History Main / SpinToDeflectStuff

An example of ImplausibleFencingPowers and SisterTrope to ParryingBullets, but can be done with any long and thin object. If it goes beyond deflection into redirection, you get an AttackReflector. Distinguished from a plain IKnowKarate display because it's normally only done when there are dangerous airborne objects approaching. SimpleStaff users can be counted upon to do this at least once in their careers. This can also be done using a SpinAttack with almost anything, even your entire body!

* Donatello and Master Splinter from ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' do this on what must be an episodic basis with their SimpleStaff. Leonardo and Michelangelo also do it frequently. Even Raphael has pulled it off a couple of times with his sai.

* Slightly subverted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', when Captain Shang uses his spinning SimpleStaff to deflect rocks thrown by his students: although he successfully deflects them, it's clear that he's specifically blocking individual attacks, not simply spinning his staff so fast that attacks can't penetrate. When other characters (specifically Mulan herself) try the same thing without proper training, they just end up twirling their staff uselessly as stones pelt them.

* True to tradition, Donatello does this with his [[WeaponOfChoice signature]] [[SimpleStaff Bo]] in ''Film/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|2014}}''. [[RuleOfCool Against machine guns. At point-blank range]].

* ''VideoGame/NineMonkeysOfShaolin'' have you being attacked by mooks armed with projectile weapons like blow-pipes, arrows or rifles. They have a habit of staying out of your weapons' range, too, but you can spin your weapons (either a SimpleStaff, a BladeOnAStick or a [[CarryABigStick powerful mace on a long handle]]) to send their projectiles back at them.

* Katt's defensive stance in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireII'' shows her spinning her [[SimpleStaff staff]] faster than humanly possible. Then again, she's ''not'' human.

* Leave it to ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' to take this trope UpToEleven: [[TheDragon Guame]] combined his Impregnable Fortress Dai-Gundo with ''the city of Teppelin'', then used that to deflect any attack on said capital.. from any direction except down. Even then it was virtually impervious to attack until he made the fatal mistake of dropping it on Gurren Lagann, which provided the title mech the momentum it needed to pierce even the mighty ship's armor.

* True to tradition, Donatello does this with his [[WeaponOfChoice signature]] [[SimpleStaff Bo]] in ''Film/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|2014}}''. [[RuleOfCool Against machine guns]]. [[UpToEleven At point-blank range]].

* Angemon from ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' can do this by spinning his Angel Staff. Notably in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'': "Digimon Hurricane Landing!! Transcendent Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals".

* One instance of ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo'' has the Turbo Megazord using its FinishingMove to deflect the attack of the baseball-themed MonsterOfTheWeek [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tyGF1zp0oI back at him]].

* [[https://youtu.be/Z-UqVS17bVc?t=15 The staff technique, Plum Flower]], has this as an application.

** Longtime Thor enemy Thunderball has done this at least once, though he was in a Franchise/SpiderMan comic at the time - he spins his ball-and-chain in a circle to deflect small arms fire. Thunderball is human, but he and his ball-and-chain are empowered by Asgardian magic.

** So does Adam -- he deflects incoming fire with his sword in his character short, and he even uses it offensively - ''by twirling the sword so fast before throwing it as a flying buzzsaw!''

** In the same tradition, the inquisitors of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' have lightsaber hilts that are actually built for spinning the weapon. It's noted to be very effective at frightening novice force adepts who don't know what they're doing, but close to worthless against experienced force users - like Sith Lords who don't want to risk being overthrown by their pawns.

** Vergil used this in an extremely badass BulletTime version, in ''Devil May Cry 3'', catching a bunch of bullets that Dante had fired at him. He then slid his katana along the ground, depositing all of the bullets, perfectly intact, in a neat row... before sweeping them up and returning them with a single swing. Taken to extremes in his boss fights when he can negate armour-piercing rounds and rockets just by doing the same move.
** In ''[[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate]] VideoGame/MarvelVSCapcom3'', this is Vergil's block animation.
** [[BladeOnAStick Bolverk]] and [[EpicFlail Plutonian]] from the second game also had the ability to deflect bullets by spinning their weapons.

* ''VideoGame/NineMonkeysOfShaolin'' have you being attacked by mooks armed with projectile weapons like blow-pipes, arrows or rifles. They have a habit of staying out of your weapons' range, too, but you can spin your weapons (either a SimpleStaff, a BladeOnAStick or a [[CarryABigStick powerful mace on a long handle]]) to send their weapons back at them.

** Jedi and Sith have been shown to do this with their lightsabers, although they often don't spin them as fast as you might expect. They don't actually spin the blades as a shield, they parry the blasts much as one would a blow from another sword. Of course this is due to TheForce allowing Jedi to [[CombatClairvoyance anticipate where to block]] ''before'' the shot's even been fired.

* In ''WesternAnimation/LupinIIITheItalianAdventure'', Goemon is able to deflect machine gun fire by doing this with his sword.

* The feat to perform this in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsThirdEdition'' is called "Spinning Defense" (from the ''Dragon Compendium''). It requires a polearm and focusing entirely on defense, but allow the use of Deflect Arrows an unlimited number of times (while it's usually limited to one projectile per round).

* In the manga ''Manga/BladeOfTheImmortal'', Manji's dozen swords include a pair of sai-like things that are specifically ''designed'' for this -- each has a round hole in the blade to twirl them by.
* Tuxedo Mask of ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' does this with his fancy cane/wand (it looks like a magicians' wand, but is probably meant to be a cane) on several occasions.
* [[{{Samurai}} Kenshin]] does this more than once with his sword in ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'', including once against a flamethrower.

* Kenshiro manages to do this with ''nunchucks'' in an early chapter of ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar''. Not only that, but he manages to deflect them in such a way so that they hit the guys who threw them in the first place. He's Kenshiro, after all.

* Here's an example that actually makes sense in some regards: Joey in the sixth volume of ''Manga/YuGiOh'' spins around Yugi's Millennium Puzzle (which is on a string) to act as a shield against several yoyo-wielding thugs. It doesn't deflect them, but instead tangles them up, rendering them useless.
* Sui from ''Manga/DoubleArts'' uses an iron ''hoop'', spinning it in a sphere-shaped shield around herself while she is curled up inside the 'shield'. How she avoids any form of dizziness (or even if she gets dizzy at all) is never addressed.
* Leave it to ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' to take this trope UpToEleven: [[TheDragon Gua]][[EnsembleDarkhorse me]] combined his Impregnable Fortress Dai-Gundo with ''the city of Teppelin'', then used that to deflect any attack on said capital.. from any direction except down. Even then it was virtually impervious to attack until he made the fatal mistake of dropping it on Gurren Lagann, which provided the title mech the momentum it needed to pierce even the mighty ship's armor.

* ''Anime/NerimaDaikonBrothers'': Hideki does this with a daikon radish against a volley of syringes.
* The Shen Hu of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' can do this with its slash harken.
* The title character in ''Anime/{{Karas}}'' can do this ''without holding his sword'', and is used both offensively (flying buzzsaw style) and defensively (as in this trope...) seeing as magic is involved in empowering said sword and the armor... this isn't as implausible as it sounds. This is carried over into his appearance in ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' in both its variants.
* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl'': Ash makes frequent use of this trope with the Counter Shield technique, which involves his Pokemon spinning while using one of their moves to combine offensive and defensive tactics. The technique is impressive enough for several other characters to make use of it as well, including Dawn, Brock, and even Paul.
* Young Goku does this regularly in ''Manga/DragonBall'' with his magic staff, even against full-automatic gunfire. That is, before he plain and simply becomes ImmuneToBullets. To clarify: since the start of the series, he never takes any actual serious damage from the bullets -- they just used to hurt like hell.
* Angemon from ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' can do this by spinning his Angel Staff. Notably in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'': "Digimon Hurricane Landing!! Transcendent Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals".
* [[{{Ninja}} Kaede]] in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' uses her [[{{BFS}} gigantic]] FuumaShuriken to deflect one of Kotaro's attacks this way. It even has a convenient pull string for that purpose.
* Played Straight in ''Anime/GunXSword''. Van is basically impervious to bullets because whenever he's shot at, he is somehow already spinning his sword, cutting all bullets coming at him in half (and somehow simultaneously stopping them).
* Volfogg of ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'' uses this in his [[CombiningMecha Big Volfogg]] form -- the rotary blades of the Gunglue serve as the spinning stick.
* ''Manga/HunterXHunter'': Kurapika blocks bullets with his chains.
* Io Otonashi from ''Manga/PlaceToPlace'' blocks snowballs using one-handed-spin wooden chopsticks during [[MundaneMadeAwesome a snowball fight]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/LupinIIITheItalianAdventure'', Goemon is able to deflect machine gun fire by doing this with his sword.
* In ''Manga/HentaiKamen'', Shunka-san can spin a pair of nunchuks fast enough to ''deflect bullets''. Yeah, the series cannot be exactly call serious anyway.

* In ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' storyline ''ComicBook/AMindSwitchInTime'', ComicBook/{{Superboy}} confronts two bank robbers who are armed with weapons called magma blasters which ''really'' pack a punch. Superboy resorts to spin around to deflect the beams while flying towards the crooks.

* Slightly subverted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', when Captain Shang uses his spinning SimpleStaff to deflect rocks thrown by his students: although he successfully deflects them, it's clear that he's specifically blocking individual attacks, not simply spinning his staff so fast that attacks can't penetrate. When other characters (specifically Mulan herself) try the same thing without proper training, they just end up twirling their staff uselessly as stones pelt them.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** Jedi and Sith have been shown to do this with their lightsabers, although they often don't spin them as fast as you might expect. They don't actually spin the blades as a shield, they parry the blasts much as one would a blow from another sword. Of course this is due to TheForce allowing Jedi to [[CombatClairvoyance anticipate where to block]] ''before'' the shot's even been fired.
** General Grievous does this a couple of times, although there's [[ArtificialLimbs a good reason]].
** There is a specific lightsaber form dedicated to [[StoneWall near total impenetrable defense]] utilizing sweeping, circular motions close to the body called Soresu. [[MartialPacifist Obi-Wan]] is ''the'' master of this form, and uses it the majority of the time in ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' and ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith''.
* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':
** Done in ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'' rather impressively; [[ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} Wade Wilson]] walks into a room full of {{Mooks}} and manages to deflect all the bullets fired at him using rapidly spinning [[DualWielding dual-wielded]] [[KatanasAreJustBetter katanas]]. His mutant power is to see in bullet time, so like many other examples, he's not making a truly impenetrable shield, but blocking individual shots. The spinning is highly implied to be him showing off.
** He tries it again in ''Film/Deadpool2'' against gunfire from Cable, [[AvertedTrope with rather less success]]. GoodThingYouCanHeal.

* When fired upon by multiple guards, Kroenen in ''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}'' spins his blades to deflect them.
* PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'', when Will Scarlett shows off his fighting prowess by spinning twin daggers so quickly that an arrow fired at him from point blank range is reduced to sawdust and the daggers are left smoking (presumably from the friction).

* True to tradition, Donatello does this with his [[WeaponOfChoice signature]] [[SimpleStaff Bo]] in ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2014''. [[RuleOfCool Against machine guns]]. [[UpToEleven At point-blank range]].

* ''Film/Aquaman2018'': Vulko shows off this technique in one of Arthur's training flashbacks. In this case, it's not just that he's spinning his trident, but that he's summoning water around it to serve as an outright barrier. [[spoiler:During the final battle with Orm, Arthur gets to pull it off himself.]]
* ''Film/WonderWoman1984'': Wonder Woman can deflect bullets fired at her by spinning her Lasso of Truth in circles.

* Subverted and played straight in Steven Brust's ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'' books. In the Literature/KhaavrenRomances, Khaavren fights a duel against an enemy who spins his sword around to block Khaavren's attacks. Khaavren reflects on how dumb that move is, then moves his sword in a spiral to get past the guy's defenses and stab him in the heart. Vlad Taltos, on the other hand, spins his magic chain Spellbreaker in a circle to make an effective spell shield.
* Isana does this with ''water'' in in the ''Literature/CodexAlera'' final book. A small pool of water on her arm shaped like a shield and spun at high speed deflects vord attacks, and [[RequiredSecondaryPowers nearly tears her arm off.]]

* The feat to perform this in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' 3.5th edition is called "Spinning Defense" (from the ''Dragon Compendium''). It requires a polearm and focusing entirely on defense, but allow the use of Deflect Arrows an unlimited number of times (while it's usually limited to one projectile per round).

* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'': The Staff Fighting power set has an attack that increases your defense to certain attacks if you land a hit, reducing their chance to hit you. The animation for the attack sees your character twirling the staff at their sides and in front of them.
* ''VideoGame/DrillDozer'', you can deflect bullets by using the Drill Dozer's [[ThisIsADrill drill]].

* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'':
** Pit in ''Brawl'' has this as one of his special attacks with his bow/swords called Angel Ring.
** ROB's side special, where it spins it arms around its body, has this as a secondary use.
* Randy in ''VideoGame/GuardianHeroes'' both attacks and blocks this way.
* Katt's defensive stance in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireII'' shows her spinning her [[SimpleStaff staff]] faster than humanly possible. Then again, she's ''not'' human.
* Used in ''VideoGame/WonderBoyInMonsterWorld'' with all spear weapons to make up for the lack of a shield, funny thing is that you can actually do CollisionDamage ''to'' the enemy if they touch the spinning spear.

* In ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' Yukimura blocks attacks by spinning one of his spears. Then again the whole game runs on RuleOfCool.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'':
** One of the enemies in Yamato Man's stage in ''VideoGame/MegaMan6'' does this with spears. The idea is to attack it after it throws the spinning spear at you but before it retrieves another one.
** Top Man of ''VideoGame/MegaMan3'' does this too, when he's using Top Spin (see, THAT would've made it a lot better in Mega Man's hands).
** Well, there ARE about a gazillion "spinning shield" weapons that Mega Man can get, ranging in utility from the useless Power Stone from ''VideoGame/MegaMan5'' (which actually had TWO such weapons, the other being the slightly less useless Star Crash) to the nearly impenetrable Jewel Satellite from ''VideoGame/MegaMan9''...
** Heck, quite a few other Robot Masters can do it too, like Blizzard Man from ''[[VideoGame/MegaMan6 6]]'', Clown Man from ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'', Pirate Man from ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass'', Strike Man from ''[[VideoGame/MegaMan10 10]]'', Punk from the UsefulNotes/GameBoy ''[[VideoGame/MegaManIII III]]'' (returning in ''VideoGame/MegaMan10''), and Sunstar from the Game Boy's ''[[VideoGame/MegaManV V]]''.
* Zero's Shield Boomerang in ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' is actually the Z-saber spinning really fast, allowing him to block and deflect enemy bullets, as revealed by concept art.
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'' when [[spoiler:Roy attempts to deflect a hail of arrows by spinning his three-section staff. It doesn't work out so well for him, as some of the arrows get through and kill him. Fortunately, [[MultipleEndings the player can avoid putting him in the path of those arrows in the first place]].]]

* ''VideoGame/FatalFury'': Billy Kane has had a staff spin as his main technique for nearly as long as he's existed (the original Fatal Fury had it in his win pose, but not as an actual move) which, in most games, serves to block projectile attacks as well as attack close opponents.
* ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'':
** A ''Dynasty Warriors 6'' [[CutscenePowerToTheMax cutscene]] involves Lu Bu spinning his spear to deflect a ''river''.
** The intro video to ''[[VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi Warriors Orochi 2]]'' has Cao Pi deflecting bullets from his allies Masamune Date and Magoichi Saika to defeat enemy troops swarming them.
* Ocelot in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' uses GunTwirling to protect himself from [[BeeBeeGun a swarm of hornets]].
* In ''VideoGame/BioShock2'', the last of three possible upgrades for your Drill weapon allows you to reflect all bullets that hit it while it's spinning.
* In ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime'', Azimuth can deflect projectiles by spinning his double-sided wrench in front of him so fast it becomes a blur.
* Mace Windu can do this in ''VideoGame/StarWarsEpisodeIJediPowerBattles''.

* In ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'', Selvaria Bles' Valkyrian shield (which was modeled after a nautilus seashell and gyrates in a fashion that accentuates this) was used this way during a cutscene to send an armor-piercing tank shell off course.
* In ''[[VideoGame/GanbareGoemon Legend of the Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon]]'', Yae can receive an upgrade for her katana that allows her to spin it to deflect projectiles.
* Trained [[PsychicPowers psychic]] soldiers in ''VideoGame/TheRedStar'' have large staff-like weapons called Hooks, often adorned with blades and other weapons, that they can spin to deflect bullets. Since this is done [[MindOverMatter telekinetically]], the Hook suspended in mid-air by pure mental force, this gets around the physical impossibility of spinning them by hand.

* In ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', Mer-kin bladeswitchers in the Mer-Kin Colosseum will sometimes use a special attack where they spin their weapons around themselves, deflecting any attempts to attack them back at you. To prevent this, you have to [[TacticalRockPaperScissors counter with one of the special moves learned for the Mer-Kin dodgeball]] when you see them prepping their special attack.
* ''VideoGame/TransformersFallOfCybertron'': Decepticon [[CombiningMecha Bruticus]] can do this with the helicopter blades on his arm, courtesy of Vortex, the Combaticon who transforms into said arm.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Vanquish}}'', [[TransformingMecha View Hounds]] can spin their rotor blades to deflect attacks while in robot mode.

* PWR Loaders from ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' are armed with a pair of huge grappling claws. They spin them as they advance and deflect anything short of rocket launcher rounds.
* The Staff Fighting power set in ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' included a move called Guarded Spin, which increased the likelihood of avoiding attacks for a few seconds.
* In ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' you'd expect this to be the case, however unless it's an enemy moving quite fast, it's painfully [[AvertedTrope averted]].
* ''VideoGame/Destiny2'''s Forsaken DLC has this. The Arcstrider's "Way of the Current" lets the player use the Arc Staff to deflect enemy attacks, which also triples the Staff's damage for a few seconds.

* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': Alex does this with a spear when Robo-Wolf shoots at him with bullets. Seth points out the impossibility of this.
-->'''Seth''': There is no humanly-possible way you could twirl your spear fast enough to deflect gunfire.
* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': Keela can [[BarrierWarrior create a black shield]] by spinning her scythe.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* ''Webcomic/CosmicDash'' has the title character [[http://www.cosmicdash.com/comic/episode-5-pg-21/ use this technique]] to deflect Sarress Aeven's thrown blades.

* In the ''WebVideo/FranceFive'' final episode, Blue Accordéon and Yellow Baguette spin their weapons to shield themselves against lightning thrown by [[BigBad Glou Man Chou]]. [[CasualDangerDialog And they hold a conversation while doing it.]]

* General Grievous does this much more impressively in the ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'' animation, where he attacks five Jedi at once via judicious spinning of two lightsabers and his own rotating torso.
* In the same tradition, the inquisitors of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' have lightsaber hilts that are actually built for spinning the weapon. It's noted to be very effective at frightening novice force adepts who don't know what they're doing, but close to worthless against experienced force users - like Sith Lords who don't want to risk being overthrown by their pawns.

* Jazz from ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' can spin ''nunchucks'' to deflect '''[[RuleOfCool lasers]]'''.
* So can Robin from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''.
* The 1958 WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck cartoon "WesternAnimation/RobinHoodDaffy" famously parodies this trope. Daffy, as Robin Hood, shows off his quarterstaff skills to Porky Pig, as Friar Tuck. He executes a number of maneuvers, calling his attacks, including "SPIN!" The first time he tries it he hits himself in the face. The second time, Porky inserts a little stick into the spinning quarterstaff, with the result that the staff stops spinning and Daffy starts spinning around instead. He ends up flying into the river.
* Ruel Stroud from ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'' can do this by spinning his [[ShovelStrike shovel]]. Notably in season 2 episode 8, he uses the move against demonic CombatTentacles.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Motorcity}}'': Mike Chilton does this with his skull-staff frequently.
* On ''WesternAnimation/MonsterBusterClub'', a floating squid-like alien can deflect laser fire by spinning its tentacles very fast. (It's not a full-body example since only the tentacles spin, as if on an organic axle, not the rest of the body.)
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In the episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E4DaringDont Daring Don't]]", JustForFun/DaringDo is seen spinning her tail to deflect a volley of arrows with a mini-tornado. Although it was a retelling by Rainbow Dash of a scene from the book, so she might be exaggerating a bit. We don't know if the true Daring Do can do it.

* Ulrich from ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko''; you'd think a Jedi Master trained him the way he can use his katana to deflect the laser fire from XANA's monsters.

Of course, now we do it for bullets and lasers, but nobody seems to mind a lot because EverythingsBetterWithSpinning.

* [[{{Samurai}} Kenshin]] does this more than once with his sword in ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'', including once with fire.

* The title character in ''Anime/{{Karas}}'' can do this ''without holding his sword'', and is used both offensively (flying buzzsaw style) and defensively ([[SpinToDeflectStuff as in this trope...]]) seeing as magic is involved in empowering said sword and the armor... this isn't as implausible as it sounds. This is carried over into his appearance in ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' in both its variants.
* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': Ash makes frequent use of this trope in the ''Diamond and Pearl'' saga with the Counter Shield technique, which involves his Pokemon spinning while using one of their moves to combine offensive and defensive tactics. The technique is impressive enough for several other characters to make use of it as well, including Dawn, Brock, and even Paul.

* [[{{Ninja}} Kaede]] in ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' uses her [[{{BFS}} gigantic]] FuumaShuriken to deflect one of Kotaro's attacks this way. It even has a convenient pull string for that purpose.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': A Cubone does this with its club to block Pikachu's Thundershock in an early episode... despite the fact that as a Ground-type Pokémon, electricity is null and void. Except that it's ASH'S Pikachu, with the [[ScrewTheRulesIHavePlot magical ability]] to slaughter Ground-types with electrical attacks. That Cubone was badass by being able to recognize this reality-reversing surprise in advance and properly defend against it.

* A regular part of [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]]'s bag of tricks in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse is spinning his hammer by its handlestrap to create a "shield". Justified by the hammer being magic and the wielder being a god. Note that this is also a variant of the tactic he uses to open dimensional portals, so [[FridgeBrilliance along with blocking incoming shots, he may be siphoning them away]].
* Longtime [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] enemy Thunderball has done this at least once, though he was in a Franchise/SpiderMan comic at the time - he spins his ball-and-chain in a circle to deflect small arms fire. Thunderball is human, but he and his ball-and-chain are empowered by Asgardian magic.

* One antagonist from the ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' movies blocks Lina's fire blasts like this. Slightly subverted, in that said antagonist's sword catches fire.

* In ''VideoGame/MysticalNinjaStarringGoemon'', Yae can receive an upgrade for her katana that allows her to spin it to deflect projectiles.

* The Shen Hu and Siegfried of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' can do this. The Shen Hu with its slash harken, the Siegfried just by spinning.

** Zelda's neutral special, the "Nayru's Love" barrier, which she spins while using.
* In ''VideoGame/IllusionOfGaia'', Will looks like he's doing this with his flute. Will doesn't block enemy attacks with his flute-spinning; it's part of his telekinetic ability (for attracting Dark Gems and moving statues blocking his path).

* In ''VideoGame/DarkCloud 2'', Max's spin attack can deflect projectiles back at their sender. It is also the only way to survive getting hit with the final boss' instant-kill beam.

* ''VideoGame/FatalFury'': Billy Kane has had a staff spin as his main technique for nearly as long as he's existed (the original Fatal Fury had it in his winpose, but not as an actual move) which, in most games, serves to block projectile attacks as well as attack close opponents.

!!!"Spin your whole body" variant

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', Neji Hyuga does this by spinning his entire body around like a spinning top, creating a vortex that blocks all projectiles and damages opponents caught in it. The lack of dizziness is justified: [[MagicalEye Byakugan]] gives him near 360-degree vision, so the visual clues always remain in the sight; and technically, he's not spinning all that quickly himself (the vortex is created by spraying chakra around).
* Tomo from ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' tries something similar when walking down a narrow street and worried about being hit by the side mirror of a passing car. All she accomplishes is making herself dizzy and nearly getting run over. The intent, incidentally, is not to magically block the impact of the car ([[GenkiGirl though we wouldn't put it past Tomo to try]]) but to roll with the impact, spinning in the direction that such an impact would send her anyway.
* The [[LethalJokeCharacter Beetle]] from ''Manga/GetterRobo Go'' is a not-very HumongousMecha that can withdraw its head, arms and legs into its body to form a solid steel dome. It then spins really fast.
* Seigfried of ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'' uses this as the basis of his fighting style; he spins to deflect incoming attacks and redirect the momentum into his own blows.
* Kaiten Bancho from ''Manga/KongohBancho'' uses his abnormal body to spin rapidly like a tornado to deflect attacks.
* In the Sinnoh-based seasons of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', Ash and Dawn command their mons to literally spin in midair to dodge attacks. Later Ash takes it farther by having them spin while using an attack to create a spinning shield of doom (which was such an effective maneuver Paul used the "Counter Shield" against Ash in a later battle).
* ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'': God Gundam's God Slash Typhoon. Using two beam sabers, Domon spins his whole Gundam really fast to deflect George de Sand's [[AttackDrone Rose Bits.]]
* Rushuna from ''Anime/{{Grenadier}}'' spins in place when shot at, which somehow makes every bullet miss.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueCrisisOnTwoEarths'', Flash uses this against [[EvilCounterpart Johnny]] [[MeaningfulName Quick]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* In ''[[Film/TomYumGoong The Protector]]'', Tony Jaa deflects a sword thrust in BulletTime by jumping and spinning rapidly, causing it to glance off his body harmlessly.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* One time in ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo'', the Rangers used the Turbo Megazord's FinishingMove to deflect the Baseball-themed {{Monster of the Week}}'s attack before destroying it. See [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tyGF1zp0oI here]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'', Barbariccia is (mostly) impervious to all physical attacks while she's spinning. Except for the kind that come straight down. That's why you have Kain. Except for the rematch in the DS version. Summon and Black Magic spam are your only hope here.
* VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe has a spin kick move, which, yes, deflects attacks. Then again, as long as you're using your Slow power, you can deflect anything from bullets, to tank shells, to ''laser blasts''.
* ''VideoGame/StarFox'': Most of the controllable craft in the game are capable of a spin maneuver that deflects most types of enemy projectiles. Though the game refers to this as a [[MemeticMutation barrel roll]], in real-life it's called an "aileron roll".
* In ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork3WhiteAndBlue'', a boss named Serenade will spin in response to almost all attempts to damage them, taking no damage and returning a damaging wave. Attacks are best made while Serenade is attacking. It's implied that this spinning deflect is enabled by the [[ScarfOfAsskicking celestial robe]] encircling Serenade. Incidentally, the same game starred Battle Network's rendition of Yamato Man. Serenade apparently needs to dodge as well as spin, though; prevent them from moving up or down and they can't counter your attacks.
* In ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', Mink Noise (No.20-23) are impervious to attack (and injury, too!) when they spin.
* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' occasionally practices this.
* ''VideoGame/WarhammerOnline'': Swordmasters' Wall of Darting Steel ability apparently make the user spins so fast that almost nothing can go through, in addition of hitting anyone stupid enough to try to attack them.
* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}''
** Youmu has an special move like this in ''Touhou Project: Immaterial and Missing Power'' where she spins around to deflect many projectile attacks. Although what she does is a quick slash with her sword that makes a spinning blue vortex that deflects projectiles.
** Patchouli and Aya would be more accurate examples, as Patchouli has a move that creates a shield of wind while spinning, and Aya does the same with two different versions; one as a move, the other as a spell card.
* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', there is a trinket that, when activated, causes the PlayerCharacter to spin around and parry about 7% more of incoming attacks.
* Whirling Defense in ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' did this.
* Some enemies in ''VideoGame/TumblePop'' and its SpiritualSuccessor ''Diet Go Go'' spin around to jump on and off platforms. They're totally invulnerable while doing so.
* Semi-subversion in ''VideoGame/MetalSlug 6'': the Venusian aliens will spin-jump and spin along the floor in a fashion similar to Sonic the Hedgehog, and if you shoot them your bullets will ricochet off (thankfully, the bullets won't kill you). The subversion is that they still take damage when it happens.
* In ''VideoGame/CoolSpot'', an enemy in Stage 7, "Wound Up," can deflect Spot's attacks from the side when it spins.
* In the Dark Ages of ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime'', the Jester Zombie catches and reflects any projectile shot at it by spinning (and gains a speed boost while doing it!), forcing the player to use either piercing or melee plants. The abovementioned Chinese version also includes the Dark Ages, and as such, this zombie.
** Averted with the Breakdancer Zombie; although it borrows the spinning animation from the Jester, its spin pushes zombies forward, and has nothing to do with projectiles.
* [[HuskyRusskie Zangief]] can do this in some versions of ''Franchise/StreetFighter''. The Spinning Clothesline can, in some versions, let him advance through projectiles. For actual deflection, he has the Banishing Flat, a modified spinning backhand of some sort (and thus not quite this trope).
* Averted in ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'' with [[DemBones Skeletron]], whose defense drops to zero while spinning. Played straight with Skeletron Prime, whose defense doubles while spinning.
* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' has the spin attack to use against projectiles. It needs good timing however... and you have to wonder how Mario never gets dizzy constantly doing this. The fact that the luma that allows you to pull that stunt off gets winded after one spin might have something to do with it...
* In ''VideoGame/TheNightmareBeforeChristmasOogiesRevenge'', spinning around will cause the Soul Robber to deflect any projectile back at it's source.
* A retroactive variant: The move Rapid Spin in ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' deflects any entry hazards lying on your side of the battlefield that the opponent may have already thrown at you, as well as the health-draining leech seed.
** Rapid Spin can also be used to escape from "binding" moves that do damage-per-turn and prevent switch-out, such as Bind, Clamp, and Fire Spin.
* Bash from ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}'' can deflect projectiles by fully spinning his body and letting his tail to smack the projectile away.
* A variation in ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'': The Blademaster's ultimate is Bladestorm, a SpinAttack that makes him immune to all magic (including Magic type attacks)... but not regular projectiles.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'', the [[SpinAttack Screw Attack]] can deflect certain projectiles, such as Kraid's claws.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', R.O.B.'s Side-B was given this as a massive buff, acting as an AttackReflector that doubles as a SpinAttack.
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[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Done by Sojueilo of ''Webcomic/{{Juathuur}}'' (the "spin your whole body" variant). Doubles as a CounterAttack.
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[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Yumi from ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' sometimes executes a wildly spinning move to confuse the enemies while deflecting/returning their fire with her tessen fans. {{Fan Nickname}}d "Geisha Tornado".
* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'': Ultimate Way Big deflects Diagon's eye lasers in this fashion.
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[[folder:Real Life]]
* The spin juke, as seen in such contact sports as gridiron football and hockey.
[[/folder]]

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', you have to deflect the wizard Agahnim's shots. Doing it with the [[ImprovisedWeapon bug-catcher's net]] is exactly this.
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', your spinner (also known as the man-sized frisbee) can deflect flaming arrows. And yes, it spins. And yes, it is awesome.

* ''VideoGame/MegaMan'':

** Heck, quite a few other Robot Masters can do it too, like Blizzard Man from ''6'', Clown Man from ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'', Pirate Man from ''Mega Man and Bass'', Strike Man from ''10'', Punk from the UsefulNotes/GameBoy ''III'' (returning in ''VideoGame/MegaMan10''), and Sunstar from the Gameboy's ''V''.

* In ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork 3'', a boss named Serenade will spin in response to almost all attempts to damage them, taking no damage and returning a damaging wave. Attacks are best made while Serenade is attacking. It's implied that this spinning deflect is enabled by the [[ScarfOfAsskicking celestial robe]] encircling Serenade. Incidentally, the same game starred Battle Network's rendition of Yamato Man. Serenade apparently needs to dodge as well as spin, though; prevent them from moving up or down and they can't counter your attacks.