History Main / RoofHopping

* One of the first cities ever built by humans was called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%87atalh%C3%B6y%C3%BCk#Archaeology Çatalhöyük]], (roughly) pronounced "Cha-tal-her-yik". All the houses were clumped so closely together that the entrance was generally on the roof, and the rooftops acted as streets. Since then, humans invented [[BoringButPractical the front door]].

* ''ComicBook/{{Spider-Man}}'' and ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' generally use a mix of this and [[BuildingSwing building-swinging]] to get around New York.

* Films set in Brazil will likely have at least one of these scenes, since the homes are tightly packed. Examples include ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'' and ''[[TheFastAndTheFurious Fast Five]]''.

* In the second ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' game, you use the "Thieves Highway" to get to Angelwatch.

* If you play your skills just right, you can do this in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion''. It's VERY entertaining.
** In Morrowind, you can attain this ability by exploiting certain glitches.
*** Or just level your acrobatics up to 100 or so. Never had to touch the ground in some towns.
*** And the Jump spell effect helps at any Acrobatics level. Roofhopping was also possible in ''Daggerfall''.

* In the last issue of ''ComicBook/{{BuffytheVampireSlayer}}'' season eight, Buffy is seen leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

* ''Too Much Johnson'' (the recently rediscovered first film of Creator/OrsonWelles) featured Joseph Cotten hopping across the warehouses and tenements of Manhattan's old Meatpacking District and Little Syria (now the area around the World Trade Center) while being chased by the cuckolded husband of his lover.

** [[Series/{{Monk}} Adrian Monk's]] many phobias include vertigo, of course, and the scene in the pilot where Monk grips a ladder a few steps off the ground, unable to go {{Roofhopping}} after a criminal, is similar to ''Vertigo'''s.

** Also, Minako pulled it off on screen, once. Not Sailor Venus, ''[[BadassNormal Minako]]''. Just because walking from the road to Usagi's room the normal way was too slow.

* Arf does this in ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' after [[spoiler: Bardiche and Raising Heart are damaged while clashing over a Jewel Seed]].

* ''Film/RumbleInTheBronx'', where JackieChan jumped from a parking garage to a fire escape, breaking his ankle.

* One of the characters in ''Literature/TheAlienist'' demonstrates remarkable abilities traveling roofs and other urban structures.

* ''Literature/UnLunDun'' by ChinaMieville: A roof-hopping subculture features, which makes it a point of pride never to leave the roofs. But all is not as it seems.

* ''TheTick'' oh ho ho ho, ''The Tick''. Due to being NighInvulnerable, [[SuperStrength Super Strong]] and being built like a linebacker on steroids, he tends to leave footprints on the roofs during jumps. When he visits Europe for a superhero exchange program, he's forced to go pedestrian because his roof-hopping antics damaged historical buildings.

* An effective way to avoid, or just sneak up on the general {{mook}} population in some of the ''{{Tenchu}}'' villages.

* Meimi, as ''KaitouSaintTail'', does quite a bit of roofhopping to get around.

* Most everyone with any power in ''{{Kekkaishi}}'' can do this. The Kekkaishi themselves, however, go Kekkai-hopping (leaping on magic airborne boxes).

* [[Manga/AhMyGoddess Belldandy]] -- yes, ''Belldandy'' -- did it once in the manga.
* Given the size of [[ElaborateUniversityHigh Mahora Academy]], this is standard for the magically-informed in ''MahouSenseiNegima''. Since a mages are obligated to keep the {{Masquerade}}, an explanation about a spell in place to prevent the [[{{Muggle}} Muggles]] from seeing was once given - we later find out that environmental damage is still in effect, so dented lampposts and torn shingles aren't uncommon. Poor Muggles...
* Panther does this recreationally and for exercise in ''{{Eyeshield 21}}'' since the racist coach wouldn't let him train with the rest of the team and Panther isn't too well off, hopping off the roof of apartment buildings was just convenient.
* KamikazeKaitouJeanne and her rival Sinbad Roof Hop frequently. They ''are'' art thieves, after all, divine mission or no, and what better way to escape from the apparently almost completely incapable police and Maron's mildly obsessed best friend?

* ''FushigiYuugi'' features Tamahome and Tasuki chasing [[spoiler:Amiboshi, who posed as Chiriko]] from roof to roof.

* Kurumi does a fair amount of roofhopping in ''[[SteelAngelKurumi Steel Angel Kurumi 2]]''.

* Cole does this all the time in ''VideoGame/{{Infamous}}''. Sucker Punch likes this trope.