History Main / PiranhaProblem

-->-- '''Milhouse''', ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretSaturdays'': [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in the pilot episode, when the family is traversing through the amazon river, a piranha [[MuggingTheMonster bites]] [[ADogNamedDog Komodo's]] tail. Komodo then proceeds to [[EatingTheEnemy eat the unlucky fish]].

** In the ''WesternAnimation/TreehouseOfHorror'' segment "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E4TreehouseOfHorrorIX Terror In Tiny Toon]]", Itchy shoots a swarm of piranha from a hose, reducing everything below Bart's head to the bones. This is later fixed by playing the segment backwards.
** Another ''Treehouse of Horror'' segment, "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS23E3TreehouseOfHorrorXXII In the Na'vi]]", has flying aliens which drop eggs onto some soldiers. Said eggs hatch into a school of piranha.
%%* ''WesternAnimation/StreetSharks'' gave us Dr. Piranoid.

* ''VideoGame/{{ADOM}}'': There's a certain location where you need to pass through a pool of piranhas-on-crack that will probably kill you in two or three moves if you try to swim across. Fortunately the game provides you with ways to build a bridge if you know where to look.

* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': During the ComicBook/ZeroHourCrisisInTime tie-in, when Tim suddenly finds himself working alongside a fellow Robin, a time-displaced young [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]], a jewel thief they're chasing tries to flee by faking having been killed and stripped to the bone by piranhas at the Gotham Aquarium. Tim knows something's not right and, upon reading what ''kind'' of piranhas are in the tank, realizes the body definitely isn't their thief since they're not flesh eaters.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'': In "A Pint of Life", Aquaman and some explorers are captured by a hostile tribe and lowered into a piranha pool. Aquaman uses his telepathy to make the piranha not attack them and bite their their ropes instead, allowing them to escape.

* ''WebOriginal/HamstersParadise'': Averted with the shromper, a freshwater, carnivorous krill that serves as a FantasticFaunaCounterpart to piranha. They've got large, serrated mouthparts that can slice cleanly through flesh and are capable of going into frenzied swarms that skeletonize large carcasses but they typically only feed on smaller creatures and dead animals, they're also very timid and will flee whenever a larger animal gets close. The riveners, a water living [[IntellectualAnimal northhound]] subspecies, consider them a delicacy.

* ''During the ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'' episode Something Fishy, Russell's pet piranha goes on a killing spree across the entire school.

* ''During the ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'' episode ''Something Fishy'', Russell's pet piranha goes on a killing spree across the entire school.

* Deconstructed in ''WesternAnimation/WildKratts'' where piranhas are frequently depicted as prey for the Amazon's larger predators.

* ''VideoGame/NaticaAndSandyUnderwaterRescue'': These are the main enemies. You use Natica to kill piranhas with a BladeOnAStick to keep them from taking a bite out of Sandy while she's ChainedToARock. Since both girls are underwater, taking damage from the piranhas also depletes their OxygenMeter faster.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog:''

* The Chinese name for "piranha" literally means "man-eating fish".

* In ''Manga/DragonBall'', Ninja Murasaki [[WalkOnWater ran across a pond]] to get away from Goku. Goku was about to swim across when Murasaki warned him there were piranha. Goku didn't know what piranha were, so Murasaki threw a large fish in the water to demonstrate. Understanding, Goku simply [[InASingleBound jumped over the water]].

* In ''Manga/{{Gon}}'', a swarm of piranha try to get an easy snack out of the titular baby t-rex. Too bad he's MadeOfIron and an ImplacableMan (dinosaur). Gon decides to make a meal out of them instead.

* In the ''Anime/SpeedRacer'' episode "Crash in the Jungle," the villain threatens to lower Trixie and Spritle into a tank of piranhas, then demonstrates how dangerous they are by throwing a lion into the tank. The lion is reduced to bones in seconds.

* In ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'', Mr. Lodge is having his fish tanks cleaned and dumps his collection of tropical fish into the swimming pool for the interim. Archie wishes to help and finds two fish that were left behind. It is only when he dumps them into the pool that he learns that they're piranhas. Archie and Mr. Lodge are horrified to see that the pool is now empty, save the two piranhas. Mr. Lodge is so furious at the loss of his collection that he prepares to throw Archie into the water, shouting "Bon appetit, my pets!". Veronica stops him, saying that she had the fish moved to an aquarium, as the chlorinated water was bad for them. Mr. Lodge states that he should apologize - and apologizes to the fish for nearly feeding them Archie.
* In ''ComicBook/TheBatmanAdventures: Mad Love'', ComicBook/TheJoker comes up with a DeathTrap he calls "Death of a Hundred Smiles" that involves feeding Batman to a tank full of piranha. However, he abandons as unworkable because he he couldn't get the piranhas to smile. He is not pleased when Harley comes with a way to make the plan work.

* ''WesternAnimation/StreetSharks'' gave us Dr. Piranoid, but it subverted EverythingsEvenWorseWithSharks.

--> '''Timon:''' "Now that, Pumbaa, is what I call [[IncrediblyLamePun fast food]]!"

** Carvanha from the Hoenn games. Notably, [[ShownTheirWork the Pokedex does say that Carvanha are timid as individuals.]] Unsurprisingly, it evolves into [[EverythingsEvenWorseWithSharks Sharpedo]].

* ''Series/TalesOfTheGoldMonkey''. In "Cooked Goose", [[DragonLady Princess Koji]] insists our heroes enjoy the benefits of a [[FuroScene hot bath]]. Then when they say something to annoy her, she unveils a nearby bowl of piranhas and threatens to empty it into the tub.