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[[File:parkour.jpg|frame|[[Superman|Able to leap between buildings in a single bound!]]]]
Parkour (and its similar offshoot free-running) is a physical discipline originating in [[France]], more specifically, a suburb of Paris called Évry (although it's worth noting that the inventor's father/teacher was born in [[The French Colonial Empire|a French-controlled Vietnam]]). It can be summed up as "[[X Meets Y|acrobatics meets assault courses]]"
Parkour is based on general principles of survival: Should one ever need to get from Point A to Point B as fast as possible, the shortest distance is always a straight line. The goal, therefore, is to get past, over, under, or through various obstacles without wasting any time. And it just happened that Évry's central agora is an incredible mishmash of stairs, decks, catwalks and roofs at different
▲Parkour (and its similar offshoot free-running) is a physical discipline originating in [[France]], more specifically, a suburb of Paris called Évry (although it's worth noting that the inventor's father/teacher was born in [[The French Colonial Empire|a French-controlled Vietnam]]). It can be summed up as "[[X Meets Y|acrobatics meets assault courses]]" -- whereas free-running is a far more demonstrative discipline best described as a form of skateboarding which is practiced ''[[Rule of Cool|without a board]]''.
Parkour practitioners (called by gender-specific nouns, following the original French; a
▲Parkour is based on general principles of survival: Should one ever need to get from Point A to Point B as fast as possible, the shortest distance is always a straight line. The goal, therefore, is to get past, over, under, or through various obstacles without wasting any time. And it just happened that Évry's central agora is an incredible mishmash of stairs, decks, catwalks and roofs at different heights -- and thus, the best way to go in a straight line from A to B in Évry was jumping and running through obstacles.
▲Parkour practitioners (called by gender-specific nouns, following the original French; a male Parkour runner is a ''traceur'', a female is a ''traceuse''; referring to multiple practitioners uses ''traceurs'') run their environment like an obstacle course: vaulting obstructions, leaping gaps, running up walls, [[Wall Jump|Wall Jumps]], and otherwise taking wild shortcuts. Although commonly associated with cities, Parkour can be used to negotiate any type of environment. Traceurs will tell you their discipline becomes a mindset over time. They learn to unconsciously scan their surroundings for routes and movements. Think [[The Tetris Effect]] after playing ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' or ''[[Mirror's Edge]]''. Plus, it not only [[Rule of Cool|looks damn cool]], but is [[Awesome Yet Practical]], and may prove to become a more widely practiced discipline similar to martial arts.
The obvious example of Parkour usage is moving from point A to B, but the core idea is simply to make yourself more practically agile and more able to overcome physical obstacles. A mundane example is accidentally throwing something (e.g. a football) on a rooftop and needing to recover it. A practitioner of Parkour would be able to get onto the roof, get the object and get down safely.
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Parkour has begun to appear more frequently in TV shows, owing to its growing popularity. Its moves are commonly employed by martial artists, notably [[Ninja]] and practitioners of [[She Fu]]. With special effects and wirework, it becomes an even more impressive feat than it already is. That could be considered proof positive that movie producers are dedicated to [[Completely Missing the Point]], because Parkour is [[Rule of Cool|cool]] because it is ''[[Real Life|real]]''.
A realistic version of [[Roof Hopping]]
{{examples}}
== Advertising ==
* One of the first things to introduce Parkour to a mainstream British audience was a stunning [[BBC]] 1 ad featuring David Belle [[Roof Hopping]] home to watch his favourite show.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDe7bXqsF04 Austrian Army TV-Ad.]
* There was an old Nike commercial that aired around 2000-01 or thereabouts where a traceur blasted across rooftops to avoid... [[
* A commercial for AT&T High Speed Internet shows a man learning Parkour via online videos.
== Anime & Manga ==
* The characters Izaya Orihara and Shizuo Heiwajima from ''[[Durarara!!]]'' practice Parkour, or something very much akin to it. The former learnt it to avoid Shizuo's many attempts to kill him very much dead, and the latter in order to catch the former and kill him very much dead.
* A much less flippy- and martial-artsy-version occurs in ''[[Eyeshield 21]]''. Sena, and a few other running backs, have the ability to foresee the quickest and safest abilities to get to the goal. Thus, it involves [[Mobstacle Course|running in between people, cutting back, slowing your speed, etc]]. One of Sena's contemporaries, Patrick "Panther" Spencer, is fond of running across rooftops as his morning exercise.
* In the ''[[Gundam 00: Awakening of the Trailblazer|Gundam 00]]'' movie, Hallelujah uses Parkour to defeat alien-possessed vehicles. He knew he was screwed when the helicopter came after him, though.
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* Technically speaking, [[Spider-Man]] takes it [[Up to Eleven]]. Because when you can jump four stories, swing on webs, and stick to walls, the fastest route from A to B can change significantly. Doesn't change that parkour is essentially one of Spidey's powers.
** So would that be [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Le Peter Parkour]]?
** There is a famous Spidey story where he is forced to track a villain to Suburbia and basically relies on free-running to get around because web-slinging doesn't work well on one-story houses.
** The Spidey villain Screwball has no powers, but her skill in Parkour.
* Spidey's pal [[Daredevil]] tends to do this kind of thing more, though.
* Being [[Badass Normal
** And now Batman has selected Bilal Asselah, a French free-runner, to take up the mantle of "Nightrunner" as part of the Batman Incorporated program.
* [[Captain America (comics)]] villain Batroc does this, combined with the French martial art Savate, as his shtick (he's called Batroc the Leaper for a reason). This is played up in the one-shot issue "Captain America and Batroc", where he comes to identify as a traceur after befriending a group of young practitioners.
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* Parkour seems to be the main mode of locomotion for the stray boys Black and White in ''[[Tekkon Kinkreet]]''.
* ''[[Batman: Under the Red Hood]]'' has some of this while Batman and Nightwing are chasing Red Hood.
* Shows up, weirdly enough, in the ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]'' movies (particularly 3), with Woody, Buzz and Jessie pulling off borderline ninja moves.
* In the DVD commentary for Shane Acker's ''[[9|Nine]]''
* The [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]] always had a bit of Parkour in them, but TMNT, the CGI movie, has them doing full on parkour runs of the city. Even more impressive is that each turtle has his own preference and style of moving.
* In [[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney film)|Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame]], Quasimodo pulls off a lot of neat parkour-style moves on the rooftops of the cathedral.
== Films -- Live-Action ==
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* [[Buster Keaton]] was the master before Parkour [[Unbuilt Trope|was built]]. Climbing around buildings and jumping from ledge to ledge with no safety restraint was a big part of his [[Silent Films]] in the twenties. [[Ninja]] building climbing stunts in early martial-arts films are also [[Unbuilt Trope]] examples.
* Buster Keaton could be considered a comedic successor to Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., the first Hollywood actor to portray Robin Hood and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaBud6ii5Wk Zorro]. (Keaton even played a role originated by Fairbanks when the latter's 1915 film, ''The Lamb,'' was remade as Keaton's first feature, ''The Saphead,'' in 1920.)
* There are a number of movies where [[Will Smith]] plays the main character, that have him showing off his Parkour
* ''[[Live Free or Die Hard]]'' has Gabriel's [[Blond Guys Are Evil|henchblond]], played by Cyril Raffaelli, employ Parkour and [[Dance Battler|bouncy dexterity]] throughout the movie. Rafaelli was also in ''Banlieue 13'', in which he co-starred opposite a co-founder of the discipline.
* All the mall thieves of ''[[Paul Blart: Mall Cop]]'' can do some Parkour tricks along with using bikes and skateboards to get around.
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* The 2010 movie ''[[Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time|Prince of Persia the Sands of Time]]'' has Dastan doing Parkour, of course.
* Featured in ''[[The Tournament]]'' focusing on a group of assassins, competing in an underground fighting tournament put together by [[The Omniscient Council of Vagueness]]. One of the characters, "The Frenchman" used Parkour to good effect.
* Seen in ''[[Exit Through the Gift Shop]]'', when an apparent graffiti artist in France escapes from two policemen by quickly scampering to the roof of a building.
* In ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon]]'', Sam Witwicky does some Parkour moves as he's running through a debris-and-wreck-laden street near the climax of the movie.
* During ''[[Tron: Legacy]]'', Sam briefly does a few vaults over police cars near the start of the film. Attention isn't called to it, and it could easily be missed by someone who doesn't know what to look for. Parkour featured much more heavily in ''[[Tron Evolution]]'', and may appear in ''Tron Uprising''.
* In ''[[Colombiana]]'', Cataleya (even as a little girl!) and a random mook use this.
* In ''[[Resident Evil (film)|Resident Evil]]'' and its sequels, Alice uses this at times.
** In ''[[Resident Evil: Afterlife]]'', Claire runs up a wall (in a wet bathroom!) to evade the Executioner.
* Spoofed in ''[[Johnny English Reborn]]'' when English is chasing an assassin with these skills; English runs him down by doing mundane things like squeezing between air-conditioner units instead of running over them, using a crane instead of jumping between buildings, and taking the elevator instead of climbing down the scaffolding.
* In the early parts of ''[[Kingsman: The Secret Service]]'', Eggsy makes use of parkour to escape a gang who want to beat him up.
== Live-Action TV ==
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* An episode of ABC's ''[[The Forgotten]]'' focuses on this.
* An episode of ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'' opens with police chasing an unnamed fellow who navigates the alleyways using this technique. One of the cops pursuing him discovers Parkour isn't as easy as the suspect on the run makes it look.
* In an episode of ''[[Covert Affairs]]'', Ben Mercer and Jai engage in a short chase through a shipyard that has them both employing some parkour type moves including Ben doing recognizable vaults.
* ''[[Ninja Warrior]]'': [[Promoted Fanboy]] Levi Meeuwenberg is a professional free-runner, whose skills have made him one of the most successful non-Japanese participants in the history of the program.
* ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' uses elements of this in Bran Stark's climbing {{spoiler|in the pilot epiosde, anyway}}.
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* The music video for [[Madonna]]'s "Jump" features two men performing this, but the Parkour is arguably overshadowed by Madonna's sort-of-creepy cosplaying of Mello from ''[[Death Note]]''.
* Three Doors Down's "It's Not My Time" video features this, and quite prominently at that.
* [[
== Tabletop Games ==
* ''[[New World of Darkness]]'' has Parkour as a five-dot general "Athletic Style" Merit, not unlike the Fighting Style Merits, with each dot centering around a new technique or degree of mastery. ''[[Werewolf: The Forsaken]]'' likewise has the [[Prestige Class|Lodge]] of
* ''[[Mutants and Masterminds]]'' has a power called "Sure Footed" which reduces speed penalties from obstacles and other uneven terrain. Take enough ranks in it, and any gauntlet of traps, tripping hazards, handrails, obstacles, buildings, etc. etc., is as easily run through as a wide open field. Sound familiar?
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** The official strategy guide's portions on free-running and climbing are clear on the importance of efficiency, suggesting that one [[The Tetris Effect|adopt the ''traceur'' mindset]] to the game world, "appraise your immediate environment quickly, identifying all potential points of interactivity," and that "the real challenge lies in picking the most efficient route to your destination."
* The whole point of ''[[Mirror's Edge]]'' is Parkour. The plot and other game elements are built entirely around it. It's also done completely in first-person. It even has the crane scene from ''[[Casino Royale]]''.
* Quite a lot of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' characters can do this, especially [[Super Speed|Sonic]] himself. [[Wall Jump
* The ''[[Spider-Man (Comic Book)|Spider-Man]] 2'' video game gives Spidey and the player plenty of moves to run around the city with. Aside from the obvious web-swinging and [[Wall Crawl
* Speaking of [[Marvel Universe]] games, the ''[[Incredible Hulk]]'' can also pull the same wall-running/climbing, sprinting and jump-charging tricks in ''[[The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction]]'' to largely the same effects. He performs air dashes instead of web-swinging, though. And his variation of Le Parkour is more or less going through everything in his way.
* You can gain ''Free Running'' as a skill in the browser-based [[Zombie Apocalypse|zombie]] [[Survival Horror|survival]] game ''[[Urban Dead]]''. It lets you enter normally inaccessible buildings, and move from building to building without having to go outside.
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* ''[[N]]'' is nothing but this, since you play as a [[Ninja]] whose only power is wall-jumping.
* [[In the Hood|The Hunter]] from ''[[Left 4 Dead]]'' not only moves in this style and can even be made to do Parkour moves by the more skilled Versus player, but was given the duct tape on its arms and legs not just because [[Rule of Cool|it looked cool]], but also because it was apparently [http://accelagirl.deviantart.com/art/Left-4-Dead-Hunter-Part-2-107838271 based on Parkour style.] (It's to eliminate the air pockets that would naturally occur in the jacket, making the person more aerodynamic, and prevents the jacket from getting caught on things.)
** All of the Common Infected seem to have somehow gained the ability to climb walls and fences that would be difficult for even
* This is the main mode of travel for ''[[Sly Cooper]]''.
* Some of the swinging/roof-jumping sequences in the 3D ''[[Bionic Commando]]'' sequel have this feel.
* ''[[Brink]]'' is a first person shooter with what's called SMART; "Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain". It has a dedicated "Parkour" button, as well as more precise manual controls. Look up at a ledge, hit the SMART button, and you jump and climb onto it automatically. Look down and press the same button, and you slide. Approach a railing and hit the button, and you climb over it.
* ''The Hidden'', a mod for ''[[Half-Life 2]]'', has the IRIS paramilitary team hunting an invisible, super-strong genetically modified human, Subject 617. 617 has the ability to pounce long distances as well as cling to surfaces, allowing him to easily bypass almost any obstacle and climb surfaces as long as his strength holds out.
* A meta example is the art of [[Speed Run
* Speaking of ''[[Metroid]]'', Samus herself can be can be considered a free-runner based upon he constant flipping. She also wall jumps, and does one-handed cat-leaps to get to where she needs to be. The physics of ''Super Metroid'' make it possible to do some actual Parkour stuff with what you have, especially with Mock-Balling which lets you get places really fast, especially really small places.
* ''[[Beyond Good & Evil (video game)|Beyond Good and Evil]]'': Jade uses this frequently, but its most apparent in two instances when escaping from Alpha bases.
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* Wren of ''[[White Noise]]'' uses a Parkour Tic-Tac to leap from one wall to the top of another, amongst other Parkour movements.
* Robot S13 of ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'' does this in his temporary body in Ch 25. The author's comments [[Lampshade]] S13's outfit's resemblance to the Hunter from ''[[Left 4 Dead]]'' (see Videogames, above), though this was [http://twitter.com/gunnerkrigg/status/5362290445 unintentional].
* ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'' features a martial art called "Parkata Urbatsu", which is described as a descendant of Parkour, free-running, and "Youtubing". It appears in "Mallcop Command". However, since it's on a space station, you have to take into account the fact that the station is rotating whenever you jump. Inevitably, to catch their targets {{spoiler|(who turn out to be pro Parkata Urbatsu enthusiasts illegally filming their stunts)}}, the mercenaries have to master it via a crash course by Commander Shodan. With emphasis on the ''crash'' part.
* [
* ''[[Last Res0rt]]'': "[http://www.lastres0rt.com/2010/06/if-real-zombies-ever-learn-parkour-were-doomed/ If real zombies ever learn Parkour, we're doomed.]"
** Technically that's a vampire, not a zombie.
* In ''[[Rusty and Co.|Rusty and Co]]'', Gelatinous Cube knows Parkour. [http://rustyandco.com/comic/level-5-3/ No, really.]
* In ''[[Snow By Night]]'', Blaise [https://web.archive.org/web/20130308115311/http://www.snowbynight.com/pages/ch1/pg19.html does this] to evade three disgruntled rooks. His pursuers are rather taken aback.
* In [[The Zombie Hunters]], at least one "hunter" zombie is depicted in this way. The author described them as "urban ninjas" but without human inhibitions, like pain, tiredness, or fear of death.
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** Zuko's used it a couple of times, notably in "The Firebending Masters" when he ran along a wall to avoid a spike pit.
** Also, in one episode during the Ba Sing Se arc, the [[Fan Nickname|Gaang]] make a straight run toward the Earth King's Palace, using [[Elemental Powers|bending]] to clear some obstacles, namely the [[Mooks|palace guards]].
* [[Sequel Series]] ''[[The Legend of Korra]]'' takes place in a "[[Steampunk]] metropolis" and uses a lot of parkour-style fighting and chase scenes. This helps represent the way the Avatar world's societies have begun moving away from more traditional, form-based bending styles as society industrializes. And as with the martial arts in both ''Korra'' and
** However, the more traditional martial-arts based forms of bending are still practiced, especially by [[The Mentor|Tenzin]], the last real
* ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man]]'' has ''finally'' added this to Spider-Man's repertoire, making his [[Roof Hopping]] and [[Wall Crawl
** Meaning Parker can now [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Parkour]]?
* Heavily parodied in the Bounty Hunter episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]''. Flanders chases Homer across Springfield, leaping over obstacles. Homer gets into an elevator and bounces off the walls as he waits to arrive at the top. Then the two steal horses, which proceed to practice Parkour themselves, jumping off cars and springing off walls.
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* Done in an episode of ''[[American Dad]]!'' where Stan and Francine start hanging out with a younger, more active couple and pretend to be young themselves to maintain the friendship. There's a pretty neat scene where they go free-running; Francine does quite well for a first timer, while Stan (despite his CIA training) messes up, gets his head caught in a banister, and ends up landing so hard on his leg that it makes his shin bone protrude through his skin. [[Squick|Ouch]].
** [[Played for Laughs]] later in the episode when Stan and Francine's attempt to make their friends slow down [[Gone Horribly Wrong|goes horribly wrong]]. After a fight, the wife throws her ring into the husband's face and free-runs away, screaming angrily.
== Real Life ==
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[[Category:Action Adventure Tropes]]
[[Category:Travel Cool]]
[[Category:Le Parkour]]▼
[[Category:Walking Tropes]]
▲[[Category:Le Parkour]]
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