diff --git a/lib/render.js b/lib/render.js
index 8a4681e..416ce3c 100755
--- a/lib/render.js
+++ b/lib/render.js
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ const { style } = require('bare-tui')
 const { makeMovingHeroSprite } = require('./sprites.js')
 const { WORLD_BOSS } = require('./world-boss.js')
 const { bossCamera } = require('./world-boss-event.js')
+const { isSolid } = require('./map.js')
 
 /** Smallest terminal the split layout is designed for. */
 const MIN_WIDTH = 64
@@ -798,6 +799,10 @@ function mapPane(map, w, h, opts = {}) {
       : sprite.length - 1
     const top = hy - clamp(heroAnchorY, 0, sprite.length - 1)
 
+    // isSolid reads the model shape ({ rows, width, height }); this pane gets
+    // pre-render data ({ tiles }), so adapt the view once per frame (#16).
+    const solidView = { rows: tiles, width: mapW, height: mapH }
+
     for (let sy = 0; sy < sprite.length; sy++) {
       const line = ascii(sprite[sy]).padEnd(spriteW)
       const first = line.search(/\S/)
@@ -806,7 +811,14 @@ function mapPane(map, w, h, opts = {}) {
       while (last > first && line[last] === ' ') last--
       for (let sx = first; sx <= last; sx++) {
         if (line[sx] === ' ') continue
-        const cell = top + sy + ',' + (left + sx)
+        const wx = left + sx
+        const wy = top + sy
+        // The body hangs above the feet and can reach over a wall or past the
+        // map edge. A hero glyph on a solid tile reads as a hole in that wall,
+        // so those cells stay untouched (#16). With no tiles at all there is
+        // nothing to clip against and the fallback keeps rendering whole.
+        if (tiles.length > 0 && isSolid(solidView, wx, wy)) continue
+        const cell = wy + ',' + wx
         over.set(cell, line[sx])
         heroCells.add(cell)
       }
diff --git a/test/hero-clip.test.js b/test/hero-clip.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c179ed8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/hero-clip.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+const { test } = require('brittle')
+const { style } = require('bare-tui')
+const render = require('../lib/render.js')
+
+test('the hero never paints through a wall (#16)', (t) => {
+  // Dungeon-style arrival: the three-row hero stands with its feet two rows
+  // below a full wall, like arriving at (3,2) in the issue. The head row of
+  // the sprite lands on the wall and must be clipped away.
+  const tiles = ['######', '#....#', '#....#', '######']
+  const pane = style.stripAnsi(
+    render.mapPane({ tiles, actors: [], hero: { x: 3, y: 2, sprite: [' O ', '/|\\', '/ \\'] } }, 24, 12, {
+      cellW: 1
+    })
+  )
+
+  t.ok(pane.includes('######'), 'the top wall stays a continuous wall')
+  t.ok(!pane.includes('O'), 'the head is clipped instead of punching a hole in the wall')
+  t.ok(pane.includes('|'), 'the torso still shows on the free row below')
+})
+
+test('a hero arriving at the top edge loses only the off-map rows (#16)', (t) => {
+  // Field arrival at (40,1): the upper body reaches past row 0. Off-map cells
+  // read as solid, so they get skipped, while the feet stay put.
+  const tiles = ['........', '........', '########']
+  const pane = style.stripAnsi(
+    render.mapPane({ tiles, actors: [], hero: { x: 4, y: 0, sprite: ['O', '|', '^'] } }, 20, 8, {
+      cellW: 1
+    })
+  )
+
+  t.ok(!pane.includes('O'), 'nothing is painted above the map')
+  t.ok(pane.includes('^'), 'the feet remain exactly where the walker stands')
+  t.ok(style.stripAnsi(render.mapPane({ tiles, actors: [], hero: { x: 4, y: 0 } }, 20, 8)).includes('@'), 'glyph heroes keep rendering')
+})
+
+test('a hero without map data keeps rendering (fallback path unchanged)', (t) => {
+  const pane = style.stripAnsi(
+    render.mapPane({ tiles: [], actors: [], hero: { x: 5, y: 5, sprite: ['O', '|', '^'] } }, 20, 8, {
+      cellW: 1
+    })
+  )
+
+  t.ok(pane.includes('O'), 'with no tiles there is nothing solid to clip against')
+})
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/index.js b/test/index.js
index 7be3ead..c7ec8c9 100644
--- a/test/index.js
+++ b/test/index.js
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ const {
 const render = require('../lib/render.js')
 
 require('./sage.test.js')
+require('./hero-clip.test.js')
 
 function press(game, name) {
   return game.onKey({ type: 'key', is: (...keys) => keys.includes(name) })