Power Floats: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

Just like [[Power Glows]], [[Power Echoes|Echoes]], and [[Power Makes Your Voice Deep|Makes Your Voice Deep]], it also floats.

 

 

Generally, this is seen as [[Badass]] and dangerous (on par with [[Unstoppable Rage]]) because it's far less natural than outright flight. Even though the floating itself is usually harmless, it can really freak enemies out because it implies the floater is capable of much more powerful feats. In short that he is defying physics ''just enough'' to float because it's [[Rule of Cool|cool]], but with more hurt hidden up their sleeves just ''waiting'' to come out.

This is often augmented because [[Power Gives You Wings]]. Of course, this can get devalued really fast [[I Believe I Can Fly|if most everyone in the series has]] [[Flight]].

 

 

** As an added bonus, this often happened not by having characters rise off the ground, but by having a small section of the ground ''blown out from under them'' with their [[Battle Aura]]. They simply couldn't be bothered to fall a measly four inches.

** Although if they ''did'' fall those 4 inches, wouldn't that just make the hole 4 inches deeper?

* Grove from ''[[Vampire Hunter D]] Bloodlust.'' When the others need him to, he uses a super powerful spirit form that glows and floats as he attacks. It's quite deadly.

* In ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]!'', its expected that wizards are to fly using wands or brooms, but at the particularly high levels, anyone may float in the air. (Konoka, Nagi and Fate; Evangeline didn't count, for being a vampire with assumed flight ability). It was even used as a secondary clue that Fate was a high-level opponent ("and, y'know, he's floating").

** Not to mention that pretty much the entire cast list of A's seems to have no problem with standing in thin air. It's like gravity doesn't want to pick a fight with any of them.

* Combatants in ''Bleach'' frequently spend entire fight sequences in the air. They also tend to halt themselves when knocked back by digging their heels into the air, complete with eddies of dust appearing around their ankles.

* Shiki, the [[Big Bad]] of ''[[One Piece]]'''s tenth movie, has this as a power. In addition to being able to float himself, he can make battleships or islands float... [[Colony Drop|or just let them fall.]]

 

* Dr. Manhattan does it in ''[[Watchmen]]''.

* Many powerful mutants in ''The X-Men'' are able to levitate, but usually there is a concrete reason besides sheer badassery. Storm, for example, can control the weather (and therefore could do neat things with the air around her to hold her aloft), and Magneto's costume is (sometimes) made of metal, though it's explained when it's introduced (fun fact: [[Newer Than They Think|Neither Magneto nor Polaris couldn't fly until ChrisClaremont came along.]]) that just as Polaris manipulated Earth's magnetic field to get rid of Krakoa, it can be used on a much smaller scale for single-person levitation.

** However, there are few [[Big Bad]] class X-villains who are not seen to fly, even when the other powers they use don't suggest they should be able to.

* ''[[The Sandman]]'' also mentions that angels never touch the ground, with the exception of the fallen angel Lucifer of course. When Remiel is forced to take over Hell, after much pleading and whimpering, he is also forced to land.

* [[Doctor Strange]] can float unaided and is often found in a [[Levitating Lotus Position]]. His Cloak of Levitation enables him to fly.

 

== Literature ==

* In [[Stephen King]]'s ''[[The Stand]]'', Randall Flagg likes to spend his downtime hovering and [[A God Am I|meditating on his own awesomeness]].

 

== Live-Action TV ==

* Willow of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' during her attempt to take revenge on {{spoiler|Glory}} and later on when [[Implacable Man|she seeks vengeance]] against {{spoiler|Warren}}.

 

* [[Older Than Print]]: Christian folklore holds it that angels constantly float, even when not actually flying, as their feet are never to touch base earth.

 

== Tabletop Games ==

** Going by how the models' brains are ''clearly visible'', neither can the rest of their bodies...

* The Elocater [[Prestige Class]]'s 1st class ability, "scorn earth," causes you to float a foot off the ground at all times. The ability's description implies that you're so powerful, you've just decided to ''ignore the ground entirely.''

** Actually, it lets you float as high as you like, but at more than 1 foot above the nearest flat surface, they lose a lot of speed and stability. Still, nothing is stopping you [[Dungeon Bypass|floating up to the tower's topmost window and gliding through]].

* The Ashura of ''[[Legend of the Five Rings]]'' appear to be samurai with moth wings that float above the ground. Although they are powerful, they aren't deliberately floating - they are so utterly corrupt that the earth itself repels them.

 

== Toys ==

 

== Video Games ==

* The first of the flight powers in ''[[City of Heroes]]'' is "hover" but it's essentially extremely slow flight.

** There is also the Soul Storm power, which will raise the user into the air, flight or no flight.

* Zasalamel in ''[[Soul Calibur]]'' hovers off the ground when turning into Abyss. The effect is not seen anywhere else in the game, and once he becomes Abyss, he doesn't float any more.

** Algol, the boss of ''[[Soul Calibur]]'' 4 only rarely actually touches the ground, preferring to float a few inches above it with this neat blueish nimbus effect.

* Final Form in ''[[Kingdom Hearts]] 2''.

** Apparently this is because you only unlock Final Form after {{spoiler|completely merging with Roxas by defeating him in a fight. Yes, Roxas can float. And summon pillars of light. They never explain why.}} Since Final Form is formed from a combination of Sora and {{spoiler|Roxas}}, Sora inherits the ability to float.

** Also from ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'', when you play as Xemnas in 358/2 Days he does not walk as the other characters do, but floats instead.

* Super Sonic from the ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' games.

* The gods of ''[[Soul Nomad and The World Eaters]]'' float. Effortlessly. ''All the time''. You do ''not'' want to tangle with them.

* Psycho Mantis from ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]''.

** And The Sorrow from ''MGS3'', although he is technically {{spoiler|a ghost}}.

* While it's not really floating as much as it is slowing her fall, Justicar Samara from ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' can use her biotics to float herself through the air for short periods of time. Given that she can send hundreds of Collectors flying with some effort, she could probably support herself for a while. Why she would is another question.

* Your character in ''[[Guild Wars]]'' levitates into the air while casting spells.

** Mursaat are constantly levitating. Mursaat are also near-godlike beings that can kill you by just being ''near'' you.

** {{spoiler|The game itself even calls him an Angel. With a capital A.}}

* [[Evil Twin|Dark Samus]] from ''[[Metroid Prime]]'' qualifies quite adequately, also displaying an ability for full-scale flight in the third game.

** Every time Samus got a new suit in [[Metroid Prime]] 1 and 2, she would rise into the air while [[Power Glows|glowing energy]] surrounded her and she equipped the suit. In Prime 3, this was reserved for when she released phazon into Leviathan cores, again glowing, but this time with [[Toxic Phlebotinum|phazon.]]

* Polvakian Gem Slugs in ''[[Startopia]]'' are so rich, lazy, and haughty that they loco-mote on hovering wheelchairs.

* Azure Kite of ''[[.hack GU]]'' very, very rarely walks, or even ''stands''. He just floats two inches off the ground, {{spoiler|even when you later get to recruit him into your party}}.

** None of the Avatars walk either; when an Epitaph User summons one, he appears to be floating (Avatars themselves are invisible to normal players).

* In ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'', float is forbidden magic, so only certain very bad, [[Badass]] characters can actually float. This includes the Arcangel Tarutaru, {{spoiler|[[Aristocrats Are Evil|Kam'lanaut]], and [[Really 700 Years Old|Eald'narche]]}}. Not to be out done {{spoiler|the [[Big Bad]] from the ''Wings of the Goddess'' expansion, Lady Lilith}}, is so [[Badass]] that {{spoiler|she}} can actually fly. On the good side, {{spoiler|Selh'teus}} can fly because {{spoiler|he bonded with the Terrestrial Avatar [[The Phoenix|Phoenix]]}}.

* In ''[[Mega Man X]] 8'', {{spoiler|Lumine spends the entirety of his first battle phase floating around the battlefield in a figure eight pattern.}}

* In ''[[Touhou]] Hisoutensoku'' Yuyuko, Iku, Cirno, and Utsuho only ever touch the ground when crouching or knocked down. Of these, Cirno is a definite non-example, only being especially powerful by fairy standards. Utsuho is the strongest example, having no particular reason to float other than being badass.

* In the ''[[Valkyrie Profile]]'' games, the bonus character, Freya, is always floating off the ground, and is usually one of the most powerful people you can add to your party (or, similarly, one of the most powerful bosses you can face).

* Otani Yoshitsugu from ''[[Sengoku Basara]]'' sits in a floating palanquin and attacks with floating prayer beads he manipulates with his [[Mind Over Matter]] powers. The only times he ever touches the ground is if you knock him down or kill him.

* While all the Deities in ''[[Asura's Wrath]]'' can fly, [[Mad Scientist|Karlow]] levitates on low ground, and can even flip upside down.

* In ''[[Jak and Daxter The Precursor Legacy]]'' Gol Acheron and his sister Maia are only ever seen floating. Gol even has weights tied to his waist, probably to prevent him from drifting off.

 

== Web Comics ==

* ''[[The Way of the Metagamer]]''. The [[Dismantled MacGuffin|Colour Drops]] all float, as do spellcasters when preparing spells.

 

 

== Western Animation ==

* Ron floats and glows when he taps into his inner monkey in the real ''[[Kim Possible]]'' finale.

* ''[[The Venture Bros]].'' has wizard Dr. Orpheus, who often levitates for no reason at all.

 

== Real Life ==

* According to the French wolves specialist Gérard Ménatory, the bipedal position of humans is, in the eyes of the wolves, the equivalent of Power floats and the reason why they are scared by us and never stay close to big humans settlement: "Since this animal can casually stand, walk, and run with '''only''' two paws, they must be insanely strong and we better not mess with them" was what he claimed to be the basic reasoning of wolves. Considering the man spent most of his life [[Going Native|living with wolves]] and could literally summon wolf packs by '''howling''' he certainly knew what he was talking about. However, it's all a matter of image since, according to the same man, an unarmed man has absolutely no chance to prevail in a fight against an adult wolf, especially if said wolf is a [[Mama Bear|female with cubs]]. Though some combat martial arts taught to special forces and commandos include techniques for use against guard dogs; these ones are useful against wolves, too.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Rule of Cool]]

[[Category:Spectacle]]

[[Category:Power Makeover]]

[[Category:Flying Tropes]]