''[[
{{quote|'''Benjamin''': Duuude, Larisa is teh crazy!
'''Theo''': But she’s also hot, hot, hot!
'''Benjamin''': Yeah, so hot that you’ll get your fingers burnt on her… literally!
'''Theo''': That’s quite possible. I heard Andrew had to spend two days in the hospital with second-degree burns after a date with her.}}
* In ''[[Kid Radd]]'', the protagonists come across a colony of NPCs who, being invincible, have odd party games one of which is called Blatant Pyromania. It's played by setting yourself on fire. Sheena and Radd get in on it too. Sheena, an NPC, finds it surprisingly fun; Radd has an understandably less enthusiastic opinion.
* In ''[[Nectar of the Gods]]'', Enrique is a Flairtender who spends a lot of his work hours lighting drinks on fire and using it to spit fire. So it's become a sort of reflex of his to light things on fire at random.
* In ''[[Men in Hats]]'', Aram likes setting things on fire, such as [http://www.meninhats.com/d/20020927.html Gamal's] [http://www.meninhats.com/d/20021103.html face] and [http://www.meninhats.com/d/20020923.html "anything with 'do not set on fire' written on it somewhere."]
* Flick from ''[[Sam and Fuzzy]]'' is a possible pyromaniac. [[Played for Laughs]] in that he only sets his own head on fire.
* Tangerine from ''[[
* ''[[Irregular Webcomic]]'' has Kyros, of the Fantasy theme. It rapidly gets to the point where every other member of the party dives for cover when he begins casting a spell. He considers it an aiming problem when he ''only'' hits the things he's pointing the fireball at. Given that the Fantasy theme uses a houserule where XP can only be spent on things the players have practiced using, and all Kyros ever uses is his fireball, this trend is one that never reverses.
* ''[[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]].
== [[Web Original]] ==
* Simon from the ''[[Yogscast]]'' will burn something when ever possible and has even built bridges made of TNT in the ''[[Minecraft]]'' videos.
▲== Web Originals ==
▲* 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.
== [[Western Animation]] ==▼
▲== Western Animation ==
* 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 [[
*** in the [[
* In ''[[The Lion King]] 2'', it's pretty obvious that Nuka has some issues even before his "WHOO, FIRE!!!" outburst.
* ''[[
* [[The Ditz|Ralph Wiggum]] from ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' has shown signs of pyromania on a couple of occasions. He shows Bart the place where he claims to have seen a leprechaun, who told him to burn things. When asked by a fire safety guy in a bear outfit if he was going to start any fires, he replied "At my house, we call them [[Unusual Euphemism|uh-oh]]s".
** In ''[[The Simpsons
** 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.
* Firefly of ''[[G.I. Joe: Renegades]]''. Not only a dedicated pyro, he is also known to talk to the fires he starts as one might talk to their lover. Or he'll talk about the fires in a religious context. The guy is completely bat-shit insane.
* Joseph from the later episodes of ''[[King of the Hill]]'', whenever he and Bobby find something he almost always suggests that they burn it, in another when Bobby is a guidance counselor for girls with problems Joseph at one point bursts in to say "I have these strange desires to burn things", and in another when a
== [[Real Life]] ==▼
▲== Real Life ==
* 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.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:
[[Category:This Index Is On Fire]]
[[Category:Madness Tropes]]
[[Category:Psychology Tropes]]
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