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Anime Archetypes




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Mou Kaoru



Joined: 17 Oct 2003
Posts: 298
Location: Simple minds are easily amused.
PostPosted: Sat Dec 20, 2003 4:15 pm Reply with quote
This was taken off the AU Forum and I thought it might make for some discussion.
Quote:
I red this off of an issue of Animerica and I thought it would make an interesting topic.
According to this issue, there are a number of archetypes in the anime universe. There are eight male archetypes and nine female. Here's a list of them:

The Males:

1.The Manly Man- The man, the pinnacle of male perfection. Usually grim and very confident with unbreakable conviction. Muscle upon muscle of masculine power.(Kenshiro, Geese Howard, Figure Four, Vegeta)

2.The American- Handsome and self-possessed, the yank has a big mouth. He is friendly, more to the point, brash and informal. Usually a hit with the ladies.(Roy Fokker, Kaji, Ryo Saeba, Slegger Law, Gene Starwind)

3.Burning Sense of Justice- The hero, usually a boy or young man, whose sense of right is so strong that people can't help but be moved by his courage. Devotion of duty and boundless supply of fighting spirit.(Son Goku, Yusuke Urameshi, Amuro Ray, Ryu)

4.Mister Dark and Tormented- Very brooding indiviuduals. Loners who wear scars on the outside. Men whose past is filled with enough tragedy to compel them to do something right.(Vampire Hunter D, Captain Harlock, Tuxedo Mask)

5.The Enigma- Mister Mystery. Many times he has a secret identity along with an unknown past that even he doesn't fully understand. Very passionate and natural leaders, someone people would naturally follow.(Char Aznable, Trunks, Leader Desslok, Spike Spiegel, Zechs Marquise)

6.Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful- Quite simply, girlish-looking men. Men who are so lovely they have strong feminine features. However, just because they look soft doesn't mean they're weak. Girly mean often tend to be among the most powerful warriors in anime.(Kurama, M'Quve, Several Sailor Moon villains)

7.The Young and Clueless- Confused adolescent lost in puberty. A boy searching for a meaning in life, or a purpose to live. Often, this is the guy surrounded by beautiful woman, but is too shy to do anything about it. He usually saves the day and grows up at the end, though deep inside he will always remain a boy.(Shinji Ikari, Tenchi Masaki, Ranma)

8.The Hormone Kid- The horny guy. This man wants to get with the ladies and is anything but shy. They usually have deep, romantic sides that show when they finally get lucky. They are considered perverts in anime are primarily a source for comic relief.(Lupin the Third, Carrot, Tenchi's father)

The Females:

1.Pistol-Packing Mama- The tough chicks of anime. They can handle firearms and tend to be very butch while having a sexy side to them all the same. Deep down, however, they tend to have a very feminine side that they show only to those they care about.(Faye Valentine, Fujiko, Kei and Yuri)

2.The Lady- Anime's most striking women, usually of high class, who are the lust of every man and the envy of every woman. Divas with an unwavering sense of class.(Queen Emeraldas, Julia from Bebop, Princess Kushana, Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh)

3.The Idol- The girl in the spotlight, the star, the woman of the people. Everyone looks up to them and the power they have over others is so great that they are sometimes looked upon as goddesses. Yet, the higher they are, the greater the fall.(Minmay, Sharon Apple, Miho, Mima from Perfect Blue)

4.Call Me Queen- The Dominatrix. The black-leather clad femme fatale. A warrior of the night, dark and frightening, one you don't want to mess with.(Battle Angel Alita, the Misu Sisters, Sophia from Toshinden)

5.The Feral Girl- Women are are OUTRIGHT DANGEROUS!!! Ranging from bored to psychotic, these girls will not hesitate to kill to get what they want.(Princess Mononoke, Saya, Battle Angel Alita)

6.Action Girl- The female version of the
Burning Sense of Justice boy. She lives to fight the good fight and to defeat all evildoers. She won't settle for less than her heart's true desire.(Sailor Moon, Bulma, Sawa, Ranma's Akane)

7.The Girl Next Door- The sweet, ordinary, loving, understanding, kind, gets along with everyone kidn of woman. She wants nothing more than to live out her life with her one True Love.(Hitomi, Star Blazer's Nova, Yurika from Martian Successor Nadesico)

8.Teach Me About Love- An otherwordly version of the Girl Next Door. She is an alien or celestial being who falls in love with a human boy. She wants to settle down and build a new life with this man. She pledges her life to him and would gladly sacrifice herself for him.(Ayeka, Lum, Filia from Slayers Try)

9.The Enigma- Miss Mystery. Usually hiding a dark past to whom she shares with only the most important people of her life. However, unlike the male counterpart, the female is usually less willing to share this infromation feeling that no one but herself will be able to help her.(Rei,Sylia, Dark Elf Pirotesse, Motoko Kusanagi)

Not bad huh? You can add more characters to the list, just make sure they're under the right category.

What are your opinions? You think it justifies pretty well or would you think otherwise?
I agree for the most part on some of them, but I might add the Good-Bad type who strives for what they believe is right, but is confused by some tragic past event. Sort of like Shishio who believes in one truth i.e. If you are strong you live, if you are weak you die. Or if some the characters have a rival show up and then they realize that their ideals were wrong and try to make up for their mistakes.
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Arkard



Joined: 15 Oct 2003
Posts: 677
Location: Poland
PostPosted: Sat Dec 20, 2003 5:31 pm Reply with quote
Well I can 100% agree with this article. I self-study a little psychiatry (to know exactly what is wrong with me Razz) and I know that modern shrinkology (Razz) distinguishes about 4-5 types of of character. At first it struck me that people can be seperated into such a small number of categories. But after some thought, it semeed obvious that the only difference between us are our lives experiences, but our Character can be put into the category of Leader, Adviser etc... and the article pointed out 8 male and 9 female categories - its somehow impressive Smile
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Vigilante024



Joined: 11 Jul 2003
Posts: 578
Location: back. but not really.
PostPosted: Thu Jan 15, 2004 2:51 pm Reply with quote
yeah, I've discussed this in some of my classes as well (mostly art classes though when we were talking about television shows...)though I think the type list can be made shorter...it just seems to me that some of the types are the same...
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Scaramanga



Joined: 02 Sep 2003
Posts: 134
Location: San Diego, CA
PostPosted: Thu Jan 15, 2004 3:51 pm Reply with quote
meh... they completely missed Mean-But-Soft-Hearted-Inside-Samurai-Girl. There's almost always one in these harem series' lately. She's a traditionalist, wearing the classic kimono (in those non-period anime) and wielding a sword, which she generally uses to threaten males. Rin from Maburaho and and Motoko from Love Hina come to mind.
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Vigilante024



Joined: 11 Jul 2003
Posts: 578
Location: back. but not really.
PostPosted: Thu Jan 15, 2004 4:30 pm Reply with quote
if I remember correctly...I think Newtype USA did a thing on the various types of females found in anime...though I can't remember which issue...
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RantingOtaku



Joined: 10 Aug 2003
Posts: 219
Location: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
PostPosted: Thu Jan 15, 2004 4:48 pm Reply with quote
copy and pasting this one... gave a great laugh!

"5.The Feral Girl- Women are are OUTRIGHT DANGEROUS!!! Ranging from bored to psychotic, these girls will not hesitate to kill to get what they want"

ummm Asuka anyone?
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