List of references (Pyro)

Due to the comedic style of Team Fortress 2 and Valve's humor, the game includes references, usually in a humorous fashion. There are many different types, from games to movies, even jokes that have developed within the game and its community have been included. Below are references specific to the Pyro class.

Books and Comics

Frankenstein

“

Either way, he's a fearsome, inscrutable on-fire Frankenstein of a man. If he even is a man. — The Pyro's Bio

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The Pyro is likened to Frankenstein's Monster, the famous creature from Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein. Their similarities include an enigmatic nature and a truly monstrous sense of purpose. The sentence also refers to the speculations in the TF2 community towards the Pyro's gender. It also seems to question the Pyro's humanity.

Games

Hot Potato

Achievement: Hot Potato

Hot potato is a game that involves players quickly gathering in a circle and tossing a small object such as a beanbag or tennis ball to each other while music plays. The player who has the "hot potato" last when the music stops is out. Play continues until only one player is left. The game is designed to be fast-paced and high-pressure and is often played by children. The game can also be played without music where there is a designed leader who shouts out "hot!" and the player holding the object is eliminated.

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Dance Dance Revolution

Achievement: Dance Dance Immolation

Dance Dance Revolution, also known as Dancing Stage and abbreviated DDR and DS, is a long-standing music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the pioneering series of the rhythm and dance genre in video games.

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I Spy

Achievement: I Fry

I spy is a guessing game usually played in families with young children, partly to assist in both observation and in alphabet familiarity. I Spy is often played as a car game.

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Street Fighter

The Pyro's Hadouken attack is a direct reference to Ryu's signature attack from the Street Fighter series of games. The Hadouken (波動拳, hadōken, "surge fist") itself is a Japanese neologism, and literally means "wave motion fist". The practitioner thrusts his or her palms forward, sending a surge of spirit energy (or ki) flying towards the opponent. The Pyro can be heard announcing the attack in his own muffled way as he performs it, just as characters in Street Fighter.

By the source material's standards, the Pyro's variation on the attack would technically be a Shakunetsu Hadouken (灼熱波動拳, shakunetsu hadōken, "Scorching Surge Fist") – A Hadouken which is imbued with the power of fire, as indicated by its fiery effect and red/orange color.

Sayings and Phrases

"Baptism by Fire"

Achievement: Baptism by Fire

The phrase baptism by fire or baptism of fire, known in English since 1822, is a translation of the French phrase baptême du feu and is a reference to a Soldier's first experience under fire in battle. It originates from the ecclesiastical Greek baptisma Pyros, in which "fire" is used to mean "the grace of the Holy Spirit as imparted through baptism". Later it was used of martyrdom, especially by fire (e.g. Joan of Arc). Today, it has entered the common vernacular to describe anyone doing something "the hard way" for the first time, particularly if training is necessarily insufficient to fully prepare one for the experience (as is the case with battle).

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"Fire and Forget"

Achievement: Fire and Forget

Fire-and-forget is a third-generation method of missile guidance. The military use the term for a type of missile which does not require further guidance after launch such as illumination of the target, and can hit its target without the launcher being in line of sight of the target.

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"Hot on Your Heels"

Achievement: Hot on Your Heels

A term originating in hunting lexicon, to be "hot on the heels" means to be close to a target or quarry one is in pursuit of. "On the heels" is somewhat self-explanatory, referring to the feet of the target/quarry itself. The "hot" part of the phrase is more ambiguous, but it likely refers to the increase in body temperature mammals go under when excited. Thus, hunting dogs would become "hot" when they picked up the scent of quarry. Over time, the term "hot" became synonymous with being close to something.

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"OMGWTFBBQ"

Achievement: OMGWTFBBQ

An internet term used to convey strong exclamation, such as when killed unexpectedly in Team Fortress 2 by a taunt. OMGWTF stands for "Oh my God, what the fuck?" while the "BBQ" on the end is a shot at the seemingly random three letter combinations that can make up internet exclamations, but could also reference the fact that the player has been burnt to death, as in a barbeque.

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"QQ"

Achievement: BarbeQueQ

QQ is a common emoticon for crying eyes, usually used to insult someone who is complaining about dying or losing.

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"Dead Heat"

Achievement: Dead Heat

A term used for describing a tie in horse or car racing.

TV and Film

Star Wars

The Pyro's raising of his weapon and triumphant cackle during his Flamethrower Taunt appears to be a reference to the Tusken raiders of Star Wars with whom the Pyro shares a few physical similarities.

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Wallace and Gromit

The Respectless Rubber Glove gives the Pyro a striking resemblance to 'Feathers McGraw', a criminal mastermind and character from the Wallace and Gromit claymation series. Feathers also used a rubber glove to pretend to be a chicken, albeit briefly.

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Futurama

The Triboniophorus Tyrannus bears a resemblance in appearance and function to the brain slugs from Futurama, and is commonly referred to by the community as a brain slug.

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South Park

The Pyro has very similar traits to the character of Kenny McCormick, from the animated television series South Park. They are both very hard to understand due to their mumbling speech (caused by Pyro's fire suit and Kenny's tightly tied anorak).

See Also

• List of references