Line #70 Main/DramaticHighPerching


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5	[[quoteright:318:[[VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cielweapons.png]]]]
6	[[caption-width-right:318:The three swords help too...]]
7
8	->''"At least the whole jumping on telephone poles thing is cool."''
9	-->-- '''[[http://imgur.com/gallery/J5sbp Nope: The Anime]]'''
10
11	Supernatural, magical, or just plain awesome beings know there's no better place to be effortlessly standing on than tall objects, be they pine trees, lampposts, cliffs, or the nearest available tall building. This is flying for people who cannot fly. Or even the ones who can.
12
13	Less about true strategy and more about [[RuleOfCool looking cool]]. Expect DramaticWind (actually, wind speed increases with altitude, so wind that seems dramatic to those on the ground [[JustifiedTrope is ''normal'' at high altitude]]). In anime and manga this has become a choice dramatic entrance for villains, introduced via a panning away of the camera from a completely every day scene, or the aftermath of a dramatic event, to reveal that said villain was watching all along, and provide a nice segue for the next part.
14
15	It also serves as a hint that the character doing it has some kind of supernatural or superhuman skills, given the obvious difficulty to climb up casually to the tall place without them.
16
17	This seems to have originated from training techniques that involved standing on bamboo; see, for example, the ''Film/CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon'' and ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' examples. This is common in WireFu movies.
18
19	See also SittingOnTheRoof.
20	----
21	!!Examples:
22
23	[[foldercontrol]]
24
25	[[folder:Animation]]
26	* ''Animation/{{Mechamato}}'': Ninjamera watches Bula and Bili walking away from Deep from his perch on the point of the playground roof, the strap on his head blowing in a breeze for good measure.
27	[[/folder]]
28
29	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
30	* All Creator/{{Gimik}} anime feature this at least once.
31	** In ''Anime/KiddyGrade'' there was Armbrust and his habit of smoking atop skyscrapers.
32	** ''Anime/UtaKata'' has Saya standing on clock towers, in trees, and on magic flying scythes.
33	** The closing sequence of ''Gigantic Formula'' features Mana standing on a spire.
34	** ''Anime/KiddyGirlAnd'' has Shade spending a week hanging around on a tower spying on dreams.
35	* ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'':
36	** In the original {{OAV}}s, Belldandy watched Keiichi go to work while improbably on top of a thin willowy tree. (However, Belldandy gets a pass because she's both literally and figuratively a Goddess and she can ''fly''.)
37	** Belldandy and Urd do this a couple of times in the manga too.
38	%%* Used in a couple of Angel battles in ''Manga/AngelicLayer''.
39	* Parodied in ''Manga/AyakashiTriangle'': Sosuke broods about getting revenge on Matsuri while standing on a telephone pole, [[FailedAttemptAtDrama but is interrupted]] by a police officer shouting at him to get down.
40	%%* And the ''Anime/BakuenCampusGuardress''.
41	* In the ''Manga/BattleRoyale'' manga, Kiriyama takes this to the extreme, standing on ''the edge of a splinter'' sticking up from a broken wooden pole. To make it more ludicrous, he stands as if he were standing on solid ground, both feet spread wide apart..despite under a square millimeter of one foot (if that) actually having support.
42	%%* In ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'', Syaoran and Meiling do this a lot.
43	* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
44	** First shot of Rukia has her standing on top of a powerline pole. When the other two [[TheGrimReaper Shinigami]] first appear, they too are standing on lampposts. A preference for high places is even listed on Rukia's character sheet.
45	*** Rukia's [[EmpathicWeapon zanpakutou, Sode no Shirayuki,]] does the same when she appears in the real world, standing on top of the tower of a nearby bridge when facing Ichigo at the beginning of the recent filler arc.
46	** Vice-Captain Tetsuzaimon Iba seems to have an affinity for the high ground whenever he battles Ikkaku over who has to buy the next round of sake.
47	* Happens occasionally in ''Manga/BusoRenkin''. At one point, Papillon and and Moonface have a conversation while standing on electric posts.
48	%%* Chii from ''Manga/{{Chobits}}'' does it too, with some impressive DramaticWind. %%Does what to?
49	* The holy city guards that fight Claire in ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'' don't remark how incredible she is until she leaps onto a steeple.
50	* Lelouch is seen in the first OP of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' doing this. Given his utter lack of physical skills and his flair for the dramatic, what we didn't see was the 15 minutes he spent using his MindControlEyes on an army of people to get him up there.
51	* Light of ''Manga/DeathNote'' visualizes himself and L doing this as imagery of their struggle against one another, using incredibly thin skyscrapers.
52	* ''Literature/{{Dokkoida}}'' villain Edelweiss attempted this in her first appearance, but a combination of her frilly dress and high winds caused it to backfire.
53	* Goku Black and [[spoiler:Future Zamasu]] from ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' are extremely fond of doing this, as a way to literally and figuratively [[AGodAmI look down on everyone else.]]
54	* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'':
55	** Ling is shown in a number of scenes looking from a higher elevation on a city below, alluding to his grand ambitions. [[spoiler:After Greed possess him, he also gets into the habit]].
56	** King Bradley also gets a brief shot standing atop Central Command in the first opening of Brotherhood, with a dramatic zoom-in to boot.
57	** In addition, [[SociopathicSoldier Kimblee]] does this in Ishval, standing on a high wall while blowing up Scar's entire village. Later, Scar {{lampshade\|Hanging}}s the role reversal as he stands on top of a building before escaping from Kimblee.
58	* Polylina in ''VideoGame/GalaxyFrauleinYuna''. May be a spoof of Tuxedo Kamen, since she wears a mask and holds a rose, and seems to be the main character's crush.
59	* Volfogg from ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'' is a {{transforming\|Mecha}} {{ninja}} [[HumongousMecha giant robot]] who does this. And can become invisible (visually, and to most sensors), too.
60	* Raitei and the [[FourIsDeath Four Kings]] in ''Manga/GetBackers'' are often portrayed sitting or standing on large columns of rubble. Two in particular seem to enjoy it: when Ban and Shido get into a fight on a sloped rooftop, Kazuki makes sure to be standing higher along when he steps in, and honestly? Sitting on a(nother) rooftop and making cryptic remarks is really about all Masaki does until the final arc of the manga.
61	* ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'': Togusa has a conversation with Major Kusanagi on the roof of a skyscraper. The Major is standing on the wrong side of the safety rail at the very edge of the building, at one point casually turning to face Togusa and crossing her feet, as if to show off her NervesOfSteel and the perfect balance enabled by her cyborg body. ''Anime/GhostInTheShell1995'' opens with Kusanagi standing on top of a skyscraper while eavesdropping on the Net. Similar scenes in the various anime spin-offs are shown as a CallBack.
62	* ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'':
63	** Spoofed many times, though one memorable case is where an elderly lady appears on a rooftop to scold the people fighting below. Later, a character complains about how difficult it was to get her on top of the roof.
64	** One of the few times it's used purely for dramatic effect is during TheMovie, when [[spoiler:Gintoki returns to the past to eliminate himself to save the future.]]
65	* For a franchise about HumongousMecha, ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' has a few examples of this...
66	** ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam''
67	*** Master Asia clearly one-upped almost everyone at this trope when he once performed it by standing on the tip of ''his own martial arts belt twisted into a pole shape'' while balancing on top of the wreckage of the HumongousMecha that he'd just defeated with nothing but said cloth and ''his bare hands''. He also tended to do it in the traditional manner, and at times even did so ''while in his Gundam'', despite the fact that its weight ''should'' have caused the collapse of what he was balancing on.
68	*** The first opening also shows the FiveManBand's Gundams standing on the satellites that make up the [[EarthIsABattlefield giant ringposts around the planet]] (though only TheHero's Shining Gundam is obvious, because naturally he's front and center).
69	** Norris Packard perched his Gouf Custom on top of an already bombed out Vietnamese office block in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamThe08thMSTeam'', to scare the protagonists and give him a psychological edge.
70	** In ''Anime/Gundam00'' season 2, [[strike:Graham]] Mister Bushido tops the aforementioned two, at least in altitude, by posing his Masurao on top of an ''asteroid''.
71	%%** Yoshiyuki Tomino also does this in ''Manga/GundamSousei''.
72	* Cyberdoll Sara leaps up onto a powerpole in ''Anime/HandMaidMay'', to aid her search of the city for May. Kotaro Nanbara, being mortal and far less cool, is forced to scramble up with normal climbing.
73	* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
74	** ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood Phantom Blood]]'': Dio appears before Jonathan and the others on top of a large mountain peak.
75	** ''[[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'': Upon [[spoiler:acquiring Made In Heaven]], Enrico Pucci stands atop of a building as he prepares to unleash his power.
76	* Kuroh Yatogami in ''Anime/{{K}}'' is fond of this. He does it twice in the first two episodes. He doesn't seem to realize it's not quite normal in modern Tokyo, though...
77	* ''Manga/KaitouSaintTail'' does it at least OncePerEpisode, either when she reveals her presence or once she's secured the stolen goods.
78	%%* Anju and Ren both do this in ''Manga/{{Karin}}''. Both are able to fly by various means but seem limited by the vampire creed to the RuleOfCool.
79	* Meta Knight was quite fond of this pose in ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'', although this is rather understandable given his short stature.
80	%%* Inumari does it on his first appearance in ''Manga/TheLawOfUeki''.
81	%%* In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'', Fate is standing on a telephone pole firing magic when Nanoha first sees her. Justified insofar as Fate has true flight.
82	%%** Later, Einhart of ''[=ViVid=]'' makes her first appearance standing on a street light as she challenges Nove to a fight.
83	%%** It's practically a RunningGag in ''Nanoha'' for every DarkMagicalGirl (the ones who can fly, anyways) to do this at least once.
84	* In ''Webcomic/MobPsycho100'', Ritsu stands on an electrical pole and gloats to Dimple... after breaking into Kamuro's room just to humiliate him for his part in the crackdown on delinquents.
85	* Elfriede in ''[[Anime/TsukuyomiMoonPhase Moon Phase]]'' stands atop a cross on the roof of a church, with wind, and reflective glasses in the moonlight.
86	* Lampshaded in ''Manga/MyBrideIsAMermaid''. Sarutobi is playing the role of a wise old sage, so Nagasumi wonders why he's standing on a telephone pole.
87	* Used constantly by Nagi in ''Anime/MyHime'', with LampshadeHanging. Nagi (who is ''fond'' of having the high ground, to say the least) appears on top of Fuuka Gakuen's clock tower in a very cool and dramatic manner and starts delivering an important message to the main characters, and Midori tells him to step down because standing that high is dangerous. Nagi also ''falls'' from his high ground a time or two.
88	* Occurs constantly in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', related to the ninja's ability to channel [[KiManipulation chakra]] into their feet. Also used in the WalkOnWater combination with logs that balanced on the surface of a lake in a pivotal point during the climactic Naruto vs. Sasuke battle. Sasuke's first warning that his charming big bro Itachi has gone Ax Crazy is catching a glimpse of his blacked-out silhouette on a telephone pole, against a rising red moon, with only his crazy eyes visible. Shortly afterwards, Sasuke stumbles on the first of many, many bodies...
89	* Evangeline of ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' perched on high objects when trying to look scary. It usually works.
90	* Occurs in ''[[Literature/{{Bakemonogatari}} Nisemonogatari]]'': Yozuru Kagenui is constantly standing atop some object or another. This includes sculptures, mailboxes, and even her humanoid familiar when nothing else is available. In fact, she refuses to stand on the ground at all. We eventually learn that the reason for this is because [[spoiler:she and her colleague are subject to a curse, though the details are not explained]]. This devotion to keeping the high ground is made all the more impressive when you consider she's doing it in heels.
91	%%* Happens everytime when a new major character, mostly antagonists, appears in ''Webcomic/{{Noblesse}}''.
92	%%* All of the cloaked Dragon Knights from ''Anime/{{Noein}}'' do this, it's an aspect of their otherworldliness.
93	* Pedro "[[MeaningfulName of the Treetops]]" in ''Manga/OnePiece'' has a penchant for standing atop the tallest structure he can find in the immediate vicinity, [[RuleOfFunny which sometimes makes it difficult for people to hear him speak.]]
94	%%* "Twilight Suzuka" in ''Manga/OutlawStar'' does this several times, usually as she's about to enter battle.
95	* Jeanne of ''Manga/PhantomThiefJeanne'' almost always begins her transformation sequence by jumping off a building, tower, etc. She enjoys attacking her adversaries this way as well.
96	%%* James from ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' pulls this stunt when [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext he think's he's a Moltres]]. (DontAsk.)
97	%%* The villains from the various ''Anime/PrettyCure'' series do this often. In an [[AntiHero anti-heroic]] example, [[Anime/SuitePrettyCure Cure Muse]] is also introduced this way.
98	* Reiri the vampire girl stands on the steeple of a church in the opening of ''Manga/PrincessResurrection''.
99	* Tuxedo Kamen from ''Manga/SailorMoon'' was a master of this. That was all he ever did. Haruka and Michiru were fond of standing on high pillars as well, and the ''Sailor Moon S'' opening credits put ''all'' the senshi up there.
100	** The ''Stars'' anime actually parodies this: when Uranus and Neptune try the high ground trick by standing on the dining table in Usagi's house, Aluminium Siren actually remarks on how rude they are for doing so with shoes on, making them blush in embarrassment.
101	* In ''AudioPlay/SaintBeast'', all the characters (but particularly Judas) spend time standing around on cliffs, trees, and other tall objects to add a sense of the dramatic. Zeus doesn't always have to even stand on anything when he can just float above everybody when he likes.
102	* Parvati in ''Manga/SazanEyes'' tend to do this a lot, usually helped by the flying familiar Fei E (Flying Maws) she can summon.
103	* The heroine of ''Anime/ShamanicPrincess'' and her [[TheRival rival]] can actually generate their own tall, thin objects to stand on whenever required. It's a handy backup for situations when a nice moon-silhouetted church steeple isn't available.
104	* Various characters do this in ''Manga/SilentMobius'', including both Cheyenne sisters, Katsumi Liqueur, and Ganossa Maximillian.
105	* Amelia is introduced in ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' doing this as she confronts a bandit. She explains to Gourry later that as an "ally of justice", she is expected to make this sort of entrance. The problem is that she's still working on the dismount; every time she does a dramatic jump down to begin the battle, she crashes. One of the ''Slayers'' movies takes this even further, with two characters climbing stone precipices to hurl verbal abuse at each other (at a distance of less than fifty feet).
106	** At the beginning of the third season (Try), the joke had run its course and fallen into disuse. So they brought it back and flipped it. Amelia jumps from a ridiculously tall tower and scares everybody, but this time she casts the levitate spell right before landing. The kicker? She risked her life and limb just to heal a small bump on an old woman's head.
107	* Obi of ''Manga/SnowWhiteWithTheRedHair'' prefers to enter fights from the trees or buildings above his opponents. In this case part of the reason for his approach is because he'd prefer not to be seen straight away since he's usually on his own fighting multiple opponents. In at least one case he used his altitude and position in a tree above them to try and intimidate a couple of thieves into giving up since he saw they were just kids once he'd caught up.
108	* Sonic does this a few times in ''Anime/SonicX''. There are also variations involving the nosecones of high-speed jets, and trees. He spends a lot of time very high up: balcony ''railings'', trees and roofs are common sleeping places, tall poles and skyscrapers are vantage points, jets are a good place to dive in on the action and he also has a thing for ''mountains''.
109	* Spoofed in ''Manga/SoulEater'' where Black*Star often does this; in one case he was so high up nobody could hear him, and the thing he was standing on broke.
110	* Lunatic from ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'' has a habit of mixing this trope with DramaticEntrance.
111	* Not supernatural, but Sumire Kanou is overly fond of this in ''Literature/{{Toradora}}''. In fact, in a flashback in episode 16, where she's standing on a roof speaking to Kitamura, there's a ladder present, implying she made a point of climbing up before even speaking.
112	* Parodied in ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' with Tobimaro Mizunokuji. This HotBlooded youth will often try to make a dramatic entrance from a high place, except to usually have some kind of misshap happening, like him pathetically falling from his perch, or having the ladder he used to reach the high spot in the first place being removed and him staying stuck. Yet, despite all this, he doesn't learn and keeps doing it (because he's a moron).
113	* The first time Himiko Se catches a glimpse of Miyu and Larva in ''Manga/VampirePrincessMiyu'', they're sitting (Miyu) or standing up (Larva) on top of a ''torii'' gate.
114	%%* Lucia from ''Manga/VenusVersusVirus'' does this quite often.
115	* A recurring trope in ''Manga/{{X 1999}}'' in which almost every character gets to pose dramatically in an absurdly high place at one time or another. (Sorata even comments on this when he first meets Yuuto standing on the top of a rather tall tree.) They always seem to prefer leaping from telephone pole to telephone pole at perilously high speeds rather than take the public transportation, and they're also often seen [[RoofHopping leaping from building roof to building roof]], among other tall things; it's implied that this is a power that all of the Dragons share.
116	* ''Manga/YokohamaKaidashiKikou'' combines this with Walking on Water. Achieved not for coolness but for a sense of serene surrealism (check out the main article on ''YKK'' for a picture)
117	* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
118	** In the first episode of ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', Flame Wingman does this after the Skyscraper card is activated, glaring down at Ancient Gear Golem from one of the taller 'scrapers, despite being quite visibly capable of flight. It does [[RuleOfCool look cool]], though. The same happens later in the series, just before Judai defeats another student who had stolen Yugi's deck and was imitating him. It happens again as a CallBack when Flame Wingman faces Ancient Gear Golem again.
119	** Also done in the [[Manga/YuGiOhGX manga]] of the same series, this time with young Judai's Flame Wingman attacking one of Kyou Hibiki's Elemental [=HEROes=].
120	** ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'':
121	*** The climax of the Dark Signer arc is a duel between Yusei, Jack and Crow against Rex Goodwin. But it's a Riding Duel, and Goodwin is the only one without a D-Wheel. He's standing on top of a temple and his three opponents are riding their D-Wheels are drive circles around him. While Goodwin's limited to using Speed Spells like his oppponents and also gets Speed Counters like his opponents, he still has no D-Wheel. When Jack and Crow crash, they don't get their turns because they aren't riding their D-Wheels ([[ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers and the crashed becaused he sabotaged them with magic]]), yet he still is allowed to play.
122	*** The Three Emperors of Yliaster introduce themselves in that manner to the protagonists, looking down on them during the entire conversation.
123	* Likewise various characters from ''Manga/YuYuHakusho''. At one point, Kurama is seen standing on ''the railing of a balcony'' in the manga. Why he just didn't stand on the balcony is a mystery; the anime corrected this, if memory serves.
124	[[/folder]]
125
126	[[folder:Comic Books]]
127	* Recent incarnations of ''Comicbook/SpiderMan'' have also got him doing doing this, which isn't too much of a stretch, due to his adhesive abilities and equilibrium. (His more usual trick is to hang from ''beneath'' a lamppost arch or flagpole.)
128	* Used to the point where it is considered an explicit sign of otherworldly skills or powers in the now-physically published {{webcomic}} ''Webcomic/{{Megatokyo}}''. Many characters are observed walking on phone lines or on poles. It is even used by Miho (a possible DarkMagicalGirl, and definitely one of the comic's most powerful beings) to convince Yuki that she is a MagicalGirl by making her follow her up onto a power line without realizing it. Largo can also do it, but for ''Megatokyo'', being good at games also counts as [[{{Cyberspace}} otherworldly]] skills.
129	* The [[http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i212/Kerrah_photos/BatmanTDKR0_000_Introduction.jpg 10th Anniversary Edition cover]] for ''Comicbook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns''.
130	* ''ComicBook/Robin1993'': If Tim Drake wants to intimidate his enemies he usually finds a high spot to glower or grin at them from before leaping to attack them, although there is the occasion where he just needs to toss some batarangs and/or gas grenades while hopping from one spot out of their reach to another.
131	* ComicBook/{{Spawn}} likes to stand [[http://www.oocities.org/vanrichen/spawnTAS/s1e6.jpg on the top of a church steeple,]] and sometimes on top of the cross on top of the steeple (especially in the comic).
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Fan Works]]
135	* A "manga-tized" Dee Dee from ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' performs on top of a fence pole in this [[http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l35/avatar_portal/mag/47_48.jpg comic]] done by artist Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simons.
136	* Seen in ''FanFic/DungeonKeeperAmi'' on a number of occasions. Once, Ami battled a horned reaper on top of a temple to the light. In another instance she appeared in a monestary to rescue one of her minions. This was accompanied by dramatic wind despite being indoors (due to her flooding the room with fog). She was even observing the altercation the whole time, via scrying (she isn't a villain, but [[RunningGag don't tell the other heroes that]]). So this trope fits to a T.
137	* The ''Anime/SailorMoon'' fanfic ''Tacky Yellow No-Name'' has [[spoiler:Kunzite]] try to become a good guy, and once it's clear that he can't be a Sailor Scout, he decides to try out for Tuxedo Kamen's role. Thus ensues a battle between the two, where each leaps onto higher and more improbable locations, spouting words of wisdom as they go. It quickly devolves into stuff like "Never run with scissors!" - and ends in pain when [[spoiler:Kunzite impales his foot on a weathervane]].
138	* A lot of [[EvilSorcerer Wolfang]]'s appearances in ''Fanfic/KingdomHeartsNewEpicTheFirst'' have him on the high ground, such as perched on a tree, or standing on a table.
139	* In ''Fanfic/TurningANewLeaf'', the Musutafu Police Department has balconies on its rooftop specifically for heroes to make dramatic landings on.
140	[[/folder]]
141
142	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
143	* Twice in ''Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren'': first Cloud stands on a building ledge as Kadaj hangs by his fingertips, then Sephiroth poses at the top of the same building when he appears a couple minutes later.
144	* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1''. The short Master Shifu makes sure to leap onto a suitably high rock when declaring "THEN I AM YOUR MASTER!", upon finally taking on the responsibility he'd been shirking to train Po.
145	* ''Anime/GhostInTheShell1995'' opens with Kusanagi standing on top of a skyscraper while eavesdropping on the Net. Similar scenes in the various anime spin-offs are shown as a CallBack.
146	* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', when Mei is reminding her friends why they are fans of 4*Town there is a shot of her standing on a mountain top with the BoyBand members sitting below her.
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
150	* The fight along the tops of the bamboo grove in ''Film/CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon''.
151	* The ''Film/CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon'' scene is spoofed in the second ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' movie, ''Film/AsterixAndObelixMissionCleopatra'', with Edifis and Artifis, under the magic potion, jumping on top of pillars to defy each other.
152	* In ''Film/IronMonkey'', the entire epic final battle occurs on top of poles, because [[spoiler:the ground below is covered in burning oil.]]
153	* Daniel [=LaRusso=] in ''Film/TheKarateKid'' practiced his FinishingMove on wooden posts.
154	* The angels in ''Film/TheProphecy'' have a fondness for standing on the backs of chairs, railings... anything that looks cool.
155	* Prior to the fight in ''Film/TheRock'', the antagonist exclaims 'Your unit is covered from an elevated position, Commander. I'm not gonna ask you again. Don't do anything stupid.' It would mean a lot more if both sides weren't armed with guns, making it a good example of this trope. While much closer to GeoEffects, this definitely fulfilled the purpose of the trope as Ed Harris's team of Marines definitely look imposing. And they also have a lot of cover and a much clearer line of fire on the [=SEALs=] (the [=SEALs=] really did have no cover at all).
156	* At least once a film in ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' Batman observes the city like this. Combines with CueTheSun across the films: ''Film/BatmanBegins'' is at night, ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' is at dawn, and ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' is in morning twilight.
157	* ''Film/TheLoneRanger'': [[CoolHorse Silver]] [[RunningGag likes]] [[OffscreenTeleportation high places.]]
158	* In ''Film/{{The Avengers\|2012}}'', when Captain America throws his shield at Thor and Iron Man to get them to stop fighting and catch their attention, he does so from the top of an angled tree trunk.
159	* In ''Film/MortalKombatTheMovie'', Johnny Cage tries to pull this on Scorpion when he manages to get a bit of breathing room and vaults to a higher platform. Scorpion responds by [[CuttingTheKnot destroying the platform's support, causing it to tumble and Johnny to scream as he crashes into a field of bones]].
160	-->''"GET DOWN HERE!"''
161	[[/folder]]
162
163	[[folder:Literature]]
164	* "Literature/ClockpunkAndTheVitalizer" features The Vitalizer floating several stories above ground level when we first see him. Given Clockpunk's inability to do anything about it, all it really does is serve as a way for him to further taunt her.
165	* In Creator/LarryNiven's short story "Literature/ThePatchworkGirl", a Moon native leaps onto a spire of rock. Gil Hamilton, an Earth man, calls it "Graceful as all hell."
166	[[/folder]]
167
168	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
169	* In ''Series/DarkAngel'', Max frequently sits on top of the Seattle Space Needle, especially when she is brooding. Other characters, such as Ben and Logan, occasionally go up there as well.
170	* ''Series/{{Buffy\|the Vampire Slayer}}'' first meets Angel by doing a handstand atop a streetlight, and then swinging down to ambush her stalker (slayers have superhuman strength and gymnastic skills).
171	* The MysteriousWatcher in ''Series/{{Misfits}}'' is fond of surveying things dramatically from rooftops.
172	* ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'': Prior to losing the Green Ranger powers the first time, [[SixthRanger Tommy]] was fond of this, appearing atop a skyscraper to play the Dragon Dagger.
173	[[/folder]]
174
175	[[folder:Theatre]]
176	* ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'': The titular fiddler, who stands on the roof while fiddling for no reason besides [[RuleOfCool it's cooler than standing on the ground]].
177	[[/folder]]
178
179	[[folder:Video Games]]
180	* ''VideoGame/ANNOMutationem'': In the bad ending, [[spoiler:after Amok is freed from her imprisonment and proceeds to unleash devastation on the world]], she stands high above overseeing the destruction.
181	* In the ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' games, one of Sly's many moves is the "Ninja Spire Jump", which allows him to stand atop tall, narrow objects. In ''VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves'', Sly does battle with General Tsao, a crime boss who fancies himself a Chinese warlord, in a BossBattle atop a bamboo grove, obviously inspired by ''Film/CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon''.
182	* The [[http://www.theisozone.com/images/cover/ps2-1339985671.jpg cover]] of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII Final Mix+'' shows all the major characters either sitting or standing on poles (or in the case of Goofy, clinging to one).
183	* Altair of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'' can climb most buildings, and on some of them, he can perch on a ledge to spot what is happening on the streets (thus revealing side missions). And then do an improbable somersault all the way to the ground into strategically placed hay carts. In the [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII second game]], you can then jump onto a guard (or two!) and stab them through the neck with your hidden blade(s). This is common in the entire ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' series; the "Leap of Faith" is a signature move of the Assassins.
184	* Ryu Hayabusa of ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' fame likes doing this in the cutscenes of the Xbox remake series.
185	* The BigBad of ''VideoGame/MetalWolfChaos'', Richard Hawk, does this on a ''helicopter'' in a ''HumongousMecha'' at one point.
186	* The {{Ninja}} from ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' do this a lot, in particular Sasuke who can often be found standing one-legged on the top of a tree, pole, or on the roof.
187	%% Needs context * Waka in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' does this all the time. ''[[http://www.emploom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Okami-waka.jpg Those shoes...]]''
188	* [[spoiler:Raiden]]'s entrance in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots''
189	* ''VideoGame/NightsIntoDreams'': One of the most famous (if not the most famous) pose/s from the titular protagonist in both this game and [[VideoGame/NightsJourneyOfDreams its sequel]] is them standing on the top of a tower by one feet, playing [[MagicalFlutist a invisible flute]].
190	%% Needs context * [[spoiler:Wesker]] in the extension of the good ending of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheDarksideChronicles''.
191	* In ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' Neo does the building standing variety before doing a GroundShatteringLanding to rescue Morpheus and Trinity during 'The Captains' rescue missions.
192	* The opening movie of the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' expansion ''Heavensward'' has various Dragoons doing this as they battle dragons, perching on top of spires before or after attacking.
193	* ''VideoGame/Splatoon2 Octo Expansion'': [[spoiler:Agent 3]] does this before their BossBattle, standing atop one of the beams supporting a massive elevator platform, before jumping down on to the platform with a GroundShatteringLanding and starting the fight. Later, the OptionalBoss [[spoiler:Inner Agent 3]] appears atop an Octarian UFO before leaping onto the battlefield in a similar fashion.
194	* ''Franchise/{{Sonic The Hedgehog}}'': While it's used for dramatic effect a multitude of times throughout the series, it's mostly utilized by the protagonist's archrival, Shadow the Hedgehog. Particularly in his debut game ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Adventure 2}}'', where his introduction in both the Hero and Dark stories has him placed physically above another character.
195	* ''VideoGame/{{XenoGears}}'': Grahf makes himself appear in front of Fei by standing on top of a peak at the desert.
196	* ''Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}'':
197	** Ciel from ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'', above. Lampshaded and mocked frequently in the {{Oddly Named Sequel\|2ElectricBoogaloo}}.
198	** Arcueid in the MassiveMultiplayerCrossover ''VideoGame/BattleMoonWars'' was immensely fond of this, at one point revealing that she hadn't shown herself until then because there wasn't a cool lamppost that she could stand upon when making her entrance.
199	** And in both ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' and ''Literature/FateZero'', [[ItsAllAboutMe Gilgamesh]] makes his formal appearance in the war like this (the former on a wall, the latter on a lamppost), because even standing on the same ground as lesser heroes is an insult to him.
200	** Assassin in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' uses the stairs on Ryuudou Temple to give himself an advantage against other Servants attempting to enter.
201	[[/folder]]
202
203	[[folder:Webcomics]]
204	* In ''[[Webcomic/TheChosenFour EarthBound: The Chosen Four]]'', Poo [[BigDamnHeroes arrives]] to rescue [[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 Ness]] and the others from Master Barf by appearing on top of several trees.
205	* ''Webcomic/{{Megatokyo}}'' is quite fond of this. It seems to be unique to {{Magical Girl}}s, but they enjoy showing it off.
206	* [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Angels]] in ''Webcomic/{{Misfile}}'' are fond of watching folks from rooftops... when they aren't [[{{Flight}} hovering in mid-air]].
207	* A LampshadeHanging in ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'' where [[MediumAwareness Kiel'ndia]] [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?sid=8852 uses this when making her dramatic entrance,]] only to be asked how she got up there. Her response?
208	-->'''Kiel'ndia:''' With difficulty.
209	* Burk of ''Webcomic/HeroOhHero'' watches the [[spoiler:real]] bandits (who he's agreed to defeat) enter the town from a [[http://www.neorice.com/hoh_52 vantage point on a roof.]]
210	[[/folder]]
211
212	[[folder:Web Videos]]
213	* ''WebVideo/YuyuHakushoAbridged'' takes Hiei's tendency to perch on tree tops, and Kuwabara's strength building exercise of punching down trees to its logical conclusion. The two then bicker over who's behavior was more ridiculous (and thus was at fault).
214	* ''WebVideo/CodeMENT'' makes fun of this trope more than once.
215	-->'''Cornelia:''' This One character seems to be our most dangerous threat.\
216	'''Lelouch:''' [[GilliganCut HOW DID I GET UP HERE?!]]
217	[[/folder]]
218
219	[[folder:Western Animation]]
220	* In ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}} Arcane: League of Legends]]'', Vi looks down from a utility pipe unto the Undercity below.
221	* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', Robin fights atop a bamboo grove against an anthropomorphic monkey while journeying up a mountain to meet a martial arts master. He later perches on top of the bad guy's staff (really his, which was stolen), and then leaps off, causing the staff to smack the bad guy.
222	[[/folder]]

Context Main / DramaticHighPerching