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Anime and Manga
Luck: Miss Maria, your job is to guard the casino dancers. You do understand this, right?
Maria: Of course I do, amigo! That's why I took out those rowdy guests! It was over in the blink of an eye, chop chop!
Luck: And in the blink of my eye, I found myself looking at three completely totaled slot machines, an obliterated baccarat table, something that had once been the casino door, and a broken chandelier—all casualties of your blade along with the men you killed. Now, I would very much like to hear the reason why you found it necessary to destroy my property.
Maria: Of course I do, amigo! That's why I took out those rowdy guests! It was over in the blink of an eye, chop chop!
Luck: And in the blink of my eye, I found myself looking at three completely totaled slot machines, an obliterated baccarat table, something that had once been the casino door, and a broken chandelier—all casualties of your blade along with the men you killed. Now, I would very much like to hear the reason why you found it necessary to destroy my property.
— Baccano! 1933 - The Slash: Cloudy to Rainy
"The most important thing for a hero to do is protect the people! Destroy buildings if you have to!"
— Kotetsu T. Kaburagi aka Wild Tiger, Tiger & Bunny
Comic Books
Ben Urich: Last Thursday you managed to disable two subway trains for three and a half hours.
Jessica Drew: That was a win. I caught that purse-snatcher.
Jessica Drew: That was a win. I caught that purse-snatcher.
— Spider-Woman (2014), issue #5
Y'ever notice how we always seem to wreck where we live a lot more effectively than the bad guys we fight ever do?
—Kitty Pryde, Excalibur
Benjamin Rubel: Supergirl! You're here, too?! Wait, is something going to blow up?
Supergirl: I do not only show up for explosions.
Supergirl: I do not only show up for explosions.
Fan Works
"We might do a little bit of damage to the building, though we’ll try really hard not to. It... just sort of happens."
"I WILL KILL AS MANY PEOPLE AS I HAVE TO AS LONG AS YOU ARE ONE OF THEM!!!"
— Vegeta, Dragon Ball Z Abridged
"If we had not needed them we would have never approved of such monstrosities. They may have protected us, but how much death and destruction have they caused? Ikari has been absolutely reckless in their implementation."
Lily: You know, places that go to hell seem to be quite common when you're around.
Ash: Tell me about it.
Ash: Tell me about it.
"Just having him around increased the flammability of -concrete-."
Hypno-Joe: So, what new laws do you think we should make for our perfect world?
Gru: Oh, I don't know, maybe get someone to fix my door?
Gru directs Hypno Joe to the open doorway that Devan tore the door off its hinges from earlier.
Hypno-Joe: Devoted Devan breaks a lot of things in his entrances, I've noticed. I wish he wouldn't do that.
Gru: Me, too. I mean, someone's gotta pay for the damages. Those people who think it's "cool" have been watching too many superhero movies.
Hypno-Joe: [chuckles] You're funny.
Film - Animated
"Well, I'll say this much, they don't call your friend "Wreck-It" for nothing."
— Sergeant Calhoun, Wreck-It Ralph
Film - Live-Action
"I see from the television coverage that you've got your taste for wanton destruction back."
— Alfred, The Dark Knight Rises
Reporter: How can you justify destroying a seven million dollar mini-mall to rescue a girl whose ransom was only twenty-five thousand dollars?
Girl: Fuck you, lady!
Spartan: Good answer.
Girl: Fuck you, lady!
Spartan: Good answer.
Natalya Simonova: Do you destroy every vehicle you get into?
James Bond: Standard operating procedure. Boys with toys.
James Bond: Standard operating procedure. Boys with toys.
Sir Robert King: Be careful, M, I might try to steal him from you.
James Bond: Construction isn't exactly my specialty.
M: Quite the opposite, in fact.
James Bond: Construction isn't exactly my specialty.
M: Quite the opposite, in fact.
"Team America has once again pissed off the entire world after blowing up half of Cairo."
— Newsreader, Team America: World Police
Literature
"Unfortunately, the city has been liberated in a manner inconsistent with its continued structural integrity."
"Saving the world, one act of random destruction at a time."
— Harry Dresden, The Dresden Files
"The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault."
— Harry Dresden, The Dresden Files (This is the first line of Blood Rites.)
"My god, you're like a living wrecking ball! ...Hey, are we going anywhere near my boss's place? Because he just won't shut up about his new Jaguar."
— Waldo Butters as Harry is quite literally controlling a living wrecking ball, The Dresden Files
Morgan: You never change. Always blowing things up.
Harry: I am not "always blowing things up!"
Morgan: Right. Sometimes you set them on fire.
Harry: I am not "always blowing things up!"
Morgan: Right. Sometimes you set them on fire.
Inquisitor Myzard: Oh, for goodness sake, Gideon. It’s going to take years to rebuild the subsector capital. This whole region is in crisis, do you understand? Crisis?
Gideon Ravenor: I know what crisis means.
Interrogator Ballack: Eighteen planetary governments about to fall. There are currency issues. Faith issues. A loss of belief in Imperial rule. General unrest. Strikes and civil disobedience on nine major planets. A mutiny at the Navy yards on Lenk. The list is extensive. I won’t bother you with every detail, but you need to understand… if Molotch had succeeded, he would have busted this subsector, this sector even, apart at the seams. You stopped him. But the price of you stopping him was still extensive. Scarus sector is damaged and fragile. Repairing the infrastructure will take generations. We need your help.
Gideon Ravenor: I know what crisis means.
Interrogator Ballack: Eighteen planetary governments about to fall. There are currency issues. Faith issues. A loss of belief in Imperial rule. General unrest. Strikes and civil disobedience on nine major planets. A mutiny at the Navy yards on Lenk. The list is extensive. I won’t bother you with every detail, but you need to understand… if Molotch had succeeded, he would have busted this subsector, this sector even, apart at the seams. You stopped him. But the price of you stopping him was still extensive. Scarus sector is damaged and fragile. Repairing the infrastructure will take generations. We need your help.
Live-Action TV
"Now, everyone knows that the leading cause of deaths in a corporate environment is Superman crashing through the building during a big fight. That's just a fact."
— Ron, Powerless (2017)
"Hope that building was insured!
—Mike, Power Rangers Samurai
Tabletop Games
"Having shattered the defence force, the White Panthers launched an all-out assault on the Governor's Palace. Surrounded, the Governor's men had little choice but to grimly fight to the death. A few managed to flee, but noone else survived. The Governor and his consulte were summarily executed as traitors, and demolition charges were used to destroy the planet's armoury. Having deemed their missions achieved, the White Panthers returned to their battle barge and left without further word.
Whether Kethra will be sufficiently recovered to provide its tithe within the next year is a matter for the Administratum. The point I wish to raise is that the proper application of force could have resolved the entire affair without destroying the military strength of Kethra and leaving the world vulnerable to alien attack. I regret that the Officio Assassinorum did not respond to my request earlier when their Adepts could have ended the whole affair quickly and quietly.
While the warriors of the Adeptus Astartes, as ever, showed incredible determination and unwavering loyalty to the Emperor, unleashing them against any Imperial world is to use an ultimate force exceeded only by Exterminatus. It is not as if this incident is without precedent, indeed on many occasions Space Marines have pursued their own campaigns without reference or remit to the authority of the Adeptus Terra. To think that there are a thousand Chapters, each a thousand-strong, of these warriors poised to strike anywhere in the galaxy fills me with reassurance and dread in equal measure."
Whether Kethra will be sufficiently recovered to provide its tithe within the next year is a matter for the Administratum. The point I wish to raise is that the proper application of force could have resolved the entire affair without destroying the military strength of Kethra and leaving the world vulnerable to alien attack. I regret that the Officio Assassinorum did not respond to my request earlier when their Adepts could have ended the whole affair quickly and quietly.
While the warriors of the Adeptus Astartes, as ever, showed incredible determination and unwavering loyalty to the Emperor, unleashing them against any Imperial world is to use an ultimate force exceeded only by Exterminatus. It is not as if this incident is without precedent, indeed on many occasions Space Marines have pursued their own campaigns without reference or remit to the authority of the Adeptus Terra. To think that there are a thousand Chapters, each a thousand-strong, of these warriors poised to strike anywhere in the galaxy fills me with reassurance and dread in equal measure."
— Inquisitor Bastalek Grim, Warhammer 40,000
Video Games
"Our hero, our hero claims a warrior's heart]]
I tell you, I tell you, the Dragonborn comes
With a voice wielding power of the ancient Nord arts
Beware, beware, the Dragonborn comes..."
I tell you, I tell you, the Dragonborn comes
With a voice wielding power of the ancient Nord arts
Beware, beware, the Dragonborn comes..."
— "The Dragonborn Comes," The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
"Save Springfield. By Car. By Foot. By the seat of your pants."
"So I've got a question for you guys: What are the eight scariest words in the English language? 'We're Delta Force, and we're here to save you.'"
— The Radioman, Spec Ops: The Line
"There were over five thousand people alive in this city the day before you arrived. How many are alive today, I wonder? How many will be alive tomorrow?"
Konrad or rather, Walker's hallucination of Konrad: None of this would have happened if you'd just stopped. But on you marched, and for what?
Walker: We tried to save you...
Konrad: You're no savior. Your talents lie elsewhere.
Walker: We tried to save you...
Konrad: You're no savior. Your talents lie elsewhere.
Nate: Sully, c'mon, the whole place is coming down, we have to get out of here!
Sully: Three bullets! How did you cause all this with three bullets?!
Sully: Three bullets! How did you cause all this with three bullets?!
"I get big. I break things. I can't help it."
"Without their 'protectors' around to accidentally burn the crops, kill all the livestock, and incinerate most of the townsfolk, the humans rejoiced and entered what came to be known as the Golden Age of Man!"
—Magicka 2 intro
If it ain't broke, I'll break it.
—Ajna, Indivisible
Web Comics
Fighter: Y'know, I sort of assumed this hero of destiny thing would involve a lot less devastation in our wake.
Red Mage: In our defense, those cities might have burned down on their own. That we were there when it happened is possibly a coincidence.
Thief: Exactly. Besides, these things wouldn't happen if they didn't build cities in our way.
Red Mage: In our defense, those cities might have burned down on their own. That we were there when it happened is possibly a coincidence.
Thief: Exactly. Besides, these things wouldn't happen if they didn't build cities in our way.
Miyaneko: You two are dangerous.
Riley: (points to Alex) She's the one who exploded!
Alex: Who are you?
Miyaneko: I am Miyaneko Gato. The higher authority sent me to keep my eyes on you.
Alex: On me? Why? I seem to have everything under control.
[shot of large impact crater outside Riley's house]
Miyaneko: You could have fooled me.
Riley: (points to Alex) She's the one who exploded!
Alex: Who are you?
Miyaneko: I am Miyaneko Gato. The higher authority sent me to keep my eyes on you.
Alex: On me? Why? I seem to have everything under control.
[shot of large impact crater outside Riley's house]
Miyaneko: You could have fooled me.
— Angel Moxie, #038
Web Original
Seb: I don't want to harm an innocent.
Bob Lennon: But that's the only thing we've been doing!
Mahyar: Thank you, Bob.
Bob Lennon: But that's the only thing we've been doing!
Mahyar: Thank you, Bob.
—Aventures, Final episode of Season 3
"At that moment, Robin comes crashing through the front door of the museum on his bike. You know, if this is the amount of property these two supposed 'heroes' have to destroy to save the diamond, then perhaps the museum would be better off just letting Freeze have it."
"It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... coming right for us, everybody run!"
[Amidst a totally leveled city, we see Superman with several badly injured civilians]
Rachel: Thanks for saving us, Superman.
Guy: Yeah, imagine the real damage that could have been done if you hadn't come to our planet.
[Distant explosion]
Malcolm: Oh look, it's Zod.
[Superman flies off, towards the action]
Guy: Oh Jesus, he's going to save us again!
[Destruction and debris rains down on everyone]
Malcolm: Way to go, Superman, putting us above all else again!
Rachel: Thanks for saving us, Superman.
Guy: Yeah, imagine the real damage that could have been done if you hadn't come to our planet.
[Distant explosion]
Malcolm: Oh look, it's Zod.
[Superman flies off, towards the action]
Guy: Oh Jesus, he's going to save us again!
[Destruction and debris rains down on everyone]
Malcolm: Way to go, Superman, putting us above all else again!
— The Nostalgia Critic, reviewing Man of Steel
"I guess the robber is dead? Why does RoboCop leave him here? Why did he have to further destroy these people's store? He could have easily taken this guy outside and thrown him into a dumpster or something."
— CinemaSins on RoboCop (1987)
"Man, it kinda sucks that all those people went deaf when I sonic boomed right through their town. Eh, I'm sure they're fine!"
Western Animation
"You've disabled me employees and trashed me restaurant! Think you might go for the bubble, now?!"
—Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob SquarePants, "Patrick-Man!"
"[While there is fire and chaos everywhere in the background.] We did it, Patrick! We saved the city! Just think what might have happened if we didn’t tell everyone about the monster!"
—SpongeBob SquarePants, “Wormy”
"Goodbye, Tennysons. Thank you for not destroying everything."
— Azmuth, Ben 10: Omniverse
"I protect people and property! ...Okay, property, not so much."
— Rex Salazar, Generator Rex
"Alright, you alien chumps! You're in MY town! And nobody gets to wreck it! (Record Scratch) Uh... except for me."
— Coop, Megas XLR
Coop: That wasn't so tough.
Jamie: Yeah, we usually destroy a whole city before the bad guy goes packin'.
Jamie: Yeah, we usually destroy a whole city before the bad guy goes packin'.
Mayor: Oh, my! Powerpuff Girls! Thank you for destroying that evil giant fish balloon… [suddenly angry] BUT YOU ALSO DESTROYED MY BEAUTIFUL CITY!!! NEVER USE THAT…THAT… BOTSTROSITY AGAIN!!!
Crowd: YEAH!!!
Blossom: But…but it's the Professor's fault! He made us use it!
Professor Utonium: But…but, uh…
Crowd: PROFESSOR!!!
Professor Utonium: Well, um…eh… Gotta go!
Crowd: YEAH!!!
Blossom: But…but it's the Professor's fault! He made us use it!
Professor Utonium: But…but, uh…
Crowd: PROFESSOR!!!
Professor Utonium: Well, um…eh… Gotta go!
"Steven! You saved most of Beach City."
— Amethyst, Steven Universe, "Laser Light Cannon"
"Mario may save the city, but there will be no city left!"
Animo: "What do you think you are doing? How I'm supposed to hold the city ransom when you have gone and DOOM them? Now Mount Megalodon is going to blown any second!"
Ben: "But… I was trying to save everyone!"
Animo: "Were you now? Well done!"
"That is not Darkwing Duck! DW'd never hurt innocent people or set the city on fire. ...Not on purpose."
— Launchpad McQuack, DuckTales (2017), "The Duck Knight Returns!"
"Look at this place! You couldn't fight the guy outside?!"
— Shopkeeper, Batman Beyond, "Payback"
Real Life
"We sure liberated the hell out of this place."
— Anonymous American G.I. during World War II
