Why do the good guys in movies and TV shows always carry a Zippo type lighter even though they don't smoke?

A fire starter is like a sharp and sturdy  knife.  No real man should ever be without

They need it for those slow motion throws into pools of gasoline when they feel like killing off bad guys in an edgy sort of fashion.

... because fire is AWESOME!

Because when they go ah Sparking ,they want to see the light of their life......   Lol

Because Zippo goes with every style and class.  If you don't have a Zippo handy, what good are ya?

It's the cool factor.

They need to have one to carry in their shirt pocket because when they get shot it'll always stop the bullet.  Umm yeah, those lighters are amazing! They can absorb most of the force from the bullet!

I had a friend who had a lighter but nothing to smoke. Back in the 70s, he became irritated by a new local ordinance that prohibited the age old procedure of burning the autumn leaves that were raked to the curb inside residential areas of the city. The city bought a big truck that came around and sucked up all the leaves left by the curb. The problem my friend had with this was the lack of 'burning leaves' scent in the autumn air. He was not alone. Many others continued to burn the leaves by the curbside.