History Main / RoadRunnerVSCoyote

* ''Animation/{{Lamput}}'' follows the eponymous Lamput as he escapes from a pair of scientists, Fat Doc and Slim Doc, who want to capture him and throw him back into the [[EscapedFromTheLab laboratory from where he came]]. Lamput always succeeds in outsmarting the docs.

* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToons'' had many teen versions of the original ''Looney Tunes'' and some original characters. Among them: Calamity Coyote and Little Beeper (teen versions of the Coyote and the Roadrunner) and Furrball and Sweetipie (Silvester and Tweety). There was also a little baby mouse Li'l Sneezer that was sometimes chased by Furrball and, in a curious continuation of the food chain, a nerd worm named Bookworm chased by Sweetipie, in all cases with bad consequences for the predator. But the writers soon left this formula and focused more on other kind of plots.

* Creator/ColumbiaCartoons-Screen Gems' ''The Fox and the Crow'' shorts of the '40s often have a variation of this dynamics.
* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' :

** One Garfield sketch deconstructs the "Tom And Jerry" variation of the trope, asking just why cartoons portray cats being bad guys for chasing mice when, in the real world, cats are normally seen as the ''good guys'' for doing this, due to the fact that mice spread disease, spoil food and damage property.

** ''WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner'': These two are the {{Trope Namer}}s. Interestingly, they were originally intended as a ''parody'' of Tom and Jerry (or indeed, Bugs Bunny) type cartoons, where instead of the pursued outwitting the pursuer, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard the coyote was his own worst enemy]] due to his [[ComplexityAddiction increasingly convoluted ploys]]. (The initial plan had been for the pursuer and pursued to not even make sense, like "an aardvark chasing a wildebeest".) Instead, they were successful enough that subsequent chase cartoons chose to FollowTheLeader.

** ''WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck'': Daffy Duck was the road runner at first, then he became the coyote after he was changed into a near-ButtMonkey.

* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': Team Rocket vs Ash's Pikachu. They ''must'' capture the super-Pikachu for their boss! And naturally, they get thwarted and [[TwinkleInTheSky blasted off into the sky]] by Pikachu's Thunderbolt. Even when they try to go for other Pokémon, if Ash and Pikachu are in the vicinity, expect those Pokémon to get Road Runner immunity as well.

%%* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': Team Rocket. They ''must'' capture the super-Pikachu!

* In the ''Westernanimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' comics, there's the HotterAndSexier version of this: just like Minerva Mink's first short was a twist on the "hunt" Looney Tunes cartoons by having the huntsman foiled by the hunted's [[DistractedByTheSexy sex appeal]] instead of resourcefulness, many of her stories have the dog Newt trying to catch Minerva (whether to make pelts out of her or just date her) and failing in painful, amusing ways.

** Candace is always trying to bust her brothers but never succeeds, instead she's getting either injured or humiliated. This is the "unlucky" variant, as her brothers do nothing to stop her, and usually don't seem to share her belief that they'd be in trouble if she succeeded.

* Jaws (Creator/RichardKiel) from the ''Film/JamesBond'' movies ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'' and especially ''Film/{{Moonraker}}''. This {{giant|mook}} metal teeth-equipped henchman always fails to kill Bond and keeps coming back to try again. The comical factor was amped up in ''Moonraker'' with some OhCrap expressions on his face.

* ''WesternAnimation/BettyBoop'' revolves around this concept except that in her case is [[BlackComedyRape a sexual predator the one trying to get her]]. One different from episode to episode.

%%* Spriggs and Willy in ''Machinima/SpriggsAHalo3Machinima''.
* [[spoiler:Enzo]] from ''Machinima/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers'', PERIOD. [[spoiler:He wants to kill Mario, [[DisproportionateRetribution all for the latter ruining his birthday party]].]]

* ''Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit'' has the Bandit manage to elude the law as it pursues him across the south. [[CorruptHick Sheriff Buford T. Justice]] especially keeps [[EpicFail failing spectacularly]] to capture him.

* From 1993 to 1995, [[Advertising/EnergizerBunny Energizer]] ran a series of commercials where the ficitional Supervolt battery company hired several famous villains ([[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader]], Film/KingKong, [[{{Dracula}} Count Dracula]], etc.) to destroy the Energizer Bunny, with either the batteries in their weapons running out of power, or other circumstances allowing the Bunny's escape. A few of these commercials even had [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner Wile E. Coyote himself]] as one of the Bunny's assassins.

%%* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': Team Rocket. They ''must'' capture the super-Pikachu!

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* ''Animation/{{Lamput}}'' follows the eponymous Lamput as he escapes from a pair of scientists, Fat Doc and Slim Doc, who want to capture him and throw him back into the [[EscapedFromTheLab laboratory from where he came]]. Lamput always succeeds in outsmarting the docs.
* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'' is about Wolffy the wolf trying to capture and consume a group of goats. He inevitably fails every single time, much to the disappointment of his wife Wolnie, but never gives up.
[[/folder]]

* The Dutch comic ''ComicBook/DeGeneraal'', and the lesser-known ''¡Viva Zapapa!'', both by Peter de Smet, are filled to the brim with this trope. The main character, The General, assisted by a zany professor and a soldier, and armed with a rather ancient tank, repeatedly tries to take power from The Marshall (seated in a fort; the general's HQ is a preciously guarded tree). Their lack of success in whatever way they try is only surpassed by a motorcycle policeman's failures to book The General for breaking just about any law or rule the policeman thinks applicable.
* ''¡Viva Zapapa!'' takes the same basic idea, but instead of the complexity of the plans themselves, it's usually the bumbling assistant to The Great Revolutionary Leader Zapapa who manages to scupper those plans (if they had any chance of success in the first place).

* In the ''Westernanimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' comics, there's the HotterAndSexier version of this: just like Minerva Mink's first short was a twist on the "hunt" Looney Tunes cartoons by having the huntsman foiled by the hunted's [[DistractedByTheSexy sex appeal]] instead of resourcefulness, many of her stories have the dog Newt trying to catch Minerva (whether to make pelts out of her or just date her) and failing in painful, amusing ways.
* One story in the ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' comic ''ComicBook/DeffSkwadron'' involves the Orks repeatedly failing to intercept a messenger squig. They breed a special hunting squig to take it down, but find that it won't come back once the messenger is caught. The story ends with the skwadron's boss repeating "Catch that squig!"

[[folder:Eastern Animation]]
* ''Animation/NuPogodi'' is the Russian answer to Road Runner and Coyote, with a wolf chasing a hare in a WorldOfFunnyAnimals setting.
[[/folder]]

* In ''Film/{{Caddyshack}}'', Bill Murray's Carl tries increasingly drastic plans to get a certain gopher.

* ''Film/AFishCalledWanda'' has Michael Palin [[HeKnowsTooMuch trying to kill an old woman before she can testify about his boss]]. Each attempt succeeds in killing not her, but one of her dogs. Palin's character is an animal lover, and this impacts him greatly until, with the killing of the third and last dog, the old woman has a heart attack and snuffs it.
* ''Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit'' has the Bandit manage to elude the law as it pursues him across the south. [[CorruptHick Sheriff Buford T. Justice]] especially keeps [[EpicFail failing spectacularly]] to capture him.
* ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'' puts the titular brothers in the position of "Road Runner" being chased by no less than ''four'' 'Coyotes'; a neo-Nazi organization they antagonize by driving them off a bridge, an increasing large representative sample of Illinois' law-enforcement community, a country-and-western band called "The Good Ole' Boys" who they steal a gig from, and a mysterious woman tooled up with a lot of advanced weaponry [[spoiler: who turns out to be a woman Jake left at the altar]]. The Blues Brothers manage to evade, survive or outrun all of their pursuers [[spoiler:right up until the very end, where they are arrested immediately after completing their goal.]] It helps that they're on a mission from God.
* Jaws (Creator/RichardKiel) from the ''Film/JamesBond'' movies ''Film/TheSpyWhoLovedMe'' and especially ''Film/{{Moonraker}}''. This {{giant|mook}} metal teeth-equipped henchman always fails to kill Bond and keeps coming back to try again. The comical factor was amped up in ''Moonraker'' with some OhCrap expressions on his face.

* ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard''. Kind of the whole point of the show -- a live-action version of the classic cartoon series by way of ''Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit'', with Boss Hogg and Rosco coming up with scheme after scheme to destroy the Duke family, but the Dukes always coming out ahead in the end.
* The ''Series/StargateSG1'' episode "Bounty" was about a bunch of bounty hunters going after the Stargate team, and all but one of them fails spectacularly and hilariously.

[[folder:Print Media]]

* [[spoiler:Enzo]] from ''[[Machinima/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers SMG4]]'', PERIOD. [[spoiler:He wants to kill Mario, [[DisproportionateRetribution all for the latter ruining his birthday party]].]]
* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': Sniffles, while normally a hero, has these moments when trying to eat The Ants. But every time this happens, The Ants end up killing him in ways that are sadistic even for [[BloodyHilarious the show itself]].
%%* Black Kitty vs White Kitty in ''WebAnimation/GoodbyeKitty''.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Ralph in ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'' used to try to eat Kevin almost every time we saw him. He hasn't tried in years, arguably due to a HeelFaceTurn.

* WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes' cartoons have been doing it for years.
** ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunny'': Many characters have attempted to catch and/or kill this RascallyRabbit, including WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd, WesternAnimation/YosemiteSam, Marvin the Martian, and the Tasmanian Devil, as well as numerous one-time villains, but [[KarmicTrickster Bugs]] is always cunning enough to outsmart them.
** ''WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck'': Daffy Duck was the road runner at first, then he became the coyote after he was changed into a near-ButtMonkey.
** ''WesternAnimation/SylvesterTheCatAndTweetyBird'': Aww, an adorable black-and-white tom-cat tries to catch and eat a cute yellow canary.
** ''WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner'': These two are the {{Trope Namer}}s. Interestingly, they were originally intended as a ''parody'' of Tom and Jerry (or indeed, Bugs Bunny) type cartoons, where instead of the pursued outwitting the pursuer, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard the coyote was his own worst enemy]] due to his [[ComplexityAddiction increasingly convoluted ploys]]. (The initial plan had been for the pursuer and pursued to not even make sense, like "an aardvark chasing a wildebeest".) Instead, they were successful enough that subsequent chase cartoons chose to FollowTheLeader.
** Played with in the ''WesternAnimation/RalphWolfAndSamSheepdog'' shorts; the protagonist is in fact the bodyguard, thwarting the antagonist from pursuing its prey (in this case a field of sheep). Amusingly, this is [[PunchClockVillain just a routine day job]] [[PunchClockHero for the two]]; they're good buddies off the clock.
** {{Exaggerated|Trope}} in the Creator/ChuckJones-directed ''Fair and Worm-er'', which features a worm chasing an apple, a bird chasing the worm, a cat chasing the bird, a dog chasing the cat, a dogcatcher chasing the dog, ''the dogcatcher's wife chasing the dogcatcher,'' and '''''a mouse chasing the dogcatcher's wife!'''''
* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToons'' had many teen versions of the original ''Looney Tunes'' and some original characters. Among them: Calamity Coyote and Little Beeper (teen versions of the Coyote and the Roadrunner) and Furrball and Sweetipie (Silvester and Tweety). There was also a little baby mouse Li'l Sneezer that was sometimes chased by Furrball and, in a curious continuation of the food chain, a nerd worm named Bookworm chased by Sweetipie, in all cases with bad consequences for the predator. But the writers soon left this formula and focused more on other kind of plots.

* ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'': Tom the tom-cat and Jerry the mouse are a classic example, but these cartoons belong among the rare ones which sometimes PlayedWith this trope. Jerry is very antagonistic in some cartoons, to the point where Tom is the likeable character of the two and viewers rooted for him, hoping he would catch the bloody vermin. In some episodes, Tom has at least some vindication by the end, such as the episode in which he forces Jerry to learn how to "hunt cats" from his nephew. Sometimes Tom and Jerry even [[EnemyMine collaborate against a common enemy]], like a new evil tom-cat in their house.
* Some of ''WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMCartoons'' shorts:
** [[ScrewballSquirrel Screwy Squirrel]]. Unlike in most examples, though, Screwy, the roadrunner in this case, is caught and killed at the end of his final short. Who does the deed? A dog version of Lennie Small from ''Literature/OfMiceAndMen''.
** George and Junior
** Droopy vs. Spike
* Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises had ''WesternAnimation/TheAntAndTheAardvark'' series, where the Aardvark tries to catch and eat his rival Charlie the Ant while the two exchange witty banter.
* Creator/ColumbiaCartoons-Screen Gems' ''The Fox and the Crow'' shorts of the '40s often have a variation of this dynamics.

%%* The ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode where [[GreatGazoo Mxyzptlk]] first appeared.

* ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces'': Dick Dastardly's plans to stop the other racers, which often use the ''same visual gags'' as the Road Runner cartoons. One of the writers for both shows was Michael Maltese, who had collaborated with Creator/ChuckJones on the Road Runner shorts.
* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheReluctantWerewolf'': Just think of ''Wacky Races'', only with Scooby-Doo and monsters, and the role of Dick Dastardly (basically the Coyote) replaced alternately by Count Dracula and the Hunch Bunch. [[DickDastardlyStopsToCheat Except their main target is only Shaggy's car, in hopes he loses the race so he will remain a werewolf forever.]]

* The ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' segments of the ''WesternAnimation/SaturdaySupercade''. [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] was the Coyote, and DK was the Roadrunner.
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' is perceived as this with Sonic and Tails playing the Road Runner while Scratch, Grounder and Dr. Robotnik (whom we call Dr. Eggman these days) usually played the Coyote. In the ending credits, Robotnik tries to smash Sonic in a trap in a road. When Sonic came, Robotnik pushed the button and seemed to have caught Sonic. However, when Robotnik went to check, he found no sign of Sonic whatsoever. While he [[TooDumbToLive left the remote control unguarded and stood at the trap area]], Sonic appeared and pushed the button, smashing Robotnik. Sonic then left, dropping the remote control at the trap area. When Robotnik, in a pancake shape as a result of the smashing landed, he hit the button, causing the trap to smash him again.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'' toys with the concept somewhat (it probably borrows more from the premise of the Trope Namer's sister series ''WesternAnimation/RalphWolfAndSamSheepdog'') though is still clearly inspired by it, with the Urpneys frequently using cartoon gadgets to try and steal the Dreamstone from the Land Of Dreams. Expect AmusingInjuries galore.
* Creator/HannaBarbera's ''Blast-Off Buzzard'' (a segment of 1977's WesternAnimation/CBBears) had the title bird in pursuit of Crazy Legs Snake. And unlike H-B shows in general, this segment was completely dialogue-less.
* Creator/DePatieFrelengEnterprises' Crazy Legs Crane was always chasing a dragonfly (a tiny dragon with wings).
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'', about half of Slappy Squirrel’s plots revolve around old villains trying to get Slappy, and [[EpicFail failing badly]].

* Oddly enough, ''JustForFun/TheItchyAndScratchyShow'' in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' almost never actually use this trope, despite being a parody of ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'', the premise being more an ultra violent screwball cartoon. In almost every episode, Itchy the mouse actually seeks to ''murder his best friend'', the cat Scratchy, ''for no reason'', and always succeeds... [[TheDogBitesBack except for one occasion]], which we never got to see.
* ''WesternAnimation/AngryBirdsToons'' revolves around the Bad Piggies attempting to steal the Angry Birds' eggs with the intent to eat them, and they're always thwarted. The show does, however, have the occasional SliceOfLife plot instead, applying to either the birds or the pigs.
* ''WesternAnimation/OggyAndTheCockroaches'' is an interesting case: while it's clear that the cockroaches are the antagonists of the series, either side of the ongoing fight can be the winner of the fight for the episode, sometimes both sides win, other times neither will, and yet still a third party can end up the winner.

* ''WesternAnimation/WheelieAndTheChopperBunch'' had the former always getting antagonized by the latter, the latter's plans always failing on their part.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bordertown}}'': in [[TheTeaser the cold opening of every episode]], Bud the border patrol agent is constantly trying to catch the human smuggler El Coyote but he's always outsmarted by him on multiple occasions or by his bad luck.
* ''WesternAnimation/BettyBoop'' revolves around this concept except that in her case is [[BlackComedyRape a sexual predator the one trying to get her]]. One different from episode to episode.
* The alligators Floyd and Jolene trying to eat the cubs in ''WesternAnimation/{{Kissyfur}}''.
* The wolves Huff and Puff try to eat the eponymous ''WesternAnimation/PiggsburgPigs'' always failing Wile E. Coyote-style.
* A recurring villain in ''WesternAnimation/ShaunTheSheep'' is a Fox that constantly tries to eat the weakest members of the farm, like the chickens of Timmy the lamb.
* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' :
** A similar case of a recurring fox villain in the ''WesternAnimation/UsAcres'' segment tries to eat several bird characters and the two chicks Sheldon and Booker. Although the one predator who fails the most is the weasel who tries to steal the farm's chicken.
** One Garfield sketch deconstructs the "Tom And Jerry" variation of the trope, asking just why cartoons portray cats being bad guys for chasing mice when, in the real world, cats are normally seen as the ''good guys'' for doing this, due to the fact that mice spread disease, spoil food and damage property.
* A RunningGag in ''WesternAnimation/GravedaleHigh'' is Mrs. Crone's zombie cat trying (and failing) to catch the Quasimodo-like rat suffering Coyote-style damages (but as it is a zombie cat he never gets really harmed).
* Paranormal investigator Professor Dweeb and his Poodle dog trying to capture Slimer in ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'' SpinOff ''Slimer'' has this dynamics.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBlueRacer'' is about the eponymous Blue Racer chasing (and failing to catch) a Japanese beetle. Interestingly, it's the hunter (a snake) who is the super-fast one, but this is still not enough for a significantly more intelligent prey (a beetle) who can do karate chops.

* Oddly enough, ''WesternAnimation/TheItchyAndScratchyShow'' in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' almost never actually use this trope, despite being a parody of ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'', the premise being more an ultra violent screwball cartoon. In almost every episode, Itchy the mouse actually seeks to ''murder his best friend'', the cat Scratchy, ''for no reason'', and always succeeds... [[TheDogBitesBack except for one occasion]], which we never got to see.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Bordertown}}'', in [[TheTeaser cold opening of every episodes]], Bud the border patrol agent is constantly trying to catch the human smugger El Coyote but he's always outsmarted by him on multiple occasions or by his bad luck.

** One Garfield sketch deconstructs the trope, asking just why cartoons portray cats being bad guys for chasing mice when, in the real world, cats are normally seen as the ''good guys'' for doing this, due to the fact that mice spread disease, spoil food and damage property.