History Main / SharkFinOfDoom

* ''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.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** Done in "Itchy And Scratchy Land" by Homer when the family is at the beach. Homer wears a fin attached to his back, causing the beachgoers to run away. Then when Bart swims up right next to him doing the exact same thing, Homer screams, "AHHHH! Sharkboy!" and runs away.
** PlayedWith in another ''Simpsons'' episode, a WesternAnimation/TreehouseOfHorror story titled "Night of the Dolphin" about killer dolphins. Lenny is out for a night swim and gets surrounded by fins. He's scared that they're sharks, "the assassins of the sea", but they're just friendly dolphins, "the clowns of the sea" -- [[DeviousDolphins who proceed to kill him]].
* ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower'': Done by the main characters because of the overcrowding at the beach. However, this backfires when they are not permitted at the beach. They end the ruse by attaching the shark fin on a plank of wood at sea, which is discovered by officials.

* In one ''WesternAnimation/HumphreyTheBear'' cartoon, Humphrey takes the keel from a toy sailboat and wears it on his head as a fin to scare away fishermen and keep the fish for himself.
* ''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.]]

* In the ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries'' episode "Sinker", the titular experiment is mostly seen as this as it's an aquatic experiment with a small body and a large and [[AbsurdlySharpBlade incredibly sharp]] dorsal fin meant for slicing watercraft in half.

* Despite its prevalence, this trope rarely appears in real life. Most sharks ambush their prey by coming from beneath them, even in shallow water. So whilst a fin may tip you off that a shark is around, it's probably just the shark inspecting you. It's when you can't see it any more that you need to start worrying...

* Played with in ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' when the class takes a trip to an island. Negi is put 'in danger' so Asuna will make up with him after a falling out. The 'sharks' turn out to be Ku Fei and Natsumi in diguise.

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureVentoAureo Vento Aureo]]'' 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.

* Parodied in [[http://www.mrlovenstein.com/comic/608#comic this]] strip from ''Webcomics/MrLovenstein''.

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* ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork 6'': 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.

* Subverted twice in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' 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. She sees another fin and panics, thinking it's a real shark this time. [[spoiler: It's a dolphin.]]

* ''Magazine/MADMagazine'' had a feature that played with this. Among other things, it showed a shark with a sinister look on his face approaching a beach while "hiding" his fin under an old box, a shark near a large city beach with graffiti on the fin, and another with a brave guy diving off a boat to hunt the shark with the tiny fin. Once he's underwater, he's greeted by a HUGE shark who, apparently purposely kept only the very tip of his fin above the surface.

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* Despite its prevalence, this trope rarely appears in real life. Most sharks ambush their prey from coming from beneath them, even in shallow water. So whilst a fin may tip you off that a shark is around, its probably just the shark inspecting you. It's when you can't see it any more you need to start worrying...

* Any aspiring [[Troll trolls]] can find these in strap-on form in your local superstore for all your pranking needs.

* Very few sharks attack humans, but the ones who do tend to attack from beneath in an ambush, even in shallower waters. So whilst a fin may tip you off a shark is around, it's when you can't see it any more you need to start worrying...

* ''Film/DeepBlueSea'': The shark's dorsal fins breaking the water surface is sporadically used to betray their presence. However, this is played with in one scene. Susan is wading through a partially submerged corridor to retrieve the MacGuffin from her laboratory when a shark seems to approach her from behind, but it turns out to just be a harmless shark model. Then seconds later, she sees a second fin, which turns out to be the real deal.

** Done by Homer when the family is at the beach. Homer wears a fin attached to his back, causing the beachgoers to run away. Then when Bart swims up right next to him doing the exact same thing, Homer screams, "AHHHH! Sharkboy!" and runs away.