History Main / BallCannon

* ''[[ICallItVera The Dude]]'' in ''VideoGame/SunsetOverdrive'' is a homemade gun that launches bowling balls that can [[OneHitPolykill take out multiple enemies at once]]. The weapon needs to be charged with every use, and it is ineffective against aerial enemies because the bowling balls only travel on the ground.

Given these machines are essentially miniature cannons designed to launch projectiles. It's not surprising that, in fiction at least, these devices can and have been weaponized then used either with lethal intent or at least cause distractions or subdue people. And sometimes depending on the type of machine, they're projectiles can be replaced with something else.

Given these machines are essentially miniature cannons designed to launch projectiles. It's not surprising that, in fiction at least, these devices can and have been weaponized then used either with lethal intent or at least cause distractions or subdue people. Sometimes the projectiles can be differentiated to.

Given these machines are essentially miniature cannons, designed to launch projectiles, it is not surprising that, in fiction at least, these devices have been turned to lethal intent. This trope is for when a ball launching machine is used to kill someone.

* ''Series/ScreamQueens2015'': In "Drain the Swamp," one of the Green Meanies attempts to murder the Chanels with a pitching machine. [[RealityEnsues This is not effective, and only succeeds in injuring one of the Chanels.]]

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'': In "Suicide Squeeze", a well-known Cuban baseball player is found dead of a wound to the head with an automatic pitching machines still throwing balls at him.
* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': In "Buzzkill", a man attacks attacks a group of models doing a live billboard display with a tennis ball launcher. The balls injure several of the models, and one of them smashes a neon sign and drops a live wire into the oversize glass a model is frolicking in. This would have electrocuted her, except [[spoiler:she had already been poisoned]].
* ''Series/{{Hardball}}'': In "Too Many Cooks", one of Salwa's techniques for training Mikey in handball is to stand him in from of a tennis ball machine and launching tennis balls at him for him to block: gradually increasing the speed until he is being belted by them. Jerry eventually intervenes by unplugging the machine.
* ''Series/MidsomerMurders'': In "Last Man Out", the first VictimOfTheWeek is killed by being tied in the cricket nets in front of a bowling machine, which is then used to bowl twenty cricket balls at him at high speed and batter him to death.

* ''Series/ScreamQueens2015'': In "Drain the Swamp", one of the Green Meanies attempts to murder the Chanels with a pitching machine. [[RealityEnsues This is not effective, and only succeeds in injuring one of the Chanels.]]
* ''Series/ShakespeareAndHathawayPrivateInvestigators'': In "This Envious Court", Frank and Lou chase the villain across a tennis court. The villain grabs a tennis ball launcher and fires it at them: firing balls at 90 mph.

* ''VideoGame/GetAmped'': The "MVP Slugger" gear will enable baseball-based attacks for your character; one of its skills is setting down a baseball launcher that can damage enemies (and set them on fire) if they get hit by the balls. It's also possible for you to bat the launched ball at enemies for greater damage.
* ''The Dude'' in ''VideoGame/SunsetOverdrive'' is a homemade gun that launches bowling balls that can [[OneHitPolykill take out multiple enemies at once]]. The weapon needs to be charged with every use, and it is ineffective against aerial enemies because the bowling balls only travel on the ground.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* The ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' cartoon "Tennis Chumps" has the opponents Tom and Butch form an alliance against the subversive mouse, Jerry. One of Jerry's defenses is to activate a tennis ball cannon and set it on high, whereupon it buffets Tom repeatedly in the face.

* ''Film/HudsonHawk''. During the movie, the Mayflowers' evil dog Bunny performs a GroinAttack on Hudson Hawk and bites the neck of Hawk's girlfriend Anna Baragli. Eddie eventually gets his revenge, using a tennis ball launching machine to fire a ball at Bunny and knock her out a window and over a cliff to a DisneyVillainDeath.
* In ''Film/TheCatcher'', a killer commits several murders using baseball themed methods. Coach Foster is strung up in the batting cages and shot to death with a pitching machine.
* In ''Film/TheBabadook'', Sam constructs a cricket ball launcher as one of his weapons to fight the monsters. The first time he uses it, he smashes a window, and the second time he hits Amelia in the head.

* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'': In "Buzzkill", a man attacks attacks a group of models doing a live billboard display with a tennis ball launcher. The balls injure several of the models, and one of them smashes a neon sign and drops a live wire into the oversize glass a model is frolicking in. This would have electrocuted her, except [[spoiler:she had already been poisoned]].
* ''Series/{{Castle}}'': In "Suicide Squeeze", a well-known Cuban baseball player is found dead of a wound to the head with an automatic pitching machines still throwing balls at him.

* The Gauntlet game from ''Series/AmericanGladiators'' has the contestants attempt to defeat the muscular gladiator while being shot at with a ball cannon. Even a glancing strike from a tennis ball counted as a OneHitKill on the contestant.
* The game [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Bridge Ball]] in ''Series/TakeshisCastle'' features contestants trying to cross a very narrow, very wobbly bridge, while the guards fire balls at them.
* ''Series/ShakespeareAndHathawayPrivateInvestigators'': In "This Envious Court", Frank and Lou chase the villain across a tennis court. The villain grabs a tennis ball launcher and fires it at them: firing balls at 90 mph.

* Pitching Machines are a category of weapons in ''VideoGame/LetItDie''. Pitching Machines are a one-handed ranged weapon with a bit of ramp-up time in exchange for massive damage potential.

* The Tennis Ball Launcher is a weapon in ''VideoGame/DeadRising2: Off the Record''. When combined with motor oil it creates the combo weapon Molten Cannon. When combined with a saw blade it creates the combo weapon saw launcher.

* One of the types of traps in ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' is a pitching machine which fires baseballs at you if you set off a tripwire, although [[PaddedSumoGameplay it doesn't do enough damage to actually kill you]] unless your HP is very low to start with.

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* The ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' cartoon "Tennis Chumps" has the opponents Tom and Butch form an alliance against the subversive mouse, Jerry. One of Jerry's defenses is to activate a tennis ball cannon and set it on high, whereupon it buffets Tom repeatedly in the face.
[[/folder]]

Related to IKnowMaddenKombat.

[[quoteright:275:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/last_man_out.jpg]]

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* The Disney TV movie ''Series/WaltDisneyPresents'' ''The BRAT Patrol'' features a tennis ball launcher used as a "weapon" to annoy people. See it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMcycI-RgqE&t=15m30s here]].

* The first case in ''VisualNovel/DanganRonpa'' ends with the killer ([[spoiler:Leon Kuwata]]) [[CruelAndUnusualDeath executed by being chained to a post and shot to death by a baseball pitching machine]].
* ''Videogame/GetAmped'': The "MVP Slugger" gear will enable baseball-based attacks for your character; one of its skills is setting down a baseball launcher that can damage enemies (and set them on fire) if they get hit by the balls. It's also possible for you to bat the launched ball at enemies for greater damage.

* ''Series/MidsomerMurders'': In "Last Man Standing", the first VictimOfTheWeek is killed by being tied in the cricket nets in front of a bowling machine, which is then used to bowl twenty cricket balls at him at high speed and batter him to death.

* The Disney TV movie {{Series/WaltDisneyPresents}} ''The BRAT Patrol'' features a tennis ball launcher used as a "weapon" to annoy people. See it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMcycI-RgqE&t=15m30s here]].

* "The Dude" in ''VideoGame/SunsetOverdrive'' launches bowling balls that can take out multiple enemies at once. The weapon needs to be charged before use, and the projectile travels strictly on the ground, making it ineffective against aerial enemies.

* The Disney TV movie (Series/WaltDisneyPresents) ''The BRAT Patrol'' features a tennis ball launcher used as a "weapon" to annoy people. See it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMcycI-RgqE&t=15m30s here]].

* "The Dude" in ''VideoGame/SunsetOverdrive'' launches bowling balls that can take out multiple enemies at once. The weapon needs to be charged before use and the projectile travels strictly on the ground making it ineffective against aerial enemies.

[[AC:Film - Live Action]]

[[AC:Live Action TV]]

[[AC:Video Games]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* The ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' cartoon "Tennis Chumps" has the opponents Tom and Butch form an alliance against the subversive mouse, Jerry. One of Jerry's defenses is to activate a tennis ball cannon and set it on high, whereupon it buffets Tom repeatedly in the face.

* "The Dude" in VideoGame/SunsetOverdrive launches bowling balls that can take out multiple enemies at once. The weapon needs to be charged before use and the projectile travels strictly on the ground making it ineffective against aerial enemies.

* The Gauntlet game from ''Series/AmericanGladiator'' has the contestants attempt to defeat the muscular gladiator while being shot at with a ball cannon. Even a glancing strike from a tennis ball counted as a OneHitKill on the contestant.

* The ''Characters/TomAndJerry'' cartoon "Tennis Chumps" has the opponents Tom and Butch form an alliance against the subversive mouse, Jerry. One of Jerry's defenses is to activate a tennis ball cannon and set it on high, whereupon it buffets Tom repeatedly in the face.

* ''Series/ScreamQueens'': In "Drain the Swamp", one of the Green Meanies attempts to murder the Chanels with a pitching machine. [[RealityEnsues This is not effective, and only succeeds in injuring one of the Chanels.]]