History Main / IceBreaker

* Used as the murder method in the ''Series/{{Castle}}'' episode "Food to Die For." An inventive gourmet chef who used liquid nitrogen is killed when a vat of it is poured over him. He's mostly intact, but his hand did shatter when he fell to the floor. Castle, being Castle, is thus inspired to get his own liquid nitrogen and spends some time freezing and shattering random objects at home with Alexis.

** The Allies' cryo technology is in theory harmless, doing no damage to the target but slowly freezing them solid (most prisoners are subjected to cryo-imprisonment). They'll thaw out eventually and none the worse for wear, but while frozen they turn into a OneHitPoint wonder, allowing even anti-infantry weapons to one-shot a building.
** The Cryo Legionnaire has an area-effect liquid nitrogen spray and a jump pack in theory allowing him to get out of trouble or bowl over infantry, but its intended use is for him to freeze a group or targets and jump on them, killing them instantly (and it turns out Future Tech actively recruited sociopaths to whom such an act is hilarious). And if that wasn't enough... [[PungeonMaster they all speak like Arnold]] as [[Film/BatmanForever Mr. Freeze]].

** When put in a turret the area-effect is switched out for a beam that can freeze up a flying target and drop it to the ground once frozen.

* ''VideoGame/RedAlert3'': The Allies' cryo technology is in theory harmless, doing no damage to the target but slowly freezing them solid (most prisoners are subjected to cryo-imprisonment). They'll thaw out eventually and none the worse for wear, but while frozen they turn into a OneHitPoint wonder, allowing even anti-infantry weapons to one-shot a building.
** The Cryo Legionnaire has an area-effect liquid nitrogen spray and a jump pack in theory allowing him to get out of trouble or bowl over infantry, but its intended use is for him to freeze a group or targets and jump on them, killing them instantly (and it turns out Future Tech actively recruited sociopaths to whom such an act is hilarious). And if that wasn't enough... [[PungeonMaster they all speak like]] [[TheAhnold Ahnold]] as [[Film/BatmanForever Mr. Freeze]].

*** When put in a turret the area-effect is switched out for a beam that can freeze up a flying target and drop it to the ground once frozen.

** Actually, freezing the pipes is pretty destructive by itself. In some comic he destroyed a wall that way. And steel ''does'' get surprisingly brittle if it gets cold enough.
* Probably the best-known example of the trope in action: in ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', the [[NighInvulnerability nigh-invulnerable]] T-1000 is splashed with a tanker-full of liquid nitrogen. Its liquid metal matrix steadily freezes over until it starts shattering simply by trying to move around, until it's frozen completely solid. Then, it only takes a bullet [[LiterallyShatteredLives to shatter the whole construct into itty, bitty pieces]]. Shame they did it in the vicinity of molten metal... A deleted scene showed that the T-1000 was still affected afterwards by its cold spell, with its mimic ability glitching and out of control, even copying the floor it was walking on.

* ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' has an EasterEgg death sequence homaging the scene from ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' early in the game.
** In its sequel, ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'', the Frostbite upgrade for the Ice Bomb, whose function is to freeze nearby demons in place, allows more damage to be dealt to frozen demons. Even without this effect, demons killed while being frozen will break apart into several chunks of frozen meat, rather than being reduced to LudicrousGibs as is par for the course for the franchise. However, if nothing happens to them in the interim, [[HarmlessFreezing they'll thaw out looking no worse for wear]] and keep attacking the player.

* In ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', the [[ThePhoenix Phoenix]] [[PersonOfMassDestruction King]] [[PlayingWithFire Saffron]]'s only weakness is cold. When Ranma stabs his arm with the freezing weapon [[BladeOnAStick Gekkaja]], half of Saffron's body is frozen solid, and then his own weapon, the [[RingsOfDeath Kinjakan]], breaks through and shatters said arm, setting him free just before the Gekkaja could turn all of him into ice. Later, Ranma turns the Gekkaja on ''[[HarmlessFreezing himself]]'' to avoid death from Saffron's [[WaveMotionGun mountain-vaporizing heat ray]], and Saffron nearly breaks ''him'' in half with the Kinjakan. The battle finally ends when Ranma, still half-frozen, delivers an attack so unbelievably ''cold'' it breaks even the ice left on his fist and ''instantly'' freezes and shatters Saffron like so much glass.

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* In the ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode "Expecting", they defeat the supposedly indestructible Haxil beast- fire and decapitation are confirmed to be ineffective methods of killing it and the creature is very large- by tricking it into grabbing a tank of liquid nitrogen and shooting the tank so that the Haxil is doused in the nitrogen and left frozen solid.

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* Klaus in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080602 wanted]] to use [[WorkerUnit firefighters]] this way. That is, a little army of HumongousMecha carrying liquid nitrogen fire extinguishers.
* In ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'', [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/000817c Ice Man uses this when Megaman uses Guts Man's blocks.]]
* One of the Snow Queen ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'' strips provides a cautionary tale against attempting to have sex with the personification of winter. ''[[GroinAttack KRAK tinkle tinkle]]''.

In fiction, this miraculous ability of cold to turn rubber balls into shrapnel bombs is, naturally, turned UpToEleven. Simply encasing a thing in ice or freezing it to the point that frost forms on the surface is often treated as enough to make steel bars shatter with a dramatic kick. In reality, you'd need several minutes of exposure to liquid nitrogen to achieve such a result, and [[TongueOnTheFlagpole touching anything that cold with bare skin]] would probably leave you in need of a new appendage or two. (In fact, many science class demonstrations with liquid nitrogen involve freezing a banana, then using it to hammer in a nail... the exact opposite effect of what is shown on the movie screen.)

** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' outright states that this is one of Samus' favored tactics. Conversely, if it happens to her, she can effortlessly bust out of the ice seconds after being flash-frozen.

* In ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'', [[FanNickname BINO]] (Bane InNameOnly) slams a wall of reinforced steel with both fists but is unable to break it. All it takes is for Mr. Freeze to use his suit to freeze the water pipes and thus freeze the wall, thus making it easier to bust out.

Not to be confused with the [[HollywoodHacking hacking tool]] from ''VideoGame/DeusEx''. Or with any slang about dating. Or that brand of gum. [[OverlyLongGag Or those big ships used to clear paths for other ships in the northern oceans.]]

* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'''s Evangeline A K [=McDowell=] has a few spells that fit this trope.

* ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'': Elsa semi-consciously freezes metal manacles restraining her to the point where she (a fragile young woman) can break out of them by struggling hard enough. In the process the freezing also spreads over the entire dungeon cell she's in, eventually causing a large wooden beam to dislodge and demolish a wall, letting her escape.

* In ''Film/PacificRim'', Gipsy Danger does this by venting its coolant onto a {{Kaiju}}'s tail, freezing it solid and breaking it off.

* In ''VideoGame/BioShock'', the player's ice plasmid does this. Though the damage something takes while frozen is actually separate from their regular health bar...
** It is also mentioned by [=McDonagh=] in an Audio Log this is a major problem with living in a city under water where said water can "get colder than a witch's teet". He seems to have repeatedly told people they have to make sure their pipes stay warm or they will burst. One of the main obstacles at the beginning is finding the Fire Plasmid so you can get past a door that has been frozen over due to a pipe burst.

* This is actually a mechanic in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' where several cold-based spells actually freeze enemies solid. A critical hit landed on a frozen enemy will cause them to shatter, killing them instantly. The animation merely shows the ice breaking and the enemy dying as they would from any other killing blow, but the "Shattered!" text appearing over them leaves no doubt as to the intended effect.

** As does ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheLastHope''. A few Battle Trophies revolve around doing this to foes.
** And in ''VideoGame/LuminousArc2'', freezing works almost the same way. The only difference is that Frozen characters can't take any action whatsoever.
** Oddly, Sub-Zero also subverts this trope. Later games show him fighting with his fists frozen, which [[GameplayAndStorySegregation apparently]] makes his punches stronger.
* Most ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games featuring Shiva as a summon will have this -- her magic encases enemies in ice; then, with a snap of her fingers, she shatters them to bits. Of course [[SlapOnTheWristNuke it's only a visual effect]]. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' lacks the traditional summons, but Fran has ice-based quickenings, and her "Shatterheart" acts in the same way.
** Same in ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}}'', but there, once an enemy is frozen, it shatters by itself within a few seconds.

* A variant of this is when a character becomes frozen, only to shatter the ice seconds later by flexing his or her muscles. Spark Mandrill of ''VideoGame/MegaManX1'' does this every time.

* Many of [[AnIcePerson Sub-Zero's]] [[FinishingMove Fatalities]] throughout the ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' series employ this. Freezing the opponent and uppercutting him to bits; holding them over his head, freezing them with his hands and breaking them in two; ripping their skull and spine from their frozen body and shatter it by swinging the skull like a flail, you name it.

* ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonGatesToInfinity'' does this in a horrifying MoodWhiplash scene. WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids

* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', frost magi have a talent called Shatter which greatly increases their critical strike chance against frozen targets.

** Justified, as mentioned below, in that water does expand with quite impressive force as it freezes.
* ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'' also uses this trope. The Xiaolin Warriors and Jack are held in the dungeon. Even Dojo can't escape his cage by growing to his super size. But all it takes is for Omi to freeze the bars, and the warriors easily break free. (Omi is even able to break the bars of Jack's cell [[CherryTapping with his PINKY!]])