Boom Goes the Dynamite

Poppy Bros. are recurring enemies in the Kirby series that were first seen in Kirby’s Dreamland. They have the appearance of jesters and perpetually hop back and forth with wide smiles on their faces, but they’re surprisingly precarious in spite of how harmless they look. Poppy Bros. have dangerous dashing maneuvers at their disposal, but their primary method of attack is throwing bombs at Kirby from a distance. Kirby has to contend with both Poppy Bros. Sr. and the diminutive Poppy Bros. Jr. during his adventures, but either version of the enemy can cause problems. They’re not nearly as friendly as they look, and their offer to make Kirby a “bomb sandwich” should be met with a high level of caution. By feasting on the corpse of Poppy Bros., Kirby can gain the ability to use bombs himself. It’s the circle of life.

The Robot Masters have always been the driving force behind the Mega Man franchise, and the Blue Bomber has tangled with dozens of them throughout the course of his many adventures. Bomb Man was originally developed by Dr. Light for the purpose of land development, and his bombs were intended to be used in various construction projects. After he was reprogrammed, Bomb Man became a threat to the entire world due to his ability to quickly create bombs and throw them with startling accuracy. He’s certainly not the toughest Robot Master that Mega Man encounters, but he may very well be the most practical. Bomb Man doesn’t waste time with snowballs, leaves, or bizarre clown-related weapons. Instead, he devotes his time to blowing things up with his comically oversized bombs. You have to admire his simplicity.

Fatman grew up with an interest in explosives and somehow managed to build an atomic bomb by the age of 10 using a guide he found on the Internet. He graduated at the top of his class, received training from an NYPD bomb expert, and found employ constructing bombs for an anti-terrorist organization. Despite his high level of intelligence, Fatman lacked common sense and displayed traits of a narcissist. He had no respect for his superiors and preferred to play by his own rules, so it wasn’t surprising when he became a rogue agent. In Metal Gear Solid 2, Fatman uses C4 explosives as an elaborate decoy to take attention off the real bomb that he hid elsewhere. Fatman’s wears his trademark blast suit protects him from injury and glides around on a pair rollerblades to increase his mobility, but his greatest asset is his intellect.

Holly Summers is one of the most resourceful assassins that Travis Touchdown encounters in No More Heroes. The Swedish beauty has affiliations with modeling agencies and the US Military in addition to being ranked sixth in the United Assassins Association. Holly is well-equipped to bombard her opponents with endless streams of grenades, but she’s also mindful of her environment and uses a shovel to dig trenches and create pitfalls for Travis. Her prosthetic left leg could be seen as a weakness, but it’s actually equipped with a missile launcher that fires anti-aircraft laser guided missiles! When Holly is eventually defeated, she places a grenade in her mouth and decides to go out on her own terms. At least she dies doing what she loves. Her death instills a sense of honor in Travis and gives him respect for his fellow assassins.

Tiny Tina is only 13, but she’s already recognized as one of the greatest demolitions experts on the planet of Pandora. Tina and her parents were intended to be used as test subjects for mutation experiments, but Tina was able to escape by using a grenade that she had hidden in her dress. The experiments led to the deaths of her parents, and Tina has sought vengeance ever since. With the possible exception of Poppy Bros., Tiny Tina is the most unorthodox entry on this list. A tiny girl working with explosives is strange in of itself, but Tina’s personality makes things even more bizarre. She idolizes mass murderers, she refers to rockets as “badonkadonks,” and she’s even more unstable than the explosives she uses. Some gamers were put off by her personality, so I guess there’s something to be said for her ability to set people off as well as explosives.

Demoman grew up in the Scottish highlands with a fierce temper and a fascination for all things explosive. His terrible plan to kill the Loch Ness Monster resulted in the deaths of his adoptive parents, but his bomb-making skills improved dramatically over time. Every character in Team Fortress 2 has their own unique abilities, and Demoman proves to be one of the more versatile members of the team. Armed with a grenade launcher and a “stickybomb” launcher, the demolitions expert relies on his knowledge of his surrounding environment for well-timed detonations. He’s proficient in melee combat, but he prefers to deal damage strategically and indirectly. He bombards opponents with cannonballs, bounces grenades at creative angles to send his enemies skyward, and relies heavily on stickybombs that can be detonated manually.

Whether he’s throwing bombs into the mouth of a dragon or using them to blast through walls, Link deserves credit for being one of the most versatile bombardiers in gaming. Bombs were arguably the most useful weapons in the first Zelda game, and Link has found many new ways to use them in subsequent adventures. The bomb arrows in Link’s Awakening basically functioned like explosive projectiles, Ocarina of Time introduced rodent-like bombchus that could scurry across floors and walls to hit far-off targets, Twilight Princess featured bombs that could be used under water, The Minish Cap had remote bombs that could be detonated at will, and the bombs in Skyward Sword could be rolled like bowling balls. Few characters in gaming can match Link’s proficiency or creativity with explosives.

Samus’ trademark morph ball power-up is fairly useless until she finds bombs. The bombs allow Samus to blast through walls, open doors, attack enemies, and find secret passages. She uses them as a tool of exploration as much as she uses them as weapons, and this is especially important since exploration is the name of the game in the Metroid series. The level of control Samus has over her bombs is nothing short of extraordinary. By deploying bombs below her, Samus can make small jumps. With proper timing, she can propel herself through the air indefinitely just by laying bombs at the correct intervals. Her standard bombs are practical and effective in their own right, but the screen-clearing power bombs she obtains pack a lot more punch. Power bombs can instantly vaporize most enemies and knock down entire walls.

All of the characters on this list demonstrate a profound understanding of how explosives work, but ‘Splosion Man is unique in that he’s actually made out of explosive material. He doesn’t merely use bombs: he is a bomb! ‘Splosion Man was created in a research facility called Big Science, and the entire point of the game is to escape from the laboratory. ‘Splosion Man has the ability to repeatedly explode, and he uses this talent to navigate through a series of levels consisting of puzzles, traps, and enemies. ‘Splosion Man’s abilities allow him to kill robots, demolish walls, detonate explosive barrels, and propel himself through the air. ‘Splosion Man was eventually captured by Big Science, but the researchers then inadvertently created Ms. ‘Splosion Man who proved to be every bit as unstable as her man. Oops!

Bomberman has been given a few makeovers in his lifetime and has been the focus of over a hundred games on dozens of different gaming platforms. The basic premise in most Bomberman games involves strategically placing bombs in order to kill enemies and destroy obstacles. By obtaining certain power-ups, Bomberman can enlarge the blast radius of his bombs, increase the number of bombs he can deploy, or gain the ability to punch bombs out of the way. He also makes use of remote bombs that can be detonated at will, rubber bombs that bounce around like blobs of jelly, mine bombs that are hidden in the ground, and tracing bombs that will actually pursue the targets that activate them. Over the years, Bomberman has put his explosives know-how on display against the likes of Master Higgins, Wario, and even Optimus Prime!