Building Swing: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

Often, the swinging violates laws of physics that are [[Bellisario's Maxim|better left alone]]. It's hard to do realistically in live action and is not often used there. (The '70s [[Japanese Spider-Man|Japanese live-action version]] of ''[[Spider-Man]]'' made very limited use of web-swinging, relying more on a flying car and a [[Humongous Mecha|giant robot]]/spaceship.) For a similar conveyance technique used more often in [[Anime]], see [[Roof Hopping]]. Compare [[Fast Roping]]

 

{{examples}}

 

 

* Simon and Yoko in ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'' do this ''by sticking the Gurren Lagann's drills on enemy aircraft!''

* Teana of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS|Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Striker S]]'', lacking the [[Flight|ability]], [[Not Quite Flight|or an alternate way]], to fly, has to resort to this using the [[Grappling Hook Pistol|Anchor Shot]] function of [[Empathic Weapon|Cross Mirage]].

* In ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'', this is just one of the many tricks Makie can do with her gymnastics ribbon.

* The Tachikomas in ''[[Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex]]'' have artificial spider silk shooters that let them do this.

* Several of the mercenaries in ''[[Desert Punk (manga)|Desert Punk]]'' have sort of pulley/grappling hook back packs that allow them to do this.

* In ''[[Tiger and Bunny]]'', Kotetsu/Wild Tiger has a [[Grappling Hook Pistol]] in his [[Powered Armor]] (as well as in his civilian wear's wrist watch) that he sometimes uses in this fashion.

* In ''[[Ranma ½]]'', Kodachi [[Instant Knots|snags]] female Ranma by the neck with her gymnastics ribbon and pulls her up to the top of the gymnasium (a height of at least three stories) so that she'd fall into the wreck of the combat arena. Ranma quickly tosses the end of the ribbon towards the lighting at the top of the building and manages to swing to safety, without injury.

 

== Comics ==

**** Certain comics and other adaptations (such as the ''[[Marvels]]'' mini-series and the upcoming Spider-Man reboot film show the bulge of the web-shooters under his costume.

** In the [[Spider-Man (film)|Spider-man Films]], this becomes more organic, as he is given organs to produce said web. Becomes a problem when he carries too much emotional baggage in the second, though.

* When not in the Batmobile, the [[Batman: The Animated Series|animated Batman]] often uses a high-tech grappling gun to swing dramatically across Gotham City. Maybe just when the traffic's bad. In the live action ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'', clumsily-produced Batarang and rope sequences were used from time to time, along with the lame sideways-wall bit. Batman first used his grappling gun in the 1989 Tim Burton movie, though in this case he tended to use them just to go straight up, or horizontally on a zipline rather than swinging like Spider-Man.

* Batman's cohorts Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, Huntress, etc., travel in the same way.

== Film ==

 

* Both [[Indiana Jones]] and [[Zorro]] are known to swing from their [[Whip It Good|bullwhips]], though, of course, over much shorter distances than most of the examples here.

{{quote|Indy: "[[Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull|Damn! I thought that was closer]]!"}}

* The 2008 ''[[Get Smart (film)|Get Smart]]'' film subverts this at one point with an attempted swing into a window in the next building. [[Catch Phrase|Missed it by THAT much!]]

* Done realistically at the end of ''[[Darkman]]'', in which Westlake stands on top of a hook at the end of a construction-site cable, rather than simply clinging to the line with his hands.

== Live-Action Television ==

 

 

== Video Games ==

 

* The Rocket in ''[[Legion of Nothing]]'' says he has a pair of grappling-hooks 'just in case I have to do the Spiderman thing'.

* Widow and Arachne, two spider-themed superheroes from the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]'', prefer this method of travel.

 

* Blackarachnia of ''[[Transformers Animated]]'' can use her webbing (or borrowed grappling hooks, if she's been around Optimus) to swing around Detroit's higher buildings.

* ''[[Kim Possible]]'' seldom uses it for travel, but one of her trademark gadgets is a [[Shoe Phone|bright red grappling gun that looks like a hair dryer]]. The depiction here is slightly more realistic, as it's almost big enough to hold the length of cord it spools out, not more than about fifty feet.

* ''[[George of the Jungle]]'''s titular hero was always hitting stuff while swinging through the jungle.

* An episode of ''[[Ned's Newt]]'' had Newton save Ned from a bunch of island natives who were about to throw him into a volcano by swinging across on a vine and grabbing him. One of the natives [[Lampshade Hanging|immediately asks what the vine can possibly be hanging off of, since they are atop a volcano]].

[[Category:Building Tropes]]

[[Category:Superhero Tropes]]