History Main / FirearmsAreRevolutionary

* After Portuguese sailors arrived onshore near Tanegashima in 1543, firearms quickly became an in-demand weapon for the warring clans of Japan during the [[UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod Sengoku period]] with the aforementioned Oda Nobunaga extensively utilizing them to take the first steps in unifying the country such as the utter annihilation of the vaunted Takeda cavalry during the 1575 Battle of Nagashino. Following the beginning of the Edo period, however, firearms fell mostly to the wayside due to a combination of a lack of large-scale conflict and increased restrictions on their use by the Tokugawa shogunate, save for being hunting implements or to deal with crop pests, until increased contact with the West during the mid-19th century increased demand for modern firearms. These modern firearms would be used to deadly effect by both sides but especially the Imperial forces during the Boshin War who would put an end to the feudal system imposed by the ''Bakufu'' government and pave the way for the creation of the modern Japanese state.

* ''Manga/{{Drifters}}'': This is detailed in length by Drifter UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga after seeing first seeing the Western guns in action and the key to the Drifters' superior firepower. Historically, he is known for being the daimyo who took the first step to unify Japan, and one of the first Japanese military commanders to utilize arquebuses in battles and carry one himself. When he sees the Gatling gun and Colt pistol being used, he goes on tangents about how revolutionary such weapons are on the battlefield and how they render all previous traditional modes of combat obsolete. Even his fellow Drifter Hannibal Barca remarks how he'd be able to take down Rome in a day if he had one functioning Gatling gun. However, the metallurgy and mechanics to make the weapons are too advanced for the blacksmiths of the setting to recreate, at least until the Drifters get the Dwarves to join their ranks.

* After Portuguese sailors arrived onshore near Tanegashima in 1543, firearms quickly became an in-demand weapon for the warring clans of Japan during the [[UsefulNotes/SengokuPeriod Sengoku period]] with the aforementioned Oda Nobunaga extensively utilizing them to take the first steps in unifying the country such as the utter annihilation of the vaunted Takeda cavalry during the Battle of Nagashino. Following the beginning of the Edo period, however, firearms fell mostly to the wayside due to a combination of a lack of large-scale conflict and increased restrictions on their use by the Tokugawa shogunate, save for being hunting implements or to deal with crop pests, until increased contact with the West during the mid-19th century increased demand for modern firearms. These modern firearms would be used to deadly effect by both sides but especially the Imperial forces during the Boshin War who would put an end to the feudal system imposed by the ''Bakufu'' government and pave the way for the creation of the modern Japanese state.
* This trope is what effectively led to the end of the Songhai Empire. In 1591, Moroccan soldiers and mercenaries were hired by the sultan of Morocco to take over Songhai's lucrative salt and gold trade and chose a Spaniard with no military experience named Judar Pasha to lead as general. Despite only 1,000 of the original 4,000 troops remaining upon reaching the Songhai capital of Timbuktu and outnumbered by 9,700 Songhai infantry armed with bows and 18,000 cavalry with spears, the Moroccans won the day and Timbuktu easily fell. This was all because the Moroccan troops were equipped with cannons and harquebuses, the most modern rifles of the day.
* Guns were one of the big factors in the Atlantic slave trade. By the 16th century, Europe's firearm technology had progressed to the point that having guns gave a massive advantage in warfare against foes that did not. European slavers went to the west coast of Africa and offered to trade guns to any kingdom that would give them slaves. Once a few kingdoms began doing so, every kingdom was effectively forced to also do so (typically by attacking their neighbors and capturing a bunch of prisoners). The whole ordeal basically turned into a slavery-driven arms race which nobody but the European slavers actually won.

* ''Anime/{{Slayers}}'': Late in the book series, the Kingdom of Seiyuun manages to mass-produce cannons and hand cannons for its army after hiring a one-shot villain who came from the far West and brought firearms tech with him, as well as beginning production of a pseudo-ICBM with the destructive capabilities of [[FantasticNuke the Dragon Slayer spell]].

* In a supplementary video of ''Film/Prometheus'', Peter Weyland lists the numerous achivements of mankind in his speech at the fictional version of TED 2023 conference, with him emphasizing the invention of gunpowder in particular.

* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'': The invention of the gun and gunpowder in the magical land of Exandria comes about through [[DealWithTheDevil an unwitting deal between protagonist Percival de Rolo and a demon]]. The spread of firearm use becomes a major theme for Percy's arc in Campaign 1, as he attempts FantasyGunControl [[spoiler: ... and fails, due to his enemy figuring out how to manufacture and spread their use. By Campaign 2, taking place ~25 years later, guns have become commonplace among militaries and a black market trade, though they are not sold to citizens.]]

* ''Manga/{{Drifters}}'': This is detailed in length by Drifter UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga after seeing first seeing the Western gatling gun in action and the key to the Drifters' superior firepower. Historically, he is known for being the daimyo who took the first step to unify Japan, and one of the first Japanese military commanders to utilize arquebuses in battles and carry one himself. When he sees the Gatling gun and Colt pistol being used, he goes on tangents about how revolutionary such weapons are on the battlefield and how they render all previous traditional modes of combat obsolete. Even Drifter Hannibal Barca remarked how he'd be able to take down Rome in a day if he had one functioning Gatling gun. However, the metallurgy and mechanics to make the weapons are too advanced for the blacksmiths of the setting to recreate. Until the Drifters get the Dwarves to join their ranks.

* ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'': When Lady Eboshi arrived in Iron Town with a group of elite warriors, her introduction of rifles allowed the townspeople to fight off the giant, semi-divine boars that were preventing them from expanding their mining operations [[spoiler: leading to dramatic consequences later on]].

* ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'': The hand cannons and arquebuses created and used by Lady Eboshi and her men are central to the story, and drastically tip the balance of power between humanity and the supernatural to the point that the humans dominate the nature gods and massacre those that attack them directly.

* ''LightNovel/AltinaTheSwordPrincess'': Cannons are present in continental wars, but infantry mostly still fight with melee weapons, while Belgarian cavalry use lances and muzzle-loaded carbines. When High Britannia invades the Belgarian Empire in volume 5, their breech-loaded rifles and more advanced cannons prove devastating against the outclassed Belgarian Army. At the end of the battle in that volume, the narrator states point-blank that the age of the Belgarian pikeman's dominance is over.

* The Prodigies from ''LightNovel/HighSchoolProdigiesHaveItEasyEvenInAnotherWorld'' resolve to establish their new form of government to fight back against [[TheEmpire the Freyjagard Empire]]. While firearms do indeed exist in this world, mostly they exist as simple one-handed flintlock pistols that are often carried by select members of the Nobility as a last resort weapon. After securing their control over Findolph, [[GadgeteerGenius Ringo]] starts up several factories in order to produce modern day Breech-loader carbines to issue to their own forces to fight back against invading Freyjagard Soldiers to great effect.

* ''LightNovel/{{Maoyu}}'': The introduction of firearms to a StandardJapaneseFantasySetting is an enormous game-changer for the human armies. It's much easier to train ranks of riflemen than archers or mages and the rifles possess enough stopping power to badly wound if not outright kill powerful demons with enough rounds. Even Hero, a PersonOfMassDestruction, notes that he probably wouldn't win against the combined might of Central's army thanks to their teams of riflemen shooting him down.

* ''Manga/DrStone'': After humanity gets sent back to Stone-Age level technology due to a [[TakenForGranite mass petrification event]], the reintroduction of gunpowder weapons is a major shift in the status quo. It's treated as a major victory for science by the story, because it means the EvilLuddite villain can no longer remain in power solely because he's able to beat up everyone else. * ''Anime/{{Inuyasha}}'': Zigzagged when the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Band of Seven]] are resurrected and one of them, Jakotsu, comes face to face with soldiers armed with matchlock guns who boast about their "new weapons". Naturally, as a resurrected specter given life by a shard of the Shikon Jewel, it's a complete NoSell and Jakotsu is merely staggered and surprised by the bullets before slaughtering the soldiers effortlessly. However, he's ''still'' impressed enough by them to gather them up and show them to Renkotsu, who in turn is inspired by them and upgrades their ally Ginkotsu with cannons and firearms.

* ''Manga/DrStone'': After humanity gets sent back to Stone-Age level technology due to a [[TakenForGranite mass petrification event]], the reintroduction of gunpowder weapons is a major shift in the status quo. It's treated as a major victory for science by the story, because it means the EvilLuddite villain can no longer remain in power solely because he's able to beat up everyone else.
* ''Literature/{{Gate}}'': A medieval, fantasy Roman-esque army appears in the middle of modern-day Japan and begins a campaign of conquest. They effortlessly cut through unarmed civilians and do mildly well against metropolitan police armed with revolvers, tear gas, and riot gear, but once the [[UsefulNotes/KaijuDefenseForce JSDF forces]] arrive, things rapidly change for the invaders. Within a short period of time, armoured vehicles, rifles, and attack helicopters make short work of the invaders and are eventually pushed back into the Gate. When the JSDF sends their expeditionary force through the Gate, they practically turn every skirmish into a CurbStompBattle for them. 100,000-strong massive army? Firing lines, barbed wire, and high-explosive artillery beats them back. Flying, massive fire-breathing dragon? Anti-tank rocket launcher drives it off. The denizens of the Gate-world are amazed at how terrifyingly effective guns are, especially at just how many Japanese soldiers can be equipped with them and the ranges at which the weapons can be deployed striking at their foes with impunity.
* ''Anime/{{Inuyasha}}'': Zigzagged when the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Band of Seven]] are resurrected and one of them, Jakotsu, comes face to face with soldiers armed with matchlock guns who boast about their "new weapons". Naturally, as a resurrected specter given life by a shard of the Shikon Jewel, it's a complete NoSell and Jakotsu is merely staggered and surprised by the bullets before slaughtering the soldiers effortlessly. However, he's ''still'' impressed enough by them to gather them up and show them to Renkotsu, who in turn is inspired by them and upgrades their ally Ginkotsu with cannons and firearms.

* ''LightNovel/ArifuretaFromCommonplaceToWorldsStrongest'': Hajime Nagumo's main weaponry is guns. Even with very powerful magic running around, a gun is an incredibly deadly weapon, particularly Nagumo's railgun. A knight Nagumo shoots down with a deliberately underpowered bullet realizes that guns will definitely bring about a massive change to Tortus.

* ''LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'': Played with. In a fantasy world where magic has reigned supreme for hundreds of thousands of years, the [[TheEmpire Eastern Empire]] has looked to both their own science and the [[GivingRadioToTheRomans gathered technological and scientific knowledge of the dimensionally-displaced]] [[TrappedInAnotherWorld Otherworlders]] to boost their military might. The result has been the construction of various real-world firearms and {{Magitek}} equivalents, from handguns to sniper rifles, to tanks and airships. This progress resulted in the disbandment of the Empire's Magical Corps and folding the majority of which into the Armored Corps, with many boasting that the age of magic is over and the Empire is truly the most powerful force in the world now. No one on either side doubts these weapons' power, with it being noted even a simple handgun can kill humans much faster than a sword or melee weapon, and a tank's main gun could easily destroy a fortified armored gate capable of withstanding full-on sieges and kill a dragon. Some even muse the age of the sword might be over. ''However'', where the Empire proponents of these weapons fall on their face is that they underestimate just how powerful magic and monsters can be. There exist monsters strong enough to tear apart tank armor and withstand tank shells or the reflexes/toughness to pull off a BulletCatch, magic is still needed to supplement the destructive power of these weapons and the strongest magics still surpass the strongest military weapons (there are magic spells that are more destructive than real-world ''nukes'' in frightening supply), and their users are still humans themselves with physical limits. And ultimately, the true trump cards of the Empire are not these weapons of war, but the [[PraetorianGuard Imperial Guard]] who are each a OneManArmy and wield magically-enhanced firearms at technological best, the Marshall [[spoiler:who is in fact the PlanetDestroyer [[DragonsAreDivine True Dragon]] Velgrynd]], and their emperor Rudra who wields [[spoiler:and is possessed by]] a divine power given by the multiverse's [[TheMaker creator dragon god]]. Basically, firearms ''are'' revolutionary, but they're just another weapon of warfare at the end of the day.
* The Prodigies from ''LightNovel/HighSchoolProdigiesHaveItEasyEvenInAnotherWorld'' resolve to establish their new form of government to fight back against [[TheEmpire the Freyjagard Empire]]. While firearms do indeed exist in this world, mostly they exist as simple one-handed flintlock pistols that are often carried by select members of the Nobility as a last resort weapon. After securing their control over Findolph, [[GadgeteerGenius Ringo]] starts up several factories in order to produce modern day Breech-loader carbines to issue to their own forces to fight back against invading Freyjagard Soldiers to great effect.

** The Empire is at a Renaissance/early Industrial Revolution level of technology, and so uses guns and gunpowder artillery in its armies. The neighboring kingdom of Bretonnia is resolutely stuck in the kind of pre-modern chivalric warfare seen in Myth/KingArthur tales (to the point where ranged weapons like bows and trebuchets are considered fit only for peasant levies), but the Lady's magic allows their knights to be highly resistant to firearms. It's been implied the Lady is actually a Wood Elf deliberately hindering Bretonnian technological progress to ensure they remain as unwitting meat shields around their forests.

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'': The Codex entry for the Krogan ''begins'' by establishing this. The warrior Krogan race evolved on Tuchanka, a veritable DeathWorld if ever there was one. The invention of gunpowder was a turning point that allowed them to kill each other with far more frequency than their homeworld's flora and fauna could, exacerbated by their short tempers, clan disputes, and lust for battle. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome As you might expect]], splitting the atom took this trope UpToEleven: they very quickly destroyed the climate of their homeworld through nuclear attacks and forced themselves to live underground.

* ''Achaja'': The invention and spread of rifles leads to an EndOfAnAge, as this development creates a world where a mere peasant familiar with the basics of shooting can put a MasterSwordsman down with no difficulty.

* ''Empire of the Moghul'': In the first volume. ''Raiders from the North'', Babur is introduced to cannons and matchlock muskets by his comrade Baburi. This technological advantage plays a major role in Babur’s conquest of India and the establishment of the Moghul dynasty.

* ''Literature/{{Achaja}}'': The invention and spread of rifles leads to an EndOfAnAge, as this development creates a world where a mere peasant familiar with the basics of shooting can put a MasterSwordsman down with no difficulty.

* ''Literature/IslandInTheSeaOfTimeSeries'': The people of Nantucket are sent back in time to 1250 BC. As they work to survive their new circumstances, they quickly realize that the fact that they know how to make guns gives them a massive advantage over the other major world powers, who are still getting the hang of iron weaponry. On the downside, when William Walker defects and tries to build his own empire, he builds alliances by offering to share the secrets of gun manufacture with potential allies.

* ''Literature/NantucketTrilogy'': The people of Nantucket are sent back in time to 1250 BC. As they work to survive their new circumstances, they quickly realize that the fact that they know how to make guns gives them a massive advantage over the other major world powers, who are still getting the hang of iron weaponry. On the downside, when William Walker defects and tries to build his own empire, he builds alliances by offering to share the secrets of gun manufacture with potential allies.

** Much of the story details the Chinese soldiers’ use of (someone anachronistic) flintlock weapons imported from Europe. Even commoners find it easy to get ahold of pistols and muskets, and the warrior monks often find themselves at a loss when their years of training with kung fu aren’t enough against bullets.