Nuclear bomb power - myth?

The so-called TNT equivalent of a nuclear weapon is an unambiguous way of quantifying how much energy is released by the nuclear weapon. There's nothing 'wrong' about it.

The only caveat is that the damage caused by, say, Little Boy versus 15 kilotons of TNT would not be identical despite having an equivalent yield (for various practical reasons).

Generally, 10-20% of nuclear yield is emitted in the form of ionizing or residual radiation, unlike conventional weapons. Related: effects of nuclear explosions.