Ambiguous Name: I Have The High Ground

Wicks checked: 50/50

Correct usage: Standing on tall, thin structures for coolness/intimidation (11)

• Video Games (Final Fantasy X): Auron is introduced in a way that officially sets up his "Cool Old Guy who knows a lot more about what's going than he tells people" credentials: He climbs up to a high place and seems to welcome Sin as it comes closer to Zanarkand without a word.[...]
• Kung Fu Panda 2 (Lord Shen) Evil Tower of Ominousness: His home in Gongmen City, which he's shown perching atop of during a travel montage.
• My-HiME (Nagi Humoura)
  • Nagi is a mysterious boy who hangs around Fuuka Academy and spends the majority of his time perching himself in dangerously high places.[...]
  • Just about every scene he's in shows him sitting on or hanging from a tree branch, a big rock, or some other kind of tall structure.
• You're Under Arrest! (Strike Man): Often seen standing dramatically atop telephone poles, though he's just as content to stand atop vending machines and the like.
• Slayers Main Slayers (Amelia): She loves making In the Name of the Moon speeches from high places but she has trouble with the landings...
• CLAMP School Detectives: Strangely enough, the Chairwoman of all people is shown standing on the school's pole during the opening, apparently for no other reason than to try to present her as the Big Bad of the series, or just for Rule of Cool. As she is never noted to be anything more than a regular old lady, it would pretty incredible for her to get up there in the anime proper.
• Sister Princess: Chikage stands on a lamp post in her first appearance.
• Crimson Rafflesia: Kaison's dramatic introduction atop the roof of a church building.
• Not Quite As Planned: In chapter 4, Zangetsu introduces himself to Ichigo and (in chapter 8) Mayuri while standing on a lamp post.
• The Klutz: My-HiME gives us a rare villainous example in Nagi, who often likes to perch on top of buildings or trees and will often fall from those same places.

Misuse: Standing at high places for coolness/intimidation, but not from thin structures (3)

• Nobuhiko Takada: Generalissimo Takada often talked from his balcony, which was lampshaded by Naoya Ogawa himself in HUSTLE House Vol.1.
  Ogawa: Takada, you won't stop looking people down from high places, will you?
• Not Quite As Planned: Ikkaku and Yumichika are first shown gloating down at Chad and Orihime from on top of a nearby wall.
• Clockpunk and the Vitalizer: It doesn't necessarily help The Vitalizer to be floating several yards above the Cooley streets during his first encounter with Dolores, but it certainly makes it easier for him to taunt her.

Misuse: Characters, usually wrestlers, utilise high areas as part of a flashy fighting technique (9)

• Taiji Ishimori: He is known for his amazing acrobatic feats, be it moonsaults or 450 splashes.
• Pac: [...]smaller, heroic, aerial wrestling style, and references within his gimmick to comic book superheroes (although that's not exclusively a kid thing, especially nowadays).
• Taka Michinoku: The whole purpose of introducing a "light heavyweight" title was for the WWF to compete with the the high fliers of WCW.
• Chikara (Lince): Regularly used moonsaults and the Shooting Star Press.
• Mikey Whipwreck: Whipwreck worked as part of the ring crew for free on the deal he could have "fun" in the ring before and after shows. Heyman decided to sign Whipwreck after watching him practice aerial maneuvers.
• Attitude Era D'Lo Brown The group's, light-footed, trash-talking, head-shaking Lightning Bruiser.
• Pac: Let's just put it this way: he is known as "The Man That Gravity Forgot."
• Jillian Hall: Her high flying moves were neglected when she moved from OVW to WWE but she did finish Mickie James with a 450 splash at an OVW event where she was representing WWE SmackDown while Mickie was representing Raw. She would later bring back her top turnbuckle moves during tag team matches on Raw. This is possibly due to her primarily wrestling as a heel jobber.
• Prime Time Players: (A former "Something Completely Different" example) The revived tag division consisted mostly of high flyers and other smaller, quicker types.

Misuse: Characters utilise high areas for strategic purposes (7)

• The Division: Probably closer to Geo Effects but she is encountered sniping at you from the opposite side of the area, on top of a flight of stairs which has plenty of cover on her side. The boss area is also relatively large and open, with cover placed around the perimeter instead of inside (likely to better protect you against her Mooks, and vice versa). So, what's between you and her in the middle of this boss area? One statue.
• JT Music: In their rap battle, Demoman warns Junkrat not to try this tactic.
  Demoman: You want the high ground? I wouldn't dare!
  I can strafe while I'm in the air!
• Live-Action Films: The scene in Revenge of the Sith when Obi-Wan and Anakin are dueling. You know which. (trope namer, which uses it in this respect)
• Fairy Ranmaru (Chilka): He loves standing on rooftops, rails, streetlights, and the likes, usually to spy on the Victim of the Week. During the battles, he also tends to watch the fights from above, only descending when he wants to interfere. (Leaning towards this; could be correct depending on visual portrayal)
• Syphon Filter: [...]Few seconds later, multiple rebel gunmen appear above the slope and start firing at Gabe and Ellis.
• Schaffrillas Productions: At one point in "Revenge of the Senate", Obi-Wan manages to get the high ground in his battle with Anakin, just like the original movie. This time however, Anakin doesn't attempt to jump over him, and the fight ends in a draw.
• Arpeggio of Blue Steel: I-400 prefers observing Haruna and company from rooftops and other elevated vantage points.

Zero-Context Examples & vague potholes (27)

• Lucha Underground: Prince Puma, full stop. Johnny Mundo and the three luchadores from Episode 3 (Fenix, Drago, Pentagon Jr.) certainly qualify as well.
  • Angelico and Jack Evans, while not tag-team partners in Lucha Underground like they are in other promotions, both definitely have the high ground.
  • Aerostar pretty much owns the high ground.
• WCW Final Years:
  • (Air Raid): They had "Air" right there in their name.
  • (Jung Dragons): (Just the trope name)
  • (The Natural-Born Thrillers): Sanders and surprisingly O'Haire.
• Outlaw Star (Twilight): It was formerly part of her trademark, though the last time she invokes it is when she helps Gene escape the shuttle bay on Sentinel III.
• A Certain Scientific Railgun T Ep 11 Joining The Battle: There is a lot of perching on rooftops and high structures here: Kouzaku, Kuroko and Gunha all get in on the action.
• Ashes and Dust: Eleanor in the battle for CARMINE in Faldwell.
• Metroid - Bounty Hunters (Noxus):In the game's intro, his Vhoscythe sits atop a tall piece of ice before he unwraps himself.
• Omamori Himari Once, Kuesu at her introduction.
• Anime & Manga (Soul Eater): Note that this show takes it so far over the top that two of its main trio basically have crippling mental illnesses (one is such an Attention Whore that he literally can't restrain himself from yelling YAHOO at the top of his lungs and leaping atop the most prominent nearby object when he's trying to ambush someone[...]
• Ivory: In her 2003 face run, she went to the top rope far more than she had previously. One match saw her hitting a crossbody to Molly Holly, Jazz and Victoria on the outside.
• Bakuen Campus Guardress (Trope-name only example)
• Jimmy Snuka: Death from Above: The Superfly Splash - especially considering that, for a guy that used a top-rope move as a finisher, Snuka was not a small guy.
• Code Geass - Lelouch Lamperouge: In the first season Title Sequence. Actually, he likes the high ground a lot.
• Lanny Poffo: Ur-Example: One of the first North American wrestlers to use the Senton Bomb and the moonsault on a regular basis.
• Tiger & Bunny: Lunatic makes a habit of this.
• Vampire Princess Miyu (Miyu): Loves to do this in all continuities, often over a torii.
• Misfile: Cassiel likes to do this.
• Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash★Star: Ms. Shitataare and Kintolesky do this before several battles. Michiru and Kaoru enjoy sitting on a rock that extends out of the ocean.
• Get Backers The Four Kings: Kazuki likes this trope. He pulls it on Ban and Shido while they're on a rooftop.
• Kamen Rider OOO: Ankh. Given that he represents the Bird Medals, it make sense.
• Freezing (Miyabi): During the Carnival when Chiffon gained her reputation, she held a high position and used her Volt Weapon to hold back both Arnett and Elizabeth.
• Shakugan No Shana: Most non-humans with the necessary jumping ability exhibit this; non-human you know? It also looks cool.
• Lita: Usually to hit a moonsault, sometimes just to pose for the fans
• Sly Cooper:
  • (Bag of Spilling) At the start of Sly 2, Bentley begins to tell Sly how to do the ninja spire jump, and Sly chides him for assuming that he would forget one of his most important skills.
  • "The view is always better from the rooftops!"