History Main / ElectricSlide

** On the other hand, it can still support his weight even before he learns to grind his way electrically, instead he just walks normally on the lines.

* In the [[Recap/TheLegendOfKorraS1E1WelcomeToRepublicCity first episode]] of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', the Metalbending Police Force chase after Korra in this way.

Surprisingly common in anime, shonen especially, is the tendency to run on power lines when racing to get somewhere. While at first doing this seems perfectly reasonable - after all, why run along the ground where you would have to follow the roads when you can just use the power lines and go straight there - there is a slight problem. Power lines are designed strong enough to support their weight plus to survive reasonably strong wind, plus maybe some snow and ice for colder areas. Making them stronger would be wasteful. Low-voltage low-power lines may well support crows, but almost certainly not human beings doing acrobatics. Higher voltage adds the danger of electrocution when you touch two wires at once or a wire and a grounded object, like a tangent tower. [[DontTryThisAtHome Things are even worse with high tension power lines]]; according to the History Channel, even the crews who maintain the things, with all their training and protective gear, occasionally die working on these. For multi-kilovolt lines you don't even need to touch two wires: touching one and being a few centimetres from another could be enough to short them through air and your body. Though some high-tension lines have on top a lightning guard wire, which is safe to touch, it is again isn't expected to hold human weight. Needless to say, RuleOfCool reigns supreme.

Many a character [[ShockAndAwe with electric powers]] does this, both because their power keeps their not being killed something ''[[IncrediblyLamePun grounded]]'' in (semi-)reality, and because it's ''[[IncrediblyLamePun conductive]]'' to their nature.

* Soul Power from ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'' surfs across power lines with his electric powers, his version of Static's flying disc.

* In the [[Recap/TheLegendOfKorraS1E1WelcomeToRepublicCity first episode]] of ''TheLegendOfKorra'', the Metalbending Police Force chase after Korra in this way.

* Unlike residential distribution lines, high tension transmission lines (read: 100+KV power lines actually ARE big enough to hold a person's weight, and te power companies can't always afford to shut them off for maintenance, so the power company will drop workers onto the live lines via helicopter as shown [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_1T2_l43Xo in this video]].

* Many of the rails Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog grinds on are actually electric cables, especially in stages set in cities or Dr. Eggman's mechanical lairs.

* [[TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] hero Air Wave used specially insulated ''rollerskates'' to skate along power lines. It's not entirely clear what advantages this has over simply using the skates normally.

* ''FateStayNight'': Saber does this during her first fight with Berserker and is only explainable through RuleOfCool. Not only is she wearing a long skirt but she's wearing a suit of ''metal armor'' and carrying a sword. But do note that as a Servant, she's considered a spirit, and so cannot be hurt by something as mundane as electricity.

Surprisingly common in anime, shonen especially, is the tendency to run on power lines when racing to get somewhere. While at first doing this seems perfectly reasonable - after all, why run along the ground where you would have to follow the roads when you can just use the power lines and go straight there - there is a slight problem. Power lines may well support crows[[note]]as long as they're only touching one line at a time - if it touches two or more at once, its body acts as a bridge between them, resulting in a fried birdie[[/note]], but almost certainly not the weight of human beings. [[DontTryThisAtHome Things are even worse with high tension power lines]]; according to the History Channel, even the crews who maintain the things, with all their training and protective gear, occasionally die working on these. So, merely touching a high tension power line and anything connected to the ground (or another line next to it) is as close as one can get to a death sentence. Needless to say, RuleOfCool reigns supreme.

[[caption-width-right:350:Watch the master at work.]]

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/InFamous http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/if2_induction_grind_xxx_3265.jpg]]]]

a.k.a PowerLineRider, after the ''Line Rider'' game.

* Unlike residential distribution lines, high tension transmission lines (read: 100+KV power lines actually ARE big enough to hold a person's weight, and te power companies can't always afford to shut them off for maintenance, so the power company will drop workers onto the live lines via helicopter as in this video http://youtu.be/r_1T2_l43Xo
[[/folder]]

A SisterTrope to RideTheLightning.

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/InFamous http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/custom_1243221973152_Infamous-1.jpg]]]]

* Cole from ''VideoGame/InFamous'' is the king of this trope. There's even a trophy you get by grinding along a power cable and taking down an enemy while sniping in precision mode, and another for grinding on 4 separate lines in sequence. Partially justified by an experiment GoneHorriblyRight, giving Cole the ability to control electricity (he can even learn to suck the electricity out of the line while grinding to recharge his powers). Cole can also use his electrical powers to "glide" through thin air. His weight is likely a non-issue. On the other hand, it can still support his weight even before he learns to grind his way electrically, instead he just walks normally on the lines.

Unrelated to this [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkmyNzJQN0I Electric Glide.]]

a.k.a PowerLineRider, after the ''LineRider'' game.

!!Examples:

[[folder:{{Anime}} & {{Manga}}]]

* ''{{Tsukihime}}'': Ciel can do this. Again, RuleOfCool is king. Sensing a pattern here?
* ''[[RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]]'' has most of the characters do this at one point. Still doesn't explain how a power line is able to support their weight though.
* In ''{{Goldenboy}}'', Kintaro wins a race, on bicycle, against a motorcycle, in part by using a power-line shortcut. It's a combination of RuleOfCool and YouFailPhysicsForever.
* The Catbus performs this trope in ''MyNeighborTotoro''.
* Hayato does this in ''KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'' to get Kenichi back to town in a hurry.

* Not to be outdone, ''{{Superman}}'' does this in his first appearance in ''Action Comics'' until he learns how to fly. However, he did this stunt while carrying a man he was trying to scare into talking with the threat that they both will be electrocuted he steps on a support pole, which would ground them and allow the electricity to flow through them. Sure enough, he has a near miss with a pole which scares his prisoner witless. After some additional leaping, all Superman has to do upon landing is "[[WasntThatFun Wasn't that fun? Let's do it again!]].

* ''{{Spider-Man}}'' villain Electro does this as a fast way of getting around. As he is a walking power plant, he doesn't have to worry about being electrocuted. Occasionally, he'll ''be'' the electricity in the wires...
* Barbara Shelley does this in her first appearance as {{Promethea}} to save Sophie from falling to her death.

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

[[folder:Film]]
* In ''Tango & Cash'' the two titular protagonists use the "hanging-down-from-the-wire" variation of this method to escape from prison.

* Literature/ArtemisFowl does this in The Time Paradox to catch a lemur that has run onto the power lines. Played realistically (for Literature/ArtemisFowl, anyway) in that the lines in question are a set of truly massive power conduits across a large valley, he uses the cable trolley system and protective suit that line maintenance crews use, he's an accomplished physicist who has watched a documentary on this very set of electrical towers, '''and''' he's still terrified.

* Cole from ''VideoGame/InFamous'' is the king of this trope. There's even a trophy you get by grinding along a power cable and taking down an enemy while sniping in precision mode, and another for grinding on 4 separate lines in sequence. Partially justified by an experiment GoneHorriblyRight, giving Cole the ability to control electricity (he can even learn to suck the electricity out of the line while grinding to recharge his powers). Still doesn't explain why power cables can support his weight, though.
** Cole can also use his electrical powers to 'glide' through thin air. His weight is likely a non-issue.
** On the other hand, it can still support his weight even before he learns to grind his way electrically, instead he just walks normally on the lines.
* ''Tony Hawk'' lets you grind power lines with your skateboard. Please DontTryThisAtHome?
** Most skateboarding games, in fact.

* It's possible to do this in ''CityOfHeroes'' (though there's very little actual reason to), since power lines are treated as simply another solid surface.
* [[RatchetAndClank Ratchet]] does this from time to time on his GrindBoots. Notably on Planet Boldan (Silver City) in ''Going Commando''.

* Most of the gameplay in Scaler.
* In the Xbox reboot of ''NinjaGaiden'', Ryu rides a high-voltage power line after jumping from a burning zeppelin.
* Many of the rails SonicTheHedgehog grinds on are actually electric cables, especially in stages set in cities or Dr. Eggman's mechanical lairs.
* In a possible example mixed with GunshipRescue and BigDamnHeroes, the protagonists of FinalFantasyX slide down cables launched from their gunship to "rescue" Yuna from a wedding. We clearly see the clamps at the ends of the wires moving clamping down mechanically, implying the cables may also be transferring power to the clamps. Notable because one of the protagonists does this in a PimpedOutDress.
** Not really. If you watch the scene closely you can see she's actually being carried by one of the others.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Multiple characters from ''{{Megatokyo}}'' do this but it's {{handwave}}d in that they are all {{magical girl}}s, even the one who does it subconsciously and falls off when she realizes where she is. Justified because [[AWizardDidIt a magical girl did it]].
** [[RuleOfCool The other reason being that]] IHaveTheHighGround.

* Soul Power from ''StaticShock'' surfs across power lines with his electric powers, his version of Static's flying disc.

* ''SpiderMan'' villain Electro can do this. Makes sense what with his power being what it is.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'', the villain Megavolt does this, probably as a parody of ''SpiderMan''. See above example for justification.
* The opening sequence for the Mr. Magoo cartoons showed him [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8GTHXTEvIc driving his car]] along the power lines.
* The WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes "Bee-Deviled Bruin" has Pop doing a tightrope walk along a shutoff power line to get to a beehive. He shouldn't have left his halfwit son sitting at the switch, getting bored and fiddling with it...

* Amazingly, someone did this to cross [[http://newspaperarchive.com/kingsport-times/1963-02-01/ the Berlin Wall]].
** It actually isn't as dangerous as the article makes it out, under a few assumptions. For the purposes of exposition, consider a bird standing on a power line. A power line has a certain amount of intrinsic resistance per unit of length. The interface between the bird's feet and the power line will also have its own intrinsic amount of resistance. In short, there are two paths for electricity to travel through, in parallel, so that this is a parallel circuit. As long as the power line's intrinsic resistance is very very low compared to the resistance the bird offers, very little electricity will actually flow through the bird. So what are the assumptions? You are never even close to touching a grounded circuit element and the power line at the same time (since power lines are engineered so that the electric field coming from the lines won't cause an arc to the grounded element, but might arc to a grounded element closer than allowed for -- this is what causes power outtages during storms). You are not wet, and are hopefully wearing thick rubber shoes.

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* In ''{{Bleach}}'' Ichigo does this while running to Orihime's apartment to stop the hollow attacking her from killing her. But then, he's in shinigami form at the time (essentially, a ghost), so it makes at least a little sense that the power lines don't break. Ichigo isn't seen doing anything similar afterward, as he learns to walk on ''air'' instead.

* In one episode of ''DarkwingDuck'', the villain Megavolt does this, probably as a parody of ''SpiderMan''. See above example for justification.

* In ''{{Bleach}}'' Ichigo does this while running to Orihime's apartment to stop the hollow attacking her from killing her. But then, he's in shinigami form at the time, so it makes at least a little sense that the power lines don't break.