History Main / PikePeril

* In ''WesternAnimation/PinocchioAndTheEmperorOfTheNight'' Pinocchio saving the ConMan duo of Scalawag and Igor from a huge, vicious pike they attracted with their fishing bait is what kickstarts their HeelFaceTurn. Later during the escape from the BigBad's lair Igor is frightened by a vision of that pike charging at him when he opens the wrong door.

* ''Literature/WarriorCats'': [=RiverClan=] cats sometimes deal with pike, as they live by the water. ''Leopardstar's Honor'' has one opportunistic pike grab hold of Blackclaw, ready to eat him until Leopardfur and several more warriors rescue him. Just then, a larger pike emerges from the water and [[{{Cannibal}} eats the smaller pike]], [[TruthInTelevision as real-life pike sometimes do]].

* ''Literature/WarriorCats'': [=RiverClan=] cats sometimes deal with pike, as they live by the water. ''Leopardstar's Honor'' has one opportunistic pike grab a hold of Blackclaw, ready to eat him, until Leopardfur and several more warriors come to the rescue. After being driven out to more open water, the pike decides to go after another easier target: [[{{Cannibal}} a smaller pike]], [[TruthInTelevision as real-life pike sometimes do]].

[[caption-width-right:349:Danger at a massive ''[[IncrediblyLamePun scale]]''.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSwordInTheStone'': During his transformation into a fish, Wart is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clPClnaLfJw pursued by a pike]] with slasher-movie-villain levels of OffscreenTeleportation, and has to be rescued by Archimedes ([[BlatantLies who claims he only did it because he wanted to eat Wart]]).

See BladeOnAStick for a [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant differently-dangerous kind of pike]] (both come from a word meaning "pointy").

* In ''Literature/LittleGreyMen'', the gnomes are terrorized by a monstrous pike.

Other fish that resemble pikes are also portrayed in the same way. Barracudas are often portrayed as essentially the saltwater version of pikes, although despite looking a lot like pikes, and even being referred to as "sea pikes," they aren't closely related [[note]]Pikes are closely related to mudminnow, and more distantly to salmon and trout; while barracudas don't have immediate relatives, but are allied to the group formed by jack mackerels and remoras, billfish and 'flatfish'[[/note]]. Gars, especially the gigantic alligator gar, are another common alternative in freshwater settings.

* Creator/TedHughes describes pikes as almost supernaturally fearsome, cannibalistic and voracious in his poem "[[https://russellboyle.wordpress.com/2013/10/02/pike-by-ted-hughes/ Pike]]", and describes at the end a pond home to such ancient and enormous pike that he did not dare fish there after nightfall.

* In ''Literature/WatershipDown'' a story is told about TheTrickster FolkHero El-ahrairah outsmarting a hungry pike: "Once, so they say, he had to get home by swimming across a river in which there was a large and hungry pike. El-ahrairah combed himself until he had enough fur to cover a clay rabbit, which he pushed into the water. The pike rushed at it, bit it and left it in disgust. After a little, it drifted to the bank and El-ahrairah dragged it out and waited a while before pushing it in again. After an hour of this, the pike left it alone, and when it had done so for the fifth time, El-ahrairah swam across himself and went home."

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheSwordInTheStone https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pikeonmytail.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Danger at a massive ''[[IncrediblyLamePun scale]]''.]]

Pike are a species of carnivorous freshwater fish found in Europe and North America. As an aggressive species prone to cannibalism, they're often used as a river-going threat in animal-centered works. They aren't usually depicted as a threat to humans, but they will often be shown as a SuperPersistentPredator towards smaller fish and other animals, or conversely as the AnimalNemesis of a fisherman. This part is TruthInTelevision, as pike are fierce fighters when hooked and several kinds, such as the Muskellunge, are prized as sport fish.

Pike are a species of carnivorous freshwater fish found in Europe and North America. As an aggressive species prone to cannibalism, they're often used as a rivergoing threat in animal-centered works. They aren't usually depicted as a threat to humans, but they will often be shown as a SuperPersistentPredator towards smaller animals, or conversely as the AnimalNemesis of a fisherman.

Other fish that resemble pikes are also portrayed in the same way. In works that take place in the ocean, barracudas are a popular choice although despite looking a lot like pikes, and even being referred to as "sea pikes," they aren't closely related [[note]]Pikes are closely related to mudminnow, and more distantly to salmon and trout; while barracudas don't have immediate relatives, but are allied to the group formed by jack mackerels and remoras, billfish and 'flatfish'[[/note]]. Gars, especially the gigantic alligator gar, are another common alternative in freshwater settings.

Pike are a species of carnivorous freshwater fish found in Europe and North America. As an aggressive species prone to cannibalism, they're often used as a rivergoing threat in animal-centered works. They aren't usually depicted as a threat to humans, but they will often be shown as a SuperPersistentPredator towards smaller animals. In works that take place in saltwater, barracudas may fill this role, although (despite looking a lot like pikes, and even being referred to as "sea pikes,") they aren't closely related [[note]]Pikes are closely related to mudminnow, and more distantly to salmon and trout; while barracudas don't have immediate relatives, but are allied to the group formed by jack mackerels and remoras, billfish and 'flatfish'[[/note]]. Gars, particularly the enormous alligator gar, might also be used as a freshwater alternative to pikes in certain works.

* ''Series/RiverMonsters'' naturally had an episode where Jeremy investigated how dangerous pike actually are and whether or not they pose a credible threat to humans.

Pike are a species of carnivorous freshwater fish found in Europe and North America. As an aggressive species prone to cannibalism, they're often used as a rivergoing threat in animal-centered works. They aren't usually depicted as a threat to humans, but they will often be shown as a SuperPersistentPredator towards smaller animals. In works that take place in saltwater, barracudas may fill this role, although (despite looking a lot like pikes, and even being referred to as "sea pikes,") they aren't closely related [[note]]Pikes are closely related to mudminnow, and more distantly to salmon and trout; while barracudas don't have immediate relatives, but are allied to the group formed by jack mackerels and remoras, billfish and 'flatfish'[[/note]].

* Pikes are relatively uncommon fish in the ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' series, only found in rivers during the Winter.

[[folder:Mythology & Folklore]]
* * In ''Literature/{{Kalevala}}'' when the heroes of Väinölä sail to Pohjola in order to recover the magical Sampo they are stopped by a giant monstrous pike. Both Lemminkäinen and Ilmarinen fail to kill it, but Väinämöinen manages to lop slice it to pieces and makes the world's first kantele from its jawbone.
* In Swedish folklore, lakes and waterways are patrolled by Trollgäddor, supernatural creatures that take the form of large pikes. They range from being nuisances to being very dangerous.
[[/folder]]