History Main / SpeedEchoes

** In ''Anime/Gundam00'', activating [[SuperMode the GN Drive's secret "Trans-Am" protocol]] causes a Gundam to temporarily [[CharClone shine bright red and triple in speed and power]], while leaving a trail of afterimages.

** ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach'': As shown in the WebVideo/NintendoDirect trailer, Swordfighter Peach can do an acrobatic jump that leaves blue afterimages of her behind to position herself better and defeat certain enemies.

** This is also the main schtick of the Arrancar Zommari Leroux, at least his pre-Ressurecion form.
** Soi Feng does this when she confronts Aizen during the Arrancar arc.

* ''VideoGame/WarioWareIncMegaPartyGames'': In "Outta My Way", the smaller characters (Spitz, Kat, Ana, 9-Volt, and Orbulon) leave afterimages of themselves wherever they go.

* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII''':

* This happens to Mario or Luigi when you use the Rainbow Star in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' and [[VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2 its sequel]].

* ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach'': As shown in the WebVideo/NintendoDirect trailer, Swordfighter Peach can do an acrobatic jump that leaves blue afterimages of her behind to position herself better and defeat certain enemies.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' and friends show this in the 2D games, mainly the ''VideoGame/SonicAdvanceTrilogy'' and ''VideoGame/SonicRushSeries''.

* Frequently used in comics to display either superhuman speed or acrobatics. Franchise/SpiderMan and ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} are the undisputed masters of the latter effect. For acrobatic characters, it's done largely to depict a full set of moves in a single panel, since they do enough leaping and twisting that their movements would otherwise confuse the reader.
* ComicBook/TheFlash and his fellow speedsters. This is actually ''weaponized'' by a (non-Flash) speedster in Creator/GrantMorrison's [[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]] run: he runs in such a manner that he leaves speed echoes in a strobing pattern, trying to disorient The Flash, who's chasing him at SuperSpeed.

* Since her first appearance displaying Franchise/WonderWoman's "bullets and bracelets" ability has been done by showing echos and outlines of her arms in multiple positions at once.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[VideoGame/StarFox Fox McCloud]] moves faster than the naked eye.]]

* Rolento in the ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' games creates a trail of bluish clones as he skitters about.
* Very obvious in ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe''. To an outside observer, this could just as easily be a magic spell Joe casts which causes a bazillion Joes to appear on the screen beating the bejeezers out of everyone.

* This is how the Speed Booster power-up is animated in the 2D ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' games where it appears.
* This appears in the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' (since VideoGame/MegaManX4 onwards), ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZero Zero]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZX ZX]]'' games whenever the player dashes or dash-jumps.
* ''VideoGame/SamuraiWestern'' have Gojiro's rapid FlashStep abilities, which he uses to dodge bullets. More often than not they'll leave behind a translucent image of himself.
* This happens to Mario or Luigi when you use the Rainbow Star in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' and [[VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2 its sequel]].
** The Speed Flower and Slow Flower in ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' make whoever uses them leave red and blue copies respectively; the latter is an odd case as it makes them ''slower'' than without it. For some reason, shaking the Wii remote after [[GoombaStomp jumping on an enemy]] also makes you leave afterimages while you're in the air. [[spoiler: Count Bleck also leaves these and can slow his opponent to the same effect as the Slow Flower]].

%%* Employed by Hotsuma in ''VideoGame/Shinobi2002''

* High-end [[GunsAkimbo Dual Pistols]] attacks in ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' create speed echoes as the character spins to bring their guns to bear on targets.
* Guess what is the superpower of Afterimage in ''VideoGame/LegacyOfHeroes'' ?
* In ''VideoGame/SDGundamCapsuleFighter'', those same aforementioned Gundam units, usually the high-end S-Ranks, can create speed echoes once they activate a secondary form.
* Used constantly with Quick Man in ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' BossRush GaidenGame ''The Power Fighters.'' While quite understandable in his introduction (where he darts around on the screen like an overcaffeinated superball), he is considerably slower in the course of the battle. Gemini Man also has afterimages on both of his selves, but given the whole premise of his method of combat involves speed and deception, it's fitting.
* In ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriorsGundam'', picking up the speed boost power up will cause your mobile suit to leave ghostly echoes of itself for a couple of seconds when it starts to move again after coming to a full stop. Also, the 'escape boost' causes a brief afterimage of your suit to flicker in the place you used to be while, implying that the emergency boost got your suit out of trouble so quickly that enemies are attacking where you seemed to be.
* In ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games, the beneficial status "blink" is presented as the character moving back and forth, leaving blurry afterimages, and therefore making it difficult for the enemy to pin down where they are exactly.
* Invoked by characters with "Shadow" moves in the Franchise/MortalKombat series, such as Johnny Cage. Curiously, this is absent in the games following ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance'', where characters performing said moves are trailed by a green fog effect instead.
* The Franchise/{{Pokemon}} move Double Team works this way to raise the user's chances of evading attack.
* The GBA ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' games do this with many [[CriticalHitClass high-speed classes]] such as [[MasterSwordsman Swordmasters]] and [[ProfessionalKiller Assassins]] to illustrate their speed. The Assassin's [[OneHitKO Silencer]] ability in particular uses the standard CriticalHit animation, but with motion blurs at the start.

* ''VideoGame/MintyFreshAdventure'': Colgate gets them in the "earliest ones fade out" style when she stops time and moves around.
* ''VideoGame/BloodstainedRitualOfTheNight'': Aurora gets red, orange and black echoes of herself when she backdashes at some point, but most assuredly when she's aged up and a full princess.
* As the fight against Chapter 1's OptionalBoss in ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'' progresses, his dancing begins to leave behind afterimages.

* Peppino from ''VideoGame/PizzaTower'' leaves red and green trails when dashing and white trails when grabbing.

* Piglet briefly appears to be in three places at once while he is [[BerserkBoardBarricade boarding up his house]] in ''WesternAnimation/BooToYouTooWinnieThePooh''

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' and friends show this in the 2D games, mainly the ''VideoGame/SonicAdvanceTrilogy'' and ''VideoGame/SonicRushSeries''.

* ''VideoGame/SamuraiWestern'' have Gojiro's rapid FlashStep abilities, which he sues to dodge bullets. More often than not they'll leave behind a translucent image of himself.

* As the fight against Chapter 1's BonusBoss in ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'' progresses, his dancing begins to leave behind afterimages.