History Main / TooImportantToWalk

* Taken UpToEleven in Series/AvataroSentaiDonbrothers, with [[TheHero Don Momotaro]] always entering riding his CoolBike… carried on a palanquin by several dancers. He only actually uses for bike for Megazord battles or when he’s in a rush, the latter time prompting someone to remark “[[LampshadeHanging That’s still a super weird entrance. Why do you even need the palanquin?]]”

* Visayan nobles and other rich people had a caste of women (and sometimes men) called the ''binukot,'' selecting the prettiest girls to stay inside so they could cultivate a fair complexion and learn arts and culture; it was thought offensive for them to be seen by common people without permission, so when a ''binukot'' DID go outside, it was a big affair and she was carried on a litter. Unfortunately, keeping someone shut inside a few rooms from childhood to adulthood had the unwelcome side effect of [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome making them UNABLE to walk.]] Initially this was a status symbol akin to Chinese [[AgonyOfTheFeet footbinding]], since [[CaptainObvious only the wealthiest people could afford such a frail spouse,]] but when World War 2 happened and the ''binukot'' couldn't flee from invading Japanese, most were either killed (which naturally lost huge amounts of cultural knowledge) or {{rape|PillageAndBurn}}d. Even modern Visayans can't help viewing the practice as prettied-up child abuse.

* ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett:'' It's noted that important people on Tatooine usually use litters, and that Boba Fett, the new crime lord of Mos Espa, stands out for choosing to walk. In contrast we see the Twins, Jabba the Hutt's cousins, being carried by more than a dozen human servants. Not that Hutts can "walk" anyway.

** Grom the Paunch uses a wolf-drawn chariot he cannot physically leave. He specifically lacks an option to foot-slog it, unlike every non-Thorgrim or [[PowerFloats Slann]] character in the game.
** Greasus Goldtooth rides around on a wagon.

* Ganon rarely ventures into Hyrule himself in the animated ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda'', because his power is stronger when he remains in his own underworld. He risks it a few times, however; in the episode "The Ringer," in which he enters a magicians' competition in disguise, he arrives on a palanquin borne by skeletons (who are also disguised, since that would be a bit of a giveaway).

*** Grom the Paunch uses a wolf-drawn chariot he cannot physically leave. He specifically lacks an option to foot-slog it, unlike every non-Thorgrim or [[PowerFloats Slann]] character in the game.

* 'TabletopGame/{{Lizardmen}}'' One of the variant LizardFolk are the Mad Lizardmen of Pang-Leng. Generations of selective breeding and lifestyle differences have caused their laborer class to grow into huge, brutish Warders, who carry the frail, diminutive Artificers (descended from the elite class) around on their shoulders.

* Several in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'':
** Dwarf kings are fond of being carried on shields ''à la'' [[ComicBook/{{Asterix}} Vitalstatistix]]. Thorgrim Grudgebearer, the High King, is carried around on his throne, as tradition demands that he ''only'' be allowed to sit on his throne.
** In old editions, Slann were carried by their PraetorianGuard (before they [[ForgotICouldFly remembered they're telekinetic]] and upgraded to [[PowerFloats floating thrones]]).
** Champions and Daemonic heralds of Nurgle in ''Warhammer'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' are occasionally gifted with palanquins carried by a [[TheSwarm mass of tiny Daemons]] called Nurglings.
** [[TheOgre Ogre]] character Greasus Goldtooth is carried on the bare hands of [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent gnoblars]]. [[AdiposeRex Lots and lots of gnoblars]]. Greasus exemplifies pretty much all the rationales behind this trope, being monstrously obese, incredibly petty, massively wealthy and keen to display his status to all concerned (and bonus points for actually having a special rule called "Too rich to walk").
** In their latest armybook the Skaven have also found this trope. Now their warlords can ride to the battlefield on top of a Rat Ogre, a gigantic plague-ridden [[RodentsOfUnusualSize Rodent of Unusual Size]], or a shield carried by slaves and guarded by his personal elite. Not to mention their Grey Seers, who can ride to battle on top of a gigantic church bell wagon pushed by normal rank-and-file skaven, or their Plague Priests who replace the bell with a sphere filled with burning raw chaos stuff. This can potentially kill the unit pushing it, so only the most devoted (and insane) skaven can do it.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Hordes}}'' have [[FatBastard Dominar Rasheth]], the Skorne warlock. Bonus points for being the non-combatant among the ProudWarriorRaceGuys, screwing ''[[CodeOfHonour hoksune]]'' in several ways, and employing the malnourished, tormented, broken pachyderm-folk infants as carriers.
* One of the variant LizardFolk from ''Lizardmen'', one of Mayfair Games' last 3rd-party D&D supplements, are the aptly-named Mad Lizardmen of Pang-Leng. Generations of selective breeding and lifestyle differences have caused their laborer-class to grow into huge, brutish Warders, who carry the frail, diminutive Artificers (descended from the elite class) around on their shoulders.

* In ''Theatre/AnyoneCanWhistle'', Cora Hoover Hooper, the mayoress, is usually carried on a litter by four young men (her "boys"). When Hapgood arrives and turns the town toward him, the boys carry him on the litter instead, which is part of Cora's motivation to get rid of him.
* In the second act of ''Theatre/BlackFriday'', Linda becomes the leader of an ApocalypseCult and is carried around by her followers, who often lift her up above their heads as if to make up for the fact that [[TinyTyrannicalGirl she's very petite]].

* The Goblin Alchemist unit in ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} 3'' rides an Ogre. Less laziness and more a mutually beneficial arrangement, as the ogre has melee power the goblin can never hope to achieve, while goblin can hurl his potions and give the ogre more sensible commands.
* Some Goblins do the same with Hobgoblins in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', such as Helix Gearbreaker and Lumbering Oaf in Deadmines, Fran and Riddoh in the Brawler's Guild, and Hoff Greasegun and Mugg in the "Battlefield Barrens" event. Helix even decides to ride players while sticking bombs on them, and after Lumbering Oaf is defeated.
* King Dedede enters the stage in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' being borne on a palanquin by an army of Waddle Dees.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', Link is sent to rescue Ruto and the Zora's Sapphire from [[WombLevel Jabu-Jabu's belly,]] but she makes him ''carry'' her throughout the whole dungeon. Players can [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential take out their frustration with her]] by throwing her around like a clay pot, and she even becomes a necessary game mechanic by serving as a weight to trip switches throughout the area.
* As a MythologyGag to the above, Ruto's boss intro in ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'' has her being carried into battle by a hapless [[{{Mooks}} Hyrulean soldier]].
%%* Mondu in ''VideoGame/BlackSigil''.
* In the opening scene of ''[[VideoGame/{{Diablo}} Diablo II: Lord of Destruction]]'', Baal is carried on a massive litter by his soldiers when he parleys with a herald.
* During the credits parade of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', Valentina's float is carried by her fateful stooge, Dodo. When Dodo stops to catch his breath, Valentina {{Dope Slap}}s him.
* In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'', Soma Cruz gets an ''attack'' which is this. He summons a palanquin carried by skeletons, sits in a [[SlouchOfVillainy Villainous Slouch]], and then the entire vehicle causes damage to any enemy in its path while Soma gets to chill, invincible.
* The Princess from ''VideoGame/HalfMinuteHero'' has her retainers carry her around as she mows down her foes with her {{automatic crossbow|s}}. As they take damage, she slows down, making it harder for her to dodge incoming attacks.
* In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception'' one of the scrapped ideas in Chess Kombat was for The King Piece Player to be carried around on a Sedan by a slave. The slave was shown to be sickly and weak explaining why The King can only move one spot across the board.
* [[SmallNameBigEgo Paul Atishon]] in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice'' goes around in a palanquin that shows off his name.
* In ''The Princess Guide'', Veronica, the Witch Princess, uses ''[[PlayerCharacter you]]'' as her personal horse whenever she needs to go out on quests.
* ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'' has Thorgrim Grudgebearer (as seen in the tabletop games entry, he is required by Dwarf law not to leave the Throne of Power unattended), Grom the Paunch, who uses a wolf-drawn chariot he cannot physically leave and Greasus Goldtooth(also mentioned above) who rides around on a wagon. Grom lacks an option to foot-slog it, unlike every non-Thorgrim or [[PowerFloats Slann]] character in the game.
* In ''VideoGame/TitanQuest'', you meet the shade of a nobleman who complains about afterlife services: Charon has left his post and no longer ferry souls across the Styx. When you resolve the problem, the shade is upset that he has to walk to get into the ferry.
* In one cutscene in ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', Emperor Cain's throne is carried by a group of cultists who worship him.

* In ''Film/SeventeenSeventySix'', Benjamin Franklin is carried into the Congressional Hall by two men he apparently hired from the local jail. However, it should be noted he did have gout.

** The very old and overweight Erik Ironbreaker strikingly inverts the litter-as-status-symbol trope; when he suggests himself as a candidate to be the new king of the proudly militaristic Ironborn, Asha Greyjoy publicly humiliates him by promising to support his claim if he can simply stand up.

* ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'' has Thorgrim Grudgebearer (as seen in the tabletop games entry, he is required by Dwarf law not to leave the Throne of Power unattended), Grom the Paunch, who uses a wolf-drawn chariot he cannot physically leave and Greasus Goldtooth who rides around on a wagon. Grom lacks an option to foot-slog it, unlike every non-Thorgrim or [[PowerFloats Slann]] character in the game.

** When Princess Celestia has to leave the palace, she's often on a chariot pulled by pegasi, even though she has wings and can fly herself.

* ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett:'' The Twins, a pair of brother-sister Hutts, are borne on a platform by a couple dozen of their slaves while visiting Boba on Tatooine to lay claim to Jabba's domains. In-universe, Boba is noted for his defiance of this trope, walking around the streets on his own two feet despite his lofty status as the new local crime lord.

* In 'Film/AnimalCrackers'', explorer Captain Spaulding ([[Creator/MarxBrothers Groucho Marx]]) arrives via a sedan chair carried by [[HollywoodNatives African natives]], just like the stage play.
* Justified in ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' with Lucilla, who is the[[spoiler:previous]] Emperor of Rome's daughter. She is seen on the streets on a litter.

* PlayedWith in ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'': The High Priest of Helgrind moves around in a litter in part because of this, and because he was ritually amputated of all his limbs.

* The King of Fools gets carried in a sedan on ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame''. When Quasimodo is crowned the new King, the old King is unceremoniously tossed out of his chair and Quasi dropped in his place.

** Lucius is occasionally carried around by his [[ALoadOfBull Minotaurs]], and in the second season opening he's seen being carried by [[ButtMonkey Samy]].

* ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'' has Thorgrim Grudgebearer (as seen in the tabletop games entry, he is required by Dwarf law not to leave the Throne of Power unattended) and Grom the Paunch, who uses a wolf-drawn chariot he cannot physically leave. Grom lacks an option to foot-slog it, unlike every non-Thorgrim or [[PowerFloats Slann]] character in the game.

** When Photo Finish travels, she goes around on a palanquin supported by two other ponies. There's just something... awesome about a ''pony'' being carried around on one of those. This is even lampshaded when Hoity Toity is hitching a ride on her platform:

** In the IDW ''Friends Forever'' comics, Shining Armor calls out Prince Blueblood's palanquin for the opulent display that this trope entails. The servants actually defend Blueblood, saying they enjoy the job benefits and appreciate how the weight is distributed painlessly across their shoulders. [[spoiler:At the end, the palanquin is used to cart home all the souvenirs, gifts and trade goods Blueblood managed to acquire through savvy dealing, while he walks on his own without any problems whatsoever.]]
** In fact, any example of a pony riding in a vehicle (other than the steam-powered trains) fits this trope, as these vehicles are invariably pulled by other ponies. Sometimes they take turns.

** It's mentioned in ''Literature/TheFifthElephant'' and ''Literature/{{Thud}}'' that the dwarf ''grags'' ride in closed palanquins, borne by trolls. Officially this is due to them being unused to, and mistrustful of, sunlight, but it also sends a clear signal about their social status.

* Visayan nobles and other rich people had a caste of women (and sometimes men) called the ''binukot,'' selecting the prettiest girls to stay inside so they could cultivate a fair complexion and learn arts and culture; it was thought offensive for them to be seen by common people without permission, so when a ''binukot'' DID go outside, it was a big affair and she was carried on a litter. Unfortunately, keeping someone shut inside a few rooms from childhood to adulthood had the unwelcome side effect of [[RealityEnsues making them UNABLE to walk.]] Initially this was a status symbol akin to Chinese [[AgonyOfTheFeet footbinding]], since [[CaptainObvious only the wealthiest people could afford such a frail spouse,]] but when World War 2 happened and the ''binukot'' couldn't flee from invading Japanese, most were either killed (which naturally lost huge amounts of cultural knowledge) or {{rape|PillageAndBurn}}d. Even modern Visayans can't help viewing the practice as prettied-up child abuse.

* In ''Film/IyaMuromets'', King Kalin is shown to have a throne set upon human backs. Another group of Tugars is carrying a golden disk upon which his Fanservice dancer performs.

It's important that the character communicate their superiority by getting someone else to do the footwork for them: people getting around via [[PowerFloats telekinesis]], personal electric vehicle or horse aren't really in the spirit of the trope. Obviously there are [[WhatMeasureIsANonhuman grey areas]]: non-sentient humanoid drones are likely an attempt to evoke the trope in a SpeculativeFiction setting, while a {{Talking Animal|s}} riding [[CarnivoreConfusion a regular horse]] may do so by accident.