Credits Running Sequence

This running though space brought to you by Sunrise.

In a lot of Anime, a character (usually the protagonist) will show up in the opening or ending credits, running along while remaining on a fixed spot on-screen. The character could be running the whole time, or start out walking slowly and gradually pick up speed. The background is usually of the scrolling kind, but sometimes the character actually seems to run through a changing scenery. In any case, it's rare for characters to maintain a leisurely speed the whole time; usually, this has something to do with either the pace of the music, or the animators' need to keep opening and ending themes moving fast at all times.

This trope can occasionally overlap with Team Shot.

Examples of Credits Running Sequence include:

Astro Boy, 1980s version, closing sequence.
Battle Athletes has this in the opening and ending credits, which is justified since it's about a group of top athletes.
In the ending of Blue Drop this is done with the running silhouettes of Hagino and Mari.
Busou Renkin.
Dai Mahou Touge: in the opening.
In the opening Doki Doki School Hours Mika-sensei runs to school, meeting up with her students.
Dog Days: The ending sequence is this but unlike most the camera moves faster than the mooks, dogs and Chocobo looking mount passing them one at a time.
The first ending in the Dragonball Z anime has this with Gohan later joined by the other cast running towards the screen. Happened again in the second ending when the majority shows Teen Gohan walking then running and later joined by Goten and Trunks.
Eyeshield 21 justifies this, since the protagonist is a running back for American football.
One of the Fullmetal Alchemist anime's opening sequences has the "running the whole time" version. Watch it here, starting at 0:30.
Full Metal Panic!? Fumoffu featured Super-Deformed versions of Sosuke and Chidori walking towards each other in the ending.
The opening of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai has Rika doing this for part of it.
The third opening of Hikaru no Go has a slow paced version of this, with three different aged versions of Hikaru walking next to Sai.
Kamen no Maid Guy has Naeka and Fubuki running away from Kogarashi in the ending. Bonus points for Gainaxing.
Kämpfer
The ending of the Kyoto Animation version of Kanon.
Kiddy Grade and Kiddy Girl-AND, with some Fan Service added for good measure.
Mahoraba has the leisurely version.
A variety occurs in the opening of the fourth season of Mariasama ga Miteru, in which Yumi, Yoshino and Shimako run over the high school grounds by means of some sort of teleportation system.
There is a variation in Mitsudomoe, involving all three sisters and their whole class.
Muteki Kanban Musume: in the opening.
A lot of the One Piece openings.
In the Pokémon anime, the 5th ending, "Type: Wild", has a variation where Ash and Pikachu are shown running towards the screen, while their shadows are running sideways. Both animations are synchro, so, for example, when Ash trips during his running at one point, so does his shadow.
The ending (when it was actually shown; some episodes simply played the credits as the plot continued behind them) of Puella Magi Madoka Magica has Madoka doing this against a rather ... disturbing background.
- She also does this with a Girly Run in the opening.
Ranma ½'s first opening does this with multiple characters.
The ending theme to Sailor Moon R, Otome no Policy (A maiden's policy) is like this, with Usagi walking through most of it, stopping for a bit, and then running at the end.
- Usagi also does some running in the openings used for the first half of season one, the first half of season two, and the second half of season two.
Saint Seiya: The first opening features the characters running forward with an awesome guitar solo in the beginning.
The 2nd ending of School Rumble season 2 showed Tenma running after Karasuma while Harima was running after her.
Student Council's Discretion's ending sequence has the cast running in Super-Deformed mode to an Ear Worm theme, "Mosou Fetish" ("Fantasy Fetish.") The fans never had a chance.
The ending credits of So Ra No Wo To has Kanata run with her bugle.
The second closing credits of the Soul Eater anime starts with Maka walking, but when the chorus kicks in, she starts jogging.
Happens in the opening of Star Driver. Takuto spends most of the opening walking across the island then slowly building up to a run.
Both of the openings to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya include this, emphasizing Haruhi's very recognizable way of strutting about.
- Also invoked with the Non-Indicative First Episode, where the intro to Haruhi's anime is basically just Mikuru running over and over again.
- Spin-off Haruhi-chan includes running in both its opening and ending animations.
Hibiki from Vandread is shown running to the left in the end credits sequence, occasionally stopping and getting nosebleeds from the scantily-clad female characters.
The intro cinematic for The World Ends With You is mostly Neku running.
Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou: in the ending, of the "start out slowly" variety.
Zeta Gundam's ending featured Fa Yuiri running on the spot with the starry space in the background.
Xabungle's closing credits feature protagonist Jiron Amos running as portraits of the core cast scroll across the screen...Until he trips.
The VS mode ending sequence of Tetris Attack/Panel de Pon depicts Yoshi/Lip running on a rainbow bridge.
Infinite Stratos's ending uses this as well as Evolving Credits as each person is introduced it adds a new person into the Credits Running Sequence.
Squid Girl season 2's ending credits have Ika walking on the beach (while the first season was static with her watching the ocean) there will be some event from the episode that makes its appearance in the sequence.
Guilty Crown's ending has Inori walking in place as other characters move by.
Clannad After Story. The ending has the leisurely variety with the added effect that even if they are walking forwards the scenario and the scroll of the screen makes it seem that they are all Moonwalking.
Hidamari Sketch's first season's opening has the four girls running with images of art tools pass in the background for a portion of the opening, and season one's OAVs change up the order and add some weird stuff like an Afro.
In Baka and Test, Yuuji and Akihisa are both running away from some angry girls at the end of episode 13 in Season 2. The rest of the cast gradually chases after them as well.
In Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai!, Kirino has a running sequence during the opening title.
A variation in Yu-Gi-Oh!'s 5th ending "Eye's" shows Pharaoh Atem on his horse galloping while transparent fore shots of the characters appear.
- The sequel's (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX) 2nd ending credits "Wake Up Your Heart". It ends with The Hero jumping and behind him is a collective pic of various key cards he used on the second half of the first season.
In Mai-Otome, Arika has one in the closing credits.
In a non-anime example, we have Wild ARMs 5 characters Dean, Rebecca, Avril and Volsung (younger versions of them, anyway) running during the ending credits.
Daily Lives of High School Boys' opening sequences featured a running sequence of the main trio—Tadakuni, Hidenori and Yoshitake.