History Main / KiteRiding

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[[quoteright:250:[[Anime/SonicX https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ninja_kite_8.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:250:When I said, "Go fly a kite," this isn't what I had in mind.]]

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* ''Franchise/YuGiOh''. The anime-exclusive ninja duelist Jean Claude Magnum uses a magic card called "Great Kite of Ninja" to let one of his Ninjas fly. After he loses, an actor in a costume of the monster uses an actual giant kite to kidnap his opponent.
* There was an episode of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' where Shurimon ties himself to a kite and introduces himself to a villain who wishes to fight him whilst airborne and stuck to the kite.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. In anime episode 355 Izuru Kira arranges a kite-flying contest between the Soul Reaper squads. As the contest gets competitive, Ikkaku Madarame and Captain Soi Fon fly using their squads' kites. As they fight with each other Izuru Kira comes flying in on his own kite to break it up but crashes.

* In one ''Anime/LupinIII'' episode, the evil Fuuma Ninja use large shinobi kites to reach the top of Tsukikage Castle, with Goemon using another ninja kite to reach and duel them.
* In ''Manga/{{Yaiba}}'', Goemon Ishikawa makes his exit after his introduction by grabbing a wall panel which is promptly pulles off the wall by his minions and turned into an impromptu ninja kite.

[[folder:Comicbooks]]
* Part of the M.O. of Kite-Man, a minor member of Franchise/{{Batman}}'s RoguesGallery.

* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kite_Rider The Kite Rider]]'', a children's story set during China's Song dynasty and the reign of Kublai Khan. Before setting out on a voyage a ship's crew "tests the wind" by sending a kite with a man attached into the air. The man dies during the flight and his soul goes into the clouds. Later the man's son must ride a kite into the clouds to save his widowed mother from being forced to marry the man who killed her husband.

* In ''[[Literature/TheHammerAndTheCross King and Emperor]]'' the Waymen experiment with manned kites, mostly crewed by young boys. The kite crews wear a winged pendant for Volund, smith of the gods who made wings to fly away from his captors. Shef makes a kite for himself as well, but doesn't fly it very well, to his eventual detriment.
* ''[[Literature/{{Emberverse}} Dies The Fire]]''. Norman Arminger and his Portland Protective Association is able to use his knowledge of medieval history to dominate the post-Change world, but it's pointed out there are some things they didn't have back then, like hang-gliders, so one is used to fly someone in behind the walls of a PPA castle at night so the gates can be opened.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/ThoseMagnificentMenInTheirFlyingMachines'', Japanese pilot Yamamoto is introduced being strapped to a kite and having to be pulled back on the ground to check the news of the big international air race between London and Paris.
* An ewok in ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'' uses a kite to attack the AT-ST Walkers from above.
* The third ''Film/{{Swordsman}}'' film, ''The East is Red'', has a scene where a couple of samurai launch an aerial assault while on kites.

* ''[[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria]]'': Many of the flight masters on Pandaria send you aloft on ornate Pandaren kites that can cross the entire continent. Such kites are available as flying mounts as well.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}} III: The Ninja Master'', Round 2 begins with you riding a horse in the foreground while ninjas dismount kites flying in the background and run after you.
* In ''VideoGame/NinjaSpirit'', the Stage 5 BossBattle is with the Tribe of the Nine Wind Demons, all nine of whom are arranged on a giant flying kite emblazoned with the kanji 影 ("shadow"). Smaller kites carrying individual enemy ninja appear in the following stage.

* In the Famicom PlatformGame ''Time Zone'', the 1632 world ends with a [[RooftopConfrontation rooftop]] BossBattle against a ninja on a kite.
* The purple Imps in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' use this technique. They can be knocked off them with Galestorm.

* ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'': Impa of the ninja-like Sheikah uses her Paraglider this way, attaching the corners to her hands and feet to glide as if it was a kite. [[spoiler:Master Kohga does the same thing when he's unlocked.]]
* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise'': In keeping with Kamura Village's [[{{Wutai}} Far East/Japanese aesthetic]], the Meowcenaries in this game are seen riding kites when going on missions for materials.
* In the "Twilight of Edo Japan" chapter of ''VideoGame/LiveALive'', this is how Oboromaru gets to the castle of the Ode Clan.
* ''VideoGame/{{Sekiro}}'': Some of the Nightjar ninjas keep an eye on Ashina Castle by clinging to large kits tied to the Castle. If they do spot an intruder, they will leap off the kite and glide down with a cry of [[MemeticMutation "WOOOOOOOOOO!"]], which will probably be a OneHitKill on the confused intruder.

* The Creator/FamousStudios cartoon "Suddenly It's Spring" from 1944 has Raggedy Ann dangle from a kite's tail in order to speak with Mister Sun.
* An aggressive bulldog climbs up the tether to an airborne kite in Creator/TexAvery's cartoon "Ventriloquist Cat" from 1950. The trickster cat throws his voice at the kite to make the bulldog think he's hiding there.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', Woody gets out of Sunnyside Daycare by riding a kite.
* In the [[WesternAnimation/MiscellaneousDisneyShorts Disney short]] ''Ben and Me'', Amos Mouse rides in a pocket on Benjamin Franklin's kite on the fateful day that Ben discovers electricity.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TuffPuppy'', Bird Brain's ultimate goal is to learn how to fly. In the episode that introduces his character, he is briefly seen flying by riding a $4.00 kite.

* ''WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadrunner'': Wile E. Coyote once tried to fly by running off a cliff while holding a kite. [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption It went as well as you'd expect.]]
* In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode, "The Sponge Who Could Fly", [=SpongeBob=] wants to learn how to fly just like the Jellyfish. One of his attempts is to tie himself to a kite pulled by Patrick riding a bicycle. At first, this attempt works, but eventually, the kite breaks and makes [=SpongeBob=] the laughingstock of Bikini Bottom as a result.
* The ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'' episode "Up, Up And Awry" focused on Pooh wanting to fly. Among his attempts to do so, he ties himself to a kite that is to be pulled by Eeyore riding on a tricycle, while Rabbit, Tigger, and Piglet try to stop Pooh from trying to fly.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AngryBirdsBlues'' E8, Vincent rides the Blues' kite.

* ''VideoGame/{{Sekiro}}'': Some of the Nightjar ninjas keep an eye on Ashina palace by clinging to large kits tied to the palace. If they do spot an intruder, they will leap off the kite and glide down with a cry of [[MemeticMutation "WOOOOOOOOOO!"]], which will probably be a OneHitKill on the confused intruder.

* ''VideoGame/TheGladiator'' have enemy archers on eagle kits as a GoddamnedBats variety of enemy, who can snipe you out of the air while you're busy dealing with bosses.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man-lifting_kite Man-Lifting Kites]]
* Essentially, this is just hang-gliding.
[[/folder]]

* ''VideoGame/TIgerRoad'' have kite-riding ninjas as an AirborneMook enemy when your hero tries climbing up a waterfall.

* In one episode of ''Manga/MaicchinguMachikoSensei'', one of the main students and a teacher end up flying on a giant kite by accident and eventually fall into a sauna where the eponymous [[MsFanservice Ms. Machiko]] is bathing (of course).

* ''[[Literature/{{Emberverse}} Dies The Fire]]''. Norman Arminger is able to use his knowledge of medieval history to dominate the post-Change world, but it's pointed out there are some things they didn't have back then, like hang-gliders, so one is used to fly someone in behind the walls of a castle at night so the gates can be opened.

* The second level of ''Wrath of the Black Manta'' has the player fly a kite through an UnexpectedShmupLevel segment where the Black Manta shoots down other ninjas flying kites.

Subtrope of {{Flight}}. Related to RuleOfCool.

* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' Many of the flight masters on Pandaria send you aloft on ornate Pandaren kites that can cross the entire continent.