Basing Characters On Anime Characters

I've never wanted to base a character off an anime character but I've wanted to rewrite an anime plot as a book plot so many times. There are times I feel like certain plots have wasted depths they never touch on and spicy romance moments that could go somewhere but never do. Somehow the anime\manga\light novel formats seem to be selling some really wonderful plots short, as much as I love them for what they are...

I'm actually in the planning stages of a Fantasy epic that (I hope) is going to basically be an anime/final fantasy mash-up. I'm considering the things that I think are going to be problems though.

1. The action sequences. Trying to really capture some of the best fights in mere words is going to be difficult to say the least, especially while trying to convey the power and emotion in some of the battles.

2. One thing that's pretty common in anime/manga are the flashback scenes, which they'll even throw into the middle of a fight. I don't know that there's really any precedent for that in books, it would basically be like inserting a short story at an almost random point. I'm not sure it could even be successfully done, let alone in the way the anime's get away with it.

Soul Eater and Sword Art Online to name a couple newer ones. Although every time I think of putting my own twist on anime stories I wonder if it would be too much like fanfic and I lose my nerve...

Greene_Hesperide1990 said:

I actually do feel like they could have did more with Soul Eater. It ended with so many questions that were left unanswered to me. It was like the author just wanted to end it to me.

Click to expand...

I agree. The author *is* writing a spinoff manga, but from what I've heard of it, it doesn't catch my interest.

My approach to some elements of my current WiP are, in part, influenced by my enjoyment of anime. None of the characters in my current WiP have powers or personalities directly based off a character I know of.

When it comes to story inspiration for action scenes and powers, I'm particularly inspired by Darker than Black and Fate/Zero. In the former, the nature of the characters' powers is such that their bodies are still quite human, so even one attack can be lethal. In the latter, the fight choreography is absolutely killer, especially in one particular showdown toward the end (in both the book and the anime).

I wouldn't get carried away thinking people will automatically get the reference to characters based on their powers. Very few super-abilities are original these days.

Luffy -> Mr. Fantastic -> Plastic Man

And people have been said to have special powers through their eyes in just about every culture throughout the world. From people who's sight was so keen they could dodge or deflect arrows and bullets, to beings that could turn you to stone (Gorgons), or control your mind (vampires).

Greene_Hesperide1990 said:

Love Darker than Black, those fight scenes are amazing. I just slightly based powers off of the characters I said because it's like a little reference to my self when I'm creating stuff. Anyway the powers would be the only give away that I based them off of the people. Also how the battles in FMA: Brotherhood played out, especially at the end were stellar. I thought the ending to the manga/anime was well done lol I didn't feel like they just randomly stopped writing the story.

Click to expand...

I should watch Brotherhood from start to finish sometime. I read the manga, but it was over quite a long period of time, so it'd still feel fresh on a rewatch.

Now that I think about it a little more, my current WiP does have one instance where I'm pretty sure I had Luffy's abilities in mind when designing an unnamed extra enemy soldier.

Sorry, but I am trying very hard to see past "off of".

I would say that my work is huuuuugely influenced by anime/manga since I grew up reading and watching so much of it. (huzzah for growing up during the anime boom!) For example some of my stories don't follow the 3 act structure because anime/manga often doesn't. But basing my own characters after anime/manga characters? Not quite as much. I'm sure traits seep into my characters, but I couldn't pinpoint which/where.

Greene_Hesperide1990 said:

the anime boom was probably one of the best thing about my childhood lol

Click to expand...

And my adulthood.

So the answer to your question is a resounding yes!

If there's anything anime did for me, it taught me that female characters can be interesting. They don't have to be damsels, sexpots or base every decision on what a man did. She can be strong or powerful or weak or rude. She can be the star. She can have agency. There's no western equivalent of sailormoon or the women of studio ghibli and so on. Not saying every female character is great, but western comics and media never came close.

I think part of it is in something like our comic books in the west they get passed around to many different writers. If a writer doesn't like a female character it seems like they write or draw her badly in our comics. Manga doesn't do that as much.
I really love anime. It showed me that girl power wasn't just an annoying slogan for the Spice Girls when I was a teen.
But I had been watching it long before then, we just didn't notice it and called all animation 'cartoons' no matter the style or place that made them.

You can base your characters off of anything. Manga and anime rely heavily on tropes and archetypes, just like every other form of entertainment. Most powers from One Piece probably have an earlier precedent in Marvel or DC comics. Even powerhouses like Hayao Miyazaki adapts western novels for some of his works (and the authors are not always happy with the results - e.g. Kiki's Delivery Service).

I personally try to avoid any direct anime or manga influence in my work like the plague in favour of more classic literature. But it depends on your tastes, what you want to write and who you're writing for.

But, after living in Japan for three years over a decade ago (I remember the first Once Piece episode I ever saw on TV was the introduction of Mihawk), most modern anime feels like "been there done that" slush to me. But that's only because I've seen too much.

Whilst I really, really, loved DBZ as a kid, I've not been able to find much enjoyment in that kind of shounen anime since then, and frankly that's pretty much the only unique part of anime there is.

Which is to say, if you've got characters spewing monologues and screaming at each other for far longer than they're fighting, people will look at it and say "that's pretty anime". If you don't have that, it's far harder to spot the fact that you've been influenced by anime.

A little off the point of the topic... but I just recently finished watching Psycho-Pass and I haven't encountered such a well-written, comprehensive plot in such a long time. I've actually been sick and tired of the titles that have come out for the last five years to the point that I've become embarrassed of saying I used to like anime... but that show made me remember what I loved about the industry. I use its structure and its take on the plot and characters as inspiration as well

soho-syndrome said:

A little off the point of the topic... but I just recently finished watching Psycho-Pass and I haven't encountered such a well-written, comprehensive plot in such a long time. I've actually been sick and tired of the titles that have come out for the last five years to the point that I've become embarrassed of saying I used to like anime... but that show made me remember what I loved about the industry. I use its structure and its take on the plot and characters as inspiration as well

Click to expand...

I'd like to second Psycho-Pass being great. Lots of random semi-relevant cameos of famous literature sprinkled throughout too, if that's your thing. This was the anime that convinced me to start reading Philip K. Dick.

TwentyThousandEyes said:

I'd like to second Psycho-Pass being great. Lots of random semi-relevant cameos of famous literature sprinkled throughout too, if that's your thing. This was the anime that convinced me to start reading Philip K. Dick.

Click to expand...

Yes, one of the first things that impressed me was how intellectual and philosophical they made their characters. I find that very hard to come by with anime nowadays.

When I read the title of this thread I knew instantly that this was the place for me.
I am addicted to anime and manga and it influences my writing style though I don't want to copy any character. I simply "borrow" personalities and adapt them to my stories.
As for the powers my character have, I prefer to create them rather than copy them. (if possible)

Example : Bleach when Ichigo Kurosaki receives his new two bladed Zangetsu - I adapted that I idea in my novel since my main character is a dual wielder (in one arm he has a light elemental while he has a dark one in the other so two different blades are required as conductors for that specific energy.)
What I also tend to follow like in manga or anime, I have a lot of characters that are dear to me and I have up to six heroes in one book. I find diversity unbelievably attractive.

soho-syndrome said:

A little off the point of the topic... but I just recently finished watching Psycho-Pass and I haven't encountered such a well-written, comprehensive plot in such a long time. I've actually been sick and tired of the titles that have come out for the last five years to the point that I've become embarrassed of saying I used to like anime... but that show made me remember what I loved about the industry. I use its structure and its take on the plot and characters as inspiration as well

Click to expand...

Oh man, I decided to sample every anime on the streaming site Crunchyroll (They have like 400+ shows) for sh*ts and giggles, and I would say about 80-90% is utter garbage. Creepy candy-colored Moe harems figurine-selling waifu wank bait. *barf*

But the remaining anime is pretty good and unique and fun. I loved how anime would often push the envelope on storytelling the way american tv wouldn't, I also appreciated how much plot and character development was in anime back when American tv was all episodic crime dramas and reality tv (this has changed significantly the last few years with shows like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones)

I looked up this Psycho-Pass, it looks pretty cool. Gonna give it a shot.

Do you guys think it's okay to do this? When does it become copyright infringement?

I have a character with the power to make his sword grow longer, like that guy from Bleach. I forgot his name.

phantasy said:

If there's anything anime did for me, it taught me that female characters can be interesting. They don't have to be damsels, sexpots or base every decision on what a man did. She can be strong or powerful or weak or rude. She can be the star. She can have agency. There's no western equivalent of sailormoon or the women of studio ghibli and so on. Not saying every female character is great, but western comics and media never came close.

Click to expand...

I watch Showa era jidai-geki, chambara in particular. One thing that really surprised me once I was able to see a selection of movies beyond your Kurosawa basics was the amount of strong women characters - being leaders and being fighters. I watched a movie made in 65 with an actress who was running along rooftops, going up against swordfighters with her gun & generally getting disheveled and being a boss - all 30+ years before Ellen Ripley.

tylermarab1987 said:

Do you guys think it's okay to do this? When does it become copyright infringement?

See the thread about copy-cat vs homage...

I have a character with the power to make his sword grow longer, (<- I must not yield to temptation. I must not respond to this ...) like that guy from Bleach. I forgot his name.

Click to expand...