I Have the High Ground: Difference between revisions

'''Anakin Skywalker:''' ''"You underestimate my power!"''

'''Obi-Wan:''' ''"Don't try it!"''

 

Supernatural, magical, or just plain awesome beings know there's no better place to be effortlessly stood on than tall and usually thin objects, be they pine trees, lampposts or the nearest available tall building. This is flying for people who cannot fly. Or even the ones who can.

 

When [[Translation Train Wreck|the geography that you stands compares you superior]], you are playing with [[Geo Effects]].

 

{{examples}}

* Tuxedo Kamen from ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' was a master of this. That was all he ever did. Haruka and Michiru were fond of standing on high pillars as well, and the ''[[Sailor Moon|Sailor Moon S]]'' opening credits put ''all'' the senshi up there.

** The Stars anime actually parodies this: when Uranus and Neptune try the high ground trick by standing on the dinning table in Usagi's house, Aluminium Siren actually remarks on how rude they are for doing so with shoes on, making them blush in embarrassment.

* Cyberdoll Sara leaps up onto a powerpole in ''[[Hand Maid May]]'', to aid her search of the city for May. Kotaro Nanbara, being mortal and far less cool, is forced to scramble up with normal climbing.

* ''[[Kaitou Saint Tail]]'' does it at least [[Once an Episode]], either when she reveals her presence or once she's secured the stolen goods.

* Lelouch is seen in the first OP of ''[[Code Geass]]'' doing this. Given his utter lack of physical skills and his flair for the dramatic, what we didn't see was the 15 minutes he spent using his [[Mind Control Eyes]] on an army of people to get him up there.

* Volfogg from ''[[GaoGaiGar]]'' is a [[Transforming Mecha|transforming]] [[Ninja]] [[Humongous Mecha|giant robot]] who does this. And can become invisible (visually, and to most sensors), too.

* All gímik anime feature this at least once. In ''[[Kiddy Grade]]'' there was Armbrust and his habit of smoking atop skyscrapers; ''[[Uta Kata]]'' has Saya standing on clock towers, in trees, and on magic flying scythes; the closing sequence of ''Gigantic Formula'' features Mana standing on a spire; in ''[[Kiddy Girl-AND]]'' it is Shade spending a week hanging around on a tower spying on dreams.

* Lampshaded in ''[[Seto no Hanayome]]''. Sarutobi is playing the role of a wise old sage, so Nagasumi wonders why he's standing on a telephone pole.

* Happens occasionally in ''[[Busou Renkin]]''. At one point, Papillon and and Moonface have a conversation while standing on electric posts.

* Lunatic from [[Tiger and Bunny]] has a habit of mixing this trope with [[Dramatic Entrance]].

* Meta Knight often stands on top of tall objects in [[Kirby: Right Back at Ya!]]. Fans conjecture that it's because he's short.

* There's a girl in ''[[Yumeria]]'' whose body is sometimes taken over by the spirit of another girl, and in the first episode she's shown watching the male lead from atop a telephone pole. Then the spirit returns control of the body to the original girl — who can't figure out how to '''get down safely'''.

 

* Recent incarnations of ''[[Spider-Man (Comic Book)|Spider-Man]]'' have also got him doing doing this, which isn't too much of a stretch, due to his adhesive abilities and equilibrium. (His more usual trick is to hang from ''beneath'' a lamppost arch or flagpole.)

* Used to the point where it is considered an explicit sign of otherworldly skills or powers in the now-physically published [[Web Comic]] ''[[Megatokyo]]''. Many characters are observed walking on phone lines or on poles. It is even used by Miho (a possible [[Dark Magical Girl]], and definitely one of the comic's most powerful beings) to convince Yuki that she is a [[Magical Girl]] by making her follow her up onto a power line without realizing it. Largo can also do it, but for ''Megatokyo'', being good at games also counts as [[Cyberspace|otherworldly]] skills.

* The [http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i212/Kerrah_photos/BatmanTDKR0_000_Introduction.jpg 10th Anniversary Edition cover] for ''[[Batman]]: [[The Dark Knight Returns]]''.

 

* A "manga-tized" Dee Dee from ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'' performs on top of a fence pole in this [http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l35/avatar_portal/mag/47_48.jpg comic] done by artist Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simons.

* This ''[[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon]]''-based fanart. Specifically, Meowth and Chikorita fighting [[Disc One Final Boss|Primal Dialga.]]

* The ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' fanfic ''Tacky Yellow No-Name'' has {{spoiler|Kunzite}} try to become a good guy, and once it's clear that he can't be a Sailor Scout, he decides to try out for Tuxedo Kamen's role. Thus ensues a battle between the two, where each leaps onto higher and more improbable locations, spouting words of wisdom as they go. It quickly devolves into stuff like "Never run with scissors!" - and ends in pain when {{spoiler|Kunzite impales his foot on a weathervane.}}

 

* The fight along the tops of the bamboo grove in ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]''.

* The ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]'' scene is spoofed in a second ''[[Asterix]]'' movie.

* [[Invoked Trope|Invoked]] but subverted in ''[[Iron Man (film)|Iron Man 2]]'', where Rhodey suggests he and Tony take the high ground for their upcoming fight, but their arguing distracts them long enough for the HAMMER Drones to arrive and take that high ground. They win anyway.

 

 

* In ''[[Dark Angel]]'', Max frequently sits on top of the Seattle Space Needle, especially when she is brooding. Other characters, such as Ben and Logan, occasionally go up there as well.

* ''[[Buffy]]'' first meets Angel by doing a handstand atop a streetlight, and then swinging down to ambush her stalker (slayers have superhuman strength and gymnastic skills).

* The [[Mysterious Watcher]] "[[Fan Nickname|Superhoodie]]" in ''[[Misfits]]'' is fond of surveying things dramatically from rooftops.

* ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]'': Prior to losing the Green Ranger powers the first time, [[Sixth Ranger|Tommy]] was fond of this, appearing atop a skyscraper to play the Dragon Dagger.

 

 

* In the ''[[Sly Cooper]]'' games, one of Sly's many moves is the "Ninja Spire Jump", which allows him to stand atop tall, narrow objects. In ''Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves'', Sly does battle with General Tsao, a crime boss who fancies himself a Chinese warlord, in a [[Boss Battle]] atop a bamboo grove, obviously inspired by ''Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon''.

* The [http://images.wikia.com/kingdomhearts/images/b/b1/Kh2finalmixbox.jpg cover]{{Dead link}} of ''[[Kingdom Hearts]] 2 Final Mix+'' shows all the major characters either sitting or standing on poles (or in the case of Goofy, clinging to one).

* {{spoiler|Raiden's}} entrance in ''[[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots|Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.]]''

 

* ''[[Megatokyo]]'' is quite fond of this. It seems to be unique to [[Magical Girl]]s, but they enjoy showing it off.

* [[Our Angels Are Different|Angels]] in ''[[Misfile]]'' are fond of watching folks from rooftops...when they aren't [[Flight|hovering in mid-air]].

* The ''[[Star Wars]]'' original is mocked in ''[[Darths and Droids]]'', where Obi-Wan's Episode III speech is instead given by Darth Maul at the end of Episode I ''to'' Obi-Wan when he's hanging down the shaft. In ''this case'' Obi-Wan somehow manages to defeat Darth Maul anyway.

 

* In one episode of ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'', Robin also fights atop a bamboo grove against an anthropomorphic monkey while journeying up a mountain to meet a martial arts master. He later perches on top of the bad guy's staff (really his which was stolen), and then leaps off, causing the staff to smack the bad guy in the face.

* In ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', Princess Azula is able to execute this by perching on a pole by the tips of her toes, during a chase sequence situated near a scaffolding. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080424104230/http://iroh.org/screencaps/ep23/ep23-293.png Looks cool, doesn't it?] Aang does the same during his fight scene with Zuko, in the unaired pilot which the sequence was based on. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080424104229/http://dvdscreenshots.avatarspiritmedia.net/007/224.jpg Not so much].

* In one episode of ''[[Danny Phantom]]'', Vlad greets Danny and friends by standing on top of a street light, cape bellowing from the wind in dramatic fashion and everything.

 

* [[wikipedia:Stylites|Stylites]]

* The Huns were known for attacking from uphill areas, so that when the enemy looked up to see them, they would be blinded by the sun. In a similar fashion, pilots are told to initiate a dog fight by charging with the sun behind them. This spread the idea that you should beware of "the Hun in the sun".