Line #113 Main/AirJousting


1	[[quoteright:350:[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikerS https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/air_jousting.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: No horses required.]]
3
4	->''"We've completed analysis of the enemy craft. Codename: Morgan. This plane is protected by an ECM defense system. Its only weak point is in the front air intake. You'll have to attack it head-on."''
5	-->-- '''AWACS Eagle Eye''' on the FinalBoss, ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar''
6
7	A FightScene trope applied to two characters that can fly without using some sort of vehicle. Air Jousting involves two combatants flying at each other at high speed and smashing together, much like Medieval knights on horses and can also be applied to characters riding flying mounts, such as [[DragonRider dragons]]. If the combatants have weapons that resemble actual lances it becomes even more like jousting. If both are covered with a SphereOfPower then they'll bounce off each other like very destructive glowing ping-pong balls.
8
9	This is very common in {{shonen}} series, and is a logical application of FlyingBrick powers, and likely to overlap with BeamSpam and BeamOWar. If used to end the fight then it overlaps with SingleStrokeBattle. If combined with GunFu it's likely an especially bizarre example of ShortRangeLongRangeWeapon.
10
11	Contrary to popular belief, head-on attacks were almost never a part of real-life {{Old School Dogfight}}s (though there were exceptions, such as US airmen flying P-40 Warhawks against the Japanese), as it was an extremely risky maneuver that left both combatants exposed to fire and provided only a brief opportunity to line up a shot, and to boot ran the risk of a fatal MidairCollision (a very real concern with subsonic WWI/WWII fighters). An "energy" attack might be a straight line, but involves attacking from the side or behind with a speed and/or altitude advantage, rather than jousting head-on. However, this behavior makes ''much'' less sense for characters with magical flying powers that allow them to turn completely around, flying backwards or sideways (even briefly) while maintaining their current direction and velocity.
12
13	SisterTrope to MotorcycleJousting.
14
15	See Also HighAltitudeBattle and FreeFallFight.
16	----
17	!!Examples:
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19	[[foldercontrol]]
20
21	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
22	* Battles throughout the entire ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' franchise are a lot like this when two monsters are of equal power, and at least one or two intro's per series feature a stylized bout of Air Jousting.
23	* Much of the combat in ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' has the fighters floating high up in the sky.
24	* ''Anime/MyOtome'' uses this a lot between the titular Otome, though a few have other melee capabilities.
25	* Aerial battles in the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' were often more interesting than this, given that the characters ''could'', in fact, turn around or fly backwards. It only got very lazy and commonplace for the third season, to skimp out on better choreography.
26	* They were very frequent in the ''Mazinger'' saga:
27	** ''Anime/MazingerZ'': [[BigBad Dr. Hell]] started sending flying [[{{Robeast}} Mechanical Beasts]] after Kouji and Mazinger-Z as soon as the episode 19. Mazinger got a MidSeasonUpgrade to grant him flight capabilities in episode 34, and in that same episode Kouji got his first aerial battle (Against Genocyder F9). Throughout the whole series he had many climatic aerial duels against flying enemies like Kirma K5 (who used hit-and-fly-off tactics) or Jeiser J1 (that could easily blast Mazinger away, was impervious to his weapons and forget Kouji to chase it across the sky in spite of Mazinger was nearly out of power and the cockpit was smoking).
28	** ''Anime/GreatMazinger'': The titular SuperRobot was able to fly, and one of the hosts of the enemy army was comprised of bird-alike AnimalMecha specialised in this kind of battles. Aerial duels were constant, the first happening in the first episode and the last of them in the last episode.
29	** ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'': The titular HumongousMecha could [[CombiningMecha combining with a space-ship]], and the enemy army mainly used mini-ufos and {{Robeast}}s [[TransformingMecha that often were capable to transform into large flying saucers]], and all of them were carried in huge starships. Hence, nearly every episode had a major or minor dog fight. One of the most awesome moments in the series happened when [[TheHero Duke]] played a game of chicken with [[CoDragons Blackie's]] mothership (and won, blasting the ship with all Grendizer's beam weapons at once and then [[RammingAlwaysWorks ramming through it]]).
30	* Done many times in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi''.
31	* Used all the time in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', especially after Zangetsu pointed out to Ichigo that Soul Reapers can solidify spirit particles beneath their feet to walk on air.
32	** The Fake Karakura Town arc is entirely this, particularly where the captains and Aizen are involved.
33	* ''Anime/HeavyMetalLGaim'': There were many aerial duels among mechas in this series since the first episodes.
34	* ''Manga/OnePiece'' features literal air jousting- two knights on giant birds with lances bouncing around the sky like this.
35	* Some battles in the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' movies are like this, especially [[Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie Mew versus Mewtwo]] and in ''[[Anime/PokemonTheRiseOfDarkrai The Rise Of Darkrai]]'', in which the effects of Dialga and Palkia repeatedly ramming each other in battle is a plot point.
36	** Some battles in the show also qualify. One opening theme features Ash's Swellow doing this against a Skarmory.
37	* ''Anime/SCryEd'': In the later stages of the series, the two [[EnemyMine protagonists]] engage in this.
38	* In ''Anime/BtX'', Teppei prescribes to this strategy. It doesn't always work, although once X starts using his Super Mode it becomes a lot more effective.
39	* Takes place during the [=FLClimax=] of ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'' in a final battle between Haruko and Naota (who is actually Atomisk)
40	* ''Space'' jousting, effectively, in ''Anime/StellviaOfTheUniverse'', where Bianca pilots play the game.
41	* Heavily abused in most ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' shows, which often have two characters wielding [[LaserBlade beam sabers]] fly at each other and attack, always being blocked. So they try a few more times possibly before maybe thinking to do something else.
42	** ''Invoked'' in ''Gundam 00'''s second episode in the second season. When the newly activated 00 frags one of the enemy Aheads with a single shot, the other throws [[JustifiedTrope a gas grenade that disperses energy beams]], expecting the Gundam to come into melee range where the Ahead can kill it with it's lance. The 00 pulls out it's GN Blade, [[CurbstompBattle barrels right through the cloud and with a single strike, cuts the Ahead's lance and the mecha's torso in two]].
43	* ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'' had a bit of this, and actually contributed one of the most defining images of the concept - a splash panel of Ken and Shin, performing leaping kicks at each other, with their leading legs crossed.
44	* The eponymous Manga/{{Yaiba}} does that if he has to face a flying opponent. Usually with a little help from Shonosuke and later with the Ryujin Katana.
45	* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': The most memorable example involves Sasuke and Naruto flying at each other with their respective signature techniques.
46	** Many knife fights happen mid-fall or mid-super-leap. The collision can send the opponents flying apart, but often they will somehow manage to overcome the Law of Equal and Opposite Reactions and keep clashing blades.
47	* ''Manga/FairyTail'': The second opening sequence has Natsu and Gajeel doing this.
48	* Happens a fair few times in ''Anime/TransformersCybertron'', often because running at each other isn't cool enough for the most powerful attacks, so they also lift their user a small distance into the air. But the clearly-in-midair variant happens a fair few times too.
49	* Seems to be the main form of robot-''vs''-robot combat in ''Anime/{{Gigantor}}'', the eponymous character being remarkably good at it. Many episodes would culminate in Gigantor and his foe of the week (in one case, an EvilTwin made from stolen blueprints) hurling themselves at one another in the air and bouncing off with varying amounts of damage (to the bad guy, anyway; Gigantor never seemed to get so much as a scratch) but immediately curving around to do it again. And again. And again, until the villainous robot was reduced to scrap metal.
50	* In ''Anime/TekkamanBlade'', Tekkamen fighting with Tek Lances generally fight like this thanks to their flight capabilities.
51	* ''Manga/{{Remina}}'': Once Planet Remina licks the Earth and makes the planet spin out of control, it's Remina and The Hobo vs. most of humankind.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Comic Books]]
55	* ''ComicBook/{{Thorgal}}'' has space jousting, with two guys on jetbikes with tridents. ItMakesSenseInContext, as the two duellers are fighting to decide whether they return to Earth as gods among men or live in hiding.
56	* ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'': Many of the aerial battles between Viltrumites end up like this, thanks to them being a race of {{Flying Brick}}s. One of the most noteworthy moments of this is the fight between [[BigBad Thragg]] and [[BloodKnight Battle Beast]], who fight a bloody, gruesome battle for days.
57	* ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'':
58	** ''ComicBook/TheCondemnedLegionnaires'': During their first battle, ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} and [[EnemyWithout Satan Girl]] repeatedly fly towards and smash into each other.
59	** ComicBook/PowerGirl tries to pull this off as fighting [[EvilKnockoff Divine]] in ''[[ComicBook/PowerGirl2009 her 2009 series]]'', but the crash and the ensuing shockwave hurt both combatants.
60	* In the ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'' adaptation of ''Literature/TheStainlessSteelRat'', "Slippery Jim" [=diGriz=] lands on a FeudalFuture planet and finds the nobility jousting with flying motorbikes. He finds this rather dull and quickly adds his own unique spin.
61	-->'''Jouster:''' 'Pon my word! The chap's upside down! Is that allowed in the rules?\
62	'''Slippery Jim:''' Course it isn't, you snark! [[AintNoRule Nobody's ever bothered]] to '''write''' any rules!
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:Fan Works]]
66	* ''Manga/Evangelion303'': Asuka and Mari's duel in chapter 15 was a blend of OldSchoolDogFight (where each one tried to strike from behind) and this (where both flew at and strifed each other). [[http://eva303.smackjeeves.com/comics/2056794/001/ Reinforced by the chapter's title: "Joust!"]]
67	* There is a skewed example in Creator/AAPessimal's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' tale ''Gap Year Adventures'', where rival superpowers Klatch and Ankh-Morpork are both developing their own sort-of-an Air Force. both monitor their rival air users in their own airspace, in a manner reminiscent of Nato and Warsaw Pact planes shadowing each other. Ankh-Morpork's winged horses are shadowed by Klatchian magic carpets while on agreed flight paths over Klatch. A Klatchian carpet pilot and an Ankh-Morporkian {{Pegasus}} rider decide to have a little fun by engaging in a mock dogfight over a remote oasis settlement, watched by people on the ground. The epic fic ''Fanfic/ThePriceOfFlight'' develops these themes further.
68	* ''Fanfic/AceCombatEquestriaChronicles'': Done by Rainbow Dash and [[spoiler:Gilda]] in chapter 20, recreating the [[VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar final duel between Cipher and Pixy]].
69	* ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy'': ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} and [[EnemyWithout Satan Girl]] constantly smash against each other during their aerial battles.
70	-->They tumbled away from the gravitational pull of the planet they had landed on, and kept fighting in the void. They smashed at each other, kicked, chopped, and catfought, and each of their blows would have torn the side out of a mountain.
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
74	* ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'': In the third act, [[TheHero Jack]] and [[BigBad Pitch]] swoop at one another through the air; Jack even has his staff for a lance. [[spoiler:Pitch]] [[CurbStompBattle makes rather quick work of his opponent]].
75	[[/folder]]
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77	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
78	* ''Film/{{Eragon}}''. The last battle involves the titular hero on his dragon against the BigBad's henchman on his own flying mount. [[spoiler:Played even straighter when Saphira uses her tail to throw Eragon at the said henchman, knocking him off his mount so they can continue their fight in the air on the way down.]]
79	* Neo and Agent Smith, several times in their final battle at the end of ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions''.
80	* Played for laughs in ''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina'' as the two sword fighting characters do it several times in the same fight, and even funnier when they both fly alongside each other and fight the entire time, with Rain giving Wang a look of surprise when they land at the fact he was able to keep up. Rain pushes his luck with this too much, however, and is done in when Wang just [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks throws his sword through his guts]] while Rain is jumping through the air and unable to dodge.
81	* A version is done in the ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing'' film, where the Eagles come at the battle at the Black Gate to grapple in the air with the Ringwraiths.
82	* In the 2008 film ''Film/{{The Incredible Hulk\|2008}}'', the climactic battle between the Hulk and the Abomination begins this way.
83	* Briefly in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' during Anakin and Obi-Wan's duel, the two attack each other while swinging on cables.
84	* Superman and General Zod take to the skies of Metropolis during their final skirmish in ''Film/ManOfSteel''. Zod even attempts a spinning throw on Superman in mid-air.
85	* A one-sided version in the 1979 Disney comedy ''A Spaceman in King Arthur's Court''. The eponymous astronaut, having lost an actual joust to Sir Mordred earlier, confronts him in the final battle wearing a JetPack and using a mop knocks down Sir Mordred and all the men lined up behind him like dominoes.
86	* ''Film/WinnerTakesAll'' has a fight scene where the two heroes, wearing {{Jet Pack}}s, battles an assassin (wearing a similar pack) over a set of [[TheGroundIsLava electrified floor panels]].
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Literature]]
90	* It's an Abh children's game in the ''Literature/CrestOfTheStars'' series. Lafiel was very good at it.
91	* The ''Literature/DragonJousters'' series by Creator/MercedesLackey has a form of this. It's mostly a bunch of dragons flying around each other and their riders occasionally whacking each other with hardened papyrus lances. The point of the entire thing was to knock your opponent out of the air so that he'd fall to a nasty death below. [[DeathFromAbove And then go after the enemy's ground forces]].
92	* ''Dragonmaster'', a series of novels about military {{Dragon Rider}}s, {{Lampshades}} the AwesomeButImpractical aspect of this as the riders try to figure out how to use the dragons as anything more than airborne recon. Ultimately, they decide on using crossbows (which ironically makes them skirt ImprobableAimingSkills territory).
93	* The ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' series features this several times, and it's where the series name comes from. The titular dragonlances are blessed by a chief god of good, but even so it's hard to see why they're really ''that'' much more dangerous than an actual dragon, especially when dragons have breath weapons...
94	** In game, Dragonlances allowed the user to add their entire hitpoint total to the damage inflicted if they hit a dragon. Used mounted, you added your own hitpoints and the mounts. If you're a reasonable level, on the back of any reasonably powerful good dragon, you could one-shot any evil dragon with a single blow. (First Edition AD&D dragons were woefully underpowered and had lousy hitpoints, even the biggest baddest evil dragon topped out at 88HP, which a 6th level fighter could reach with good rolls and a high con bonus)
95	* In the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' spinoff book ''Literature/QuidditchThroughTheAges'', "shuntbumps" is mentioned, a game that is essentially jousting on broomsticks (with no weapon but the broom itself), at the time of the stories only a children's game.
96	* A DiscussedTrope in the ''Literature/XWingSeries''. Since there isn't very much cover in space, barring a ground-based engagement or a sudden deployment by carrier, every battle between starfighters involves a "head-to-head" phase. The accepted wisdom is that head-to-heads favor New Republic starfighters (which have DeflectorShields and typically carry missiles), whereas the greater maneuverability of the light Imperial fighters have an advantage in the "furball" that follows.
97	* Depicted in one of the ''Literature/{{Dinotopia}}'' books, with Skybaxes and their riders.
98	* ''Literature/ChronicleOfTheUnhewnThrone'': An awesome scene in ''The Providence of Fire''. When Valyn calls the bird he captured from Sami Yurl, ostensibly to escape Assare, the Flea's flyer, Chi Hoai Mi immediately attacks from above with her bird. At this point, Valyn calls Suant'ra, his own kettral, who then attacks her from above in the same way, and throws her into the valley, although later it is revealed that both she and her bird survived.
99	* ''Literature/RebuildWorld'': The fight between Akira and Lattice ends up as this, with Akira using his A3 Sylpheed CoolBike that makes force field ImprovisedPlatform paths to allow limited flight, and Lattice using a set of PoweredArmor equipped with a jet pack, both using SwordAndGun and having DeflectorShields.
100	* In ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'', a large portion of battles in Alfheim Online involves aerial fights where players take to the skies with their fairy wings and clash with blades or magic. Kirito has a particularly dramatic one against General Eugene.
101	[[/folder]]
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103	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
104	* The Eldar of ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' have jetbike-mounted troops armed with energy lances. One of the Craftworlds, Saim-Hann, goes so far as to have an army consisting mostly of bike troops who settle their disputes with jetbike duels.[[note]]They're supposed to be to first blood as with all Eldar duels, but those on Saim-Hann are just too stubborn to admit defeat and often get themselves killed by trying to re-do the duel multiple times.[[/note]]
105	* Its medieval counterpart, ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' gives this ability to flying creatures and mounts.
106	* Naturally, this is what the titular weapons in the ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' setting are all about. Subverted in that the dragons are quite capable fighters on their own -- sometimes more so than their riders.
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109	[[folder:Video Games]]
110	* ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'' uses this in the FinalBattle to tie into its heavy use of [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Arthurian motifs]]. The "arrowhead attacks" (mentioned in the Real Life section) are the method you use to beat the final boss of the game. After dodging lasers and burst missiles in the first two stages of the fight, you need to take down the enemy "[[GameBreaker superfighter]]" ADFX-02 Morgan by shooting missiles (or your own lasers) into the Morgan's air-intakes, which are only accessible through a head-on battle as its electromagnetic jammer will make missiles fired at the rear of the plane or at angle veer off target. When you consider the Arthurian influences in this game, it seems more like a traditional joust rather than arrowhead attacks. (While an arrowhead attack can be done in the ''Ace Combat'' games, this final boss is the only point where this ''has'' to be done.) The [[CoolPlane ADFX-02 Morgan]] also has a thin laser beam as a weapon, which could be seen as a modern aircraft's version of a lance.
111	* ''VideoGame/ChildrenOfADeadEarth'' shows us that this is what space combat will be like in real life. Just replace the lances with MoreDakka.
112	* Later entries in the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' franchise will introduce airborne boss fights that will introduce a story reason as to why you can fly, and you engage in combat with them. Sora and co. seem to learn this skill naturally in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' and ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', by utilizing their keyblades to propel themselves in midair. This is most prominent for the final bosses of both games and a DLC boss in [=KH3=], [[spoiler:Xemnas, Xehanort, and Armored Xehanort]] respectively.
113	** Best exemplified by Sora's moveset in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', where Sonic Blade (a jousting move that could only be performed on the ground in the first few games) can now be used in mid-air and even chained into after Aerial Sweep (Sora's Up-B).
114	* In the GBA-game ''VideoGame/AstroBoyOmegaFactor'', where Astro Boy fights an airborne joust against Blue Knight. Requires careful timing.
115	* This is the basis of the 80s arcade video game ''VideoGame/{{Joust}}'' by Williams (which was also released on the Platform/Atari2600), factoring in altitude as the key to victory.
116	** Two years later, Nintendo would release ''VideoGame/BalloonFight'', the company's take on Joust, first as a VS System arcade game, then as an early NES title.
117	** Also served as the basis for an unauthorized remake on the Mac, titled ''Glypha''.
118	** The Cataclysm expansion to ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' added a ShoutOut mini-game in [[LethalLavaLand the Firelands]].
119	* Air Jousting is also one of the basic air-to-air engagement tactic in ''VideoGame/AceOnline''. B-Gears equipped with Air Bombing Mode will find that this tactic ''works'', and it ''works'' '''well''', [[GameBreaker especially]] with the low-reattack-but-heavy-damage-disher Bawoo-type missiles.
120	* Literal example in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'', flying characters will do this.
121	* Not quite at high speed, but the world 6 boss battle in ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'' involves the players and Bowser Jr both riding Clown Cars like the one from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' and trying to send each other flying into electric fences in mid air.
122	* Most combat involving small craft in the ''VideoGame/EscapeVelocity'' series becomes ''[[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace Space]]'' Jousting. Especially the Thunderhead and its primary weapon, the Thunderhead Lance. If you want big craft doing space jousting, then it's Thunderforge time.
123	** Nearly Polaris spacecraft and all Vell-os craft come with a beam weapon (the Bio-Relay laser or the much more powerful but energy-draining Capacitor Pulse laser) too. However, Vell-os ships are inertia-less, which makes jousting effectively impossible as they can neither strafe nor coast.
124	* Can happen to some degree in ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy''. The two characters can air dash right into each other but once they make impact, they bounce off each other and become momentarily stunned as if parried. Even more so if doing Kain vs Kain.
125	* Possible in the multiplayer mode of ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' by giving everybody [[JetPack jet packs]] and limiting weapons to the [[LaserBlade Energy Sword]] and theGravity Hammer. It's just as awesome as it sounds.
126	* In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLordsOfShadow'', the PressXToNotDie segments of the final battle involve Air Jousting with [[spoiler:Satan]].
127	* The ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' computer game, ''VideoGame/DragonStrike'', was a dragon flight simulator where you battled enemy dragons and other flying monsters using a lance and the dragon's breath weapon.
128	* In the first ''[[VideoGame/StarFox1 Star Fox]]'' for the {{Platform/SNES}}, the first battle with the [[http://starfox.neoseeker.com/wiki/Great_Commander Great Commander]] involves both it and Fox Air Jousting repeatedly.
129	* In the Doomwood II finale from ''VideoGame/AdventureQuestWorlds'', [[spoiler:Drakath and Gravelyn engage in one of these over the skies of Battleon as you throw down with the Doomblade-possessed armor of Sepulchure]].
130	* This trope is at the root of the AI's tactics in the ''[[VideoGame/{{X}} X-Universe]]'', which consist of flying straight at the target while firing, banking away to avoid collisions ([[ArtificialStupidity and failing frequently]]), then turning around and doing it all over again. When fighters do it, you wind up with an OldSchoolDogfight. With capital ships, you get {{Standard Starship Scuffle}}s.
131	* It's obvious that ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden's'' Ryu Hayabusa and his dad]] has skipped that class in training school, given as how they both suck at it in the Original Trilogy.
132	* Neo and Smith in ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' can both fly during the last levels, they mainly consist of either this trope in either a small or huge amount.
133	* This is how the weapon-wielding characters in ''VideoGame/KillerQueen'' fight. The mechanics are deliberately similar to those of ''VideoGame/{{Joust}}''.
134	* ''VideoGame/LostSoulAside'': The gameplay demo shows Kazer capable of sweeping enemies off their feet with his attacks, and keeping them suspended in mid-air when keeping up a combo counter.
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
138	* This trope forms the very core of the combat within ''VisualNovel/FullMetalDaemonMuramasa''. The clashes between the armor wearing musha all take place in the sky with the combatants crashing into one another to try and deliver a killing blow. Unlike most examples however the story goes into deep detail about why this is a thing as well as the intricacies of the fighting itself, the importance of various weapons and stance, high ground advantage and even the historical aspects to how history and warfare have been shaped by this style of combat.
139	[[/folder]]
140
141	[[folder:Webcomics]]
142	* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': Halfway through "Dave: Abscond", the Striders' ventriloquist katana rap-off sends Dave flying through the air and a good portion of the fight from there involves him fending off his bro's attack mid-air without losing any altitude.
143	%%ZCE** A version appears [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=002771 here]]. Granted, it's technically supposed to be a series of [[FlashStep Flash Jumps]], but we're talking RuleOfCool territory here.
144	* ''Webcomic/MyBestFriendMarneao'': The demons can fly, making Marneao fight against demons in the sky. The battle between [[PunchClockVillain Nagore]] and [[FriendlyEnemy Giancarlo]] take place in the air, with the last one being about Marneao facing his former master, who was a demonic bird who looked like [[WesternAnimation/RegularShow Mordecai]].
145	* ''Webcomic/PokemonFestivalOfChampions'': Swanna and Espeon engage one another, with the latter using Psychic on a tree to match her speed.
146	[[/folder]]
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148	[[folder:Web Original]]
149	* ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'' abbreviates this trope to 'jousting' and lists it in one of his videos in the 'Top 11 Coolest Cliches'.
150	* ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'':
151	** ''[[VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Ryu Hayabusa]] vs. [[VideoGame/{{Strider}} Strider Hiryu]]'' has an airborne SingleStrokeBattle serve as the climax, [[MythologyGag in the style of the one from the opening cutscene of the original]] ''Ninja Gaiden''. [[spoiler:Strider gets the better of Ryu, and immediately finishes him off with a Ragnarok]].
152	** ''[[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles Leonardo]] vs. [[Franchise/PowerRangers Red Ranger Jason]]'' ends with a similar SingleStrokeBattle, with a twist. [[spoiler:Jason, who started said Single Stroke Battle on the ground, [[FlashStep Flash Jumps]] above the airborne Leonardo, survives a handful of shuriken that Leonardo throws at him, and wins the airborne BladeLock by [[WreckedWeapon slicing through Leonardo's katana]] before [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe slicing him in two at chest-level]] when they hit the ground]].
153	[[/folder]]
154
155	[[folder:Western Animation]]
156	* ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} sometimes resorts to this in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', especially in the episode "The Return". Franchise/{{Superman}} also uses this against [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] in "The Clash", and the collision makes the windows on several nearby buildings shatter.
157	* In keeping with the knightly theme of the world in ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'', air jousting is an actual sport practiced by the Sky Knights of Atmos.
158	* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'', ComicBook/{{Superboy}} does this several times against [[PsychoPrototype Match]] in the episode "Agendas"
159	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'' episode "St. Smurf And The Dragon", a few Smurfs take to the air riding on Feathers the crane and armed with a lance to pierce Gargamel's hot-air balloon as the evil wizard uses a baby dragon's fire breath to attack the Smurfs.
160	[[/folder]]
161
162	[[folder:Real Life]]
163	* There is something similar in aerial dogfights, called "arrowhead attacks". Both sides rush head on against each other, readying to fire missiles. Firing too soon will mean the other guy will move out of the way and counterattack you; firing too late means your missiles won't be able to lock on. Assuming that the opposing fighter doesn't shoot you, there's also the dangerous possibility of a plane-to-plane collision. This maneuver can be used to take down rookies, but it's highly impractical against aces or veterans.
164	** Head-on guns attacks, contrary to the above description, were recognized in WWI as being a last-ditch tactic when you could not maneuver into an advantageous position, both because it exposed you to your opponent's fire while shooting, and because the opponent's bullets would be hitting your engine, with the increased potential for damage. Read, for example, the ''Dicta Boelcke''; the fifth rule is ''In any type of attack, it is essential to assail your opponent from behind.'' Rule 1 -- ''Try to secure the upper hand before attacking. If possible, keep the sun behind you'' -- and Rule 3 -- ''Open fire only at close range, and then only when the opponent is squarely in your sights'' -- also emphasized maneuver and position, not blindly racing directly toward your opponent as they race toward you. The position that a fighter pilot sought against an opponent was behind, slightly below, and close in; the [[KnightInShiningArmor Knights of the Air]] stereotype derived from the chivalry exhibited between fighter pilots, as contrasted against the conditions and actions of the ground war.
165	** On the other hand, US fighters in the Pacific, especially the P-38 Lightning, did this to the point of being intentionally taught to do it in training. This is because American planes tended to be either a MightyGlacier or a LightningBruiser, while Japanese ones were usually a FragileSpeedster and/or a GlassCannon. Thus, head-on attacks gave the US plane, which could take multiple attacks from their Japanese rivals in any direction without much worry and could take down a Japanese plane in a single burst, a notable edge, to the point where, while Japanese Zero pilots were trained to never atttack American plans head-on even with a numeric advantage, American P-38 Lightning pilots were trained to react to an enemy attack by turning into it to return fire.
166	** The P-38 was especially good at this trope because it's a twin-engine fighter with all its guns right on its center, giving it better accuracy than most dogfighters who either had very few weapons or put them in the wings, where they would have to be pointed in slightly so they intersect at a set distance, giving them a very [[ArbitraryWeaponRange specific range of effectiveness]].
167	* A real-life incident occurred in 1942 with Dauntless dive-bomber pilot Stanley "Swede" Vejtasa. He was his flight's sole survivor of an ambush by Japanese Zero fighter planes and was forced into a dogfight with the enemy aircraft. Two of the Zeros penned him in, forcing him to take one head-on or the other Zero would be able to shoot him. It ended with him having a minor mid-air collision with one of the Japanese planes. A documentary on the incident can be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEnDjwXnj3Y viewed here.]]
168	* The WWII combat manoeuvre called the Thach Weave ''depended'' on the head on attack, the idea being that if the enemy fighter came down on your tail, you turn towards your buddy; this was the signal for ''him'' to take a head-on shot at the Japanese fighter. It worked in part because the Americans had been taught deflection shooting over the "get in so close you can't miss" method and also because the Japanese fighters were so lightly constructed that the .50-cal machine guns on American fighters only needed a few hits at most, while the heavily armored American planes could take the return fire from a single sweep by a Zero without much worry. The maneuver was developed by and named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Thach John S. Thach]], as a counter to the much more agile Zero fighters. And it was extremely effective. Even if the the Wildcat pilot missed his target, the Zero pilots would be forced to pull off before they could fire.
169	* Also during World War II was the theoretical tactic of bringing down bombers by ramming them with a fighter. It was eventually abandoned, though not before it had happened several times.
170	** In 1945, the now-desperate Germans deployed ''Sonderkommando Elbe'', an all-volunteer unit of rookie pilots whose mission was to ram American bombers with their stripped-down Messerschmitt Bf-109s. Although obviously very risky, the pilots were supposed to use their wings as a scythe, then bail out after the collision. The effort was a colossal failure, with two American bombers brought down, four more damaged (out of over a thousand in the air that day), and ''Sonderkommando Elbe'' utterly annihilated.
171	* Towards the very end of WWII, it became common practice for the Imperial Japanese Air Force to have Mitsubishi [=G4M=] "Betty" bombers guarded by [=A6M=] Zeroes, especially once the Kamikaze Ohka rocket planes were brought into operation - the plan was to have these Zeroes shoot down any attacking aircraft that attempted to go after the bomber, but if gunfire failed, aerial ramming was considered a viable option, in line with the desperation of the Japanese military during the final months of the Pacific Theater.
172	** American bombers (and some British ones) were notoriously equipped with MoreDakka, with waist gunners, tail gunners, ball turret gunners, and dorsal turret gunners firing in all directions, with the bombardier or the navigator firing another gun in the glass nose. German pilots quickly figured out that it was much safer to attack the bomber formations head-on because it gave the gunners less time to shoot back (if a bomber is travelling 250 knots, and a fighter is travelling at 350 knots, then a head-on attack has a closing speed of 600 knots versus a six-o-clock attack's closing speed of only 100 knots), and most of the Bomber's guns weren't pointed forwards. While a mid-air collision was not the ''intent'' of this maneuver, it was a widely acknowledged risk, and it wasn't unheard of for German pilots to begin their attack run [[ThisIsGonnaSuck and close their eyes so they wouldn't have to watch.]] Later American bombers added a chin turret and two machine guns in "cheek" positions to deal with the head-on assaults.
173	*** Rookie German pilots were actually ''told'' to close their eyes while attacking American heavy bomber formations from any angle. Each "combat box" of B-17s or B-24s consisted of anywhere from 12 to 30 planes in a formation that maximized each gunner's field of fire and ensured that every bomber was covered by the guns of the rest. A single fighter could have over ''a hundred'' .50 caliber machine guns spitting hot death at his face. The experience was [[NightmareFuel pants-shittingly terrifying]] for the young men on both sides. American kill claims were always greatly exaggerated because each fighter shot down was the target of fifty gunners on twenty different planes who each claimed the kill, but they still took a heavy toll on the Luftwaffe. Of course, the Germans also tore up the bombers pretty badly.
174	*** Later iterations of the B-17 and B-24 took this tactic into consideration, and thusly started emphasizing focus on frontal-mounted machine gun positions. For example, the "G" model of the Flying Fortress incorporated a chin-mounted .50 caliber turret along with another two 50's located on cheek mounts on either side of the bombardier position. This, coupled with the upper turret's guns (the aft-mounted ball turret could traverse to a forward position, but was too far back and blocked by the chin turret) brought the forward gun count up to a whopping ''six'' .50 caliber machine guns to bring to bear on an unfortunate Luftwaffe pilot. Sometimes, bomber pilots would jury rig ''additional'' machine guns, [[FixedForwardFacingWeapon fixed forward and aimed with a makeshift sight in the cockpit,]] to further enhance their planes' firepower.
175	* During the German invasion of Poland in WWII there were several documented cases of Polish pilots, once their ammunition had been expended, ramming German fighters and then bailing out (which was far easier in the Polish PZL P.11s than it was for Germans).
176	* During the August 1, 1943 "Tidal Wave" bombing raid over Romania (which ended in a flop), a Romanian pilot who saw his IAR-80 fighter without ammo and burning, set it on a ramming course towards an attacking B-24 and opened the hatch to jump. It's actually unclear what happened afterwards (he was thrown out either before or ''after'' the fighter rammed the bomber and went clean through it), [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou the pilot being found badly wounded in a very large haystack]]. He was still alive as of 2003. The IAR-80 had been found (practically like a smashed metal shell) on the ground, [[MadeOfIron after burning and flying through another plane]].
177	* Head on attacks would occur on a regular basis as a "merge" as the two forces would engage . After your first pass "merge" you would then attempt to get on the enemies "six".
178	* Naturally, plenty of flying animals battle each other in flight, where they are in their element.
179	** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_goose Egyptian geese]] make such 'dogfights' their speciality - highly territorial birds, their main strategy when attacking intruders is to fly straight at them with the intent of crashing them out of the sky; [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCBZX38Vj1Y they'll even attack human objects, such as drones or remote-controlled model aircraft]] to enforce their 'air superiority'.
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Context Main / AirJousting