History Main / SpontaneousHumanCombustion

** In the original manga, Kamui's mom Tohru spontaneously combusted in the BackStory. The reason for this, however, was made pretty clear: She made herself a shadow sacrifice of the entire planet Earth and, by burning to death, delayed its destruction by GlobalWarming. ItMakesSenseInContext.

* In ''Anime/MawaruPenguindrum'', this is what happens to [[spoiler:Momoka after she changes Yuri's fate so Yuri can escape from her [[AbusiveParents abusive father]]. In a subversion she actually ''survives'' the incident, though she's left with serious wounds and has to be hospitalized.]]

* In ''Comicbook/AllSuperheroesMustDie'', 90s causes people injected with it to explode in 90 seconds if they don't get the antidote in time.

* In the ''Comicbook/SamAndMax'' comic book episode "Monkeys Violating the Heavenly Temple", the eponymous duo are saved from a [[AppeaseTheVolcanoGod volcano sacrifice]] when the high priest performing the ritual [[DeusExMachina suddenly goes up in flames]].

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* In ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'', this is an established medical condition, referred to as "SHD" by Nick, who claims it's "been known to take out entire city blocks". In said episode, it appears that referee Mills Lane is about to suffer from this, but it turns out it's just gas. Later, interviewer Stacy Cornbred starts showing signs of it, and Nick Diamond and Johnny Gomez think it's just gas... until she suddenly explodes. (Later revealed to have been [[RealitySubtext the result of stress from her contract negotiations]].)

* In ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'', this is an established medical condition, referred to as "SHD" by Nick, who claims it's "been known to take out entire city blocks". In said episode, it appears that referee Mills Lane is about to suffer from this, but it turns out it's just gas. Later, interviewer Stacy Cornbred starts showing signs of it, and Nick Diamond and Johnny Gomez think it's just gas... until she suddenly explodes. (Later revealed to have been [[LeaningontheFourthWall the result of stress from her contract negotiations]].)

* In ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'', this is an established medical condition, referred to as "SHD" by Nick, who claims it's "been known to take out entire city blocks". In said episode, it appears that referee Mills Lane is about to suffer from this, but it turns out it's just gas. Later, interviewer Stacy Cornbred starts showing signs of it, and Nick Diamond and Johnny Gomez think it's just gas... until she suddenly explodes. (Later revealed to have been [[MythologyGag the result of stress from her contract negotiations]].)

* In ''[[Manga/{{Gunnm}} Battle Angel Alita: Last Order]]'' it has become the leading cause of death. Much like cancer and heart disease in modern times, it's said to be something anybody can die from. It's explained that before medical technology became more advanced, most people just died of other things first.

* Krook in Creator/CharlesDickens’ ''Literature/BleakHouse'' dies like this and is '''possibly''' the UrExample of this trope appearing in fiction, though "true stories" were already said to have existed at the time, and Dickens was known to have strongly believed that this was possible. [[ArtMajorBiology (He believed it to be due to people drinking excessive amounts of highly flammable alcohol.)]]

* ''Film/Spontaneous2020'' (not to be confused with ''Spontaneous Combustion'' above) takes a "zoomer" teen comedy approach to the concept, where the crisis affecting the students of a high school is random spontaneous combustion rather than something more mundane like a school shooting. Basically a BlackComedy HighConcept movie.

** In one of the first episodes, Giles initially attributes this as the cause for a cheerleader bursting into flames; it's later revealed to have been caused by a witch's spell.
** In the MusicalEpisode, this is a side-effect of [[FanNickname Sweet's]] power. Those unable to release their emotions through song burst into flame. Buffy herself barely escapes this fate.

* ''Series/RedDwarf'': Lister catches a mutated form of pneumonia and begins to hallucinate. His dreams turn into matter. It rains fish in his bunk, and the Mayor of Warsaw appears and then spontaneously combusts in front of Rimmer.

* In the Creator/KenBurns documentary ''Prohibition'', its mentioned that anti-drinking propaganda in some school textbooks included the claim that drinking could lead to this trope.

* In ''Manga/FireForce'', this has killed people for so many generations that those born in the Second generation and above gain the ability to control it instead of letting it kill them. Those in the First generation, however, experience this along with a BalefulPolymorph transformation into a nigh-unstoppable fire beast. The deaths also seem to be extremely random, so it's impossible to tell who will combust next.

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'''s Alexia Ashford, who is an {{expy}} of Eve, gains pyrokinetic powers upon her viral mutation.

* This is the "Urban Legend" theme of Fujiwara no Mokou in ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}} 14.5 -- Urban Legend in Limbo''. Because Mokou exhibits CompleteImmortality, Mokou uses this as a kind of SuicideAttack from which the character can [[ResurrectiveImmortality resurrect]].

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' Kenny is shown dying via Spontaneous Combustion; it’s later explained that Kenny had been spending a lot of time with his girlfriend Kelly and was holding in all his farts. Other South Park citizens get killed the same way.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' Kenny is shown dying via Spontaneous Combustion; it’s later explained that Kenny had a new girlfriend and was holding in all his farts. Other South Park citizens get killed the same way.

* In ''Manga/EnenNoShoubotai'', this has killed people for so many generations that those born in the Second generation and above gain the ability to control it instead of letting it kill them. Those in the First generation, however, experience this along with a BalefulPolymorph transformation into a nigh-unstoppable fire beast. The deaths also seem to be extremely random, so it's impossible to tell who will combust next.

* Multiple drummers in the title band in ''Film/ThisIsSpinalTap'' die in this a fashion—one who is said to have gone up in "a flash of green light," leaving "a little green globule" on his drum seat, and two more who explode on the band's tour of Japan. In the DVD commentary, the band is happy DiBergi caught it on film, for insurance money's sake.

* Multiple drummers in the title band in ''Film/ThisIsSpinalTap'' die in this a fashion.

A classic {{Urban Legend|s}}, hundreds of allegedly true accounts of this phenomenon have been reported for over centuries, the oldest known stories dating from as far back as the [[OlderThanSteam the mid 1600's]], and thanks to the aura of mystery and strangeness surrounding these incidents, Spontaneous Human Combustion is an anomaly that some can’t help but try and find a valid explanation for.

* Interesting variation with Fëanor from Literature/TheSilmarillion whose corpse cremates itself after he gets killed apparently due to his sheer [[HotBlooded hot bloodedness]]. Note that this guy's name means "spirit of fire" in one of Tolkien's {{Constructed language}}s
* Bob Shaw's ''Fire Pattern'' explains Spontaneous Human Combustion as the result of botched possessions by aliens from Mercury.

* Ambassador Standish in ''Film/SherlockHolmes'' bursts into flames when he attempts to shoot Lord Blackwood. [[spoiler: This is intended to be taken as a magical occurrence, displaying the dark powers Blackwood has protecting him from those who oppose him, but in the end a clear, external cause is revealed by Holmes that has nothing at all to do with magic. Standish was rained with oil without knowing (it was genuinely raining at the time) and his gun was sabotaged to create the spark.]]

A fire or explosion occurs from within a person's body without a direct external cause for ignition, often leaving unburned extremities with a neat cut-off line, and no sign that the person was in any way distressed or pained by being on fire. There's often no warning and not much in the way of an explanation.