Grenade

The Grenade is a supplementary weapon carried by Jason, Roddy, and Alex, used when the firepower of the standard Gun just isn't enough. The Grenade's effect is different from adventure to adventure, but it's always some sort of explosive effect. There is usually an infinite supply of Grenades, but they typically cannot be used unless the wielder is in a dungeon.

Appearances

Blaster Master

Jason's grenades are very short range, nearly exploding at his feet, though the throw distance can be slightly increased by moving in the direction of the throw. The grenades have a small blast radius and inflicts major damage; most enemies are destroyed by one blast, the tougher ones may take two. They're generally more effective than the Gun against bosses (though a fully powered Gun offers the good advantage of long range, and is almost as strong). Grenades are a rapid fire weapon.

There's a well-known trick to using grenades against bosses. Against any boss in an odd-numbered Area (1, 3, etc), pausing while a grenade explodes doesn't stop the damage being dealt (or the sound effect), and this will quickly destroy the boss (the sound of the explosion changes very slightly when the boss has been dealt lethal damage).

Blaster Master: Enemy Below

Jason's grenades have changed fundamentally. Here, he can only throw one at a time; the explosion from the first grenade must completely disappear before he can throw the next. They're still powerful, but the reduced rate of fire also reduces their effectiveness.

Launcher

Obtaining the Launcher at the end of a side-scrolling block maze in Area 3 causes the grenades to fly much farther.

Blaster Master: Blasting Again

Known as Napalms, they create three blue fiery geysers that erupt around Roddy when used. They're not so much grenades as a defensive measure. Unlike earlier grenade-type weapons, Roddy retains access to his Napalms (along with the rest of his arsenal) outside of Gates.

Blaster Master: Overdrive

Alex is equipped with a grenade launcher at the outset which is only usable in Chambers. The grenades don't launch very far and can't be fired very frequently, but they deal substantial damage on impact. Using the arc of the grenade is the only way to bypass some enemy defenses. As with Alex's other two weapons, Gun and Homing Missile, the grenade launcher has five levels of power, and each level slightly increases the blast range.

Blaster Master Zero

“	Throw a bomb in the direction you're facing”
	— Weapon Select Screen Description • Blaster Master Zero

The Grenade Bomb returns as Jason's default sub-weapon in top-down mode, inheriting Blaster Master: Enemy Below's limitation on throw rate (its explosion has a 0.5-second lifetime, capping throw rate at 2 per second). This is also Jason's first game to impose a limit on Grenades held (10) each dealing 30 damage (6x Blaster damage) and destroying cracked walls, with Ammo Capsules also debuting as a means to refill them. Despite the ammo limitation, Grenade Bombs continue to be effective against bosses as most of them take double damage from this sub-weapon.

Shovel Knight's Fishing Rod will sometimes pull Grenade Bombs out of pits. Grenades generated in this manner will bounce once before exploding, rather than exploding immediately on impact.

Blaster Master Zero 2

“	Press the SUB-WEAPON button to throw a grenade in the direction you're facing.”
	— Weapon Select Screen Description • Blaster Master Zero 2

Jason once again starts with access to the Grenade Bomb by default, maintaining a carry capacity of 10 bombs at once. In addition to dealing high damage, the explosions of Grenade Bombs are able to send urchin-type mutants flying away from the blast. As in the previous game, this sub-weapon is the quickest way to take down cracked walls.

Blaster Master Zero 3

“	Launches an energy blast forward that explodes on contact.”
	— Weapon Select Screen Description • Blaster Master Zero 3

Grenade functionality is inherited by the Blast Launcher, which serves as the default subweapon and has identical characteristics to its forebears.

WARNING The Hostility Of CLASSIFIED INFORMATION This article contains spoilers for the endgame of Blaster Master Zero 3.

While exploring Area ???, Kane Gardner has the Grenade Bomb at his disposal as his sole subweapon, with infinite ammunition as a callback to the Blaster Master/MetaFight Grenades but otherwise identical functionality.

Related Quotes

“	GRENADE BOMB: An easy-to-use sub-weapon that explodes on impact. You may even be able to destroy walls that are cracked or damaged.”
	— Eve • Blaster Master Zero

“	The "GRENADE BOMB" is an easy-to-use sub-weapon that explodes on impact. It's also capable of destroying cracked walls.”
	— Eve • Blaster Master Zero 2

Blaster Master: Overdrive
Areas	Ruins · Caverns · Subterranean Lake · Sky Tower · Lava Flow · Ice Caves · Badlands · Ruinous Depths
Upgrades	Anchor Kit · Hover Kit · Drill Kit · Dive Kit · Wall Kit · Super Tire Kit · Anchor Kit 2
Weapons	Gun · Grenade · Homing Missile · Blast Bomb
Bosses