History Main / PileBunker

* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': The "Thunder Spear" is a dangerous but very powerful anti-Titan weapon introduced later in the series, which members of the Survey Corps quickly adopt as standard equipment. Each spear is an iron rod strapped to the user's arm, loaded with two explosive charges - the first launching it forward [[AntiArmor with enough force to penetrate even an Armored Titan's skin]], and the second detonating inside the Titan's body for enormous damage.

* ''VideoGame/MegaMan11'' has the Robot Master Impact Man, who uses this as his weapons of choice. Mega Man acquires the Pile Driver [[PowerCopying after beating him]] which combines this with DashAttack.

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

[[folder: Light Novel]]

* In Hiroshi Sakurazaka's ''[[LightNovel/AllYouNeedIsKill All You Need Is Kill]]'', the [[PoweredArmor Jackets]] used by the [[CannonFodder Japanese troops]] carry one of these with a clip of twenty charges. They're only marginally effective, but still one of the best options they have.

[[folder: Literature]]
* In ''Literature/NoCountryForOldMen'', both the book and the film, Anton Chigurh wields a captive-bolt pistol which is a Real Life version of this used for dispatching cattle humanely.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games]]

[[folder: Toys]]

[[folder: Video Games]]

[[folder: Visual Novels]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{COPS}}'': Barricade had a pneumonic battering ram with a blunt head that he strapped to his arm. Though he generally used it to break down doors, he also sometimes would also use it on robotic enemies.

* Most versions of Rumble from ''[[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Transformers]]'' have a pair of these for arms, except blunt. He uses these to [[DishingOutDirt create small-scale earthquakes]]. Oh by the way, [[PintsizedPowerhouse Rumble is a Cassette-bot]] that fits into Soundwave's chest.

[[folder: Real Life]]

* Cyan [[MeaningfulName Pile]] uses one in ''LightNovel/AccelWorld''.

Guns that fire the spike away should go into the [[NailEm nailgun]] category.

The spike usually returns to its original position after each "shot" (though ''how'' is not always apparent). Also, the pile bunker's firing mechanism must be made from incredibly strong materials, or it will explode every time the spike strikes the target, similar to a gun with a jammed barrel. Alternatively, it won't be able to penetrate a tough enough target. Also note that it would need to include a stopper made from equally strong materials that prevents the spike from simply flying out of the barrel like a bullet, thus having much greater attack range, which begs the question of why the spike, in fact, ''isn't'' simply fired like a bullet (although it could potentially be [[JustifiedTrope justified]] if the spike has to be made from specific, very expensive materials, such as that making multiple bullets out of them would be unaffordable, or if it is too heavy to carry additional spikes).

** In Metal Slug 3D one of the weapons that can be fitted to the customizable Slug is a Pile Bunker that can be shot out on a chain or used as a ramming tool. Another part having a similar function is Gunner Arm, essentially two Pile Bunkers placed onto the Vulcan parts, if one equipped all Gunner Parts, the Slug will transform into Slug Gunner.

* Cyan [[MeaningfulName Pile]] uses one in ''LightNovel/AccelWorld''.

* ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore'' has them, too.
* ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' has one in the form of the Stake Driver, a weapon that can be used with the spear-like blade either extended or retracted, and causes a detonation at the tip if an attack is fully charged with the blade retracted.
* Also by From Software, the now forgotten Xbox 360 game ''VideoGame/{{Chromehounds}}'' featured several versions of these, but powered by hydraulics, not explosives.

* ''VideoGame/EarthDefenseForce2025'' [=/=] ''Earth Defense Force 4'' in Japan: The Fencer PowerArmor character has a variety of pile bunker like weapons available to them some causing additional effects like explosions inside the target from forcefully injected plasma. ''VideoGame/EarthDefenseForce5'' also sees the Fencer equipped with pile bunker-like weapons, such as the Blasthole Spear.

** In Metal Slug 3D one of the weapons that can be fitted to the customizeable Slug is a Pile Bunker that can be shot out on a chain or used as a ramming tool. Another part having a similar function is Gunner Arm, essentially two Pile Bunkers placed onto the Vulcan parts, if one equipped all Gunner Parts, the Slug will transform into Slug Gunner.

** The "Wyrmstake Cannon" of the Gunlance class is a form of Pile Bunker. The Hunter will thrust at a monster, pull the trigger to fire the spike, and, [[AwesomeButImpractical if you can actually hit something with it]] the spike will detach and explode after a couple seconds, dealing damage to whatever part of the monster it hit while ignoring any defense.

* ''VideoGame/RagnarokOnline'' has a weapon by that name, but with no special qualities other than its incredible power (and weight), and a skill that truly goes with the trope -- it's an attack used by Mechanic class while in their [[PoweredArmor Madogear]] and it has a good chance to cancel any defensive spells or skills on the target it strikes. Only downside of the skill is that you need to equip the no special qualities weapon mentioned above.

* ''VideoGame/SLAISteelLancerArenaInternational'' features the Carro's 'pile hammer' melee weapon. As might be expected, it is a slower but more powerful close range weapon that attacks directly ahead of the Carro in a straight line. The problem is that ''SLAI'' is a third-person high-speed arena-combat mech-sim, and thus the pile hammer is not nearly as effective a melee weapon as other manufacturer's offerings.

* Piledrivers are a potential melee weapon that mechs can use in ''TabletopGame/BattleTech''. They're not very good, but this isn't surprising since they're civilian construction equipment that can be used as an ImprovisedWeapon and not dedicated anti-mech weapons in their own right.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1375550580069582100
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.

* Featured prominently in ''Anime/ArmoredTrooperVOTOMS'' and its spinoff, ''Armor Hunter Mellowlink''. The hero of the latter especially likes to finish off his oponents with the pile bunker attachment on his AT-rifle. Armored Troopers, on the other hand, work on the principles of this trope via punching with the arm, as they spend rounds to quick-fire a punch, without a stake or spike present.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamF91'' introduced a weapon called the Shot Lancer which effectively combines the Pile Bunker with the JoustingLance; its main goal is to let pilots disable enemy mobile suits without triggering a [[StuffBlowingUp catastrophic reactor explosion]] (which is extra bad when you're in a space colony). The Shot Lancer also turns up in the sequels ''[[Manga/MobileSuitCrossboneGundam Crossbone Gundam]]'' and ''[[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam V Gundam]]''
* In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'': the mace wielded by Gundam Barbatos is equipped with a Pile Bunker that fires from it's tip. The [[spoiler: Graze Ein]] also has a pair of these mounted on each arm. [[spoiler: Ein uses one of them to [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice critically injure]] Shino, and another one for breaking the Barbatos Wrench Mace. Unlike most examples, they are single use and once fired, they detach themselves instead of retracting.]]

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', Gin primarily uses his Zanpakuto (an extending sword) like a pile bunker.
* In ''Manga/{{Gamaran}}'', Banri Omiya wields a special "kuda yari" (tube spear) and, thanks to the above-mentioned tube, can use it to stab, withdraw and stab again at a very fast speed, like a pile driver indeed.
* ''Anime/TheBigO'' has these as one of its signature weapons. Each of its massive arms contains a piston which is used to amplify its punches.
* [[Manga/InuYasha Ginkotsu from the Band of Seven]] is shown to have one built in his chest, but is destroyed before he can use it on Inu Yasha.
* In ''Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear'' Hibiki Tachibana is [[BareFistedMonk unable to make her Gear summon weapons]], so instead she learns to convert its wrist and calf armor into piston-like structures which can be "fired" to add more force to her punches and [[InASingleBound jumps]]. By the second season she has upgraded to ''[[RocketPoweredWeapon rocket-propelled]]'' pile bunkers, and can [[ElementalPunch use them as a delivery system]] for the team's CombinedEnergyAttack.
* [[Franchise/{{Digimon}} Crusadermon]] has one of these built into [[ShesAManInJapan his/her]] arm, though it shoots magical blasts instead of stakes.
* The [[CompilationMovie movie adaptation]] of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs'' gives Reinforce a ''[[ClingyMacGuffin parasitic]]'' pile bunker as a physical representation of [[SuperpoweredEvilSide her corrupted Defense Program]]. [[AllThereInTheManual According to supplemental material]] it's an Ancient Belkan AntiArmor weapon modified from a wrist-mounted spear thrower.
* Ikoma has one as a WeaponOfChoice against the [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Kabane]] from ''Anime/KabaneriOfTheIronFortress''.

* The ''[[http://images.wikia.com/superrobotwars/images/7/7c/Alteisen.png Alt Eisen]]'' of ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' has a Revolving Stake mounted on the right arm. The machine's MidSeasonUpgrade (the ''[[http://images.wikia.com/superrobotwars/images/3/37/Alteisen_Riese.jpg Alt Eisen Riese]]'') and [[{{Expy}} variants]] all carry the same weapon.
** Similar OriginalGeneration weapons include Rapiecage's Magnum Beak, the equipable weapon "G-Impact Stake", the claws wielded by the Strike Guarlion in the Record of ATX manga, and [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsMX Cerberus Ignite]]'s "Ignite Pike". Additionally, Haken Browning from ''VideoGame/EndlessFrontier'' wields the Night Fowl assault rifle with an underslung stake below the barrel of the weapon.

* One of Barret's ArmCannon attachments in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''.

* ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore'' has them, too.
* Also by From Software, the now forgotten Xbox 360 game ''VideoGame/{{Chromehounds}}'' featured several versions of these, but powered by hydraulics, not explosives.
* ''VideoGame/DigDug'''s Taizo Hori wields a giant Pile Bunker in ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom''.
* ''VideoGame/RType Final'' has several ships with a pile bunker in place of a charged laser weapon. The bunkers do absolutely immense damage, in some cases more than enough to OneHitKill a boss... but they're extremely short-ranged and getting close enough to use them without killing yourself is very difficult.

** In Metal Slug 3D one of the weapons that can be fitted to the customizeable Slug is a Pile Bunker that can be shot out on a chain or used as a ramming tool. Another part having a similar function is Gunner Arm, essentially two Pile Bunkers placed onto the vulcan parts, if one equipped all Gunner Parts, the Slug will transform into Slug Gunner.
* ''VideoGame/RagnarokOnline'' has a weapon by that name, but with no special qualities other than its incredible power (and weight), and a skill that truly goes with the trope - it's an attack used by Mechanic class while in their [[PoweredArmor Madogear]] and it has a good chance to cancel any defensive spells or skills on the target it strikes. Only downside of the skill is that you need to equip the no special qualities weapon mentioned above.
* ''VideoGame/SteelBattalion: Line of Contact'' introduces the Garpike, a [[HumongousMecha VT]] whose signature weapon is the pair of Bang Needles flanking its sides, which punch through their target and explode.
* An unlockable weapon in ''VideoGame/The3rdBirthday''.

* While he doesn't use one himself, Slayer from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' has this as the name for one of his special moves, which is a sliding straight MegatonPunch (that supposedly punches with the force of an actual pile bunker).

* Many of the walker-type robot characters in ''VideoGame/{{Tobal}} 2'' use this as their melee attack.
* Zenia Valov from ''VideoGame/ArcanaHeart'' has one in her PowerFist [[ICallItVera named "Edinorog"]]. [[BilingualBonus That's Russian for "unicorn"]].
* The Power Fist in ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' can be modified like this. The Puncturing Power Fist upgrade straps a block of concrete with pieces of steel rebar sticking out to the power fist's impact plate. This increases the fist's damage and gives it armor bypassing capability.
* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' has the Dragonators, which are building-sized pile bunkers powered by steam and used to spike monsters that are large enough to be targeted.
** The "Wyrmstake Cannon" of the Gunlance class is a form of Pile Bunker. The Hunter will thrust at a monster, pull the trigger to fire the spike, and, [[AwesomeButImpractical if you can actually hit something with it]] the spike will detach and explode after a couple seconds, dealing damage to whatever part of the monster it hit while ignoring any defense.
* The Scale, the fourth boss of ''VideoGame/{{Furi}}'', wields a pair of pile bunkers.
* This is the strongest but slowest melee weapon option in ''Rogha Armor Force''. It had the most limited targeting arc (mostly consisting of attacking directly ahead in a single linear direction) and takes the most time to recharge between attacks, but makes up for it by destroying any non-miniboss enemy with a giant steel spike through the face.
* ''VideoGame/SLAISteelLancerArenaInternational'' features the Carro's 'pile hammer' melee weapon. As might be expected, it is a slower but more powerful close range weapon that attacks directly ahead of the Carro in a straight line. The problem is that ''SLAI'' is a third-person high-speed arena-combat mech-sim, and thus the pile hammer is not nearly as effective a melee weapon as other manufacturer's offerings.
* ''VideoGame/MegaMan11'' has the Robot Master Impact Man, who uses this as his weapons of choice. Mega Man acquires the Pile Driver [[PowerCopying after beating him]] which combines this with DashAttack.

* Armodrillo from ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' has pike-bunker arms that are likewise blunt and used to shake the earth.
* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', Bismuth, the blacksmith of the Crystal Gems, created a weapon called the "Breaking Point" that [[spoiler:was specifically designed [[AntiRegeneration to shatter a Gem's]] [[HeartDrive gemstone]] [[OneHitKill in a single strike]], destroying them.]]

A common weapon in the RealRobotGenre and other Sci-Fi works, but not necessarily used by the the [[HumongousMecha mecha]] themselves, as there are sometimes hand-held variants. Also, oddly, a uniquely Japanese trope, with very few non-{{Animesque}} Western examples. They work much like RealLife pile drivers, but rather than operating continuously (for example, hydraulically), they typically work with a one-shot chemical charge that drives the metal stake or penetrating spike, complete with SpentShellsShower and a [[RevolversAreJustBetter revolver]] mechanism.

The spike usually returns to its original position after each "shot" (though ''how'' is not always apparent). Also, the pile bunker's firing mechanism must be made from incredibly strong materials, or it will explode every time the spike strikes the target, similar to gun with a jammed barrel. Alternatively, it won't be able to penetrate a tough enough target. Also note that it would need to include a stopper made from equally strong materials that prevents the spike from simply flying out of the barrel like a bullet, thus having much greater attack range, which begs the question of why the spike, in fact, ''isn't'' simply fired like a bullet (although it could potentially be [[JustifiedTrope justified]] if the spike has to be made from specific, very expensive materials, such as that making multiple bullets out of them would be unaffordable, or if it is too heavy to carry additional spikes).

** The CP-08 Pile Bunker used by Rev Rapter and Iguan is likely the [[TropeNamer Trope Namer]].

** The CP-08 Pile Bunker used by Rev Rapter and Iguan are likely the [[TropeNamer Trope Namers]].

Pile bunkers are sometimes built into a special [[PowerFist gauntlet]] or [[ArmCannon arm]] for mecha or humans. Often, like with [[ThisIsADrill drills]], it is justified by the need to penetrate heavy armor or barriers.

The spike usually returns to its original position after each "shot" (though ''how'' is not always apparent). Also, the pile bunker's firing mechanism must be made from incredibly strong materials, or it will explode every time the spike strikes the target, similar to gun with a jammed barrel. Alternatively, it won't be able to penetrate a tough enough target. Also note that it would need to include a stopper made from equally strong materials that prevents the spike from simply flying out of the barrel like a bullet, thus having much greater attack range, which begs the question of why the spike, in fact, ''isn't'' simply fired like a bullet (although it could potentially be [[JustifiedTrope justified]] if the spike has to be made from specific, very expensive materials, such as that making multiple bullets out of them would be unaffordable, or if is too heavy to carry additional spikes).

The spike usually returns to its original position after each "shot" (though ''how'' is not always apparent). Also, the pile bunker's firing mechanism must be made from incredibly strong materials, or it will explode every time the spike strikes the target, similar to gun with a jammed barrel. Alternatively, it won't be able to penetrate a tough enough target. Also note that it would need to include a stopper made from equally strong materials that prevents the spike from simply flying out of the barrel like a bullet, thus having much greater attack range, which begs the question of why the spike, in fact, ''isn't'' simply fired like a bullet (although it could potentially be [[JustifiedTrope justified]] if the spike has to be made from specific, very expensive materials, such that making multiple bullets out of them would be unaffordable, or if is too heavy to carry additional spikes).

* Featured prominently in ''Anime/ArmoredTrooperVOTOMS'' and its spinoff, ''Armor Hunter Mellowlink''. The hero of the latter especially likes to finish off his oponents with the pile bunker attachment on his AT-rifle. Armored Troopers, on the other hand, work on the principles of this trope via punching with the arm, as they spend rounds to quick-fire a punch, even without a stake or spike present.

The spike usually returns to its original position after each "shot" (though ''how'' is not always apparent). Also, the pile bunker's firing mechanism must be made from incredibly strong materials, or it will explode every time the spike strikes the target, similar to gun with a jammed barrel. Alternatively, it won't be able to penetrate a tough enough target. Also note that it would need to include a stopper made from equally strong materials that prevents the spike from simply flying out of the barrel like a bullet, thus having much greater attack range, which begs the question of why the spike, in fact, ''isn't'' simply fired like a bullet (although it could potentially be [[JustifiedTrope justified]] if the spike has to be made from specific, very expensive materials, such that making multiple bullets out of them would be unaffordable).

The spike usually returns to its original position after each "shot" (though ''how'' is not always apparent). Also, the pile bunker's firing mechanism must be made from incredibly strong materials, or it will explode every time the spike strikes the target, similar to gun with a jammed barrel. Alternatively, it won't be able to penetrate a tough enough target. Also note that whoever built it would need to construct some additional mechanism made from equally strong materials that prevents the spike from simply flying out of the barrel like a bullet, which, in addition to having much greater attack range if you did, begs the question of why the spike, in fact, ''isn't'' simply fired like a bullet (although it oculd potentially be [[JustifiedTrope justified]] if the spike has to be made from specific, very expensive materials, such that making multiple bullets out of them would be unaffordable).

** In Metal Slug 3D one of the weapons that can be fitted to the customizeable Slug is a Pile Bunker that can be shot out on a chain or used as a ramming tool. Another part having a similiar function is Gunner Arm, essentially two Pile Bunkers placed onto the vulcan parts, if one equipped all Gunner Parts, the Slug will transform into Slug Gunner.

* The M.S.G Weapon Unit [=MW28=] Impact Edge is a pair of spring-loaded Pile Bunkers, and the magazine at the top acts as the trigger for them. It received a re-release which is included in the ''Frame Arms Girl'' Architect kit.

The spike usually returns to its original position after each "shot" (though ''how'' is not always apparent). Also, the pile bunker's firing mechanism must be made from incredibly strong materials, or it will explode every time the spike strikes the target, similar to gun with a jammed barrel. Alternatively, it won't be able to penetrate a tough enough target.