Line #14 Main/NoIAmBehindYou


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4	[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/BusoRenkin https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tooslow1_2832.jpg]]]]
5
6	Alice suddenly appears behind Bob, and is ready to attack him. When he notices, she says "I am behind you!" Bob then performs a FlashStep, reversing their relative positions. "No, I Am Behind You."
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8	A case of RuleOfCool most of the time, as it would logically require more time and effort to do this instead of just turning around and attacking your opponent.
9
10	A {{subtrope}} of FlashStep. Almost certain to cause a SnapToTheSide or an OhCrap expression. Not to be confused with RightBehindMe, which is about having someone surprised about who is right behind them in a non-combat situation.
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12	----
13	!!Examples:
14	[[foldercontrol]]
15	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
16	* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' is renowned for doing this. Repeatedly. To meme-creating levels, in fact. It even has a [[http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/1082277/img/1082277.jpg montage]] dedicated to it.
17	** The anime creators even noticed and created a comedy sketch at the end of one episode showing a FlashStep grudge-match between Byakuya and [=LeRoux=]. Through repeated application of this trope, they end up travelling backwards out of the room they started in, all the way through Las Noches, and right across the desert outside. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZZcUdIdAt0 Observe.]]
18	* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
19	** Kakashi does this to Zabuza during the fight on the river, although with the number of doppelgängers and illusions the characters throw about you'd expect this to be really frequent...
20	** Some ''Naruto'' video games permit you to do this with the push of a button, usually the same one as block. With careful timing, a fight can turn into an endless repetition of Smoke, Log, Punch!
21	* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': Kenshin defeats an early opponent this way, by baiting the much bigger opponent into a round of chasing each other into circles with a game of "behind you!", and each time they go around Kenshin made the circle smaller. Eventually, the much larger opponent's body couldn't take it any more and his knees gave out. Cue one very painful ankle-snapping.
22	** Kenshin flashes behind his opponent, who then calls him out on dishonorably preparing to attack from behind. This causes Kenshin to hesitate, giving the surprisingly swift guy the opportunity to eat his own words and flash behind him.
23	* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' did this all the time. Character A would attempt to punch Character B, only to have Character B vanish and reappear behind Character A aiming a punch at ''him''. Depending on how evenly matched the fight was, characters might dodge each others' attacks like this multiple times in a row. Possibly the TropeMaker.
24	** This is an actual mechanic in some of the later video games.
25	** There's a scene during the fight between Goku and Tien where this is competently PlayedForLaughs. It goes something like "I'm standing behind you!" "No, ''I'm'' standing behind ''you''!" "No, ''I'm'' standing behind ''you'' standing behind ''me''!"
26	** [[WorldsStrongestMan Jiren]] in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' does this to Goku during the introductions at the [[TournamentArc Tournament of Power]]. It actually unnerves Goku, since he can normally keep with these, but Jiren's FlashStep is so fast that he didn't even notice it.
27	* There's [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Death_Note_In_A_Nutshell.jpg this famous parody]] of ''Manga/DeathNote''.
28	* ''Manga/BusoRenkin'': In the manga version of Kazuki's fight with Shusui, the two of them chain a long string of flashes behind each other's backs until they are [[ParodiedTrope at the other side of the school entirely when they stop]]. The in-universe explanation for this is that Kazuki did it on purpose so that the fighting wouldn't destroy the school, and Shusui was humouring him but [[Creator/NobuhiroWatsuki the mangaka]] admitted that he did it because he was having trouble plotting out a 2-on-2 duel, so he came up with an amusing way to separate the fighters to make two simultaneous, but separate, 1-on-1 duels.
29	* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', Lelouch walks up behind Rolo and points a gun at his head. Suddenly, Rolo uses [[TimeStandsStill his geass]] to pull this trope, ''and'' steals Lelouch's gun while he's at it.
30	* In ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'', [[BigBad Dio Brando]] is very, very fond of this, and his ability to use it was the first major clue as to the nature of his [[TimeStandsStill Stand ability]].
31	* Used fairly often by fighters in ''Manga/Reborn2004'' most notably Tsuna after his NextTierPowerUp.
32	** [[spoiler:This is also the ability of the Vindice, combined with a side order PortalCut, thanks to their eight type of flame]].
33	* Homura does this a few times in ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' using her ability to teleport short distances, though admittedly, in context it's less that she was trying to gain a vantage point to attack from and more that she was trying to intimidate others into backing down. [[spoiler:It later comes to light that the power she used to do this wasn't actually teleportation, but rather a similar-looking application of TimeStandsStill powers.]]
34	* In episode 22 of ''Anime/KillLaKill'', during the battle between Ryuko and Nui Harime, [[spoiler:after Ryuko reclaims both Scissor Blades, Nui tries to take control of Ryuko's friends, and when Ryuko slashes the Life Fibers she uses apart to stop this, Nui {{Flash Step}}s behind Ryuko and drives a needle through the back of her neck -- only for Ryuko to appear behind Nui, the stabbed Ryuko turning out to have been an afterimage, shortly before slicing both of Nui's arms off]].
35	* In ''Literature/GonnaBeTheTwinTail'', Crab Guildy has a fetish for the back of girls' necks. As a result, he specially trained to get behind people.
36	* Done often in ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan''. Even lampshaded in the fight between Sonic and Genos, as the former became enraged when he realized that the latter was deliberately trying to do this to him just to show that he was faster.
37	** Recently in the manga, Blast did this to Flashy Flash, which was quite impressive as he was known as one of the fastest characters in the series.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Fan Works]]
41	* In the story ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10096343/1/Invisible-Fox Invisible Fox]]'', Shisui and Naruto pull this by prior agreement during the opening of the Chunin Finals. While Shisui plays it straight, using his [[FlashStep Shunshin]], Naruto uses his naturally-invisible clones, pre-positioning them and having them switch with him to make it look like he's doing the same.
42	[[/folder]]
43
44	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
45	* Done by Bruce to Ducard through trickery during his final test in ''Film/BatmanBegins''.
46	* ''Film/Dracula2000''. Van Helsing uses Dracula's MissingReflection to advantage to pull this trope. Dracula thinks Van Helsing is in front of him when it's actually a mirror showing the vampire hunter right behind him.
47	* The title character in ''Film/PootieTang'' does this to Dirty Dee. It starts out framed as a ShowdownAtHighNoon, but the characters magically move closer together as the camera cuts between them until they're up in each other's faces, and eventually standing with their backs turned to each other, at which point Pootie strikes a puzzled Dirty Dee from behind.
48	[[/folder]]
49
50	[[folder:Literature]]
51	* In one of the [[UrExample earliest examples]] (predating ''all'' other works on this page), ''Literature/CreaturesOfLightAndDarkness'' by Creator/RogerZelazny has the Steel General, Wakim [[spoiler:(Set)]], and several other characters practice a martial art known as "temporal fugue", which has the practitioner project himself through space and time behind his opponent to strike. Unfortunately, duels between two practitioners [[UnbuiltTrope invariably degenerate into recursive replications of hundreds of consecutive duplications]], straining the time-space continuum.
52	* In the ''Literature/TimeWars'' series, a common technique in one-on-one fights between time travelers is to teleport behind one's opponent a few seconds ago so you can stab them in the back -- hopefully before they notice, or they'll do the same to you. If both fighters are on the ball, the result will be, for a moment, a long alternating line of fighters each trying to stab the one in front of them. The technique is called "temporal fugue", probably in homage to ''Creatures of Light and Darkness''.
53	* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' books this is a staple of the duels between Perrin and Slayer, due to their ability at shifting from one place to the other immediately when in [[DreamLand Tel'aran'rhiod]]. [[spoiler:...Or outside of it.]]
54	[[/folder]]
55
56	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
57	* ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'': Kamen Rider Odin's fighting style involves minimal movements taken from his default BadassArmFold. He can also FlashStep. In his first battle, nobody can touch him, literally. Shinji/Ryuki manages to hit him (with the help of [[NoteToSelf many a sticky note]] during a time travel adventure)... yet it [[NoSell doesn't do a thing anyway]].
58	* ''Series/KamenRiderDragonKnight'': Kamen Rider Wrath will does the FlashStep. Even if you think he doesn't notice you, he ''does'' and you're ''screwed.'' (He even avoids Kit's [[FinishingMove Final Vent]] this way, then reappears... and turns his own - not seen in ''Ryuki!'' - on Kit.)
59	[[/folder]]
60
61	[[folder:Video Games]]
62	* ''VideoGame/DirgeOfCerberus'' plays it completely straight in the battle between [[SuperMode Chaos]]!Vincent and Weiss (after Weiss had already impaled Vincent with [[DualWielding twin katana]], no less).
63	* In ''VideoGame/GodHand'', some mooks may attempt to grab Gene, upon which you see them appear behind him and get ready to suplex him. If you hit the ActionCommands in time, Gene will somehow get free and appear behind them to use his own suplex. The enemies can also try to counter your counter-suplex, which can cause this to be repeated several times.
64	* A crucial element of ''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon'': when you are behind an enemy in dogfight range, particularly skilled pilots can "reverse" the manuever (generally by applying the brakes and doing a barrel roll or a ''really'' fast loop) and get behind you. However, there is a very brief moment where you can reverse their reversal, which not only allows you to stay behind them, but also gives you a free [[CriticalHit critical hit missile shot]].
65	** Also played straight in one mission, where the BigBad Akula has singled out your wingman Guts for death. In order to get him to stop attacking Guts, you have to get behind him and activate dogfight mode (much harder than it sounds). ''As soon as you do so'', he immediately pops his air-brakes and loops behind you, [[BatmanGambit as this was what he was waiting for all along]]. [[HopelessBossFight He then proceeds to rip your plane apart.]]
66	* Possible in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''[='s=] Dawnguard DLC - Vampire Lords can disintegrate into swarms of bats and reintegrate anywhere they wish. Say, right behind an enemy.
67	* One of the most common maneuvers in the "Assistance OFF" mode in ''VideoGame/{{HAWX}}'' is a somersault to get behind an enemy.
68	* What happens when using the "Reversal" reaction command on Mushroom I in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''. You must be behind him in order to hit him. Also what he does to you.
69	* Can happen in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' when two rogues duel - near simultaneous shadowstep use can make for a very dramatic, if confusing, melee.
70	** Even better is when they use it at exactly the same time; because of lag, both rogues will appear behind where the opponent used to be, so they are still apart from each other.
71	* Two advanced players trying to gain advantageous position by repeatedly {{Flash Step}}ping past each other in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros.'' series will end up doing this.
72	** [[https://gfycat.com/MeanThunderousBluetickcoonhound Here's a perfect example from]] ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS''.
73	* The ultimate spell of the character Vengeful Spirit in ''VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients'' can have this effect.
74	* Similarly, Zed from ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' uses his ultimate to mark his enemy for death, becoming untargetable before appearing behind them.
75	* In ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'', the Assassins' main method of attack is to teleport behind Corvo and backstab him. After the prologue and first level are done, [[TouchedByVorlons Corvo can do it too]].
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Webcomics]]
79	%%* ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'': [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?id=932 Naal]]
80	* [[http://www.pbfcomics.com/81/ This]] ''ComicStrip/ThePerryBibleFellowship'' comic is basically the same idea. (Still not a serious example, though.)
81	[[/folder]]
82
83	[[folder:Web Original]]
84	* Linkara shows this skill to a reporter while he is the head of the Intelligence unit in ''WebVideo/{{Kickassia}}''.
85	* WebAnimation/STBlackST gives a variant involving [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 backstabs]] as seen in [[https://youtu.be/Lq2dEAToq18?t=195 this source animation.]]
86	* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': In episode 7, in the battle against Melinda, she shatters Keedran's barrier and brags about how she can break any seal. [[RedMage Drake]] suddenly appears behind Melinda and fires a beam at her.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Western Animation]]
90	* WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes: Bugs Bunny is an undisputed master of this; if he's not on screen, [[OffscreenTeleportation he could be anywhere off-screen]], even if his foil thought he was looking right at him.
91	* Naturally, Babs and Buster from ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' were pretty good at this, too.
92	[[/folder]]
93	----
94	-->''Nothing personal, kid...[[note]]No, you![[/note]]''

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