Join the HFM discord! discord.gg/vvMBpZa6Xh and join the conversation ~ Tim
1 month ago | 2
Another example that came to mind was the cannon from Kung Fu Panda 2. Since the movie takes place in Ancient/Medieval China, when cannons were just introduced as a new form of weaponry, the martial arts expert heroes are uncertain how to defeat their enemies who have it.
1 month ago (edited) | 46
Numidium has to be one of my favorites, a giant mech in a fantasy setting that also breaks time by existing and may have become/always have been one of the pillars holding up the fabric of reality.
1 month ago | 13
The Rakatan Star Forge is my favorite super weapon from Star Wars. It operates not through direct destruction, but rather by feeding off stars to manufacture nearly-unlimited weapons of wars, ranging from colossal starships to mere blasters.
1 month ago | 22
The giant transmutation circle in Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood I think definitely counts as a superweapon. It was a devastating surprise when it was revealed, and took a lot of quick thinking and some sacrifice to circumvent.
1 month ago | 27
the death star has received so much more worldbuilding in the disney canon thanks to rogue one, andor, and other series set before the original trilogy the death star's power is bad enough, but seeing the oppression and suffering that went into building up such a machine made it like the one ring for the empire: the emperor has tied the empire's life (and in a sense his own) to the creation and use of this weapon, and its destruction is the beginning of the end for palpatine
1 month ago | 29
Dragons from A Song of Ice and Fire verse: A species that was tamed to become the main symbol by one of the most powerful and advanced civilizations in history, creating a brutal and complex society. The most influential noble family in the setting are just a shadow of said civilization. Yet that shadow (literally in dragons like Balerion) was enough to conquer a continent. They're the WMDs of the setting, but also a symbol of magic, when they left the world, so did magic in general. God Warriors-Naussica: The beings that destroyed and polluted the world to the point that nature had to evolve up to the point of giant insects to restore the planet. Now several factions are trying to awaken one to destroy said insects.
1 month ago | 16
The Star Forge from KOTOR probably my favourite as its a rare example of a logistics superweapon
1 month ago | 19
The heart of etheria from she-ra and the princesses of power was just so fun and interesting. It was also so central to so much of the show's plot
1 month ago | 11
I really liked the zoltrok piercing magic from Frieren. At the time it was first used, it was a supremely powerful weapon that no one could defend against. 100 years later, and it is merely "basic offensive magic". Time (and weapons development) marches ever onward.
1 month ago | 15
My favorite is probably the Halo Array. It’s a giant seemingly innocuous ring that has its own surface and life. It’s full of structures and has a purpose beyond being a giant weapon. Then it’s also a giant suicide button. It’s not just a weapon that can destroy a planet, it’s a weapon that destroys all life including the Forerunners who built it. It’s a last desperate gamble from a dying civilization.
1 month ago (edited) | 9
the God Warriors in the Nausicaä manga specifically are absolutely amazing writing in how much insight they give into the worldview of their creators and why it caused the destruction it did. The Nausicaä manga in general is the best post apocalyptic story I have ever read and uses the concept to say so much about humanity, its relationship to nature and life, and how we will never reach peace through endless exploitation of people and nature
1 month ago | 4
I think my favourite part of any super weapon is when the author puts a lot of focus on how using one effects the character who uses it. Deploying something on that scale is a massive decision and well written stories deal with the consequences, not just to the world, but to the person who pressed the button. How do they deal with ending so many lives? What do their friends and loved ones think of them for doing it? Does the world herald them as a hero or as a monster? These questions are absolutely fascinating and I love seeing them explored. I'd love to give some examples, but all of them would be spoilers lol.
1 month ago | 4
As soon as I saw the words "super weapons," the first thing that came to my mind was the Death Star from Star Wars.
1 month ago | 13
I feel like mass destruction (such as nuclear weapons in our world) is a highly underrated topic in a fantasy or magical setting. Yeah, the idea has been done before—but a story that captures the same feeling as 1960s nuclear anxiety or the Death Star in Star Wars: Episode IV would be such a cool thing to explore and create.
1 month ago | 3
The Faro Plague from Horizon Zero Dawn is quite frightening, especially in the hologram flashbacks
1 month ago | 4
The premise of a person being/becoming a superweapon and slowly losing all sense of self to that power, ie in the Poppy War books
1 month ago | 3
I like the fact that you call out Void for always speaking cryptically. Like whenever I read Void's dialogue, I always say "Sir? Sir! Enough with Shakespeare-talk, please speak normally." 😅 the cosmic-R scene... I think the fandom is in agreement that it wasn't the best execution, but we all see the vision. your criticism about it is valid
1 month ago (edited) | 10
It's been many years since I watched the show, but what my brain conjured up from its deepest recesses when prompted for a super weapon was Zoids. From what I remember, Zoids was an anime taking place in a desert planet with huge mechanical robots in the shape of animals, including dinosaurs. And I remember there were at least two instances of super weapons, in the shape of ultra powerful Zoids that could destroy anyone who came into their path. What made these memorable for me I think is that while nearly unstoppable in the story, they aren't omnipotent either. Their existence puts everyone on the defense, and they are an existential threat, but there is only 1. And that singular weapon has constraints to their function. Those constraints made the story much more interesting, because it pushed people to try and position themselves away from firing range, for example. Or they were aware that the weapon's pilot was having personal issues, weakening the weapon. They analyzed the weapon, found a key target in its build that neutralized its main canon and mounted an entire operation to take that single piece out. Only for the pilot to adapt. And so they had to adapt again. It is still a super weapon. Any misstep and everyone would easily get wiped out. But the people struggling and surviving through its limitations made for a more compelling story than if it were a weapon that could be deployed anywhere whenever it was needed.
1 month ago | 0
Hello Future Me
SUPERWEAPONS! Mass destruction. Mass control. Ancient magic. Revolutionary technology. Which are YOUR favourites and why? What do they do to your worldbuilding? Tell me down below + come join the HFM discord where we're talking all about this! discord.gg/vvMBpZa6Xh Most unique ones might make it into a video.
Stay nerdy!
Tim
1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 852