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{{trope}}
[[File:
{{quote|''I have to pay the ferry, to cross the Galilee
''but not my brother (no not him) he walks across for free''
|'''[[The Arrogant Worms]]''', "Jesus' Brother Bob"}}
[[I Have the High Ground]], with a body of water substituted for the slender pole. As the name implies,
A common variant is the ability to only ''run'' across water (frequently by [[Super Speed]] characters such as [[The Flash]]), which is just as cool, and somewhat more scientifically
The most well-known water-walker is probably [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] in the [[The Bible|New Testament]], who casually walked out '''over a raging sea''' (a feat few other water-walkers have ever matched -- [[Jesus Was Way Cool]] indeed) to meet his disciples' boat. Disciple Peter followed suit, but his lack of faith caused him to sink beneath the water after a few steps and he had to be saved by his master. Despite its Biblical origin, the trope is usually executed ''without'' an especially strong [[Faux Symbolism]] feel to it, as the primary objective is, once again, about looking cool. This doesn't stop the occasional Baptist-Fundamentalist [[Media Watchdog]] from complaining about people other than Jesus being depicted as doing such a thing, despite that Peter walks on the water to Jesus almost immediately after seeing him.
Not to be confused with the [[Walk on Water|2004 Israeli movie]]
{{examples}}
===
== Advertising ==▼
* [[The Man Your Man Could Smell Like]]. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLTIowBF0kE Check it out.]
=== Anime
* Milked for all it's worth in ''[[Naruto]]''. Some of the most climactic battles of the series have taken place over a large body of water. Like their usage of [[I Have the High Ground]], it's related to the "standard" ninja ability to channel [[Ki Attacks|chakra]] into the feet. Sometimes the animators forget that everything else is meant to
* Subverted in ''[[Ranma ½
* Seems to be a standard ability for any sufficiently skilled mage or ninja in ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' [[Lampshaded]] during the [[Tournament Arc]]:
{{quote|'''Spectator:''' Maybe it's just really shallow?}}
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** An underground lake is magically transformed into a dancing stage for the [[Magical Girl]] and her [[Dark Magical Girl]] rival to have a [[Swan Lake]] themed dance-off. ([[It Makes Sense in Context]].) [[Failure Knight|Fakir]] also uses it to fight crows, but when the battle turns in his favor, Kraehe causes the water beneath him to no longer magically hold his weight, which nearly causes him to drown.
* ''[[D.Gray-man|D Gray Man]]'''s [[Spell My Name with an "S"|Tyki Mikk]] possesses the power to selectively interact with his environment. This means that, among other things, he can walk on water.
* Subverted in an episode of ''[[After War Gundam X|Gundam X]]'' where it looks like someone is standing in the middle of a
* Maybe more Moses than Jesus, but in ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]'', when Hohenheim (who has godlike powers) goes to explore a dangerous cave where his path is blocked by water, he transmutes a smooth path out of the rocks under water and calmly walks across.
* In the ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'' anime, Suicune can walk on water.
=== Comic Books ===
* Near the end of the graphic novel ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]'', as Dr. Manhattan notes his interest in creating life, he's standing on water. The implication is obvious.
** In [[The Movie]], the walking on water scene is visible in a commercial but lacks the symbolism.
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** Although he does this in the Batcave in ''[[Kingdom Come]]''.
* In the [[Franco Belgian Comics]] ''[[Les Naufragés d'Ythaq|Les Naufrages D Ythaq]]'', this is part of the Water [[Elemental Powers]] set.
* In Marvel Comics, all of the Eternals can levitate, and while most use this power to fly, [[The Defenders|the Interloper]] uses it to walk on water.
=== Fan Works ===▼
▲== Fan Works ==
* John does this a couple of times in ''[[With Strings Attached]]''. Notably, the first time he does it, he screams [[Crowning Moment of Funny|“Look at me! Look at me! I'm Jesus!”]]
=== Films -- Animation ===
* In ''[[Princess Mononoke]]'', Shishigami the Forest Spirit, being a spirit of nature, is able to walk on the surface of his pond. Then again, Shishigami certainly ''is'' [[Crystal Dragon Jesus]].
* Metro Man from ''[[Megamind]]'' walks on water towards the beginning of the movie. All though he is in fact just floating directly above it. Watch his heels: they never actually touch the surface, only his toes do.
=== Films -- Live-Action ===
* In ''[[Superman II]]'', in contrast to most alien visitations, when the three Kryptonian criminals touch down on planet "Houston", they land in a lake. They then proceed, using their gravity-defying abilities, to rise above and walk on top of the surface of the lake, freaking out any onlookers nearby.
* ''[[Bruce Almighty]]''. When Bruce receives God's powers, one of the first things he does is walk on the surface of a puddle (which he's splashed himself on before). A few minutes later he and God take a stroll on a nearby body of water while the latter explains the rules.
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* A great way to symbolically finish the movie ''[[Being There]]'' with [[Peter Sellers]].
* In ''[[Lawrence of Arabia]]'', Ali tells Lawrence that instead of wanting the Arabs to do reasonable things, he wants them to walk on water. Later in Deraa, Lawrence walks across a puddle and laughs.
* Klaatu shortly demonstrates this in the remake of ''[[The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951 film)|The Day the Earth Stood Still]]''.
=== Literature ===
* Used in one episode of the children's series ''[[Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left]]''. Dovis uses her powers to walk across a pond and save her friend. They then need to find some way to logically explain how she did this to [[Muggles|Michelle]] (which they did by putting a log there to walk across).
* In [[Peter F. Hamilton]]'s ''[[The
* From the same author, the ''[[Void Trilogy]]'' actually has a ''character'' called Waterwalker (it's a nickname, actually, but he ''did'' do it). His ability is derived from the fact that he lives in a universe which allows [[Psychic Powers]], and he's a very powerful telekinetic.
* In the ''[[Young Wizards]]'' series by Diane Duane, a fairly simple spell will allow a wizard to walk on water, although one has to be careful to maintain the [[Masquerade]] and not let the [[Muggles]] notice. Given a reasonably logical
* Elphaba does it in ''[[Wicked (novel)|Wicked]]'' (the book), frozing the water at each step and she doesn't even notice it.
* [[Belgariad|Polgara]] of the works of David Eddings manages it, in order to make a point. Her adversary, Chabat, has a much harder time of it when trying to copy her. Still, the characters in question [[A Wizard Did It|are sorceresses...]]
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=== Live-Action TV ===
* In ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]'', Michael's (developmentally disabled) love interest Rita leaves both him and the series as a whole by walking thoughtlessly across the surface of a swimming pool (in a [[Shout-Out]] to [[Being There]], mentioned above). Michael assumes that his magician brother has rigged the pool as part of his performance, but GOB tells him, "No. That's not my trick, Michael." {{spoiler|Immediately subverted in the 'next episode' trailer: "... It's my ILLUSION!!!"}}
* Most seasons of ''[[Power Rangers]]'' (and, by default, ''[[Super Sentai]]'') where the Rangers' powers revolve around the elements have the liquid-controlling Blue Ranger able to stand/walk/run on water. A rare few seasons with ninjas may do it too, but if a season has both elements ''and'' ninjas, it will never be a generic ninja ability.
* Rory Bremner portrayed [[Tony Blair]] as walking on water in one sketch, soon after Blair was elected.
* On the ''[[Misfits]]'' Christmas Episode, an [[Sinister Minister|evil Priest]] manages to acquire an array of flashy superpowers, including the ability to walk on water, in order to convince the local population that he is the second coming of Jesus (and so he can steal vast quantities of money from the poor and sexually abuse women without repercussions).
* On an episode of ''[[Glee]]'' Will does this across a swimming pool whilst {{spoiler|proposing to Emma.}}
===
* Ric Ocasek stands on the surface of a swimming pool in the video for [[The Cars]]' song "Magic".
* Marc Cohn's [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DEjAhahh7o "Walk on Water"] invokes the trope from its first lines with the image of low tide on sandflats allowing the illusion of walking on top of the water.
=== Myths & Religion ===
* For obvious, [[The Bible|Biblical-related reasons]], this one is [[Older Than Feudalism]].
* [[It's Been Done|Buddha did it first.]]
* [[Greek Mythology|Orion came before either
** With Euphemus the [[Jason and the Argonauts|Argonaut]] coming straight after; helped along by the fact
=== Tabletop Games ===
* ''[[Dungeons
** The boots of water-walking, a magical item which has since turned up in many ''D&D'' homages.
** Also the ring of water-walking and a water-walking spell starting 2nd edition.
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=== Theater ===
* Several very skilled magicians and illusionists have performed this particularly showy trick. It gets a good reaction.
**
** British magician Dynamo (real name Steven Frayne) once walked on the Thames, attracting quite the crowd. A canoe paddled through the path he had walked through.
=== Video Games ===
* ''[[Doom (series)|Doom]]''
** For the first time in video gaming history ever, an [[First-Person Shooter|FPS game]] has the water! But don't worry, it's actually the same friggin' floor, just with a gimmicky texture.
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* Vamp in ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 2'', can not only move across the surface of water but can actually swim through [[Quicksand Sucks|exceptionally light water]] that your character will instantly sink to the bottom of and drown.
* ''[[Final Fantasy]]''
** ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'' has one scene where Yuna performs a sending by walking out onto open water, then performing the traditional sending dance while the water rises into a column under her feet. It's never explained how she did that and she never does it again. Considering Yuna's [[The Messiah|role in the plot]], it was probably a case of [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic]].
** The ability to move over water without sinking (and thus being unable to act) is a support ability of the Ninja class in ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics]]'', and some monster classes can do so as well.
** ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics Advance]]'' gives us Feather Boots, which have much the same effect but can be equipped by any class. They really come in handy in the swimming tournament battles.
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* Soma Cruz in ''[[Castlevania: Chronicles of Sorrow]]'' acquires the ability to walk on water. Considering [[Tomato Surprise|who he "is"]] and that his last name more or less translates to "Cross", makes this troper think it's a case of [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic|What Do You Mean It's Not Symbolic]].
* ''[[World of Warcraft]]''
** Shamans have a spell to that effect. It's almost useless, except to kill annoying guildmates when battling a boss that requires frequent submersion, escape certain monster, and impress new players. Nonetheless, this, coupled with the class' unique ability to resurrect themselves, has spawned many "Jesus was a Shaman" jokes. It's also useful when fishing pools, or doing any quest which sends you to the middle of a
** The new Death Knight class does it in a slightly different way, freezing the water below them.
** There is also a water walking potion. You get them as rewards for the daily fishing quests in Dalaran, or from fishing in certain areas.
* In ''[[Warcraft]] III: The Frozen Throne'', Illidan gained the ability to walk on water, since he teamed up with the amphibious Naga and needed to be able to move with them.
* ''[[Ōkami|Okami]]''
** Amaterasu can walk on water after she obtains the Water Tablet. She ''is'' [[Physical God|a goddess]], after all. Otherwise, she has [[Super Drowning Skills]].
** Waka can do this too. It can be assumed all heavenly beings can.
* [[Kirby]] can walk on water with the Ninja ability, as well as skim over it when going fast enough with the Wheel and Tornado abilities. He can also dash across it using the Water ability in ''[[
* Water-walking in ''[[Achaea]]'' is accomplished using enchanted footwear or potions of levitation, which allow easy, quick movement just as on land. Without it, swimming is slow, hard work (for those who can't, for example, [[Animorphism|turn into a turtle...]])
* A player of ''Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08'' (X360) discovered a glitch that allowed the player to stand and shoot on water hazards (dubbed, naturally, "The Jesus Shot") and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h42UeR-f8ZA posted video of it to YouTube.] Electronic Arts's (the games's publisher) response: "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ1st1Vw2kY It's not a glitch. He's just that good.]"
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=== Web Comics ===
* The saintly hermit Calin can do this in ''[[Bruno the Bandit]]''. He also reminisces fondly about playing "[http://www.brunothebandit.com/d/20030117.html Walk-On-Water Hockey]" back in divinity school.
* ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'', [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0561.html strip #561].
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=== Western Animation ===
* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'': Inevitably, Katara, a [[Making a Splash|Water-bender]], has come to express the ability. She most commonly achieves it by [[An Ice Person|freezing ice]] around her feet and sort of skating. As her alter ego the Painted Lady, she does so without the freezing to better impress the villagers and Fire Nation soldiers.
* In ''[[Code Lyoko]]'', people possessed by XANA's specters in the real world gain the ability to move atop water.
* Brother Blood in ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'' could do this, while strangely Aqualad could not!
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=== Real Life ===
* Certain insects, like the [[wikipedia:Gerridae|Gerridae]], are capable of doing this thanks to cohesion (basically, they stand on the membrane the water's surface forms). Course, that's just plain ol' physics/chemistry, which as we all know well is ''not'' cool.
* This can be possible in dreams without even particularly trying due to a poor representation of physics leaving the surface of dream water to behave for one's dream self almost as it does for the abovementioned insects.
* Real life aversion: A priest tried to prove that one could walk on water if one only had enough faith. He demonstrated using himself as the example. It didn't go as well as he expected, earning him a [http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1999-49.html Darwin Award].
* A self-proclaimed messiah in early 20th-century Australia took his followers out on a boat into the middle of a lake and asked them if they believed he could walk on water. When they replied "yes", he said, "Then there is no need for me to do it."
* [[Captain Obvious|Of course]], everyone can walk on water as long as it's solid. Make sure you have at least six inches thickness of ice before trying this on a river, though. (The ''Old Farmer’s Almanac'' has [https://www.almanac.com/content/ice-thickness-safety-chart more details on what is and isn't safe].)
▲=== Running on water ===
==
▲=== Advertising ===
* [[Two Words: Obvious Trope|Two words:]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe3St1GgoHQ Liquid mountaineering.] [[Two Words: Obvious Trope|Two more words:]] [http://www.mediaite.com/online/great-moments-in-journalism-local-news-team-duped-by-walking-on-water-hoax/ Not real.]
=== Anime & Manga ===
* ''[[One Piece]]''
** Brook. One of the few upsides to being a walking skeleton is being light enough to run on water.
** Aokiji rides his bike across water, but he's [[An Ice Person]] so he's actually freezing a path across the ocean.
* Whereas the straight-out walking version is subverted in the ''[[Ranma ½
* ''[[Inuyasha]]'': Inu-Yasha does this in the second movie, so he could attack a monster in the lake. In the anime filler arc about the panther youkai, the one with ice powers freezes a fairly large stream and walks across it.
* In ''[[Air Gear]]'' anyone skilled enough on their [[Rollerblade Good|Air Trecks]] can do this. So far only Gabishi and Orca have been seen doing it. {{spoiler|Ikki does more of a gliding on water variant when he gets the Wind Regalia.}}
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=== Comic Books ===
* Pretty much all super-speedsters in any [[Superhero]] continuity will be able to do this -- [[The Flash]] and [[Quicksilver]] being perhaps the two most prominent. This is supposed to be physically possible, if you can sustain a speed in excess of 60 miles per hour, obviously a snap for these guys who consider going supersonic essentially just a brisk walk to them.
=== Films -- Animation ===
* The utter [[Rule of Cool|coolness]] of being able to run on water is repeatedly stressed in ''[[The Incredibles]]'', especially since Dash ''didn't'' know that his [[Super Speed]] would enable him to do this. Then there's the moment where he is caught between two enemy hovercrafts and didn't know how to escape them: He comes to a stop, then sinks below the water's surface while the enemies crash into each other just inches above him. And later on, after the fight with the Omnidroid...
{{quote|'''Dash:''' That was so cool when you threw that car!
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=== Films -- Live-Action ===
* The very end of the movie ''[[The Destroyer|Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins]]'', a [[Pilot Movie]] that never became a show, has Remo's [[Old Master|mentor]] Chiun doing this to escape some villains and to show Remo he's still got a lot to learn. (The trick, it seems, is to run ''really'' fast.) Remo himself earlier runs across ''wet cement'', while the [[Mook]] following him falls in and [[Nightmare Fuel|drowns]]. This is shown as being a kind of mind-over-matter trick of becoming lighter, not really faster.
* ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]'' includes a number of scenes of characters skimming across ponds.
=== Literature ===
* By ''[[
* in ''[[The Destroyer]]'', Remo Williams can also run over water.
* In David Farland's ''[[The Runelords|Runelords]]'' series, there is at one point a story told about a messenger who used magic to become a [[Super Speed|speedster]] and run across a sea in order to deliver a warning. And then promptly died of old age, in a clear reference to the run of Marathon.
=== Live-Action TV ===
* ''[[
** ''[[Time Warp]]'' replicates this trick for their show.
** ''[[Brainiac: Science Abuse]]'' did it even earlier.
* In ''[[Smallville]]'', Bart Allen is able to move fast enough to run on water without breaking the surface tension. It is implied that this is something Clark cannot do, until he finally starts doing this in Season 8.
* Daphne in ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'' claims to be able to run all the way from the US to Paris at super-speed. Then again, this was all in her head, but it is possible she could still do it.
=== Video Games ===
* ''[[Super Mario Bros. (video game)|Super Mario Bros]]''
** The "Tiny Mushroom" powerup in ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'' makes the player so small that they can run (even walk) across the surface of water, although they will start to sink if they stand still.
** A power-up in ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'' allows Mario to do this, using FLUDD to zoom across the water's surface.
** In ''[[Super Mario 64]]'', one can ride on the surface of the water using a Koopa shell.
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* Similar to Naruto, Ryu Hayabusa from ''[[Ninja Gaiden]]'' is apparently capable of running on (and leaping from the surface of) water, simply by virtue of being a [[Ninja]].
* ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]''
** Sonic, as a speedster, has been able to do this in some games. He kind of ''has''
** Other characters in the series, such as Tails and Knuckles, are also capable of this.
* Jude of ''[[Wild
* In ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', players may obtain glyphs, which enhance the player's abilities in various ways. Rogues may obtain "Glyph of Blurred Speed", Which allows them to run over water while using sprint, which boosts their speed by quite a bit. Combine this with the fact that using sprint doesn't break stealth, and you can get certain builds of rogues ''sneaking across water''. Also, standing completely still while using sprint (thus defeating its purpose) doesn't drop you in the water, surprisingly.
* Donkey from ''[[Donkey Kong Country (video game)|Donkey Kong Country]]'' can do the "running" variant. If you roll off an edge you get to jump on the air; and if you do the air jump thing in the edge between air and water, you get to jump again. Rinse and repeat. Kiddy from the third game could do the same (that is, the orangutans do it, the monkeys don't).
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* Runman in ''[[Run Man Race Around the World]]'' can stay on water surface as long as he keeps on zooming.
* The new ''[[DC Universe Online]]'' allows their speedsters to run across water. If you stop moving, you drop back to swimming mode.
* In ''[[Freedom Force]]'', [[The Flash]] [[Expy]] Bullet's [[Super-Hero Origin|origin story]] has him being hit with [[Super Serum|Energy X]] while in-flight and crash-landing in Vietnam during the [[Vietnam War|war]]. The energy makes him a
* In ''[[Final Fantasy IV: The After Years]]'', the ninja Tsukinowa manages to run across an ocean [[Cutscene Power to the Max|in a cutscene]].
* The best Ninja Spy-enhanced Monk class in ''[[Dungeons and Dragons Online]]'' receives "Dance of the Water Strider", the ability to run over most watery areas in the game. Not quite as useful in that few quests have bodies of water handy to impress your co-questing friends, but still cool, nonetheless.
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=== Web Comics ===
* ''[[8-Bit Theater
* An basic trick in ''[[Juathuur]]''.
=== Western Animation ===
* [[Seen It a Million Times]] in Western
* This naturally had to be executed at some point in the ''[[Kim Possible]]'' episode "Hive Mind", in which she received red hypersonic speed sneakers.
* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''
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=== Real Life ===
* A particular kind of lizard called the [[wikipedia:Common basilisk|Basilisk Lizard]] can [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45yabrnryXk sprint across water], leading to it also being known as the "Jesus Lizard".
* Water is what scientists call a Newtonian fluid. Non-Newtonian fluids (like, say, water plus lots of starch) exhibit properties more cool for purposes of [[Real Life]] water walking, like you can run on their surface, but sink while standing. {{spoiler|1=It is doubtful that Lake Genesareth was full of starch during that storm, if you're curious--but the idea of Jesus having to [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2XQ97XHjVw do this just to stay afloat] is, depending on your point of view, sacrilegious and/or pretty funny.}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Instant Index, Just Add Water]]
[[Category:Rule of Cool]]
[[Category:Stock Super Powers]]
[[Category:Older Than Feudalism]]
▲[[Category:Walk on Water]]
[[Category:Walking Tropes]]
[[Category:Tropes Examined by the Mythbusters]]
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