History Main / PersonOfMassDestruction

** The Stern Ritters are extraordinarily powerful individuals, capable of curb-stomping even captains without having to stretch themselves into using the full might of their own power. As Quincies, they've been at war with the Shinigami for a thousand years, but have become particularly aggressive since the Shinigami instigated ThePurge against them 200 years ago.

** Yhwach, leader of the Vandenreich, is the Quincy equivalent of Yamamoto. The Shinigami/Quincy war appears to have begun with a conflict between Yhwach and Yamamoto and escalated. Yhwach is far beyond the power level of even his Stern Ritters. [[spoilers: When he and Yamamoto clash a thousand years after their grudge first began, Yhwach steals Yamamoto's bankai and [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill obliterates]] him, meaning that not only does Yhwach have his own power, he now has Yamamoto's power, too.]]

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', all the Captains and Vice-Captains of the shinigami are required to have 80% of their energy sealed away when in the real world and must get special permission to release all of it. Guess why.
** During the Karakura Town Attack arc, Shinigami scientists had to find a way to teleport the whole town into another dimension, because otherwise it would be for sure destroyed by the power of captains and Espada fighting all over the place. And it almost failed, as indicated when Komamura fought at the boundary of one of the collapsed pillars that had been protecting the real town from the fake town. As Rangiku observed, it was as if Komamura didn't care whether the real town or the fake town got messed up by the level of destruction his fight was causing.
** Ulquiorra's [[spoiler:Segunda Resurrecion Etapa]] and [[spoiler:Hollow Ichigo's full power form]] in chapters 347 to 352, are probably the biggest (and most explosive) examples so far.
** Barragan [[spoiler:before his death]] in his Resurrection form counts as this. Starrk is most likely this, stating to be able to [[MoreDakka fire 1,000 ceros at once in his Resurrection form]].
** Subverted with [[spoiler:Wonderweiss, actually, who was built to ''counter'' a Person of Mass Destruction- Yamamoto.]]
** Above all others, Ichigo is weaponized and deployed most clearly as one, for various reasons. Chief among them being: 1.)He's been deliberately kept in the dark about his family and origins by nearly every important person he knows, which, combined with his aggressive, HotBlooded disposition, makes him easy to manipulate. 2.) He's free of the command structure and limiters of Soul Society. and 3.)[[spoiler: His potential power is far and away the most devastating destructive force in the Bleach-verse, should it be somehow unlocked]].
** Yamamoto is the [[AnthropomorphicPersonification embodiment]] of this trope in the series. The power of the flames of Ryujin Jakka are enough to wipe out an area many times larger than Karakura Town when they are not focused and uncontrolled. His Bankai, [[spoiler: Zanka no Tachi]], is even worse. If it is left released for a long enough period of time, it will inevitably destroy the world on which Yamamoto stands. This is just by the passive, concentrated heat that the Bankai radiates.

** Mermaid Princess Shirahoshi [[spoiler: can summon and speak to Sea Kings, some of the most powerful and intelligent creatures in the sea. This ability also makes her the ancient weapon Poseidon.]]

-->--'''Music/GraceJones''', "Demolition Man"

* As a "Rynasapien", Kurau from ''KurauPhantomMemory'' can potentially wipe out entire populations. Her sense of morality prevents her from doing so, but unfortunately other Rynasapiens feel less restricted.

** Aang (and any Avatar actually) when in his PhysicalGod mode. In season one final he single-handly wiped out Fire Nation fleet sent to destroy '''a whole nation'''. There were attempts to use this power as WeaponOfMassDestruction - all of which, as you can guess, [[CurbStompBattle didn’t end well.]]

** Zeref is an even better example; he's TheDreaded for a reason. Not only is he capable of [[WalkingWasteland Death Magic]] on a scale that turns an entire forest into dessicated, shriveled husks, but ''his'' Living Magic, which is used by other characters to basically create {{mooks}}, creates colossal, nigh-unstoppable [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] that carve a path of destruction through entire continents. [[spoiler:And he wishes he could take it all back, preferably [[DeathSeeker by dying]].

** Ebenezar [=McCoy=] once pulled a disused Soviet satellite out of orbit and [[ColonyDrop dropped it on someone]], and he's the ''weakest'' member of the Senior Council. Guess that's where Harry got his tendency to [[DestructiveSavior burn down buildings]]... [[spoiler:[[InTheBlood It must be genetic]].]]
*** Weakest? [[spoiler: He is the freaking Blackstaff, meant to be a hitman. No way he is the weakest, he likely is one of the strongest of the council, as he fights more often. Also, he can ingore the laws of magic, which makes him more dangerous, too.]]
** He is also responsible for TheTunguskaEvent, Krakatoa, and New Madrid. And those are just the things we know about.

** Above all others, Ichigo is weaponized and deployed most clearly as one, for various reasons. Chief among them being: 1.)His personality means he's essentially laser guided. 2.) He's free of the command structure and has no limiters. and 3.)[[spoiler: His potential power is far and away the most devastating destructive force in the Bleach-verse, should it be somehow unlocked]].
** Yamamoto is the [[AnthropomorphicPersonification embodiment]] of this trope in the series. The power of the flames of Ryujin Jakka are enough to wipe out an area many times larger than Karakura Town when they are not focused and uncontrolled. His Bankai, [[spoiler: Zanka no Tachi]], is even worse. If it is left released for a long enough period of time, '''it would destroy Soul Society with its power'''. This is just by the heat that the Bankai radiates.

* Lina Inverse from TheSlayers has a spell that works like a tactical nuke, AND a spell that can undo reality itself. Every now and then someone, from a bandit chieftain to a demon lord, tries to command, manipulate or coerce a person with such powers to work for them; Xellos appears to be the most successful with that, because he does not try to coerce, blackmail or threaten Lina: he is in no way sincerely nice to her, but he IS nice.

* Nagumo from ''Anime/{{Urotsukidouji}}'' (when in demon form). Also the Chojin and his counterpart Kyo-O.

* [[ComicBook/{{X-Men}} Jean Grey]], in any incarnation when she takes on the codename Phoenix. In the original DarkPhoenixSaga, Jean destroyed a star, snuffing out the billions of lives on an orbiting planet. In the end of that story, she realized [[WhatHaveIBecome what she would become]] and chose the more tragic option of committing suicide.

* [[ComicBook/{{Invincible}} Viltrumites]] are an army of conquering {{Flying Brick}}s.

* [[{{Superman}} Doomsday]]. All there in the name really. Is basically on a mission to wipe out literally every other living thing in universe with his bare hands and just about capable of pulling it off.

* Justin in FanFic/KiraIsJustice.

* Kaylin Nera in Michelle Sagara's ''Literature/ChroniclesOfElantra'' is one. This isn't even a spoiler.
* Almost all the powerful Ascendants,Gods and some others from ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'' qualify.

* Goddamn ''Carnival'' of the ''DeepgateCodex'' books.

* [[PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Percy Freakin' Jackson]]. Not only is he capable of destroying entire armies by himself, he also once caused a volcanic eruption that resulted in one million people being evacuated and the literal father of all monsters being released from his prison beneath the volcano. He's so powerful that the BigBad singles him out in the sequel series, TheHeroesOfOlympus, as the key for a blood sacrifice to bring on the gods' downfall.

* A lot of characters in {{Dragaera}} would fall into this, but Sethra Lavode goes above and beyond, falling somewhere between this trope and HumanoidAbomination. She's an [[OurVampiresAreDifferent undead]] sorceress a few hundred thousand years old, wields the [[EmpathicWeapon Great Weapon]] Iceflame, negotiates with gods on equal footing, and her power is considered one of the keystones keeping [[EldritchAbomination the Jenoine]] out of reality. On the less powerful but also much less responsible front, Adron e'Kieron vaporized the entire capitol city, turning the area into a small ocean of elemental chaos.

* Illyria in ''Series/{{Angel}}'' [[StoryBreakerPower is depowered quickly to avoid this]].

* Doomsday on ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' is this trope crossed with SerialKiller.

* ''Series/{{The 4400}}'' has a returnee who was a non-nuclear example.

* The WildTalents game system actually details in its power generation tutorial how to build a power with unlimited range that halts nuclear fusion. Not terribly useful on its own, unless you spend the extra points to change the duration to permanent. For someone of a heroic bent, a power like this could be useful against a crazed dictator who has just launched his entire nuclear arsenal against the world. For someone a little more unhinged? ''Turn off the sun.'' '''FOREVER'''. Or, until the Game Master reveals your opposite number exists who has the power to restart nuclear fusion.
* There is a d20 RPG adaptation of TheSlayers. In this game there are rules for learning the tac-nuke level Dragon Slave and the world-ending Giga Slave, though advice is given to the GM not to hand the latter to the players unless there's a good reason to.

* ''SplosionMan'' is practically a TropeNamer.

* Your (nameless) character in ''{{Crackdown}}''.

* Yuriko Omega in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer: Red Alert 3'' is basically the Japanese schoolgirl version of [[Manga/{{Akira}} Tetsuo]].
** She can be considered a weaponized version of [[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya Haruhi]].

* [[{{FEAR}} Alma Wade]], an immensely powerful psychic child who [[RealityWarper twists and bends reality to her will]] and is outright said to be "the mother of the apocalypse." A nuclear explosion didn't do much to slow her down, either....

** Actually, [[spoiler:Zero himself was designed to be one, by [[VideoGame/MegaMan Dr. Wily]], who started all of those RobotWar in the series, to eradicate civilization. Fortunately, there's [[NiceJobFixingItVillain Sigma]]. But come to think of it, as [[OneManArmy he chopped all the opposition along the way]], what he does now isn't much different...]]

* ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos.]]'' UnstoppableRage given form. He gave OneManArmy a new meaning by becoming a one-man ''armageddon''. If anything from Greek myth was left alive by the end of God of War III, it's because ''he hadn't killed it yet''.

* VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim has the Greybeards, who, much like Black Bolt above, have taken a vow of silence because their voices are too powerful. Only one of them can talk to you without making the ground shake. Luckily for others, they [[AllPowerfulBystander stay on their monastery at the world's tallest mountain, not getting involved with Skyrim's problems]]

* In [[Videogame/{{Tera}} TERA]], a storyline reveals that during the Divine war the high elves managed to capture a snippet of power from one of the Titans. Such a snippet being essentially infinite power, it required something special; Or rather, ''someone'' special. Said person became "The Core", also known as the power source of the entire high elven civilization and more importantly of their capital city. While it also becomes immortal, it also loses its soul. Later in the game many things happen and the Core becomes wounded. They note the last time they lost control of the Core, an entire continent was devastated.

* Black Mage in ''[[WebComic/EightBitTheater 8-Bit Theater]]''. The [[KameHameHadoken Hadoken's]] effects were explicitly referred to as similar to a nuclear explosion when it was first used.

* Being a pilot in {{Pilots}} requires a mindset that is more or less directly antithetical to militarism or aggression, and you can't coerce them because that breaks the mental state required to [[TeleportersAndTransporters switch]]. However, the [[TeleportersAndTransporters mechanics of]] [[StuffBlowingUp the power]] can be quite destructive--there are several cases of accidental pushback or too-small switch spheres that cause many deaths--and it gets even worse with the [=ADPs=]. X is discovered when he creates pushback that is initially mistaken for a major earthquake, [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength by accident]].

[[folder:Western animation]]

* [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Aang]] (and any Avatar actually) when in his PhysicalGod mode. In season one final he single-handly wiped out Fire Nation fleet sent to destroy '''a whole nation'''. There were attempts to use this power as WeaponOfMassDestruction - all of which, as you can guess, [[CurbStompBattle didn’t end well.]]

* In something of a subversion, HarryPotter is harassed by his non-magical relatives who walk a fine line between their own perceived power over him and his ability (and their knowledge of his ability) to cause them magical damage.

* Dragon riders from the Literature/InheritanceCycle. There are limits (those being your own ingenuity with magic and whether or not a particular spell exerts more energy than your body possesses), but otherwise there is literally ''nothing that they cannot do''. The dragons they are partnered with are unable to mold magic beyond freak happenstance, but wield far greater power than their riders. Also: Riders can more or less meld their mind with their dragon's and use their resources for magic, which is the difference between moving a [[BadassAbnormal Sedan]] and moving an [[UpToEleven aircraft carrier]]. In the third book, it is revealed that [[spoiler:utilizing the magical core of a dead dragon, an [[AppliedPhlebotinum Eldunari]] (or multiple dead dragons, a la [[BigBad Galbatorix]])]], the aircraft carrier can be bumped up to ''[[HiroshimaAsAUnitOfMeasure Texas]]'', depending on [[spoiler:how many Eldunari one has and how saturated with magic they are]].

* ''ComicBook/{{X-Men}}'' favorite Gambit always seemed to have an okay power, nothing too special, then he met one of his alternate universe counterparts New Sun, and, well, let's just say that is a VERY apt name.

* Flinx, of AlanDeanFoster's ''HumanxCommonwealth'' series, is something of a walking [[PsychicPowers psychic]] time bomb, as he has a tendency to erupt in massive, [[PowerIncontinence uncontrolled]] telekinetic [[SuperPowerMeltdown detonations]] when severely provoked. These are invariably highly destructive to his immediate surroundings, albeit not quite at the city/planet level. Ironically, this ability may turn out to be [[spoiler:[[TheChosenOne the key to saving the universe]].]]

** Also, her powers have taken out some significant beings however: [[spoiler: As part of ''Disappearance'', Nagato "borrowed" Haruhi's powers and wrote her boss, the Integrated Data Sentient Entity out of existence. And in ''Surprise'' Haruhi appears to have eliminated the Sky Canopy Domain(which seems to be as powerful as Nagato's boss, if not more) as as part of the alpha path. So Haruhi's powers have eliminated the next two most powerful beings mentioned so far. ]]

* Most of the humans from {{Supergod}} count as this. Krishna was able to kill over a billion people in a few short days and reverse a nuclear attack from Pakistan (destroying pakistan in the process), Jerry Craven is a walking atomic bulldozer that is dropped from a plane like a bomb, Matreya was able to [[spoiler:convert a large part of the population of china into a giant Cthulhu monster]], and Malak is able to project a field around himself that disintegrates all it touches. This last one is illustrated quite poignantly when Krishna [[spoiler:launches him into the moon and he cut a hole clean through and out the other side.]]

* Long Fen Zao in ''FanFic/TheOdyssey''. Otherwise known as the Last Shogun, survivor of no less than two apocalypses, tutor of the current Empress. The man is an ''essence ten'' Dragon-Blood, which in ''TabletopGame/{Exalted}'' terms means he's basically Armageddon on two legs.

* Long Fen Zao in ''FanFic/TheOdyssey''. Otherwise known as the Last Shogun, survivor of no less than two apocalypses, tutor of the current Empress. The man is an ''essence ten'' Dragon-Blood, which in ''TabletopGame/Exalted'' terms means he's basically Armageddon on two legs.

-->--'''Music/ThePolice''', "Demolition Man"

So you've got a force capable of destroying vast amounts of people, land, and possibly the universe, and essentially have the ability to commit a war crime with the wave of a hand. It's just what any super villain or OmnicidalManiac could possibly want, and then some. There's just one catch...

It's contained by the most unstable thing in the universe. A person.

[[OhCrap Uh oh]].

A SpeculativeFiction trope dating at least to WorldWarII and the bombing of Hiroshima (possibly even earlier), the Person of Mass Destruction is almost always a metaphor for real-world weapons -- either subtly, [[{{Anvilicious}} not subtly]] or somewhere in between. Often the result of trying to create a SuperSoldier. Almost always comes with an {{Aesop}} about the dangers of letting the metaphorical genie out of the bottle or to convey a ScienceIsBad message. Especially if [[MacGuffinGirl female]], the Person of Mass Destruction is very likely to turn into TheWoobie or suffer a SuperPowerMeltdown at some point.

You'd think their own side would take this into account and at least ''try'' to make things easier; on the logic that one would want to be on the good side of a weapon capable of saving or destroying them, but curiously this is not the case. No, people who resort to using a Person of Mass Destruction usually [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer treat them like crap]] and go BullyingADragon. It's possible that this indicates that they are shamed for having to resort to this, and are displacing this into abuse. [[ThereAreNoTherapists Or maybe it just never occurs to them that they would benefit from having good relations with the person that can either save them all or kill them all instantly.]] On the other hand, the prerequisite megalomania to build or exploit such a person, as well as the ego to assume that one can control it, tends to mean that the people controlling (or trying to control) the PMD are of the sort that isn't particularly concerned with their personal well being. Nice people tend not to have uses for tools of unimaginable destructive force, after all.

If they're a main or recurring character, a common plotline for them will be trying to avoid BadPowersBadPeople, or coming to realize that they're better off leaving the planet; either by realizing AGodAmI and turning into an [[EnergyBeings Energy Being]] or, more tragically, committing suicide. If they didn't start so overpowering, they may [[StatusQuoIsGod give up their powers]] or lose them in some other fashion.

Likely overlaps with WeaponOfMassDestruction and WalkingWasteland. {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s themselves often have similar powers but tend to be out right menaces than weapons anyone is attempting to use. Compare and contrast OneManArmy, where the character is usually not treated this way but nevertheless gains an impressive kill-count. One of these can also be a TykeBomb, but those are always raised that way. A person of mass destruction can be made entirely by accident and still become a metaphor for dangerous weapons. For those that defy this trope, see IAmNotAGun.

Note that just having the ability to cause damage does not make someone an example of this trope. While a person of mass destruction rarely lacks comically destructive superpowers, lack of them does not disqualify one from this trope so long as the person is treated like a weapon of mass destruction.

* The Contractors from ''DarkerThanBlack'' are also borderline versions of this. Few of them have powers that would make them a serious danger to an organized military force, but they're nonetheless extremely dangerous and also possess an emotional detachment, including a lack of compunction towards killing. While humans know better than to use them as unwilling lab rats, they're nonetheless shunned, feared and hated by most people [[{{masquerade}} aware of their existence]] and treated as little more than living weapons.
** The most straight-up example is Havoc, whose powers consisted of spontaneously generating vacuums for [[ExplosiveDecompression explosive results]] and a [[PowerAtAPrice renumeration]] of [[EatsBabies drinking the blood of children]]. There was pretty much no way she ''couldn't'' use her powers to murder tons of people.

* Almost any and all State Alchemists in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''. [[ColonelBadass Roy Mustang]] [[PlayingWithFire burns down whole city blocks by snapping his fingers]]. [[SociopathicSoldier Solf J. Kimblee]] [[HavingABlast blows up neighborhoods by clapping his hands]]. [[LargeHam Alex Louis Armstrong]] [[DishingOutDirt rearranges the earth's crust by punching it]]. [[BadassMoustache Basque Grand]] [[WalkingArmoury transmutes entire buildings into weapons]]. [[ShellShockedVeteran Isaac [=McDougal=]]] [[AnIcePerson nearly buried Central City in a glacial layer of ice]]. It's worth noting that the Ishvalan civil war--which had been dragging on for seven years--ended within months of Order #3066 going out. What was the order? To weaponize and send in the State Alchemists.
** One of the victims of that order, [[SerialKiller Scar]], later went on to become another Person of Mass Destruction, gaining the ability to deconstruct matter with a touch. One could argue that many of the [[ArtificialHuman Homunculi]] count, due to their regeneration powers, and ability to take down almost anyone, including State Alchemists. OneManArmy Wrath and Pride definitely count, as does their creator, [[AGodAmI Father]] and his GoodCounterpart, [[BigGood Van Hohenheim]].
*** [[BigBad Father]] takes the trope up to the next level; he is so powerful that he is able to ABSORB GOD, and create a sun in the palm of his hand.

* The "Codes" of ''CodeBreaker'' are people of mass destruction under the control of [[OrganizationIndex EDEN]] and protect Japan; the "Re-Codes" are TerroristsWithoutACause [[spoiler:led, ironically, by the AloofOlderBrother of the JerkAssFacade character]]. People in both groups were [[BullyingADragon abused]] because of their powers, and now feel useful and free, respectively.

* Doomsday on ''{{Smallville}}'' is this trope crossed with SerialKiller.

* ''{{The 4400}}'' has a returnee who was a non-nuclear example.

* Utsuho Reiuji of ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' gained the power to manipulate nuclear fusion, making her a living, breathing [[strike:atomic bomb]] ''star'' and, if she were to ever fully harness her power, she would be almost completely unstoppable. Initially she [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity somehow]] got the idea to [[TakeOverTheWorld take over Gensoukyou]] / [[KillItWithFire burn it to the ground]], but now she [[MundaneUtility brings free electricity]] to its denizens.

* One of the main themes in ''{{Erfworld}}''. Stanley doesn't want to be one of these, but he's damn good at it.
** So, for that matter, is Parson. Incredible resourcefulness + magical compulsion to try and win battles = lots of dead enemies.

* Rex from ''GeneratorRex'' is treated as one.

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', all the Captains and Vice-Captains of the shinigami have 80% of their energy sealed away when in the real world without special permission to release all of it. Guess why.