Pyromaniac: Difference between revisions

* ''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 ==

* 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.

* Jesse in ''[[My Sister's Keeper]]''. The ironic part is that his father is a fire fighter.

* [[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.

* From ''[[Haunted (1995 film)|Haunted 1988]]'' it turns out {{spoiler|that Christina was one of these and set fire to the house when she and her brothers were inside. None of them survived}}.

* 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]].

 

== Live-Action TV ==

* Jubal Early from ''[[Firefly]]'' mentions a pyromaniac midget on one of his random trains of thought. "little man loved fire."

* 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 ==

* 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 ==

* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' had the Pyrokineticist [[Prestige Class]]. One of the qualifications? You had to have set a significantly-sized building on fire ''just to watch it burn''.

* 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.

 

== Toys ==

{{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.

** 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.

 

== Web Comics ==

* ''[[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.

 

== Western Animation ==

* 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 tv crew working for Dusty Hill of ZZ Top is filming at the Hill's house they tell the neighborhood that there's buried treasure in Hank's lawn and Joseph pour gasoline and lights it with a lighter.

 

== Real Life ==

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