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In a lot of anime and anime-styled fan work, anime characters are shown
standing on the tops of telephone poles.

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bJfnJm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bJfnJm.jpg)
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/d2KYXm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/d2KYXm.jpg)
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zJmRJm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zJmRJm.jpg)

I understand this angle makes it easy to show the character against nice
scenery, but it's not something that should be as regular as it is. Was there
a particular show that sparked all the pole-standing?


CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-27T16:09:49.930
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2016-04-28T04:27:03.780
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tropes
Why do anime characters stand on telephone poles all the time?


I always felt that it showed martial art skills like in kung-fu films.  
This skill is a Martial Arts Technique utilizing Mei Hua Zhuang (Plum Flower
Poles). [![Kung Fu Training Technique utilizing Mei Hua Zhuang \(Plum Blossom
Poles\)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fQdFP.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fQdFP.jpg)


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2016-04-27T20:13:53.360
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2016-04-27T20:13:53.360
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Best lookout spot without close proximity to other leveled areas. To summarize
a great vantage point. Either that or just looks cool while showing skill.


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2016-04-27T23:28:11.027
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2016-04-27T23:28:11.027
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Maybe to show how awesome they are. I can also relate to martial arts. Mostly
animes in which a character stands on things are mostly action or martial arts
based.


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2016-04-28T00:58:25.487
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2016-04-28T00:58:25.487
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The reason the characters stand on poles mostly have to do with the scene
being either dramatic or to make the scene look "cool".

This trope is known as "[I Have the High
Ground](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IHaveTheHighGround)":

  * > Supernatural, magical, or just plain awesome beings know there's no better place to be effortlessly standing on than tall and usually thin objects, be they pine trees, lampposts or the nearest available tall building. This is flying for people who cannot fly. Or even the ones who can.

  * > Less about true strategy and more about looking cool. Expect Dramatic Wind (actually, wind speed increases with altitude, so wind that seems dramatic to those on the ground is ''normal'' at high altitude). In anime and manga this has become a choice dramatic entrance for villains, introduced via a panning away of the camera from a completely every day scene _(see example 1)_ , or the aftermath of a dramatic event, to reveal that said villain was watching all along, and provide a nice segue for the next part. [Example](https://youtu.be/szn-K8tewgU?t=22m35s)

As is mentioned on the page:

  * > This seems to have originated from training techniques that involved standing on bamboo; see, for example, the [Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon) and [Teen Titans](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WesternAnimation/TeenTitans) examples. This is common in [Wire Fu](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WireFu) movies

Hence, there is no particular show which sparked the pole standing, but rather
its gradual adaptation into the anime world taken from real life Martial Art
practice techniques, which became ever so popular and a regular occurrence
because animation tends to increase the dramatic effect and make it scenic as
compared to shows/movies, where the characters would (probably) look weird
rather than cool, unless it's directly related to Martial Arts.


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2016-04-28T04:27:03.780
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