History Main / UnnecessaryCombatRoll

* In his introduction/DynamicEntry in ''Literature/TheScorchTrials'', Jorge pulls this off in front of the Gladers, possibly to highlight how insane he’s becoming due to being an early-stage Crank. [[spoiler:Except that it’s all an act, and he’s been Immune the whole time…]]

* ''Series/BlakesSeven''.

** Link has been able to do this in most of the games since ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'', and it's usually the fastest way to move, resulting in most people [[ButtonMashing constantly mashing the roll button about 99% of their total time spent playing the game]]. In the 3D games Link can perform a variety of other dodges including sidesteps, backsteps, and back''flips''.

* The EliteMooks in ''VideoGame/FreedomFighters'' have a dodge roll as a special animation move. The female Black Ops EliteMooks have an Unnecessary Combat Cartwheel move.

** In the games, a gratuitous rolling dodge is a good way to move around without the combo counter resetting back to zero, which is desirable because longer combos yield more experience points to unlock powers. Essentially the game seem to treat chain-goring one guy, then dodging nothing at all in order to move up to another victim as a single combat event. This can be hilarious to watch.

* The so called "dive roll" seen in many an action film is actually based on real life martial arts techniques. Known as "falling techniques", the idea is to both reduce/prevent injury, and to get back to your feet as fast as possible. The key idea here, is that it is a ''recovery'' technique, not some fancy attack skill.

Video games tend to fall victim to this as the negative consequences of rolling are often omitted as AcceptableBreaksFromReality. This often leads to repeated diving rolls being a better choice than flat-out running when moving from place to place, something especially evident in {{Speed Run}}s. It could be argued that in RealLife a single diving roll covers more distance than a large step -- it's the ''recovery'' that takes a lot of time and the maneuver is likely to result in injury. Remove the need for recovery and make rolling safe, and we might as well roll rather than run or walk.

* Rolling in ''VideoGame/DeadCells'' is the most imporant defensive mechanic at your disposal. It's fast, goes through enemies, and has invinciblity frames all the way through. It has a small cooldown between each use. Some mutations also lets you attack with a weapon or parry with a shield you have stored in your backpack when you roll.

* This is what you will do excessively in ''VideoGame/EnterTheGungeon''. If there's a pit you need to cross or an impenetrable wall of bullets you can't walk around, you have to perform a lumbering leap forward at a fixed distance that has invincibility frames that ends in with a vulnerable landing to avoid getting hit. To really drive the point, the game's studio is named after the mechanic.

* Fish from ''VideoGame/NuclearThrone'' can roll. He can upgrade it to roll continously. Unlike most examples, it really ''is'' unnecessary.

* {{Lampshaded}} in ''Film/[[MrAndMrsSmith2005 Mr. & Mrs. Smith]]'' when John Smith does a dramatic dive roll into the bushes while trying to hide from his wife and rolls right into a tangled pile of branches with an appropriately annoyed hiss of ''"OW!"''

* In the ''Manga/AxisPowersHetalia'' movie, America pulls one off in the only action scene in the series.

* In ''Anime/MaiHime'', [[{{Ninja}} Akira]] does a roll when bursting into her and Takumi's room after hearing a [[NotWhatItLooksLike suspicious sounding conversation between Takumi and Mai]].

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[[caption-width-right:350:"Unnecessary: (adj.) [[ShapedLikeItself not necessary]]."]]

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-->'''Gwen:''' ''[exasperated]'' Does the rolling help?\\

[[folder:Anime & Manga ]]
* Parodied in ''Manga/{{Yotsuba}}'' when the title character, after watching one too many gangster crime movies, decides to take out her neighbors on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge with a water pistol: she kicks open Ena's bedroom door, stops to crouch down, does an awkward somersault, and comes up gun squirting.
-->'''Yotsuba:''' Freeze! [[GratuitousEnglish Nonstop]]!

* In ''Manga/KOn'', Ritsu's DynamicEntry into Yui's room involves a half-assed combat roll (shown in three different angles, to boot). She gets punched in the head for her troubles.
* In the ''Manga/AxisPowersHetalia'' movie, America pulls one off in the only action scene in the series.

* Done a few times in ''Anime/{{Grenadier}}'', simultaneously with UnorthodoxReload as bullets fall out of her cleavage, are bounced into the air, and caught by the empty revolver.
* In the anime of ''Manga/Golgo13'' Duke Togo does this and [[ImprobableAimingSkills of course is able to kill several guards while doing so]].

* Rorschach in ''WebVideo/WatchmenTheHighSchoolYears'' does this ''badly'' when enters a room to interrogate Adrian Veidt. And it gets absolutely hilarious when he trails Dan -- by doing nothing but combat rolls.

* Also parodied in ''Film/TheNakedGun'', where Frank Drebin uses an obvious stunt double gymnast to somersault and hand-spring around his home.
* Film/JamesBond pulls this off in ''Film/AViewToAKill'', before he blasts a few fellows away with a shotgun. [[BloodlessCarnage It's loaded with rock salt, though.]]
* Used to hilarious effect in the film ''Film/BurnAfterReading'' by George Clooney's character, who is ostensibly using this technique on [[spoiler:a guy he killed 5 minutes ago.]] This is justified, since he was diving for a gun that was lying on the floor, and by the fact that the character lacks any proper combat training, in addition to being a moron (like most of the rest of the cast)
* See the diamond heist in ''Film/JayAndSilentBobStrikeBack'', in which Jay makes several clumsy rolls in the middle of open ground facing no threat whatsoever.
* Senseless jumping and rolling makes up roughly half of the main character's fighting style in ''Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam,'' (a.k.a. ''Film/TheManWhoSavesTheWorld'', a.k.a ''Turkish Star Wars''. The other half consists of really inefficient flailing.

* {{Lampshaded}} in ''Film/MrAndMrsSmith2005'' when John Smith does a dramatic dive roll into the bushes while trying to hide from his wife and rolls right into a tangled pile of branches with an appropriately annoyed hiss of ''"OW!"''
* A special move of Riggs in the ''Film/LethalWeapon'' series is to roll on the ground while unloading with his pistol.
* ''Film/LoadedWeapon1'' parodies Rigg's rolling-gunfire trick.
* Parodied in ''Film/TenaciousDInThePickOfDestiny'' when Jack Black is trying to stealthily break into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. While he is doing a sequence of these rolls (in between areas of "cover"), it is revealed to the viewer that the security cameras are picking up ''everything''. Luckily, the guards match JB's level of competence by not noticing at all.
* Although not strictly a ''combat'' roll, ''Film/SpaceMutiny'' has Reb Brown [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl screaming like a girl]] before jumping off an incredibly slow-moving floor-polisher-thing and rolling twice. The [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MSTers]] dub him '[[RunningGag Roll Fizzlebeef]]'.
* In ''Film/TheFinalSacrifice'', one of the cultists does a hilariously slow roll. While running through a forest. Approaching a cabin with two unarmed people in it.
* Parodied in the ''Film/LandOfTheLost'' film during Will Ferrell's fight with the ''T. rex''.

* ''Film/PoliceAcademy'': Tackleberry can't help but do one over the hood of a parked cruiser during his LeeroyJenkins charge through the cadet shoot house.
* ''Film/MortalKombat'' has Liu Kang do a half-assed semi-cartwheel over the side of some steps and whip around, combat ready, like it was the most spectacular move in the whole movie. Made even more jarring in that he was the only character on screen at the time and there was absolutely no reason for him to attempt the maneuver (i.e. nobody was attacking him on the steps and nobody attacked when he landed).
* In ''Film/MortalKombatAnnihilation'', Shao Kahn does one of these to ''talk to his dad''. "[[PunctuatedForEmphasis And it. Was! GLORIOUS!]]" Shinnok responds by standing still and rushing the camera.
* Not used during combat in ''Film/RemoWilliams'', but as the protagonist bounds down the side of a steep hill, at one point he drops into a roll and back up onto his feet and kept on going, presumably because he was going too fast or about to fall, and the roll converted the downward momentum into forward.
* SoBadItsGood Irish martial arts movie ''Film/FatalDeviation'' has the protagonist roll across the bonnet of a car and back in the middle of a fight for no real reason. It's one of the movie's many ''many'' [[{{Narm}} Narmful]] moments.
* PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/HanselAndGretelWitchHunters'' when Hansel does a combat roll into a room only for the BigBad to hit him in the face with a shovel as soon as he finishes.

* In ''Film/FairGame'', Ringo does one when he jumps the moving Beast on to the verandah of Jessica's house.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E4TheGirlInTheFireplace "The Girl in the Fireplace"]], Mickey indulges in one, although there's no shooting involved, it's done using a fire extinguisher and it's obviously [[PlayedForLaughs for a laugh]].

* Done by one of the assassins in the ''Series/MacGyver1985'' episode "Target [=MacGyver=]", entering the house where Mac is staying at and very silly he looks, too.

* Subverted on ''Series/ScreamQueens2015'' when Zayday has her [[spoiler: second]] encounter with the Red Devil - combat rolls saved her life.

* Used with numbing frequency on ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', due to Kirk's... idiosyncratic fighting style. The "Kirk Roll" was the original name of this trope.
** Sneakily referenced in ''Film/StarTrek2009'' when Kirk is on the ice planet Delta Vega, running away from a giant monster on a flat plain of ice. Then there's suddenly a downhill slope, so Kirk trips, falls, and rolls away from the monster. He escaped certain death with several combat rolls (making this a justifiable trope).
* In ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', Geordi [=LaForge=] does a IndyHatRoll once while... passing under a slow closing door that was barely halfway shut. This "Epic Geordi Maneuver" became a RunningGag on Website/{{YTMND}}: http://epicgeordi.ytmnd.com/

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. In "Deadlock" after Vidiian soldiers storm the Voyager, Ensign Kim does one during a shootout in Sickbay. Also counts as TheCastShowOff trope, as actor Garrett Wang learned it during a stage combat class and decided to ThrowItIn. Tuvok does his own Illogical Combat Roll in "Future's End".

* Played for laughs in ''Series/{{Community}}''. In the more action-oriented episodes like '[[Recap/CommunityS1E23ModernWarfare Modern Warfare]]', Jeff Winger has a tendency to get into cover by doing a leaping forward roll.

* Wrestling/{{CIMA}} likes to roll in his Wrestling/DragonGate matches. Sometimes it will be an evasive or recovery move but just as likely it's something he does before his upper cut or something, even though doing such after makes him more likely to miss than simply running or even jumping. Looks cool when he pulls it off, admittedly.
* Wrestling/JayLethal and KUSHIDA do cartwheels and these are better than most examples in that they do keep their eyes on their opponent and do transition into an advantageous position while doing so, but all the same they almost never really need to.

* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
** The expansion "Mists of Pandaria" adds the Monk as a playable class. One maneuver a Monk can perform is a forward roll. This somersault miraculously propels the Monk 20 yards forward at a pace far faster than the Monk's normal running speed. This can also be done underwater, propelling you exactly the same distance. With a glyph, you can even do it while you're dead!
** More fitting in the sense of "Unnecessary" is the male nightelf randomly doing a somersault in his jump animation.
* In ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'', the player character can throw themselves into a roll to get behind cover or away from an enemy (useful) or diveroll to a aiming crouch from a run (very useful). The player character's AI companions will put the Unnecessary in Unnecessary Combat Roll. Present in the game because of Kirk, of course. (see LiveActionTV. above)
* ''VideoGame/ChampionsOnline'' has an unnecessary roll during the Holdout Shot maneuver. The character rolls to one side, pulls a gun from the lower leg and comes up firing a final shot. If executed in flight, the roll will be replaced by [[EverythingsBetterWithSpinning a mid-air pirouette.]]
* In ''VideoGame/DungeonsAndDragonsOnline'' any character with ranks in the tumble skill can hold SHIFT while pressing move, to do a roll instead of normal movement. There is no limit to how much you can do that and it is as fast as regular movement (faster in water of a ''very'' specific depth). The downside is that you suffer a penalty to attack rolls shortly after moving, even by rolling, and you can't attack while rolling. You can also use it for Necessary Combat Rolls, when surrounded by a kobold horde to leave safely. Likewise, if you have the Mobility feat, such tumble rolls can offer a +4 bonus to Armor Class. And finally, if you have enough ranks in Tumble, the rolls turn into flips that take the character -just- enough distance from their starting point to be [[HighSpeedMissileDodge out of the radius of a Fireball, or similar spell]].

* ''VideoGame/MaxPayne''
** Max himself can either roll to the sides or backwards by jumping[[note]]if you equip a melee weapon or throwable in ''1'' or are otherwise [[BagOfSpilling unarmed]], you can also roll forwards[[/note]], during which he is completely immune to bullets (but not explosions or fire). Rolling to the sides also slows down time, though the utility of it is questionable at best since it's nowhere near as radical as BulletTime proper and only acts for a split second. In a pinch, Max can leap and roll every which way until he reaches good cover or until the mooks run out of ammo and have to reload.
** If using BulletTime, Max can also [[LeapAndFire do a diving leap while firing his guns]]. While Max is in the air, he can take damage, but will not die even when his [[LifeMeter silhouette]] is brimming with red; all bets are off after he impacts the ground, though. If your BulletTime gauge is dry, Max will default to a roll that can also go forwards after the 'click' of an empty weapon.
** ''3'' ups the ante on this with its limited inventory system, which encourages the player to repeatedly [[ThrowAwayGuns discard and replace their firearms]]. When picking up a new gun on the move, something players will do about as much as shooting, Max will tuck into a roll to grab it and can easily come up shooting.

* ''Creator/FromSoftware''
** This is your primary means of evasion in ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' and the ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' trilogy. How quickly you can roll and how many invincibility frames your roll has depends on your equipment load, except in ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'' where equipment load only determines the speed of the roll and the Agility stat determines i-frames. In ''Demon's Souls'' and ''Dark Souls 1'', staying below 25% of your total equip load will provide you with the fastest roll with the most i-frames, while staying between 25% and 50% provides a standard roll. Above 50% you are stuck with the "[[FanNickname fat roll]]": a slow, useless flop on the ground. ''Dark Souls 3'' has these breakpoints at 30% and 70% respectively, while ''Dark Souls 2'' has your roll simply get progressively slower until the 70% breakpoint where you begin fat rolling. In any of these games, if you go above 100% of your equip load, you can't roll at all and you can barely even walk.
** While you can roll in ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' outside combat, if you locked onto your foes, you do a sidestep instead of rolling. And speaking of rolling, the [[FullFrontalAssault mace-wielding naked Watchers]] in Chalice Dungeon will do this against you, with a ''[[VisualPun literal]]'' [[{{Acrofatic}} fat roll]], no less.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Flashback}}'', combat consists almost ''entirely'' of quick pot shots between carefully spaced Apparently-Necessary Combat Rolls.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'' has an odd take on this: if you shoot an enemy when he starts his side roll, he will complete the animation, immediately snap into a standing position and then die (or flinch in pain if he's not killed).

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/{{Lugaru}}''. Your character can roll with no recovery issues, but enemies will often take advantage of this and strike the player while they roll by, sometimes even resulting in a OneHitKill.
** Its sequel, ''VideoGame/{{Overgrowth}}'', continues to subvert this in that if you don't time your roll right, you can end up injuring yourself in some situations and breaking your own neck.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'''s Link has been able to do this in most of the games since ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina Of Time]]'', and it's usually the fastest way to move, resulting in most people [[ButtonMashing constantly mashing the roll button about 99% of their total time spent playing the game]]. In the 3D games Link can perform a variety of other dodges including sidesteps, backsteps, and back''flips''.
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks'', rolling too much causes Link to get dizzy, likely in response to the players who abused the rolling from previous games.
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', if you press B while rolling with your sword out, you roll into a stab. It's awesome, if a bit inaccurate. Again, this debuted in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap'' as the roll attack taught by Greyblade. One of the Hidden Skills taught by the Shade actually has you roll around the target before jumping up and slashing him from behind.
* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' (more so in Snake's ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' appearance), it's more of a tackle than a roll, and can actually be pretty useful...or just [[RuleOfCool Roll Of--]], excuse me, ''[[RuleOfCool Rule]]'' [[RuleOfCool Of Cool]]. One possible way to beat Null in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPortableOps'' is to roll under Null's sword swing and then immediately blast him with your shotgun as he just blocks everything else with his machete.
** Meryl and Akiba do this during the final shootout in the Outer Haven command center in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots''.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' replaces the dodge roll with a dodge hit-the-deck. It's a vital skill in covert operations; since you're likely to be out of cover while sneaking up behind an enemy, if they spot you, your best bet is to jump into the nearest cover while minimizing the amount of time it takes to lower yourself in the event that your cover is just a foot-high sand bar. Also, aiming at a dodging player in Multiplayer is a bitch.
* The player can do it in ''VideoGame/{{Oni}}'' - though it actually is justified in that most [[SlowLaser weapon fire is slow-moving]] and most combat is hand-to-hand.

* Jaden Korr from ''VideoGame/JediKnightJediAcademy'' can do both forward and backward rolls, and add a lightsaber stab at the end of a forward roll. Justified in the early stages of the game because a forward roll into stab is one of the few reliable ways to kill enemies with lightsabers (Reborn mostly, though it can work on cultists).
** Given how painful a lightsaber to the crotch is, you'd think they'd learn to guard low when you crouch or roll. The slash marks left by this attack are somewhat buggy, because no other saber attack actually stabs your enemy. After one successful hit, it's possible for [[MemeticMutation 9001]] slash trails to appear, centered on where you hit them. Averted with later enemies in the game, who will attack you mid-roll or dodge your attack, making Unnecessary Combat Rolls unreliable.
* Sora from ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' could do this in the first game. In the sequel it was removed in favor of a new ability called the Quick Run, which had a somewhat different feel to it and minor lag issues. In the UpdatedRerelease LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition, [[NoExportForYou Japanese gamers]] saw the beloved rolling maneuver return as well and rejoiced.
** Sora could do this in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'' and doing so allowed one to avoid certain attacks. Riku had the much preferred dodge jump, where he jumps... and lands behind the opponent, facing his back and letting you unleash hell.
*** In the [=PS2=] remake, Riku's dodge was changed to a lengthy backflip, while Dark Riku got a short-range teleport that functioned similarly to the dodge jump.

---> '''Marluxia''': "Like I care."

*** Also of note, Mickey Mouse in the same game takes this trope UpToEleven: being the smallest character in Mission Mode, his Dodge Roll is so tight that if the player hammers the button repeatedly, he appears to have turned into a [[VideoGame/MetroidPrime Morph Ball]]... with a Keyblade sticking out the side.

* In the ''VideoGame/TimeSplitters'' series (in particular ''VideoGame/TimeSplitters2''), computer controlled characters sometimes do this (they can't even fire, so the reason is anyone's guess). [[SecretAIMoves There is no way whatsoever for human players to do this though.]]
* In ''VideoGame/TitanSouls'', this is one of the few actions the player character can take.
* In ''VideoGame/TooHuman'', you are COMPLETELY invulnerable during the roll, including windup and winddown, making for a fairly long period of safety. Thus, it's not only quite useful despite making you unable to attack for the duration, you don't even have to worry about what DIRECTION you're rolling in.
* The ''Franchise/TombRaider'' games frequently feature this, along with plenty of SheFu. Rolling into an enemy does knock him down, though.
** The Roll move in the original ''Tomb Raider'' ends with Lara facing the opposite way, making it a quick way to change direction in combat.
* Ryu Hayabusa did this in the first ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' on XBOX. The sequel removed it in favor of a quick step that does practically the same thing. He also does dodge rolls in Dragon Sword on the DS.
* In ''VideoGame/LEGOStarWars'', Han Solo (and several other high-level gun characters, such as pre-Jedi Luke and Lando Calrissian) can roll during a run and fire off three perfectly aimed shots when he comes out of it. Not surprisingly a number of people love playing Solo in the game for just that move.
* ''VideoGame/LEGOHarryPotter'' ups the ante with the Muggles, who roll around to ''attack''!
* In ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'' this is the fastest way to move around the game world that many speed runs make use of. You're also invulnerable to 99% of enemy attacks other than few special boss moves when rolling. It is also not only possible to keep your bow drawn, but to keep drawing your bowstring ever tighter to increase damage, all the while rolling to dodge counterattacks. Even if you're wielding an endgame bow that's as long as you are.
* In ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' series, rolling allowed all fighters to bypass attacks and go behind opponents, adding another layer of movement in a 2D fighting game and subverting this trope.
** ''StreetFighter'': JokeCharacter Dan Hibiki actually teaches people to use Unnecessary Combat Rolls in his horrid fighting style, Saikyo. In some games (mostly the [[VideoGame/CapcomVs Capcom Versus series]]) Dan can drop all of his limit bars into a super taunt, which is just him rolling around and taunting at super speed with a glowing image trail. Parodying the KOF roll is part of his schtick as a SNK parody.
** Vega both optimizes and subverts this at the same time.
** In general, rolling is often used in the StreetFighter series to bypass projectile attacks; particularly for characters who lack a projectile of their own. Simply ducking, however, is more common.
** ''VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium'' had a glitch called roll cancelling. By cancelling a roll into a special move, the invulnerable property of the roll carried over to the special move.
* In ''VideoGame/SinAndPunishment'', you can use a roll attack to dodge enemy attacks, and are invincible for the duration of the roll animation. However, you're unable to attack during the animation.
* The Elite Guard in ''VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein'' roll around a lot. It really doesn't help.
* The EliteMooks in ''VideoGame/FreedomFighters'' have a dodge roll as a special animation move. The female Black Ops EliteMooks have an Unnecessary Combat Cartwheel move.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'':
*** The human marines would roll away from gunfire and grenades. It didn't really help much. In later games they would trade the rolling for actually useful combat behavior, such as firing while taking cover behind objects.
*** Elites would roll away from grenades as well, though one can consider the necessity of it considering Elites had energy shielding. Sometimes they [[ArtificialStupidity would roll off cliffs too]].
*** Instead of flinching and exposing themselves to your fire when you shoot their hand like in the subsequent games, Jackals would roll to the side instead, and this would often be the only time you get a clear shot on one of them other than catching one who's unaware of you.
** In ''VideoGame/HaloReach'', the "Evade" armor ability available to Elites in multiplayer means that players can do this trope as often as they'd like! It's a very useful ability, as it can save your butt if you run into too many enemies at once, are about to get hit by the game's different {{BFG}}s, or, as players figured out in Forge mode/Custom games, [[GoodBadBugs set the speed higher than normal and fly across Forge World in your glitching glory!]]\\
It's a good way to cover ground quickly, too; while the Evade covers less distance than Sprint if both are used until they are depleted, it covers the distance ''faster'', which is important when fighting vehicles or someone with a power weapon. Try sprinting away from a rocket's blast radius. Probably won't work out.
* The Skaarj in ''VideoGame/{{Unreal}}'' have this as a dodge move. It actually helps. Although this is mostly because they [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard automatically dodge-roll every time you fire a rocket at them]].
* Trilby in ''[[VideoGame/ChzoMythos The Art of Theft]]'' can roll to make his way through vents and other openings. It's also useful for getting across open areas quickly. Since the guards take a few seconds to register Trilby's presence, it can be used to get past a guard you're standing close to right after they turn around.
* In the ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' games, a gratuitous rolling dodge is a good way to move around without the combo counter resetting back to zero, which is desirable because longer combos yield more experience points to unlock powers. Essentially the game seem to treat chain-goring one guy, then dodging nothing at all in order to move up to another victim as a single combat event. This can be hilarious to watch.
** Additionally, the winddown can be cancelled by pressing the Square button during a roll (or, in the first game, using the R1 shoulder bash attack) thus making rolling the fastest method of movement. This exploit has so far been in every game of the series, and can also be done in the current show-floor demo of ''Ascension''.
* In ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'', you can roll to get out of the way of a monster's attack, but you can't use it to reliably dodge ''through'' attacks unless you raise the Evade skill, which gives you more invincibility time while rolling. Against any boss monster that knows you're there and can see you, you can do a panic dive by sprinting away from it and attempting to roll. You'll be safe from damage for much longer than when rolling, but it takes a moment to get back up, and against monsters that don't locate you by sight, you can't dive because sprinting away doesn't make your character run in a panic.
* Player characters (and, technically, enemies) in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' who are skilled in acrobatics can perform rolls and flips in order to dodge attacks. Now, much more useful is to engage in the traditional use of rolling in a video game: an unbroken series of Unnecessary Noncombat Rolls that scoot you around the countryside at a pace rivaling that of ''riding a horse.''
** Players can again roll to dodge in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline'', and are often encouraged to in certain situations, as rolling not only displaces you quickly, but also makes every incoming attack, either physical or projectile based, miss. However, the fact that it takes a whole chunk of stamina to do so makes most players think twice before rolling, since that is a resource that can be used for a bunch of other different functions.
* Traditional ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' games invert this trope. Makes sense, as rolling up is an effective technique for real-life hedgehogs.
* ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'''s Samus Aran does unnecessary combat rolls... in midair. At an RPM to make your average Ferrari jealous. Kind of annoying as it makes her hard to control compared to her straight jump, and throws off her aim. But it does activate the [[SpinAttack SCREW ATTACK]] when you get that powerup.
** In the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros series, she does this with her morph ball, making it more useful given how much more mobile it is and is unlikely to get her injured.
** In ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', Samus can do this, in rapid succession even, to dodge attacks, and it even somehow charges her beam instantly.
* In ''VideoGame/QuakeIV'', there is a certain kind of {{Mook}} that will roll toward the player if it comes under heavy fire. This actually makes it easier to kill it with a single shotgun blast.
* Enemies gain the ability to do this in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps''. Justified in that the only enemies who do it are Spetsnaz, who are actually trained to quickly get behind cover in that manner.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'': Megaman Volnutt can dive into an evasive roll that makes him completely invincible. Seriously, he can pass through bullets, flamethrowers, and giagantic laser waves with it. There's a little lag when he comes out of it though and he can only roll to either side of where he's facing, so running is still plain better for getting around.

* Like Volnutt, Franchise/SpyroTheDragon could roll evasively to the left or right in his first game. He wasn't invincible during it, but he could do it as long as he wanted. Most players didn't use it though and it was removed from all future games.
* ''VideoGame/TimeShift'': Soldiers do this a lot, even with an explosive bolt stuck in them.
* A technique found by the titular character in ''VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus'' is a skill that lets you roll through stages. Lampshaded when Bentley says that the creator of the technique could roll faster than she could run.
* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', Commander Shepard can do combat rolls at any point while on a mission, although during combat they're useful for moving between cover and dodging enemy grenades.
** In fact, in multiplayer rolling (though only some people actually roll, there's a wide variety of dodging animations) is considered useful enough that tougher characters lacking such moves are considered by some to be severely handicapped.
* ''VideoGame/DarksidersII's'' roll is a clear example. Since Death runs at a slow speed and Despair is barely ever around, most players resort to rolling, and by the time the game ends, Death's grunts have been drilled into their memories.
* It's even more JustForFun/{{egregious}} in ''VideoGame/JustCause 2'' than most examples, as in most situations, using the [[GrapplingHookPistol grappling hook]] is both faster and more efficient at getting you out of the line of fire than the combat roll will ever be.
* In ''VideoGame/PerfectDarkZero'', you have the ability in-game to roll at any given moment. The rolls are extremely short and generally ridiculous looking, and would be laughably ineffective, if not for the use of one causing an enemy's lock on you to break.
** The mooks have the ability to do it in the original ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'', and it is still woefully ineffective.
* James Bond is given this ability in ''VideoGames/EverythingOrNothing''. It doesn't protect you from fire, but it can help you get from cover to cover quickly. Doing it ''at'' the enemy mooks however is suicidal. Also, if he rolls three times in rapid succession, he'll have to catch himself and hold his knee in apparent pain.
* A constant factor in the ''VideoGame/SyphonFilter'' games is the ability to reduce the risk of getting hit by doing this.
* ''Republic Heroes'', a video-game tie-in to ''WesternAnimation/TheCloneWars'', lets you do this whenever playing as a clone. It looks pretty epic, suffice to say.
* Surprisingly, many ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' games subvert this. Due to the way the AI is designed, rolling your way into a safespot can save you from gunfire on critical situations (assuming you're on a mission [[IFoughtTheLawAndTheLawWon and not fending off the cops]]) . Also, the same AI stupidity also manages to play this trope straight as many [=NPCs=] roll their way straight into your path on an attempt to screw you over with a surprise attack... [[TooDumbToLive giving you enough time to kill them before they even try to shoot you]] ([[UpToEleven and in some games, they make a ''look around for danger'' animation while ''hiding'' behind a wall, easily giving away their location before they even start shooting]])
** This trope is usually averted in the multiplayer of the game. If an enemy player targets you, you can immediatelly roll so that their lock on is removed, giving you enough time to kill them before they kill you. Though, in free aim lobbies where there is no such thing as lock on, this trope gets played pretty straight.
* ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' has more guys like the ones in the above ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded'' example. They run around and flip on the ceiling of a different club, yet, again, they die.
* In most of the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' games where he's playable, Zero can learn a move where he rolls ''with his saber out''. It's completely insane and actually tends to be less useful than his normal dash-slash, but man, does it look cool. (In the ''Zero'' games, if you keep tapping B, you can roll-slash ''continuously'' as long as the terrain and enemies allow. Good thing Reploids don't get dizzy!)
* Parodied in ''VideoGame/{{Jazzpunk}}'': when the protagonist steps through a window to infiltrate a Soviet Consulate, he does a somersault [[MundaneMadeAwesome punctuated by a brass sting]] ''for no reason whatsoever''.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Dex}}'', this is the only movement you're allowed to make with your gun drawn.
* Most characters do this as their dodge in ''VideoGame/LufiaCurseOfTheSinistrals''. Guy and Dekar also perform one as part of their [[GroundPunch special attacks]].
* Lampshaded heavily in Episode 3 of ''VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands'' where you can roll out of the way of a gun, only for the bad guy to mention he can just aim slightly to the side.
* At least one enemy does this in ''VideoGame/OperationWolf''.
* [[Franchise/{{Kirby}} King Dedede]] is able to roll forward as his down-tilt attack in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros for Wii U[=/=]3DS'', from a lounging position. It looks fairly goofy, but it has a quick start up and can often be chained into other rolls.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Sundered}}'', Eshe can avoid all enemy attacks—up to and including getting shot at by a WaveMotionGun—with a well-timed dodge-roll. Taking the Resist path allows the player to upgrade this dodge-roll into Othaloth’s Demise, which damages enemies as Eshe passes through them.
* Dodge-rolling is Corey's special ability in ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami2WrongNumber''. It grants you invincibility frames to help you dodge bullets, useful in a game where everything is a OneHitPointWonder. The Son can choose this ability as one of his loadouts as well.
* Elle in ''VideoGame/AtlasReactor'' has a combat roll ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin called "Combat Roll"]]) as a dash phase move, allowing her to move a single square and then fire her shotgun. Unlike most dashes it is almost useless at dodging damage due to its short range (most dashes cover at least four squares, and many far more than that), and is more useful as an offensive tool.
* The titular Ghost of ''VideoGame/Ghost10'' can roll to pass under certain traps. She can spend skill points in Boogan’s skill tree to take less damage while rolling, and to damage enemies when rolling through them.

* ''{{VideoGame/Warframe}}'' has your frames able to perform a fast forward roll. Not only does it make you move faster, it also has a damage-reducing property to it (best seen with certain damage over time effects). The Mirage frame in particular has a somewhat quicker roll, and recent updates have introduced a mod that grants ''invulnerability'' on a roll, albeit with a cooldown. Due in part to the LeParkour system in-play, rolling into a slide and then bullet-jumping is a popular way to quickly get from Point A to Point B.
* Parodied in ''VideoGame/DetectivePikachu''; Pikachu will occasionally do a combat roll if you use a Pika Prompt, which just means Tim is having a conversation with him. "Just in case!" in his words.

* Parodied by ''VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands''. During an action packed chase scene, Rhys winds up falling on the hood of August’s car, at which point the latter aims a gun at the former. Rhys can then roll out of the way in a QuickTimeEvent, but since he’s on a small platform right in front of his enemy, August immediately notes how all he has to do is slightly alter his aiming before he has a clear shot.

* In the ''WebAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsFriendshipGamesShorts'' episode "Pinkie Spy", Rainbow Dash makes a few quite gratuitous rolls while sneaking on Crystal Prep's sport team. She can't help showing off, even when she's supposed to be stealthy.
* ''WebAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsSummertimeShorts'': In "The Canterlot Movie Club", the CMC gratuitously rolls to move around the theater while looking for Gummy, ignoring the puzzled looks of the employees.

* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'''s YOUTH ROLL, first done by Rose to try and avoid an encounter with her mother.
* Max of ''Webcomic/{{Paranatural}}'' [[http://paranatural.net/comic/chapter-1-page-9/ attempts one]] before first entering his new bedroom.

* In ''Webcomic/AwkwardZombie'', [[http://www.awkwardzombie.com/comic/ready-to-roll this]] is what Roy considers "the most efficient method of self-propelled transportation." Considering [[{{Irony}} he can't actually roll]] in [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade his home game,]] he must've gotten the idea from one of the other ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' fighters, like [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]].

* An episode of Creator/AchievementHunter's ''[[LetsPlay/AchievementHunterGrandTheftAutoSeries Let's Play]] VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' had Ryan attempt to have his character pull this off to evade his car exploding. Still kills him.

* As the website Website/TheAgonyBooth [[http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Star_Trek/the_animated_series/Mudd_s_Passion.aspx put it]] when discussing ''Franchise/StarTrek'', "Even when animated, James T. Kirk never misses the opportunity to do a head roll."
* Any attempt by Ron Stoppable to do one of these usually results in loss of pants, or at least some kind of painful fall. Unsurprisingly, Teen Cheerleader, WesternAnimation/KimPossible can do these and include doing the splits for a finish.

* Done by Creator/AdamWest in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' (the episode where Peter establishes the country of Petoria) so he can get to his desk.

* Attempted once by Finn in ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'', which led him to faceplant into a rock wall.
* Done by Zak Saturday in the first episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretSaturdays''; entering a room after the combat had finished. Forgivable because he is ''11''.
* King Fredrick pulls one off in ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'' "In Like Flynn" when he and Eugene are infiltrating the kingdom of Equis, making Eugene roll his eyes.

* The player can do it in ''VideoGame/{{Oni}}'' - though it actually is justified in that most [[FrickinLaserBeams weapon fire is slow-moving]] and most combat is hand-to-hand.

* Trinity's unnecessary cartwheel through the subway turnstiles in ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions''. Later in the movie, Morpheus, Trinity, and Seraph get into a fight with some guys who can bend gravity. Said guys do things like cartwheeling on the ceiling from cover to cover. [[RealityEnsues They die.]]

* Parodied by ''VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderpansa''. During an action packed chase scene, Rhys winds up falling on the hood of August’s car, at which point the latter aims a gun at the former. Rhys can then roll out of the way in a QuickTimeEvent, but since he’s on a small platform right in front of his enemy, August immediately notes how all he has to do is slightly alter his aiming before he has a clear shot.

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks, rolling too much causes Link to get dizzy, likely in response to the players who abused the rolling from previous games.

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'''s Link has been able to do this in most of the games, and it's usually the fastest way to move, resulting in most people [[ButtonMashing constantly mashing the roll button about 99% of their total time spent playing the game]]. In the 3D games Link can perform a variety of other dodges including sidesteps, backsteps, and back''flips''.

* Played for laughs in ''Series/{{Community}}''. In the more action-oriented episodes like Recap/CommunityS1E23ModernWarfare, Jeff Winger has a tendency to get into cover by doing a leaping forward roll.

* In ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', Geordi [=LaForge=] does a IndyHatRoll once while... passing under a slow closing door that was barely halfway shut. This "Epic Geordi Maneuver" became the page image for that trope and a RunningGag on Website/{{YTMND}}: http://epicgeordi.ytmnd.com/

'''Jason:''' ...Shoot!\\
-->-- Movie/GalaxyQuest

->''"It is impossible to punch or kick someone while they are rolling. Try to time your somersaults so that you pass through your opponent's attempts to hit you."''
-->-- [[http://www.gamesradar.com/use-our-universal-guide-to-beat-any-game/?page=3 Advice for a fighting game]]

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' (more so in Snake's ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' appearance), it's more of a tackle than a roll, and can actually be pretty useful...or just [[RuleOfCool Roll Of--]], excuse me, ''[[RuleOfCool Rule]]'' [[RuleOfCool Of Cool]]. One possible way to beat Null in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Portable Ops'' is to roll under Null's sword swing and then immediately blast him with your shotgun as he just blocks everything else with his machete.

* Enemies gain the ability to do this in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps''. Justified (see RealLife below) in that the only enemies who do it are Spetsnaz.

* The so called "dive roll" seen in many an action fill is actually based on real life martial arts techniques. Known as "falling techniques", the idea is to both reduce/prevent injury, and to get back to your feet as fast as possible. The key idea here, is that it is a ''recovery'' technique, not some fancy attack skill.