Reactive damage elements integrate kinetic penetration and chemical energy release mechanisms. In order to investigate the current status and development trends of energy release characteristics of reactive damage elements under explosive loading and impact, and to comprehensively analyze research progress in reaction mechanisms, penetration-reaction coupled damage models, numerical simulation methods and dynamic loading experiments, this study elaborates on the two-stage reaction mechanisms of shock-induced and shock-assisted reactions, the thermo-mechanical-chemical coupling theory and the regulation of reaction thresholds, summarizes penetration depth and crater expansion models, after-effect overpressure and ignition/detonation models, as well as fragment cloud distribution and damage radius models. Additionally, this study outlines equations of state for reactive materials, SPH-ALE multi-physics coupling algorithms, multi-scale modeling methods, multi-physics synchronous diagnostic techniques, and the damage effect evaluation system for typical targets. On this basis, future research directions are discussed: establishing precise control methods for reactivity based on cross-scale coupling models; constructing universal damage assessment models applicable to extreme environments; and developing rapid field testing methods based on characteristic spectra and electromagnetic pulse.