History Main / HighAltitudeBattle

-->--'''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl''', Event Match 37

Common with SkyPirates, and a leading cause of DisneyVillainDeath. Compare/contrast RooftopConfrontation and FreeFallFight. If the battle goes up into space, then it overlaps with AstralFinale.

* ''VideoGame/{{Nostalgia}}'': The protagonists travel around the over world map in an airship. When they face the enemy sky pirate Scarlett, this trope takes effect.

* ''Film/DescendantOfTheSun'', a Superman-knockoff film made by Creator/ShawBrothers to capitalize on Christopher Reeves movie, features a final battle taking place in the heavens, where the titular descendant fights Mo Ying, the Demon Spawn, in an aerial struggle high in the heavens.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere'' took the trope to its logical conclusion with a mission in '''''orbit''''', aptly named "Zero Gravity" -- the mission objective being the destruction of four enemy {{KillSat}}s in three minutes, then angling the nose up at a certain angle to survive atmospheric reentry. Naturally, the player is not allowed to use their regular planes on this mission; instead, an R-352 Sepia SpaceFighter is provided for this mission only, fitted with energy weapons that actually operate exactly like standard plane weapons. Interestingly enough for the franchise, the Sepia actually obeys Newtonian physics rather than aerodynamics and coasts sideways while turning, behaving quite realistically for that altitude. There is no upper altitude limit for the mission but the mission timer running out results in the Sepia being shot down by the satellites, while losing too much altitude before the satellites are destroyed results in the Sepia burning up from uncontrolled reentry.

* Rule of thumb in the ''Franchise/MegaMan'' is that most air-themed and/or winged bosses takes place on high places.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManX'':
** The first game features a level set in an airport, culminating in a boss battle atop an aircraft as it takes off. The craft climbs steadily (and quickly) during the battle, and starts falling after the boss's defeat. Afterward, the wreckage can be found at the beginning of another level.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'': Done with most bosses. Flying Mavericks have this as part of their norm.

* ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Ultra'': You fight Kabula the zeppelin in the airspace of Mt. Dedede, with an UnexpectedGameplayChange to [[UnexpectedShmupLevel a shoot-em-up]]. Kaboola also appeared in the first game in the ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'' series. A mint leaf gives you the power to repeatedly spit out air puffs. An infinitely lasting version is what Kirby eats before he takes on the blimp. Also, every battle with Kracko takes place in a BubblyClouds arena, high in the sky.

* ''LightNovel/FateZero'' has Gilgamesh in an ancient [[Literature/{{Ramayana}} Hindu spaceship]] [[RuleOfCool dog fighting]] [[BloodKnight Berseker]] on a magic-hijacked F15J.

* ''Manga/MNegimaMagisterNegiMagi''[='=]s final battle of the SchoolFestival arc was at approximately 4000 metres aboard a blimp which served as a final PlaceOfPower.

Common with SkyPirates, and a leading cause of DisneyVillainDeath. Compare/contrast RooftopConfrontation and FreeFallFight. If the battle goes up into space, then it overlaps with Astral Finale.

Common with SkyPirates, and a leading cause of DisneyVillainDeath. Compare/contrast RooftopConfrontation and FreeFallFight.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'': The third (and final) fight against Bowser takes place in a battlefied located in the heights of a dark sky (hence the name of the level, "Bowser in the Sky"). Mario has to lure his nemesis into three explosive mines instead of one like in previous battles, and after the first two Bowser will shatter parts of the ground to increase Mario's risk of falling down. Simply throwing Bowser onto the abyss won't work, as he will simply come back in a leap (and perform a ShockwaveStomp upon landing).

%%** ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'': The third (and final) Bowser level is called "Bowser in the Sky".%%And?

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' has Levias and [[spoiler:the parasite controlling him, Bilocyte]].

!!Examples

* ''VideoGame/AceCombat'', obviously--

** ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere'' took the trope to its logical conclusion with a mission in '''''orbit''''', aptly named "Zero Gravity" - the mission objective being the destruction of four enemy {{KillSat}}s in three minutes, then angling the nose up at a certain angle to survive atmospheric reentry. Naturally, the player is not allowed to use their regular planes on this mission; instead, an R-352 Sepia SpaceFighter is provided for this mission only, fitted with energy weapons that actually operate exactly like standard plane weapons. Interestingly enough for the franchise, the Sepia actually obeys Newtonian physics rather than aerodynamics and coasts sideways while turning, behaving quite realistically for that altitude. There is no upper altitude limit for the mission but the mission timer running out results in the Sepia being shot down by the satellites, while losing too much altitude before the satellites are destroyed results in the Sepia burning up from uncontrolled reentry.
*** There's also a high-altitude mission in an [[CoolPlane SR-71]] (or rather, a [=RF-12A=]).

* The ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series seems to love this:
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' had the "Castle in the sky," an entire floating dungeon that [[spoiler: is the home of Tiamat, the fourth fiend.]]
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'''s BigBad raised his tower into the funnel of a great Cyclone, making it accessible only on the back of a flying dragon.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' is the only game in the series to have random encounters from the deck of your airship. Only happens in specific areas.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' has two groups of flying enemies ambush the Red Wings (specifically, Cecil's command ship) as they return to Baron in the introduction. There's also the Tower of Zot, which isn't on the world map and involves airships flying higher than their normal level to reach it.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' has the party board the airship to invade the flying Ronka ruins --but first, they must contend with the automated defense systems. The boss battle is against the citadel's main gun.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' had two particularly memorable iterations of this trope. The first [[spoiler: when the party goes to attack the Floating Continent, and has to contend with the Imperial Air Force (which is explicitly given the acronym IAF which is ''never used again'', probably because they're slaughtered about two hours later) culminating in a battle while ''falling'' against a boss. Then, later, the party must fight Doomgaze/Deathgaze as a randomly encountered enemy on the airship in the World of Ruin to get the Bahamut esper.]] There's also the time Sabin and Cyan are falling down a waterfall and piranhas attack them mid-fall.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' has it as an optional fight against Ultima Weapon from the deck of the ''Highwind''. There's also the fight in ''[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Advent Children]]'' against Bahamut SIN, which mainly consists of party members launching Cloud what seems to be several miles up in the air to hit said Bahamut head-on. Also done in ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'', in the cutscene battle between Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal. After Genesis decides to go one-on-one with Sephiroth, the fight heads skyward.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' played this trope well: [[spoiler: Balamb and Galbadia Gardens, both active and flying, launched a full-out war on one another.]] This, of course, leads to Squall punching out a Galbadian soldier while fighting for a jetpack... while hanging in mid-air.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' presented a massive aerial battle [[TheCavalry where the Lindblum and Alexandrian fleets show up to protect the Invincible]] in the game's final hours.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' has two mid-air battles where the party fights on the airship's deck: first against Evrae, the guardian of Bevelle. Rikku and Tidus's ActionCommands can have Cid pull away and shoot the [[GlobalAirship Farenheit]]'s missiles at it. Then there's a SequentialBoss battle against Sin, where the Farenheit goes head-on against the abomination and [[spoiler:blows away two of its limbs with its primary cannons after the party has weakened them enough]]. There is also a BonusBoss battle against Penance in the European/International version after you defeat all of the [[spoiler:Dark Aeons]].
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI: Chains of Promathia'' had a battle take place amongst an armada of airships. (Almost qualifying as a ScrappyLevel, given the sheer unforgiving difficulty of the fight at the time and the farming of a mission-specific consumable to even stand a chance). There's also the final battle against Promathia, taking place in the celestial realm looking down upon Vana'diel. Considering all the work that goes into getting to this final mission, it is not a simple throw-away "this looks cool" setting, but the setting only heightens the gravitas of the mission. The celestial battleground also features a BonusBoss which, before the introduction of ''The Treasures of Aht Urghan'' and Einherjar/Odin, was considered the most challenging BCNM-style battle in the game. May even still be the toughest six-man battle, but that's up to debate.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' has the heroes infiltrate and do battle within enormous flying fortresses more than once. The FinalBattle involves [[spoiler:a long-running aerial battle[=/=]dogfight as the Imperial Armada and the Resistance Fleet (and their respective fighter ships) engage around Sky Fortress ''Bahamut'', all while the protagonists fight the FinalBoss at the very top of the fortress]].
* Your character in ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorPacificAssault'', en route to Guadalcanal, finds himself suddenly engaged in aerial combat, despite being a foot soldier. At first it's the same spin-the-business that you've grown used to, but before long you're flying the sucker into an assault on a base and another on an aircraft carrier. Smacks a bit of the improbable.
* In ''VideoGame/RomancingSaGa2'', you had to enter a makeshift flying fortress to defeat Wagnas [[spoiler: Said villain literally pulled the inner sanctum of said fortress out of the ground]]
* You could defeat [[spoiler:Byunei's Clone]] in ''VideoGame/RomancingSaGa3'' by joining forces with the Gwayne [[spoiler:(child of Dora [Dragon that aided the Holy King to defeat Byunei; Gwayne could also be fought and defeated later])]].
* The FinalBoss Battle against Gruntilda in ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' includes a part where the player has to use a flying pad to go after her while she flies in her broom. The second game has Mr. Patch, a giant inflatable dinosaur who forces you to fight him from the air.
* Despite having pegasus and dragon mounts in every game, it took until ''Radiant Dawn'' for there to be a flying-unit exclusive map in ''Franchise/FireEmblem''.
* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon and the FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIII'' are located within Space Station "Myria".

** In ''VideoGame/Sly2BandOfThieves'', near the end when you fight [[spoiler: Clock-La (Neyla in Clockwerk's body), you [[SteppingStonesInTheSky run across debris falling from a destroyed airship]] to rescue the rest of the gang. Eventually you fight her while crawling around on her back.]]
** Sly does this in [[VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves the third game]], fighting against General Tsao atop bamboo stalks midway through the stage, then at the end of the level [[spoiler: against a flying, animated dragon statue.]]
* In ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' there is a boss battle that clearly fits this trope. In the battle, your party is fighting against the pilot of a small flying craft -- while your party is on top of the craft, and the craft is flying over the clouds.
* Every level in the ''VideoGame/StarFox'' series, except ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' and the on-foot/tank/underwater sections in the other games (though the last boss is fought in ships like any other ''Star Fox'' game, while the very first boss, impossible to lose to since the player will have unlimited life energy at that point, has this in the skies of Sauria).
* ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars: Dual Strike]]'' had some missions with an air-only top screen.
** It also has several segments where you're required to do something in the air. Two of the levels are part ground, part Film/IndependenceDay-like missions that involve you sending air units (jets, bombers, etc) to destroy the enemy's air support. Unfortunately, after the battle up there is over your air units are stuck in that location; you're given CO Power for each survivor, generally enough to give you a Tag Break. One of the later levels isn't necessarily this trope, but still requires you to destroy a satellite in space with ground-to-orbit missiles.
** ''Days of Ruin'' has a mission that you fought on the enemy's air fortress. One of the enemy's minions in the mission cut-scene lampshades the fact that you not only snuck on to the fortress, but somehow managed to bring along '''tanks''' and '''artillery'''.
* ''VideoGame/AcesWildManicBrawlingAction'' is a BeatEmUp game built primarily around this trope. Dodging and attacking within the vicinity of an enemy or destroyable object moves your character closer towards that entity, even when they're higher up. Some parts of the game even require this of the player, including one part early on involving continuing an air combo to keep out of a pit of lava.
* ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'': Possibly a subversion as the final fight is you on a flying fortress [[spoiler:being attacked by a dragon.]]
* ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'' has one of the Benevodons fought atop Flammie. Strangely enough, Flammie is several times larger than the Benevodon, and she does nothing to help. It gets somewhat hilarious if you have Duran in your party and use any of his spells. Duran's magic casting animation involves him thrusting his sword into the ground. Poor Flammie.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** The Palace of Winds boss battle in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap'' takes place who-knows-how-high in the air with Link ''riding'' the boss. How he gets off afterward is unclear.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' has the battle against Argorok, a flying dragon, from the City in the Sky. You get to the city by shooting yourself up into the sky with a cannon. Once there, you climb to the top of the tallest tower on the entire floating island. At the top, you find several pillars, which you climb up on. From the top of those, you use the clawshot to hook onto some flying peahats to get even higher, and from there you use the clawshot again to get to the dragon. You better not suffer from acrophobia.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' has Levias and [[spoiler:the parasite controlling him, Bilocyte]].
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' has the fight against Divine Beast Vah Medoh, where Link gets a ride up above the machine with [[BirdPeople Teba]] and must destroy its cannons with Bomb Arrows while Teba draws away their fire.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Wild 9}}'' you have 2 free falling stages where you slam the enemy into the walls or signs/debris that you pass
* And then there is ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia'' - which is sort of 'all of the above', considering that all the ship battles are battles between flying pirate ships. Cruising around [[FloatingContinent Floating Continents]]. And towards the end there surely is a climactic face-off with a flying fortress, too! ''[[VideoGame/SEGASuperstars Sonic And All Stars Racing Transformed]]'' even paid tribute to this in the ''Skies of Arcadia'' track, where racers race on a floating island that the Valuan Armada and Blue Rogues are battling around in their airships. It's so chaotic the track is decimated quite a bit, causing racers to fly into the sky and dodge mines the Valuans have launched into the air.
* In ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarI'' and ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarIV'', you had to fight an evil king and [[spoiler:the same evil king 2000 or so years later.]] Inside of his castle. On a ''flying island''. In order to even get to the island in ''1'', you had to ride your TeamPet and fight a dragon in mid-air.
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'' featured a special series of battles culminating in a boss fight that takes place in the air. Only Cless (riding on a [[strike:Sleipnir]] Pegasus) and Arche (who normally flies anyway) could participate.
* ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct'' had several such battles, though for the most part they were atop buildings that were merely tall. The hidden Skybox stage was a simple square arena, suspended several thousand feet up in the air.
* ''VideoGame/PowerStone'' 2 has a level which started on an airship, the ship explodes, and you free fall until you reach the ground where you can continue the battle, grabbing the umbrella during the free falling segment is necessary since if you don't grab it, you take damage when you reach ground level.
* While the ''VideoGame/AnotherCenturysEpisode'' series did feature a lot of air and space based combat, one HighAltitudeBattle stands out in particular: The FinalBoss of ACE 3 is [[spoiler: the Shin Dragon from ''Manga/GetterRobo Armageddon'', piloted by the game's BigBad Berkt, in the combined skies of two Earths, each one caught in the other's gravity well. Both the Earths are rather easy to see, and the stage really is the ultimate expression of atmosphere (pun intended) that the series has.]]
* Seen several times in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'', especially with bosses fought as Super Sonic. ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'', for one, does feature a level where you pilot the Tornado chasing after the Winged Fortress Zone, but there's no actual combat against a boss. ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic 3]]'' however includes an actual airborne boss fight in the Marble Garden Zone. It's difficult to defeat when playing as Tails.
%%* ''VideoGame/CrimsonSkies''.
* The first half of the final level in ''VideoGame/MetalSlug 3'', as well as the FinalBoss, which actually happens as you're both falling to Earth.
* Several ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' titles feature levels set in the sky, including boss battles:

** The last levels of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'' and final battle with Tatanga have Mario flying through the sky in an airplane.
** On ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', the third (and final) Bowser level is called "Bowser in the Sky".
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'' actually both take this further, as all of the battles with Bowser [[SublimeRhyme now take place in outer space.]]
** [[VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros1 Lakithunder]], the KingMook of Lakitus, is fought in the outdoors final segment of the castle of World 7, which is set in the sky. Same with King Lakitu in the second level of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Wild ARMs 3}}'' have you obtain the giant [[TransformingMecha transforming]] [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragon]] Lombardia. For most part, you're only using it for transport, and transforming some landscapes due to its rocket launcher utility weapon. After a particular event, culminating in a boss battle (plus a SideQuest), it is possible to do combat in midair. The mechanics are a little different, but stay similar to the main combat sequence on the ground (or on the sea of sands, for that matter).
* ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'' cranks up the [[RuleOfCool awesome]] with two boss fights that require you to ride a colossus right into the air, holding on while you go for its weak points.
* Strangely averted in ''VideoGame/Persona3''. Despite the final battles taking place on top of a couple hundred-floor tower and [[spoiler:against the moon itself]], not once is the altitude of the scene brought into play. ''VideoGame/Persona4'' however, has a final battle taking place [[spoiler:above the town of Inaba]]. There's also a boss fight in [[spoiler:Heaven]], but altitude there is only really the result of FridgeLogic.
* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'''s ''Knights of the Nine'' expansion, the final battle with BigBad Umaril the Unfeathered takes place in the sky a few thousand feet above Cyrodiil. (He has the [[DivineIntervention support]] of a [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]], while you have the blessings of the [[SaintlyChurch Nine Divines]].) Case in point, one player claimed he dropped an item during the battle and then went to check if it landed. [[DevelopersForesight It did.]]
* ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' has [[spoiler:Ghor]] fought in the hangar bay of Skytown, a futuristic city floating in the skies of Elysia.
* ''[[VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga Dark Forces]]'', ''[[VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga Jedi Knight]]'', ''[[VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga Jedi Outcast]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga Jedi Academy]]'' all had some variation on this: three of them have sequences that take place on Nar Shadaa, "the vertical city" (think Coruscant but moon-sized), complete with vast canyons between buildings, while the fourth has a mission that takes place on Coruscant itself.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManX'':
** The first game features a level set in an airport, culminating in a boss battle atop an aircraft as it takes off. The craft climbs steadily (and quickly) during the battle, and starts falling after the boss's defeat. Afterward, the wreckage can be found at the beginning of another level.
** Done in ''X5'' with most bosses. In fact, flying Mavericks have this as part of their norm.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManXCommandMission'' goes as far as to place its final boss battle in the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere.
* In ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar Ultra'', you fight Kabula the zeppelin in the airspace of Mt. Dedede, with an UnexpectedGameplayChange to [[UnexpectedShmupLevel a shoot-em-up]]. Kaboola also appeared in the first game in the ''VideoGame/{{Kirby}}'' series. A mint leaf gives you the power to repeatedly spit out air puffs. An infinitely lasting version is what Kirby eats before he takes on the blimp. Also, every battle with Kracko takes place in a BubblyClouds arena, high in the sky.
* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry1''[='=]s final battle is held on another plane of existence, starting in the sky.
* Chapter XII: The Broken Sky of ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}''. Once the boss fight of the level starts, however, the plane actually starts ''losing'' altitude. [[spoiler:The final stage, in which you play as Jeanne, starts by having you ride a motorcycle up the pieces of a rocket taking off into space! You not only travel to the sky for this boss, you shoot right by it.]]
* The first boss of ''VideoGame/TheWonderful101'' puts you in command of the Virgin Victory chasing after Laambo; once you've caught up, you ride on the boss itself, who cranes its neck to fight you on its back!
** The entirety of Operation 003 is also in a high-altitude airport (a ''Strato'' Port), and it just keeps getting higher as you approach the boss!
** Every fight with Prince Vorkken [[spoiler:barring the final battle with him in Operation 101]] takes place on the back of his ship, The Meizerr.
* The entire journey of ''[[VideoGame/{{Resistance}} Resistance 3]]'' follows Joe and Malkovich with one goal in mind: Reach the tower the Chimera have in New York and shut it down at all costs. The tower is ''huge'', so it's no surprise that Joe will be very high up by the time he accomplishes his final mission...
* ''VideoGame/Stinkoman20X6'' does this twice. In level 3, Stinkoman finds a wall that he just ''barely'' can't jump over normally, and leaps into the stratosphere to get over it, having to collect gold nuggets to stop ascending, and slices of bread to finally land. Level 6 is an obvious cloud-themed level.
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
** At least one part of the final battle in both games consists of Sora magically floating/flying while navigating obstacles thrown by the boss in order to attack it. The reason he suddenly has the ability to do so is never explained.
** In the [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI first game]], he learned flight from Peter Pan (though why he only ever uses it in certain areas is never explained). In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''... well, technically, he's just falling. And never hitting the ground.
** In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', you get to fight [[{{WesternAnimation/Aladdin}} Genie Jafar]] in the sky, far over the streets of Agrabah. This is one of the few mandatory bosses where Sora fights without any party members, though he rides the Magic Carpet, so it's not officially one-on-one.
** The very last part of the FinalBoss of ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]]'' is fought somewhere around 50 meters above the ground. You're not flying or on any sort of contraption, the game just acts like the ground is considerably higher than it actually is. The visuals suggest some sort of barrier has been set up by the boss.

** The final battle of ''VideoGame/TouhouHisoutenScarletWeatherRhapsody'' has you fighting a [[LightIsNotGood Celestial]] on the top of several stone pillars that ''spike beyond the atmosphere''. How the human characters -- or youkai, for that matter -- could still breathe is never addressed.
** The [[TrueFinalBoss true final stage]] of ''VideoGame/TouhouEiyashouImperishableNight'' takes place ''halfway between the Earth and the True Moon''.

** Stage 4 of ''VideoGame/TouhouYouyoumuPerfectCherryBlossom'' is best described as "[[Music/GunsNRoses knockin' on Heaven's door]]".
** The majority of fights in ''VideoGame/TouhouSeirensenUndefinedFantasticObject'' take place while chasing or while inside the titular super-massive airship, which is [[FinalBossNewDimension planarshifting to Pandemonium]].
** Inverted in ''VideoGame/TouhouChireidenSubterraneanAnimism'' and ''VideoGame/TouhouShinreibyouTenDesires'', which takes place BeneathTheEarth.
** The Extra Stage battle against Raiko in ''VideoGame/TouhouKishinjouDoubleDealingCharacter'' takes place in a storm cloud high above Gensokyo's skies.
** ''VideoGame/TouhouKouryuudouUnconnectedMarketeers'':
** The final battle against Chimata takes place under a moonlit sky, with the Moon itself ringed by a rainbow halo when she uses her final Spell Card.
** Inverted with the Stage 4 and Extra Stage battles, which take place deep underground.
* The Sky Garden in ''VideoGame/IllusionOfGaia'' floats high above the Nazca Lines and is the location of the [[PlotCoupon second statue]]. The boss (and [[spoiler:PointOfNoReturn]]) is fought even higher, on a small, apparently free-falling platform. After beating the boss and getting the statue, you have to jump off and [[CatchAFallingStar land on your cousin's airplane]].

* ''VideoGame/WingCommander III'' and ''Wing Commander IV'' subvert this, in that they are space combat games that require the player to ''descend'' into the sky (i.e. atmosphere) of multiple planets to accomplish plot-critical objectives. Needless to say, these special levels as a rule are much tougher than the conventional space battles seen elsewhere in the series.
* The Symbiote Vulture boss battle in ''VideoGame/SpiderManWebOfShadows'' cranks this trope to epically extreme levels as, considering the fact that you're Spidey, the battle takes place high above New York and quickly becomes a warzone when SHIELD troops arrive... and there is '''no ground'''. Therefore, you'll have to swing across hovercrafts and use air combos and web strikes on the Vulture and his mooks to keep up in the sky. Speaking of which, the game's final mission and boss is on the SHIELD Helicarrier.
* The last boss [[spoiler:well, except for the bonus HarderThanHard dungeon]] in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII''.
* The fight against Orange in ''VideoGame/GunstarHeroes''.
* The UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis version of ''VideoGame/RocketKnightAdventures'' has the entire last round [[spoiler:set in a space station, which is made blatantly clear when [[TheDragon the Pig King]] is fought in what appears to be a conservatory and [[RivalTurnedEvil Axel Gear]] is fought for the last time in a large glass room.]] Indeed, the very last battle with [[spoiler:what is assumably the main computer running the [[EvilMinions Pig Army]] is defeated in a space jump by re-entry, as Sparkster is in an escape pod and thus unable to fight back, making him also an [[PuzzleBoss indestructable hunk of data]].]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Rosenkreuzstilette}}'' has the fights against Luste and [[spoiler:Iris]].
* The LicensedGame for ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'' has a level where you chase and destroy a Sentinel as it crashes down into the earth from high altitude (the battle practically took place on earth, but this qualifies for it's action sequence).
* ''VideoGame/{{Drakan}}'' had aerial battles between dragons.
* The protagonists of ''VideoGame/{{Nostalgia}}'' travel around the over world map in an airship. Needless to say, when they face the enemy sky pirate Scarlett, this trope takes effect.
* Happens in ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'' on occasion; nearly all of the bosses in the first game were fought in flying missions.
* In ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore'', the battle with AF Answerer is this if you want to avoid being nuked every two seconds. There are also three missions in ''For Answer'' that take place high above the clouds in the airspace of the Cradles, airships where humans live to avoid the contaminated Earth surface. One of these missions has you [[spoiler:destroying the Cradles themselves]].
* ''VideoGame/AssaultSuitsValken'' has three: a dogfight during atmospheric reentry, a side-scrolling segment at the beginning of the fourth level, and a shuttle chase at the end of the same level.
* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' the gunship battle in Icecrown Citadel, in which players blast a gunship of the opposing side with cannons, defend it from teleporting boarders, and slay the mages that freeze their ship.
* The ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' series has several air combat sequences, with the sixth level of ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' being [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE!]] In another level of ''Reach'', you pilot a FutureCopter between various destinations in New Alexandria.
** ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'':
** Kratos faces Erynnis' true form in such a battle in ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWarGhostOfSparta Ghost of Sparta]]''.
** In the [[VideoGame/GodOfWarII second game]] you'll have to slay the Dark Knight while riding the Pegasus.
* ''VideoGame/{{Einhander}}'' has [[ThatOneBoss Schwarzgeist]], whom you battle in the Thermosphere.
* ''VideoGame/Rockman4MinusInfinity'' has Mega Man fight Mothraya on Rush, combining this trope with BulletHell.
* Stage 2 of ''VideoGame/{{Granada}}'' is like this, taking place atop an enormous flying battleship. Falling off the edge is a regrettable misstep.
* The final boss battle of ''VideoGame/PerfectDarkZero'', is in a floating, fragmented amphitheatre/arena/coliseum. An earlier level has you steal an enemy {{jetpack}}.
* ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'' has plenty of examples, as this trope applies to any fight that happens onboard the Granchypher, or raid battles that take place ''in the skies''. Notable examples include Luminiera Omega, the four Primarchs, Belial, and Sandalphon. This also takes full effect in the anime when the crew faces off against an enraged Tiamat.
* The plane missions in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas''.
* The plane segment from ''VideoGame/Uncharted3DrakesDeception'' and a section of Columbia from ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'' are made into playable stages in ''VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale''. That same ''Uncharted'' stage later receives a visit from ''[=BioShock Infinite=]'''s Songbird battling the Vox Populi's blimp in which the players can get caught in the cross-fire, making this both a double HighAltitudeBattle and FunnyBackgroundEvent.
* In ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'', Jak takes an upgraded Hellcat to the skies to singlehandedly take on the floating war factory.
* ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}'' has several instances, many of which invoke RuleOfCool, ArtisticLicensePhysics ''and'' ArtisticLicenseBiology ''[[UpToEleven all at the same time]]''.
** Stage 4 of ''Contra III'' starts out with a high speed motorbike chase on a highway, and ends with you grabbing onto a helicopter and riding several missiles being launched at an alien battleship, blasting away its energy shields while jumping from missile to missile for dear life. This sequence was later repeated in ''Shattered Soldier''.
** The good end route in ''Contra: Hard Corps'' has you chasing down a multi-stage rocket carrying the Alien Cell bomb by riding on top of smaller rockets. Once you reach the main rocket, you proceed to climb up its sides while shooting at alien mutants bursting out of its hull, before reaching the warhead containment unit and fighting the Alien Cell itself. Destroying the creature [[LoadBearingBoss causes the rocket to explode]] and throws you into the wild blue yonder...but thankfully [[BigDamnHeroes you're rescued by the Air Police]] in the nick of time.
** In a less fantastical vein, the ''Big Magnum'' route of ''Hard Corps'' has the players face off against Colonel Bahamut's eponymous [[OrbitalBombardment Alien Cell-powered superweapon platform]] located in the Earth's orbit. [[spoiler: [[BittersweetEnding The heroes don't survive the battle, but they manage to take both Bahamut and the Alien Cell with them]]. Earth erects memorials of the Hard Corps to commemorate their HeroicSacrifice.]]
** The final battle against Tiberius in ''VideoGame/HardCorpsUprising'' has you fall from the destroyed battleship while fighting his OneWingedAngel form. You have to use the fragments of the battleship in order to stay alive during the fight, but be careful, the fragments can be destroyed as well.
** The first boss of ''Contra: Rebirth'' has the players fight a giant alien centipede amidst the wreckage of a space station falling to Earth, itself a CallBack to ''Neo Contra's'' final boss battle which involves fighting the giant head of [[spoiler: Bill Rizer]] during ''atmospheric reentry'' while standing on a piece of space station wreckage.
** The TrueFinalBoss fights of ''Contra III'' and ''Contra: Shattered Soldier'' are both fought while hanging from or standing on the heroes' aircraft.
* Can be [[InvokedTrope invoked]] by the player in ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'' by building boss arenas, fortresses or sky bridges high into the stratosphere and engaging bosses there, most notably the [[FinalBoss Moon Lord]].

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' introduces air battles, which any Pokemon that is flying-type or has Levitate as its ability can participate in.
** The TrueFinalBoss of [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]] is fought in the upper atmosphere, where Earth ends and space begins.
* The third level of the ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' reboot is set on a Zeppelin, and the boss fight takes place on top of the airship.

* ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII'' features a BonusBoss in the form of the Ancient Dragon, who resides at the very top of the Dragon Shrine, a massive sanctuary built to overlook the Dragon Aerie, which is already high-up in the air compared to the rest of Drangleic. You'd better not stare at the near infinite void when wandering around the outskirts of the boss arena.
* ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'': the last few levels are '''almost''' all battles in the sky.
* In ''VideoGame/OriAndTheWillOfTheWisps'', FinalBoss and BigBad Shriek completely destroys the platform [[TurnsRed in the battle's final stage]], forcing Ori to Bash off the constant rain of meteor-like projectiles to stay aloft.

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* In the ''Mazinger'' series:

* The ''Anime/YuGiOh'' anime features a few examples, such as the Battle City Finals and the battle between the Egyptian Gods and the Great Leviathan. Likewise, Kaiba and Alister's duel was atop a plane.
* In ''[[Manga/DigimonVTamer01 Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01]]'', after [[TheHero Taichi]] collects all the [[MacGuffin V-Tags]], Neo and him have a battle on a floating island.

* ''LightNovel/FateZero'' has Gilgamesh in an ancient [[Literature/{{Ramayana}} Hindu spaceship]] [[RuleOfCool dog fighting]] [[BloodKnight Berseker]] on a magic-hijacked F15J.
* A few instances of this occur in ''Anime/MyOtome'', notably Arika's last battles against [[spoiler:Tomoe]] and [[spoiler:Nina, the latter of which takes place several thousand feet above the planet]].
* ''Manga/{{Yaiba}}'' seems rather fond of this, including battles against [[ButtMonkey the Spiderman]] (fought on a floating airship, later on a massive web suspended above a road), [[KnightOfCerebus Batguy]] (riding his pet vulture Shonosuke), [[{{Ninja}} Kotaro Fuuma]] (again, Shonosuke), [[BigBad Onimaru]] (using the flying powers of the Sword of Ryuujin), [[KillerRabbit Gekko]] (Likewise) and [[spoiler: Yamata no {{Orochi}}, with the monster itself serving as the battlefield for the final duel of Yaiba and Possessed!Onimaru.]]

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' initially has grounded battles between [[HumongousMecha Knightmare Frames]], but as the series progresses, the Frames become equipped with flight systems that let them take into the air. ''[=R2=]'' is rife with aerial fights between Frames.

[[AC:FanWorks]]
* Creator/AAPessimal's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''-set tale ''Fanfic/ThePriceOfFlight'' develops an Ankh-Morporkian Air Force. An early lesson from mock-dogfighting is that the pilot who gets highest tends to win the battle. Civilian witches tend to go no higher than maybe five hundred feet in normal flight. Olga teaches her witches to think in terms of at least five thousand feet, ideally higher. The first air battle with the [[TheFairFolk Gentry]] begins with the Air Witches going high and then crashing down on the target from above.

* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'' has the ClimaxBoss fight with Godzilla and Xenilla against Grand King Ghidorah, which ascends higher and higher up the atmosphere, concluding with a massive BeamOWar practically in space.
* ''Fanfic/AShadowOfTheTitans'': At one point during the Gotham Arc, Kitten -- having been [[EmergencyTransformation transformed]] in a moth-person and [[FreakOut snapped from it]] -- tracks down Jade, whom she blames for her condition, and tries to kill her in retaliation. This leads to the two of them fighting several hundred feet in the air (Jade having absorbed the Rooster talisman's levitation powers and since developed the ability to create shadow wings to fly with), the fight ending with [[spoiler: them getting so caught up in grappling that they crash back to the ground]].

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

* This happens in the climax to the ''Film/IronMan'' movie, [[spoiler:and it serves a tactical purpose]].
* In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'' The climax involves Falcon dodging gunship and jets but [[spoiler: also helicarriers blasting each other out of the sky thanks to Maria Hill changing the helicarriers' targets.]]
* {{Franchise/Superman}} and General Zod have one in ''Film/ManOfSteel''.
* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio 2}}'' -- apparently, red and blue macaws like to resolve their issues through [[spoiler:a game of air football.]]

* ''Film/{{Barbarella}}'': To get into the city of Sogo, Pygar the angel has to carry Barbarella while she shoots down the city's airships.
* The FinalBattle of ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' starts when Spidey tries to stop [[BigBad the Vulture]] from hijacking a plane carrying [[spoiler: various pieces of Avengers technology]], leading to them fighting on top of and around the plane in midair.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

* In the prologue of ''Literature/MidnightTides'', the fifth book of the ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'', the dragon shapeshifters Scabandari Bloodeye and Silchas Ruin, aided by the combined Tiste Andii and Tiste Edur suicide commandos, successfully attack the floating sky keeps manned by the K'Chain Nah'ruk to prevent them from coming to the aid of the K'Chain Che'Malle armies on the plain below.
* The dog-fight during the climax of ''Vengeance of the Iron Dwarf'', third book of ''Literature/CompanionsCodex'', has [[spoiler: Drizzt]] facing off against [[spoiler: Tiago while riding the backs of dragons]]. The fight is eventually won by [[spoiler: severing the saddle straps that keeps Tiago on Arauthator's back]] and make him plummet toward the eath.

[[AC:{{Pinball}}]]
* Implied in ''Pinball/AirborneAvenger,'' with the hero's flying jet-sled against the villain's army of [[AirborneMook hang-gliding mooks]], anti-aircraft missiles, and assorted explosions on the playfield.

[[AC:WebAnimation]]
* Cinder's fight against Winter and Penny in the Volume 7 finale of ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' partially takes place after the trio falls off of the [[FloatingContinent Floating City]] of Atlas. Cinder and Penny are both capable of independant flight, while Winter had to ride on the back of one of her summons.

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', the latter half of the battle between Grace and Damien is carried out in the air above the building known as "The Nest" with both of them using their abilities to fly.

[[AC:WebVideo]]
* Adama vs. the centurion in the ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}: Razor'' webisode ''Free Fall''. Thank goodness Adama remembered [[spoiler: his parachute]].

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* ''WesternAnimation/PAWPatrol'' has the special Jet to the Rescue. where [[spoiler: The Paw Patrol takes their jets/jetpack to face against the Duke of Flappington who takes some buildings to build a City of his own by taking over Barkingburg with the help of a levitation gem.]]

[[AC:RealLife]]

-->--'''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl''', Event Match 37

* Strangely averted in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}''. Despite the final battles taking place on top of a couple hundred-floor tower and [[spoiler:against the moon itself]], not once is the altitude of the scene brought into play. ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' however, has a final battle taking place [[spoiler:above the town of Inaba]]. There's also a boss fight in [[spoiler:Heaven]], but altitude there is only really the result of FridgeLogic.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManX''"

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry''[='=]s final battle is held on another plane of existence, starting in the sky.

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'':
** The final battle of ''Scarlet Weather Rhapsody'' has you fighting a [[LightIsNotGood Celestial]] on the top of several stone pillars that ''spike beyond the atmosphere''. How the human characters -- or youkai, for that matter -- could still breathe is never addressed.
** The [[TrueFinalBoss true final stage]] of ''Imperishable Night'' takes place ''halfway between the Earth and the True Moon''.
** ''Hisoutensoku'' also has you fighting against a Goddess of the Earth while falling down from the skies of Gensokyo. Although that doesn't stop her from throwing pillars of rocks at you.
** Stage 4 of ''Perfect Cherry Blossom'' is best described as "[[Music/GunsNRoses knockin' on Heaven's door]]".
** The majority of fights in ''Undenfined Fantastic Object'' take place while chasing or while inside the titular super-massive airship, which is [[FinalBossNewDimension planarshifting to Pandemonium]].
** Inverted in ''Subterranean Animism'' and ''Ten Desires'', which takes place BeneathTheEarth.

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima''[='=]s final battle of the SchoolFestival arc was at approximately 4000 metres aboard a blimp which served as a final PlaceOfPower.

* A few instances of this occur in ''Anime/MaiOtome'', notably Arika's last battles against [[spoiler:Tomoe]] and [[spoiler:Nina, the latter of which takes place several thousand feet above the planet]].

* ''Manga/{{Evangelion 303}}'': The main characters are pilots of experimental jet fighters. Every battle so far has been a high-altitude duel. Asuka lost one, won another and drew a third fight.

* ''Fanfic/SOE2LoneHeirOfKrypton'': ''[[Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} Asuka]]'' got one when she fought Brainiac's space-ship located at the stratosphere.

[[AC:WebComics]]

* The last levels of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'' and final battle with Tatanga have Mario flying through the sky in an airplane.

** Lakithunder, the KingMook of Lakitus, is fought in the outdoors final segment of the castle of World 7, which is set in the sky. Same with King Lakitu in the second level of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2''.

* ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' has [[spoiler:Ghor]] fought in the hanger bay of Skytown, a futuristic city floating in the skies of Elysia.

** In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', you get to fight [[{{Disney/Aladdin}} Genie Jafar]] in the sky, far over the streets of Agrabah. This is one of the few mandatory bosses where Sora fights without any party members, though he rides the Magic Carpet, so it's not officially one-on-one.