History Main / RoadRunnerVsCoyote

A SubTrope of FailureIsTheOnlyOption, except this specifically focuses on repeated failures in succession. Frequently linked to HarmlessVillain, and may induce RootingForTheEmpire if the antagonist is pathetic enough.

** ''WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner'': These two are the {{Trope Namer}}s. Interestingly, they were originally intended as a ''parody'' of Tom and Jerry type cartoons, where instead of the pursued outwitting the pursuer, the coyote was his own worst enemy due to his 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/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner'': These two are the {{Trope Namer}}s. Interestingly, they were originally intended as a ''parody'' of Tom and Jerry type cartoons, where instead of the pursuer outwitting the pursued, the coyote was his own worst enemy due to his 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/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner'': These two are the {{Trope Namer}}s.

** Candace is always trying to bust her brothers but never succeeds, instead she's getting either injured or humiliated.
** From the show, Dr. Doofenshmirtz scheming to take over the tri-state area and constantly being thwarted by Perry the Platypus.

* The old, old movie ''Film/TheGreatRace'' was live-action Road Runner cartoon from start to finish. It was itself an inspiration for ''WackyRaces''.

* The ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' segments of the ''WesternAnimation/SaturdaySupercade''. {{Mario}} was the Coyote, and DK was the Roadrunner.

A plot where the antagonist tries several times to capture, kill, or otherwise defeat the protagonist, and keeps failing spectacularly, either because the target is too smart, or because the antagonist is just really unlucky. Often this plot will climax with a plan that looks actually serious, but will fail just as surely as the others.

* 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 ScrewySquirrel 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 .

** Dr. Doofenshmirtz trying to take over the tri-state area and constantly being thwarted by Perry the Platypus could count as well.

* The old, old movie ''TheGreatRace'' was live-action Road Runner cartoon from start to finish. It was itself an inspiration for ''WackyRaces''.

** Played with in the ''RalphWolfAndSamSheepdog'' shorts, the protagonist was in fact the bodyguard, thwarting the antagonist from pursuing it's prey (in this case a field of sheep). Amusingly, this was [[PunchClockVillain just a routine day job]] [[PunchClockHero for the two]], they're good buddies off the clock.

* ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'': "Stop that pigeon!"

* 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 ScrewySquirrel 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]]).

* ''AFishCalledWanda'' has Michael Palin 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.

-->-- '''The BigBad Wolf''', RichardScarry's version of ''The Literature/ThreeLittlePigs''

** Team Galactic in "Diamond/Pearl". They do succeed in capturing some NPC's pokémon, for the most part the presumably stolen pokémon they use are pathetic, non-evolved species like Wurmple or Bidoof. Just to note, ALL evil organizations in the entire Pokémon universe use pathetic, non-evolved species.

** The HighSchoolAU version of the Looney Tunes, the ''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 name Bookworm chased by Seetipie, in all cases with bad consequences for the predator. But the writers soon left this formula and focus more on other kind of plots.

* The wolves Huff and Puff try to eat the eponymoues ''WesternAnimation/PiggsburgPigs'' always failing While E. Coyote-style.
* A recurring villain in ''WesternAnimation/ShanTheSheep'' is a Fox that constantly tries to eat the weakest members of the farm, like the chickens of Timmy the lamb.

* Black Kitty vs White Kitty in ''WebAnimation/GoodByeKitty''.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder: Eastern European Animation ]]

[[folder: Fan Fic ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Franchise ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Machinima ]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* Some ClassicDisneyShorts, particularly the ones involving Donald Duck of ''WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck'' used this trope, but not quite to the degree of the Warner shorts.

** ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunny'': Many characters 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.

** ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunny'': Many characters attempted to catch and/or kill this RascallyRabbit, including Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Marvin the Martian, and the Tasmanian Devil.

** ''WesternAnimation/BugsBunny'':

* ''Animation/NuPogodi'' is the Russian answer to Road Runner and Coyote.

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

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

** Team Galactic in "Diamond/Pearl". They do succeed in capturing some NPC's pokémon, for the most part the presumably stolen pokémon they use are pathetic, non-evolved species like Wurmple or Bidoof. Just to note, ALL evil organizations in the entire Pokémon universe use pathetic, non-evolved species.
* Nadie and Ellis in ''Anime/ElCazadorDeLaBruja'' are constantly on the run, having to evade various traps laid by [[spoiler:Rosenberg and the Witch Coven]] and bounty hunters, sent by the same people.
* ''Franchise/LupinIII'' will never be captured by [[SympatheticInspectorAntagonist Inspector Zenigata]]. Well... at least not unless Lupin is trying to mess with Zenigata's mind. Zenigata admits that he wouldn't know what to do if Lupin was actually caught permanently.

[[AC:Comic Books]]
* 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).

[[AC:EasternEuropeanAnimation]]

[[AC:FanFic]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:Franchise]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:{{Machinima}}]]

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]

[[AC:WebOriginal]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'' toys with the concept somewhat (it probably borrows more from the premise of the Trope Namer's sister series ''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 CBBears) had the title bird in pursuit of Crazy Legs Snake. And unlike H-B shows in general, this segment was completely dialogue-less.