History Main / ImprobableUseOfAWeapon

%% Image selected via crowner in the Image Suggestion thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/ImagePickin/ImageSuggestions66
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

[[quoteright:350:[[Anime/ReCreators https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mup.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:InstrumentOfMurder gets a whole new meaning.]]

* ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' has rapid-fire muzzleloaders. It subverted the "used the blunt side" trope, though—Zelgadiss assures someone he's just cut that he didn't use the cutting edge, then pauses, and looks at his sword. "Wait... this is a double-edged sword. Uh, sorry?"
* Death The Kid in ''Manga/SoulEater'' holds [[GunsAkimbo Liz and Patty]] [[EquippableAlly Thompson]] upside down and pulls their triggers with his pinkies. This might be because he uses them something like tonfa in close combat (so holding them the way he does would give him more torque) but that just [[JustifiedTrope justifies]] one example with another.

* In ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', Kamina's first impression of a gun is to use its butt as a hammer to bash his enemies [[note]]This is a completely legitimate tactic in real life, but it's not recommended because that's why you have a knife.[[/note]] After almost shooting himself in the crotch through that method, he realizes how it's supposed to be used (but still holds it upside down). Later, during his first fight against Viral, he more cleverly uses an arrow as a makeshift knife.
* The title character of ''Manga/Golgo13'' uses M16 rifles for sniping assassinations, often ones that require [[ImprobableAimingSkills absurd feats of marksmanship]]. [[DownplayedTrope This is more possible]] than a lot of people would think (assault ''rifles'' can still very accurate in semi-auto, especially when they're close-bolt like an M16), but still a bit strange, as a bolt-action rifle in the same caliber would be smaller, lighter, and easier to obtain (especially in countries which restrict self-loading weapons more tightly, or in the manga's earlier years before AR platforms became so widespread). Various explanations have either been that an M16 is very common for a specific ''standardized'' firearm, or Duke Togo simply wants the benefits of an assault rifle in the unlikely circumstance of an unplanned firefight.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': A couple of quincies have shown they can fire [[EnergyBow bows]] with less hands than a bow really requires. [[HeroicNeutral Ryuuken's]] default choice is a two-foot bow that he fires with his left hand. When forced to, [[TheEmperor Yhwach]] can produce a gigantic bow in the sky that is fired without any hands at all. [[spoiler:Masaki was capable of shrinking her bow down to such a tiny size it could be nestled between her fingers and thumb, but used normal sized bows with two hands. The difference between Ryuuken, Yhwach and Masaki is that Ryuuken is the only one whose bow [[HardLight looks solid]] instead of energy.]]
* Izaya of ''Literature/{{Durarara}}'' uses several switch blades as ''projectile weapons''.

* Maes Hughes in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' fights with push knives but is always shown throwing them rather than punching with them.
* ''Manga/{{Gamaran}}'':
** In the first series, Sasuke Sakakibara wields a kata-kama yari (spear with a sickle-like sideblade), a weapon which is most effective in slicing and held in melee. His trump card, however, consist in throwing the yari like a javelin, but works in his favor as it's usually too fast to be dodged and, since it's unexpected, the enemy rarely has the reflexes to counter.
** In the second series ''Shura'', member of a secret shinobi clan [[spoiler: Jinkuu]] can use a secret technique which involves throwing the wakizashi at the enemy from below.... then ''grab it with your foot'' and use the momentum to slam it into the opponent's chest.

* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica uses his mighty shield as a throwing weapon because of its special qualities brought about by being made from a fictional supermetal. The fact that he's a SuperSoldier also helps.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/TheGamers'': Successfully {{Back Stab}}bing a person with a ballista. ''In a tavern.'' It's technically possible in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', unless the DM [[RuleZero specifically forbids it]].

* In ''Film/Ultraviolet2006'', guns are used for everything, including opening doors, cauterizing wounds, and occasionally killing people.

* In ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', the T-800 uses the same GE M134 Minigun. The Terminator's use of it can be {{handwaved}} by being a super-strong cyborg, though one wonders why Sarah Connor kept a helicopter's weapon [[CrazyPrepared in her arsenal to begin with]].

* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
** In ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', Hawkeye runs out of arrows and is forced to fight the Chitauri with just his bow instead. This one has some historic precedent -- unstringed longbows, for instance, made pretty good quarterstaves. By the time of ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', Hawkeye has a new bow that can turn into a proper quarterstaff.
** In the trailers for ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'', as in the comics, Rocket Raccoon is shown hand-wielding a minigun-type weapon ''bigger than he is''. Not that a film featuring a gun-wielding raccoon and his buddy the talking tree should be [[RuleOfCool held to a high standard of realism]], but it may be justified as Rocket has been subjected to various painful augmentations.
** Thor often makes creative use of [[DropTheHammer Mjölnir]] outside of combat, usually by taking advantage of the weapon's OnlyTheChosenMayWield nature. In his [[Film/{{Thor}} solo movie]] he restrains Loki by placing the hammer on his chest, knowing that Loki is not worthy and won't be able to move it on his own. In ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' he combines the worthiness clause with the hammer's ability to return to his hand when thrown as a GodTest to expose the fact that Loki is disguising himself as their father (the real Odin being worthy of the hammer). Thor throws the hammer into the distance, grabs "Odin" by the neck and holds him in the return path. Loki opts to dodge and drop his disguise rather than risk having his face caved in.
* In ''Film/HotShotsPartDeux'', Topper's machine gun runs out of ammunition. He spies a crate filled with bullets and throws them at the bad guys... killing them. Unlike other examples, the improbability is the point of the scene considering it's a comedy movie.
* ''Film/TheToolboxMurders'' remake and ''The Sleeper'' both have scenes where characters have their throats slit with the claw-end of a hammer.
* ''Film/Halloween4TheReturnOfMichaelMyers'' and the first ''Film/{{Pumpkinhead}}'' have people being impaled with shotguns.
* In ''Film/{{Narc}}'', two detectives puzzle over the shooting death of a gang-banger until they reason out that he had tried to use his own shotgun as a bong and blew his face off.
* In quite a number of martial arts films, when characters fight with weapons, they occasionally throw in a few kicks that would be better suited for unarmed fighting (roundhouse kicks, spinning kicks etc.), in situations where they would be better off attacking with the weapon than with a kick.
* William in ''Film/SnowWhiteAndTheHuntsman'' frequently stabs enemies with arrows if they're too close to shot with his bow, despite having a perfectly good sword at his hip.

* In ''Charlie's Monsters: Nightmare Academy'', Charlie uses his rapier to slash at something.
* ''Literature/GauntsGhosts''' Trooper "Try Again" Bragg loves to use autocannon or heavy machine guns like they were rifles. He's [[TheBigGuy certainly massive enough to swing it]], and it helps make up for [[ATeamFiring his marksmanship]].

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'', the weapon itself is not exactly improbable but the manner in which it is used definitely qualifies. When Harry and Ron rescue Hermione from the troll they have locked into the girls' bathroom with her, rather than using it to cast any sort of useful spell, Harry accidentally shoves his wand up the troll's nose (ItMakesSenseInContext). The distraction caused by having "a long bit of wood up its nose" allows Ron to use his own wand in a more conventional manner, using "Wingardium Leviosa" to raise the troll's own club high into the air and knock it out.
* During ''Literature/TheFallingKingdomsSeries'', a captured [[spoiler:Cleo]] makes her escape in the fourth book with the assistance of several arrows. Being a terrible shot, she opts to just jab them into guards' eyes.
* This is a clue in the ''Literature/LordDarcy'' story "Murder on the Napoli Express". A man is clubbed to death with his SwordCane. Since it's far easier to kill a man with a sword cane by stabbing them rather than repeatedly whacking them on the head, this suggests to Darcy that the killer was someone who didn't know it was a sword cane.

* ''Series/RobinHood'' the BBC version: when the Sheriff's men are at a distance, the Outlaws shoot them with bows; when the Sheriff's men are close, Outlaws use their bows as quarterstaffs and hit them. The whole point of a staff is that it is solid; the whole point of a bow is that it bends (while war bows were rather stiff, they also had to withstand a lot of stress; using one as a bludgeon would be an excellent way to ruin it).

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' second edition, the standard use for a [[{{BFS}} daiklave]] is to take some time and commit a few motes to attune to it. This will allow you to wield this ridiculously big chunk of metal as if it weighed no more than a regular sword. Of course, if you're in a hurry, unattuned daiklaves are listed as acceptable improvised weapons by at least one martial arts style. In which case you can wield the ridiculously big chunk of metal as if it weighed as much as a ridiculously big chunk of metal.

* ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'': Cornelius twirls his sword like a helicopter blade to glide through the air.
* ''VideoGame/Prototype2'': James Heller is capable of ripping weapon mounts off of tanks and helicopters and carrying them around. In universe he's strong enough to punch out a tank, so this makes sense. However, in addition to carrying these weapons around and [[ImprovisedWeapon throwing them]] ''he can actually fire them'' which qualifies for this trope since these are vehicle mounted weapons that fired from inside the vehicle and don't actually have triggers. Many of these weapons (especially helicopter missile launchers) seem to have far more shots than you would expect from looking at them, which also counts.

* In the final cutscene of ''VideoGame/UnrealTournamentIII'' [[spoiler: the protagonist kills the BigBad by clubbing her to death with a rocket launcher]].
* In ''VideoGame/GodHand'' you can get the tremendously useful rocket launcher... which you use with the same animation as every other weapon and use it to beat someone's head in - after you've fired its single payload, of course.
* In ''VideoGame/DeadRising2'', the player can use machine-gun wheelchairs, pitchfork-shotguns, and chainsaw-paddles [[http://screenshots.teamxbox.com/screen/92287/Dead-Rising-2/ to mow down the undead.]]
* One of ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar 2'''s bosses, Skorge, uses a [[ChainsawGood chainsaw staff]] to saw a tank in two.

* In ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'', Zhong Hui uses five floating swords that he controls seemingly through some form of telekinesis, although in the game anyone can use the swords like that.
* ''VideoGame/FistOfTheNorthStarKensRage'' gets in on this with Jagi, the DirtyCoward [[TheUnfavorite Unfavorite]] of the Hokuto brothers. Instead of using his fists like pretty much everyone else, he elects to use shotguns and a freakin' ''bazooka'' as his weapons of choice. Sometimes this involves firing them like a proper gun-toting maniac. More often, though, he's clubbing people with them, or swinging the bazooka around like a club to wallop his enemies into the distance. Oddly enough, his regular attacks simply leave normal corpses behind, but his special attacks cause the series' traditional cases of YourHeadASplode.

* Saki from ''VideoGame/{{Suguri}}'' also uses a grenade as a melee weapon. It has a 25% chance of exploding and dealing double damage.
* ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' has a bit of this in its repertoire, of course. Some are justifiable, like the swordsmen taking a cheap shot with the hilt (or, for Ukyo, with the sheath). Some are a little more RuleOfCool, like Earthquake tossing the blade end of his kusarigama. And a few are less than textbook, like Cham Cham using her boomerang as a melee weapon or Andrew fighting in sword duels using the bayonet of his musket.
* The [[AscendedExtra Bandana Dee]] in ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'' [[VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand Returns to Dreamland]] [[SpectacularSpinning twirls his spear like a helicopter to fly.]]
* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' features the cyborg girl Nu-13, who uses a throwing knife with a loop in the hilt to tie off her braid.
* Daria from ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'' uses her hammer as a ''paintbrush.''

* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' brought in the German School of Swordsmanship mentioned in the RealLife section below, enabling Adventure Mode players to club opponents with pommels, the flat of swords and the shafts of polearms. And if you have a stack of bolts/arrows in hand, you can shank anyone that gets in melee range with them, so be careful about going melee on that crossbowman.
* In ''VideoGame/BetrayalAtKrondor'' and its SpiritualSequel ''VideoGame/BetrayalInAntara'', you can thrust with slashing weapons and slash with thrusting weapons, but accuracy and damage increases if you a certain type of sword in the manner it was intended to.
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2'': Harold Berselius's secondary weapon is a knife on a string, used similarly to a killer yo-yo.
* ''VideoGame/InuYashaTheSecretOfTheCursedMask'': One of the team attacks in the game is Kagome using Miroku's staff as an arrow.
* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'':
** The series has a multitude of ranged and melee weapons that can be used in a normal fashion (though ''nobody'' actually wields the [[LightGunGame Super Scope]] as the manual says you should)... or you can simply opt to throw them into your opponent's face instead. Amusingly, this frequently is a more effective method of [=KOing=] your opponents than using the weapon in the standard fashion, due to it causing more damage and/or being a lot easier to hit them in this fashion. The Home Run Bat is probably the best example, as while being wielded, the only notably powerful offensive option it has is its [[AwesomeButImpractical ridiculously slow]] OneHitKO smash attack, whereas it can be turned into a speedy projectile with a strength rivaling that of many fully charged smash attacks when thrown.
** Wario can eat any explosive item, which explode and damage nearby enemies (and himself).
** This is a DiscussedTrope in [[VideoGame/MetalGear Snake's]] Codec call on [[VideoGame/StarFox Falco]]. Slippy informs Snake that Falco's [[AttackReflector Reflector]] is supposed to be held in place to reflect projectiles, which is how Fox uses it. However, Falco uses it by kicking it to send it flying around like a boomerang. Snake comments that there's no reason a weapon can't have more than one use, and adds that the Reflector's versatility shows just how well Slippy designed it.
* The introductory mission of ''VideoGame/Battlefield3'' has a shotgun used to bar a door between the cars of a subway train. You don't even get to use it for its intended purpose, as five seconds after you remove it from the door an enemy ambushes you and throws it out the window.
* ''VideoGame/Intrusion2'': Where to begin with Maku, she uses a laser cannon twice as big as her, twirls it around like a baton, swings around on a grappling hook while shooting it, uses it as some sort of jetpack, fires it at a disco ball to reflect and split the beam, and fires it into the ground to make molten lava shoot out of the ground.

* Cap's Avengers teammate ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} is the world's greatest archer (and one of the above-mentioned other people who can throw Cap's shield effectively) as well as an all-around expert marksman -- and we mean ''all-around''. He's subdued enemies with coins, normal playing cards, and even ''his own fingernails'' (in ComicBook/UltimateMarvel at least). Once when his bow was broken by enemies, he managed to subdue them by throwing arrows like darts. And when cornered, he can easily use his bow as a melee weapon.
* One of the antagonists in ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'' shows up for a fight DualWielding a pair of (two-handed) naginatas.
* There's an issue of ''ComicBook/{{Elektra}}'' where an old martial artist she's staying with mocks her for using sharp-tipped sai instead of ones with blunt tips.
* Hawkeye has nothing on ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' villain [[ImprobableWeaponUser Bullseye]], who's the best assassin in the Marvel Universe and is capable of killing with ''any weapon or throwable object.'' Things that Bullseye has used as weapons include paperclips, toothpicks, paper airplanes, golf balls, peanuts, and his own teeth.

* In the ''ComicBook/RatchetAndClankComic'' Ratchet throws his pistol at Zogg's robots twice after it runs out of ammo. Once in the first issue and once in the fourth issue.
* In ''ComicBook/RobynHood: I Love NY'' #2, Robyn is CaughtInASnare and unable to use her bow. She somehow manages to kill a LizardFolk by ''throwing'' an arrow at it.

* Shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons, such as RPG-7, make excellent anti-helicopter weapons. The Somali insurgents downed two AH-60 Apaches in Mogadishu with shoulder-launched anti-tank rocket-propelled grenades.

* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'': At two points in the second campaign, Yasha uses her massive greatsword to shave Caleb's beard. The first time it goes well, but after her second attempt a few months later leaves Caleb with a large gash by his ear, they mutually agree to just use a straight razor from now on.

* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' has rapid-fire muzzleloaders. It subverted the "used the blunt side" trope, though—Zelgadiss assures someone he's just cut that he didn't use the cutting edge, then pauses, and looks at his sword. "Wait... this is a double-edged sword. Uh, sorry?"

* Izaya of ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' uses several switch blades as ''projectile weapons''.

** In the trailers for ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', as in the comics, Rocket Raccoon is shown hand-wielding a minigun-type weapon ''bigger than he is''. Not that a film featuring a gun-wielding raccoon and his buddy the talking tree should be [[RuleOfCool held to a high standard of realism]], but it may be justified as Rocket has been subjected to various painful augmentations.

* The [[AscendedExtra Bandana Dee]] in ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'' [[Videogame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand Returns to Dreamland]] [[SpectacularSpinning twirls his spear like a helicopter to fly.]]

* Using the [[MundaneUtility weapon in the place of a tool]] when the tool it's replacing would do the job more efficiently (tools which are much more effective as weapons than they should be also fit).

* ''Tabletopgame/BattleTech'' and its [[Franchise/BattleTechExpandedUniverse expanded universe]] is fond of improbable weapons usage. Hanse Davion in ''The Warrior Trilogy'' fires his [[HumongousMecha BattleMech]]'s particle projector cannon at point-blank range despite the ArbitraryMinimumRange before using the cannon to bludgeon an enemy battlemech to death, then rips off an another enemy's arm and then beats ''it'' to death. MundaneUtility is present, as battlemech weaponry can make decent impromptu combat engineering tools; a dialed-down laser can weld metal, and long-range missiles can fell forests or clear minefields.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* At one point in ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'', Kronar uses the hilt of a sword to pleasure another man. This, predictably, does not end well, and leads him to be being portrayed thereafter with one of his hands having all of its fingers cut off.

* ''Literature/ChaosFighters'' has swiping, an type of attack which the weapon (usually a sword or a lance) is swung in a direction perpendicular to how its blade is aligned. In reality this would not work as well as depicted and potentially breaks the weapon.

* Of the four Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles, only Leonardo comes close to fighting appropriately with his weapon. Donatello is decent, but never uses half the techniques for a bo, Michelangelo is missing 95% of his nunchuku skills since he dual wields them, and Raphael uses his sai as knives instead of defensive bludgeon tool. The last one varies somewhat by work: in the [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 2012 series]] Raphael actually uses his sai to catch and break weapons ([[MechaMooks and limbs]]), although he still occasionally uses them to stab as well.

* The title character of ''Manga/Golgo13'' uses M16 rifles for sniping assassinations, often ones that require [[ImprobableAimingSkills absurd feats of marksmanship]]. [[DownplayedTrope This is more possible]] [[AluminumChristmasTrees than a lot of people would think]] (assault ''rifles'' can still very accurate in semi-auto, especially when they're close-bolt like an M16), but still a bit strange, as a bolt-action rifle in the same caliber would be smaller, lighter, and easier to obtain (especially in countries which restrict self-loading weapons more tightly, or in the manga's earlier years before AR platforms became so widespread). Various explanations have either been that an M16 is very common for a specific ''standardized'' firearm, or Duke Togo simply wants the benefits of an assault rifle in the unlikely circumstance of an unplanned firefight.

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' City Watch Novels, Detritus the troll's WeaponOfChoice is a ballista. He is able to use it like a crossbow just because he's so damn big. Sometimes it's used to fire the iron spears it was designed to fire, but most of the time Detritus loads it with bundles of arrows. Which shatter from the force of being fired. Then burst into flames from the air friction. When Detritus test-fired it for the first time, it wiped out the training targets, the hill behind them, and some birds that happened to be flying ''directly above him''. He calls it the Piecemaker. It cannot be fired indoors, primarily because it's no longer indoors after he fires.

* Using a weapon which shouldn't be available (e.g. being anachronistic or extremely rare and/or expensive). See RareGuns and ExoticWeaponSupremacy for the rare variant.

* ''VideoGame/Persona3'' has an example of the user not understanding how to use it: Junpei uses two-handed swords like they were baseball bats.
** The Evokers the party uses to summon their Personae are usually shaped like handguns, which they use to ''shoot themselves in the head''.

** The ''Halbschwerten'' or half-swording means grabbing the sword with one hand on the hilt and another on the blade to wield it essentially like a short spear or dagger, allowing for thrusts into unarmoured points such as the joints or eye slits.

** The ''Halbschwerten'' means grabbing the sword with one hand on the hilt and another on the blade and cross-checking the opponent.
** Swords designed to be held by the blade often have a false edge half way down one side or near the hilt specifically for the user to grab (some [[{{BFS}} larger swords]] can be used like polearms this way).

* There are a ton of video games which feature vehicle-mounted -- and electric-powered -- miniguns being carried and fired by individual humans on foot, with no extension cord to power it or source of ammo to shoot from it visible anywhere. A person would be fortunate enough to be even able to hold one into a shooting stance, let alone actually shoot it without losing control of the recoil almost immediately.

** Anna can whack her enemy with her bow (via the aptly-named Bow Whack skill) in ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy5''. Whilst completely unable to kill foes (leaving them at 1 HP instead), its ability to get them to surrender makes it useful for capturing them.

* The [[AscendedExtra Bandana Dee]] in ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'' [[Videogame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand Returns to Dreamland]] [[EverythingsBetterWithSpinning twirls his spear like a helicopter to fly.]]

* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'':
** Anna, Lance, and Natalie's normal attack is to whack the enemy with an arrow, gun, and staff respectively.
** Anna can also whack her enemy with her bow, while Lance can do the same with his {{BFG}}.
** Matt the swordsman, being an IdiotHero, decided in the 5th game that it's a good idea to use a sword as a boomerang. This can overlap with ImprobableWeaponUser in some cases, as he can use stuff like guitars as a sword.

* Subverted by ''Manga/Golgo13'''s title character. His choice of an M16 seems an odd choice for a sniper, especially since popular imagination has it to be some kind of close combat submachine gun that professionals would avoid with a vengeance because it [[ReliablyUnreliableGuns jams every five shots]]. However, as the creator is [[ShownTheirWork more than willing to point out]], the M16 is an ''assault rifle'', and is perfectly fine for sniping targets up to 500 meters, especially in the hands of a skilled user more interested in getting a job done than setting distance records... which Duke Togo certainly is. It's also a very easy gun to both find and modify, which is handy for a professional who discards weapons as soon as he's through with them. An M16 can also be made very accurate indeed, at least within the range limitations of its 5.56mm round.

** The bounty hunter Jean Ango's fighting style involves picking up as many weapons as he can (various types of swords, maces, axes, polearms and so on) and then throw them like javelins with deadly accuracy, as he refers to himself as a sniper.

* During the battle at the end of ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', the gargoyles build a catapult and, instead of using it to fire something, they just push it off the cathedral onto the enemies below, who manage to avoid it while it lands face down.

* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'': Anna, Lance, and Natalie's normal attack is whack the enemy with an arrow, gun, and staff respectively.

* In ''Film/{{Ultraviolet}}'', guns are used for everything, including opening doors, cauterizing wounds, and occasionally killing people.