History Main / CasualHighDrop

** Gard charges straight off a thirty-foot ledge in her berserk eagerness to attack the grendelkin in the short story "Heorot", landing unharmed with an axe.

'''Brock Rumlow:''' ''(laughs)'' No. No, he wasn't.

A straightforward way to demonstrate that a character is both nigh-indestructible, ''and'' supremely confident of that fact, is to have them exit a rooftop or high window by simply stepping off the edge. Blithely taking a fall that would kill a normal person, then striding away unharmed, conveys an impression of invincibility without the complexities or expense of a full-on fight scene. The more casual the character's demeanor in taking the plunge, the more badass an image they project.

Sister trope to SuicidalGotcha, in which a ''non''-invulnerable character takes a deliberate long drop, but their fall is safely arrested mid-way. Aversion of NotTheFallThatKillsYou, as the character doesn't ''need'' to avoid hitting the ground to survive.

* ''Literature/GoblinSlayer'': Martial Artist can orientate herself while falling a great height to execute a perfect tripod stance, but ended up jarring her hand so badly from it she spends a few minutes rolling on the ground in pain after pulling it off.
* ''Anime/{{Paprika}}'' is the alternate identity of psychologist Chiba Atsuko, who is seen entering a patient's world by falling from the sky from about a mile up. Being a ManicPixieDreamGirl and existing only in someone's mind means Paprika can drop from such a height and come to ground with no more drama than stepping off a curb. It is nonetheless an impressive entrance.
* ''Anime/TheAnimatrix'': In "Final Flight of the Osiris", making use of the time the rest of the doomed Osiris crew buys, the female crew member is shown to hurry through the Matrix to drop off the alarming message to Zion. In her run, likely as one of ways to shortcut, she takes a dive into the asphalted ground and causes ripples by the impact of the landing. It's in the virtual world, yet as Neo's training episodes from ''Film/TheMatrix'' prove, [[NoSell no-selling]] physical damage [[YourMindMakesItReal is a feat]].

* ''Manga/HunterXHunter'': Isaac Netero, chairman of the Hunter Association enters his introductory scene by getting off a blimp. Before it landed. While it was 60 feet in the air. While wearing geta sandals. And then just goes on to scold a subordinate like nothing happened.

* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': During Creator/JohnByrne's tenure, he had ComicBook/SheHulk substitute for Ben Grimm. While fighting against the mask of ComicBook/DoctorDoom (who'd presumably died), she fell from a top-story window of the Baxter Building, and plummeted many stories to the street below. Of course, this won't hurt She-Hulk much; she instead aimed to miss the people and cars to minimize the collateral damage. How thoughtful.
* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': Nearing the end of ''ComicBook/PlanetHulk'', Hulk does this from orbit.

* ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'': Lampshaded and played for laughs as Angel Dust leaps off the aircraft carrier before the end battle:

* ''Film/SinCity'', segment "The Big Fat Kill". Dwight [=McCarthy=] jumps from the window of his girlfriend's apartment and falls several floors to the ground, landing on his feet. Presumably, CartoonPhysics were in effect.
* ''Film/StarWarsAttackOfTheClones'':
** While chasing an assassin on Coruscant, Anakin politely says "If you'll excuse me" to Obi-Wan before leaping out of their vehicle to plummet several stories through Coruscant's [[FlyingCar flying traffic]] to land on the assassin's vehicle. Obi-Wan [[DeadpanSnarker snarks]] "I hate it when he does that."
** At the arena, Mace Windu confronts the Separatist leaders in their balcony overlook, then leaps down to the arena floor, deflecting blaster bolts the whole way down.
* At the beginning of ''Film/Underworld2003'' the vampire Selene is kneeling on the edge of a balcony. She jumps off and falls a long way to the ground, lands on her feet and just walks away.

* In ''Literature/ChildrenOfDune'', Leto II demonstrates his new post-transformation abilities by leaping off a cliff and into a canal.
* Subverted in ''Literature/BrokedownPalace'', when court wizard Sandor blithely exits a high tower via the window, confident that the prince who'd just shattered the old Palace will seek out his aid once the perils of politics make his powers necessary. By the time Sandor realizes that his own magic - levitation included - was ''also'' broken with the Palace, he's drowning in the River he'd intended to drift gently down to land beside.

* ''Series/Batwoman2019''. Batwoman does this but uses her cape and GrapplingHookPistol to slow her fall. The first time Ryan Wilder tries it, [[FailedAttemptAtDrama she nearly falls on her face]].
* This is lampshaded on ''Series/BurnNotice'' when Michael's narration explains that only someone very badass or very desperate will jump off a building to avoid pursuit. If you do jump off and don't get seriously killed, you are usually in the clear since an average pursuer is not going to be badass or desperate enough to follow you. It is then subverted right after when we see that while Michael indeed escapes by jumping off the roof of a building, SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome occurs and he hurts his leg in the process.

* All the characters with more than human powers in ''Series/{{Angel}}'' do this a lot. Angel and Connor are common practitioners, as well as several one-off guest characters.
* ''Series/{{Witchblade}}'': During a chase scene both Moebius and Nottingham jump off a high building and land right on their feet with no injuries.

* Dante from the ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series has a cameo in ''Videogame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne''. One of his first appearances has him leaping from the top floor of the Mantra HQ skyscraper just before engaging the Demifiend in battle. The Demifiend can jump from the same spot, but he and his entire party will suffer HPTo1. Of course, if the Demifiend recruited Dante, Dante won't lose any HP.
* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2''; the opening mission has Dante casually drop off a tall gothic building. He takes no damage when he lands.
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'': Wesker does this in one scene. [[SmugSuper He even looks back at Claire first, as if to make sure she's watching.]]

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'': During Amarant's first scene, after he's finished talking to Queen Brahne, he leaves by jumping off the balcony (as opposed to Lani, who just uses the door).
* Ordinarily, this is quite averted in ''VideoGame/Fallout4''. Jump off a ruined skyscraper or a broken highway and it'll end about as well as you'd expect, unless you happen to be wearing a suit of [[PoweredArmour power armor]]. Take the leap while you're wearing even a bare power armor frame and not only will you take no damage, but anyone too close to your point of impact [[ShockwaveStomp will be injured instead]] -- [[GoombaStomp especially if your aim is good]].

* In ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'', Brassius makes his entrance before his fight by jumping off Artazon's windmill. Given that he says he likes to make a dramatic entrance for battles, it's implied that he does this pretty often. (Amusingly, he does admit [[DownplayedTrope it's hard on his legs]], but that doesn't stop him from actually doing it.)
* ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'': Any gene-modded soldiers in ''Enemy Within'' will drop off ledges like this, even if their mods don't include [[InASingleBound Muscle Fiber Density]]. Normal soldiers and civilians do a regular hang-and-drop.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

** [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS1E7DuelOfTheDroids "Duel of the Droids"]]: Anakin and Ahsoka drop in on the listening post from their ship high above, with Anakin using the Force to make himself fall even faster, and then cushion their landing at the last second with the Force. The clones have to use {{Jet Pack}}s to keep the jump from being fatal for them and to end up landing on their target.
** [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS2E5LandingAtPointRain "Landing at Point Rain"]]: Anakin and Ahsoka do it again when jumping off a large wall they've just detonated... after Force-throwing Captain Rex high into the air without warning him, meaning they have to telekinetically catch him after they land so he doesn't go splat.

* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'' episode "The Tick vs the Idea Men" when the Tick decides to start his patrol of The City by leaping from rooftop to rooftop, only to at one point casually leap off the side of a building and realize mid-air that there are no other roofs in sight he can actually land on. He ends up crashing into the street, and while he's NighInvulnerable he ends up punching a hole in the pavement and is buried up to his waist in concrete.
-->'''The Tick:''' A-HAH! I'll bounce off that flagpole and flip to safety! ''**The Tick breaks the flagpole and keeps falling**'' ...A-ha, I'll bounce off that broad, flat surface and- [[OhCrap um, maybe not]]...\\
''***CRASH***''\\
'''The Tick:''' GravityIsAHarshMistress...

* During Creator/JohnByrne's tenure with Marvel Comics' ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'', he had She-Hulk substitute for Ben Grimm. While fighting against the mask of ComicBook/DoctorDoom (who'd presumably died), she fell from a top-story window of the Baxter Building, and plummeted many stories to the street below. Of course, this won't hurt She-Hulk much; she instead aimed to miss the people and cars to minimize the collateral damage. How thoughtful.
* Nearing the end of ''ComicBook/PlanetHulk'', Hulk does this from orbit.

* Lampshaded and played for laughs in ''Film/{{Deadpool}}'' as Angel Dust leaps off the aircraft carrier before the end battle:

Contrast NoEscapeButDown, which this trope may subvert.

* Ordinarily, this is quite averted in ''VideoGame/Fallout4''. Jump off a ruined skyscraper or a broken highway and it'll end about as well as you'd expect, unless you happen to be wearing a suit of [[PoweredArmour power armour]]. Take the leap while you're wearing even a bare power armour frame and not only will you take no damage, but anyone too close to your point of impact [[ShockwaveStomp will be injured instead]] -- [[GoombaStomp especially if your aim is good]].

* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'' episode "The Tick vs the Idea Men" when the Tick decides to start his patrol of The City by casually leaping off the tallest building in town and onto the roof of the next building, only to realize mid-air that there are no other roofs in sight he can actually land on. He ends up crashing in the street, and while he's NighInvulnerable he ends up punching a hole in the pavement and is buried up to his shoulders.
-->'''The Tick:''' A-HAH! I'll bounce off that flagpole and leap to safety! ''**The Tick breaks the flagpole and keeps falling**'' ...A-ha, I'll bounce off that broad, flat surface and- [[OhCrap Uh-oh]]...\\

* ''LightNovel/GoblinSlayer'': Martial Artist can orientate herself while falling a great height to execute a perfect tripod stance, but ended up jarring her hand so badly from it she spends a few minutes rolling on the ground in pain after pulling it off.

* ''Film/SinCity'', segment "The Big Fat Kill". Dwight [=McCarthy=] jumps from the window of his girlfriend's apartment and falls several floors to the ground, landing on his feet.

** Gard charges straight off a thirty-foot ledge in her berserk eagerness to attack the grendelkin in the short story "Heorot", landing unharmed with AnAxeToGrind.

* Dante from the ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series has a cameo in ''Videogame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne''. One of his first appearances has him leaping from the top floor of the Mantra HQ skyscraper just before engaging the Demifiend in battle. The Demifiend can jump from the same spot, but he and his entire party will suffer HPToOne. Of course, if the Demifiend recruited Dante, Dante won't lose any HP.

* "Final Flight of the Osiris", part of ''Anime/TheAnimatrix'': Making use of the time the rest of the doomed Osiris crew buys, the female crew member is shown to hurry through the Matrix to drop off the alarming message to Zion. In her run, likely as one of ways to shortcut, she takes a dive into the asphalted ground and causes ripples by the impact of the landing. It's in the virtual world, yet as Neo's training episodes from ''Film/TheMatrix'' prove, [[NoSell no-selling]] physical damage [[YourMindMakesItReal is a feat]].

* ''Anime/HunterXHunter'': Isaac Netero, chairman of the Hunter Association enters his introductory scene by getting off a blimp. Before it landed. While it was 60 feet in the air. While wearing geta sandals. And then just goes on to scold a subordinate like nothing happened.

* ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'': when pursuing Black Widow, the eponymous Winter Soldier casually drops from an overpass to a car on the ground far below, then strolls down off the mostly crushed vehicle. By contrast, both Widow and the Winter Soldier's mooks had to rappel down.
* Lampshaded and played for laughs in ''Film/Deadpool2016'' as Angel Dust leaps off the aircraft carrier before the end battle:

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': Episode II ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'':

* Subverted in ''[[Literature/{{Dragaera}} Brokedown Palace]]'', when court wizard Sandor blithely exits a high tower via the window, confident that the prince who'd just shattered the old Palace will seek out his aid once the perils of politics make his powers necessary. By the time Sandor realizes that his own magic - levitation included - was ''also'' broken with the Palace, he's drowning in the River he'd intended to drift gently down to land beside.

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. Oliver Queen is dumbfounded to find his kid sister has TookALevelInBadass when, after he does a SuperWindowJump disguised as the Arrow, she responds by attacking him and then casually leaping off the balcony of her high rise, presumably landing on the balcony below.

* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIa6JVADFa0 the intro]] to ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations'', Ezio is about to be hanged off the Masyaf tower when he breaks free, slips out of the noose, jumps down, and lands safely--''even without the usual assassin-haystack trick''.

* Dante from the ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series has a cameo in ''Videogame/ShinMegamiTenseiNocturne''. One of his first appearances has him leaping from the top floor of the Mantra HQ skyscraper just before engaging the Demifiend in battle. The Demifiend can jump from the same spot, but he and his entire party will suffer HPToOne. Of course, if the Demifiend recruited Dante, Dante won't lose any HP.

* In ''VideoGame/MegaManZX Advent'', in Ashe's storyline, she in the intro jumps off the Hunters airship down several hundred meters to the Raiders ship below her and manages to land safely. This pretty much [[EstablishingCharacterMoment establishes her as a badass]] even before she gets her hands on the Model A.

* Ordinarily, this is quite averted in ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' -- jump off a ruined skyscraper or a broken highway and it'll end about as well as you'd expect -- unless you happen to be wearing a suit of [[PoweredArmour power armour]]. Take the leap while you're wearing even a bare power armour frame and not only will you take no damage, but anyone too close to your point of impact [[ShockwaveStomp will be injured instead]] -- [[GoombaStomp especially if your aim is good]].

[[folder:Webcomics]]

'''Brock Rumlow:''' ''(laughs)'' No. No, he wasn't.\\

'''Brock Rumlow:''' ''(laughs)'' No. No he wasn't.\\

* ''Anime/HunterXHunter'' Isaac Netero, chairman of the Hunter Association enters his introductory scene by getting off a blimp. Before it landed. While it was 60 feet in the air. While wearing geta sandals. And then just goes on to scold a subordinate like nothing happened.

* ''Anime/{{HunterXHunter}}'' Isaac Netero, chairman of the Hunter Association enters his introductory scene by getting off a blimp. Before it landed. While it was 60 feet in the air. While wearing geta sandals. And then just goes on to scold a subordinate like nothing happened.

* Dante from the ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series has a cameo in ''Videogame/ShinMegamiTenseiNocturne''. One of his first appearances has him leaping from the top floor of the Mantra HQ skyscraper just before engaging the demifiend in battle.

* ''Series/Batwoman2019''. Batwoman does this but uses her cape and GrappellingHookPistol to slow her fall. The first time Ryan Wilder tries it, [[FailedAttemptAtDrama she nearly falls on her face]].

* At the climax of ''Film/{{Demoni}}'', when George is racing through the theater on the motorcycle and slicing up demons with the katana, one demon drops down from the balcony seats to try to knock him off the bike. It misses, but being a demon, it presumably gets up and returns to the fight.

* This is lampshaded on ''Series/BurnNotice'' when Michael's narration explains that only someone very badass or very desperate will jump off a building to avoid pursuit. If you do jump off and don't get seriously killed, you are usually in the clear since an average pursuer is not going to be badass or desperate enough to follow you. It is then subverted right after when we see that while Michael indeed escapes by jumping off the roof of a building, RealityEnsues and he hurts his leg in the process.

* ''Webcomic/{{Paranatural}}'': Attempted by Spender [[https://www.paranatural.net/comic/chapter-4-page-62 here]]. He tries to look cool by jumping off the roof and landing on the lawn, [[RealityEnsues but immediately falls over saying "ow, jesus"]].

** While chasing an assassin on Coruscant, Anakin politely says "Excuse me, master" to Obi-Wan before leaping out of their vehicle to plummet several stories through Coruscant's [[FlyingCar flying traffic]] to land on the assassin's vehicle. Obi-Wan [[DeadpanSnarker snarks]] "I hate it when he does that."

* In ''VideoGame/MegaManZxAdvent'', in Ashe's storyline, she in the intro jumps off the Hunters airship down several hundred meters to the Raiders ship below her and manages to land safely. This pretty much [[EstablishingCharacterMoment establishes her as a badass]] even before she gets her hands on the Model A.

* The martial artist cast of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' ignore high falls on a regular basis (with the possible exception of Akane, forcing Ranma into some acrobatics to save her). In the last arc of the manga, they fall down a mountain and are seen to leave deep imprints in the earth on impact... but then they just walk it off, looking no worst for wear.