History Main / SharkFinOfDoom

* In ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing,'' sharks can be distinguished from other fish by their fins above the water, but sunfish do it as well.

* A variation occurs in the ''Franchise/JurassicPark films with the neural spine sail of SavageSpinosaurs.

* Played with in ''Film/JurassicParkIII''. We see the ''Spinosaurus'''s massive dorsal sail jutting out of the water before it attacks the protagonists.

** As usual for shark movies. Megalodon's especially large fin provides the main characters an easy way to track the gigantic shark from the surface, as well as a MassOhCrap moment when it goes below the water...

* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldSpecials'': Subverted in ''Garfield in Paradise'' -- Garfield panics when he sees what looks like a shark fin while he's floating on the water, but it just turns out to be Odie with his ears arranged to ''look'' like a shark's fin.

* ''Series/TheBlackDemon'': Inés watches through binoculars as a gigantic fin (belonging to a megalodon) advances towards the boat that brought her and her children to the offshore rig that her husband went to inspect. It disappears for a second and then the Black Demon attacks the boat, leaving everyone stranded on the rig.

[[caption-width-right:340: ''[[ScareChord Duuun dun... duuun dun...]]''

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* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'' has the Stand named Clash, which takes the form of a metallic shark. It can teleport between and dive into any open liquids, no matter how small or shallow, and in certain scenes where it appears its dorsal fin is the only thing visible, poking out of things like a soup bowl, puddles of water, and even the tears rolling down someone's cheek.

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/{{Jaws}}''
** While the armed men are patrolling the beach watching for the shark, a fin appears in the water, and people panic and flee the water. When the men in the boats approach the fin, it turns out to be kids with a fake fin pretending to be a shark.
** At other times in the movie, the real shark's presence is revealed by its fin appearing, such as when it attacks the boats in the estuary/pond and while Brody, Hooper and Quint are out on the ocean hunting it.

* Subverted in ''[[Film/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters]]'', when Percy, Annabeth and Tyson are stuck in a small lifeboat, and start seeing what appears to be shark fins, circling around. They soon find out they AREN'T shark fins at all: [[spoiler:They're ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charybdis Charybdis's]] teeth''.]]
* In ''Film/OpenWater'', the first signs that things are going to get ''really'' bad for the couple that's been left behind by their diving boat is the brief shot of a shark fin.

* ''Film/TheMeg'':
** As usual for shark movies. Megalodon's especially large fin provides the main characters an easy way to track the gigantic shark from the surface, as well as a MassOhCrap moment when it goes below the water...
** More humorously, when Meiying is playing by herself, she walks past a roomba floor cleaner that someone on the research station seems to have provided with a mini shark fin as a joke.
* In ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet4TheDreamMaster'', Freddy does this in Kristen's beach nightmare, with his glove taking the place of a shark fin.
* Played with in ''Film/JurassicParkIII''. We see the ''Spinosaurus'''s massive dorsal sail jutting out of the water before it attacks the protagonists.

* ''Literature/CampHauntedHills'': Subverted when Stuart first dives into Misty Lake and sees a fin heading towards him - it turns out to be Flipper, the swimming counselor's assistant, with a fake fin on his back.

* ''Series/TheBoys2019''. In "Over The Hill With The Swords Of A Thousand Men", the Boys have a MassOhCrap when shark fins start slicing through the ocean towards their motor yacht like wire-guided torpedoes, trying to ram it below the waterline. This is their first indication that [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman The Deep is on the scene]].
* ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'': In "[[Recap/TheBrittasEmpireS6E6MrBrittasFallsInLove Mr Brittas Falls In Love]]", a mix-up involving a dolphin leads to a shark being put into the pool. Most of the shots we get of it is just its fin as it tries to attack anyone who gets in the pool, with the only time we see any more of it being its face as it almost attacks Helen.

* In ''ComicStrip/ShermansLagoon'', Sherman, an actual shark, does this occasionally. His crab friend does it for kicks to scare the hairless beach apes.

* ''VideoGame/SecretAgent'': Some water pools have sharks in them, shown as a shark fin. However, since the protagonist has SuperDrowningSkills anyway, the sharks are just for show.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork6CybeastGregarAndCybeastFalzar'': In [=DiveMan=].EXE's scenario, in the aquarium's computer, there are security systems in form of shark fins that will wander around, either trying to get you or just patrolling certain areas.

* ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion3'': Captain Fishook, the Boss Ghost of Floor 12, approaches the pirate ship with only his fin showing until the dramatic reveal.
* Gyorgs in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' first appear this way, before they try to ram your ship.
* These are a standard enemy in ''VideoGame/ToejamAndEarl''. Opening the Earthling present while surrounded by water will always result in one, sine they're the only enemy to appear in water. Frustratingly, there's a Game Genie code that grants immunity to most damage [[note]]anything that makes the character say "youch!" -- the only dangers that ''don't'' are being SquashedFlat or hit with [[AbnormalAmmo tomatoes]][[/note]], but if you're hit in or near water while using said cheat, the game crashes, making sharks very dangerous indeed.

* ''VideoGame/IllusionOfGaia'' has a scene with Will and Kara stranded on a raft and encircled by shark fins. But after a few moments of panic, the sharks just leave, leading to an {{Anvilicious}} conversation about how only humans kill things when they're not hungry.

* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/TheBackyardigans'', episode "International Super Spy" we see a duck swimming to Tiki Island along with two "shark fins" behind it. The Duck is revealed to be a hat Agent Secret is wearing and the shark fins turned to be headgear The Lady in Pink and Tyrone were wearing.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}''
** Subverted in the theme song. Brain sees what appears to be a brown shark fin in the swimming pool, his reaction startling Muffy. It turns out to be Mr. Ratburn's nose.
** Subverted twice in an episode that takes place at the beach. Sue Ellen spots what she thinks is a shark, but it turns out to just be Mr. Ratburn doing the backstroke just like in the theme song. She sees another fin and panics, thinking it's a real shark this time. [[spoiler: It's a dolphin.]]

* Subverted in ''[[Film/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters]]'', when Percy, Annabeth and Tyson are stuck in a small lifeboat, and start seeing what appears to be shark fins, circling around. They soon find out they AREN'T shark fins at all: [[spoiler:They're ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charybdis: Charybdis’s]] teeth''.]]

* Subverted in ''[[Film/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters]]'', when Percy, Annabeth and Tyson are stuck in a small lifeboat, and start seeing what appears to be shark fins, circling around. They soon find out they AREN'T shark fins at all: [[spoiler:They're ''teeth''.]]

* Taken UpToEleven in ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'': Shark Noise can use their fins as a slashing weapon while submerged. So, in this case, the shark fin ''is'' the doom.

This can be subverted when a character falls in the water, sees a fin (or many fins) sticking out of the water and promptly imagines, "OhCrap, a shark! Gotta beat it!" However, most of the time it's just someone pulling a prank by swimming under the water with a fake shark fin strapped to their head or back. Or it may be a FriendlyPlayfulDolphin. This, in turn, may end up a DoubleSubversion when the characters don't fall for it, [[MistakenForAnImposter but then it turns out to be a REAL shark]]. Or, more comedically, a {{Devious Dolphin|s}}. SavageSpinosaurs can also be portrayed this way, with its aquatic habitat and large sail on its back.

This can be subverted when a character falls in the water, sees a fin (or many fins) sticking out of the water and promptly imagines, "OhCrap, a shark! Gotta beat it!" However, most of the time it's just someone pulling a prank by swimming under the water with a fake shark fin strapped to their head or back. Or it may be a FriendlyPlayfulDolphin. This, in turn, may end up a DoubleSubversion when the characters don't fall for it, [[MistakenForAnImposter but then it turns out to be a REAL shark]]. Or, more comedically, a {{Devious Dolphin|s}}.

* One of the stories on the ''I Survived'' episode that focused on Hurricane Sandy was of a man swept out to sea from his home. He realized how dire his situation was upon seeing a fin pass by him.