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#how is it different from. say. a manga artist making a series that takes heavy inspiration from cowboy culture

animehouse-moe · 1 year

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Welcome To Demon School! Iruma-Kun Volume 1: The Misfits

It's been several years at this point since I stumbled across Iruma-Kun as an anime. Three seasons deep with all sorts of content and arcs, and a mountain of manga chapters and volumes I never thought I'd get in English. But it's here. Somehow, it's made it here and I'm endlessly excited about that. How does it measure up to the anime? How does the source material differ? What's the art style like? Is there any dropped content? How does the pacing compare? So, so many questions that I can finally answer.

The short of it though? People should absolutely be picking up this manga. It's friendly and welcoming for all ages without feeling too childish or mature, Kodansha's giving it a nice and quick release schedule, it's got 3 Seasons of anime to watch to see if you'll like it, and there's plenty of spinoffs that have a chance to make it over here if this release does well!

⚠️Warning: Spoilers Ahead⚠️

I think the most noticeable difference is in the art. To summarize it, Nishi's style in the manga is rather different to the anime. It's what you might call malleable. The proportions, lighting, even aspects of the core character design ebb and flow depending on the scene they're in. Line thickness and texture moves around, shading and color differs from character to character, and even chibi designs have wiggle room in how they're shown.

It's really interesting, because through these 4 panels, there's not really a stellar amount of visual similarity in how things are drawn. The shading on Iruma's (top left) clothes vs Kalego's (bottom right) is different, and Kalego's hair has shading and texture while Iruma's doesn't. Azz-Kun (bottom left) has heavy line weight while Sullivan (top right) is a far lighter line weight. It's incredibly curious, because I wouldn't say any of these pages bear much resemblance to one another in how they're drawn, but they're undeniably all from the same artist. It's a really great feat to provide so much consistent variance in art style for the series.

Alongside that, I must say I'm impressed with the paneling as well. You can get a really solid grasp of it from Iruma and Azz-Kun's pages above. There's a lot of variance and different approaches to similar content.

There's different perspectives, angles, and everything keep it all fresh and interesting, and the shapes of the panels are really commendable. It constantly refuses to use clear cut rectangles and squares, and tries its damnedest to put a creative spin on it. Even in pages like this one, all of the panels have an irregular side. At least one line in the rectangle is angled or cut off. It's such a simple thing, but it makes it such a more interesting read as you're not constantly looking at a bunch of plain squares.

Though, I guess I should take a break from the visual stuff, and talk about story, yeah?

I'm pretty surprised, there's a lot of great moments from the anime that were extrapolated from very minimal context or interaction, and even some that don't appear in the manga. Inconsequential pieces in terms of story, but really great work to expand on the nature and feel of the manga.

Saying that though, there's just as many moments that go shot for shot between the two, like Iruma and Azz-Kun's fight.

Or Iruma's entrance into the Misfit's classroom.

In addition to that, it's really cool to see how well planned this story is. Being a manga you get to soak up those pieces a lot better, and notice background details and things like that. Just take a look at this panel. Yes, Clara's in it, but there's somebody on the left side as well. Jazz makes an appearance here, and for good reason! Such a fun little detail, and just one example of many that exist within the manga that either didn't make it to the anime, or that I didn't notice in the anime.

Now, the elephant in the room: Lied. His early design is certainly something. I wouldn't say I hate it, but I also wouldn't deny that I vastly prefer his newer/current design a hundred times over. Basically the only design that sees noticeable change through the story, and for good reason. Also, Kerori in the background.

Also, I really just have to give it up for Nishi's art. You get a taste of it in the anime, but it feels so much stronger throughout this first volume of the manga. They like their perspective pieces, and they really like playing with heaver line weight to create tension and energy, and I'm all for it. It's a really fluid experience overall, and is great at selling readers on a more dynamic feel to the art and characters.

Pieces like this where the lines of the panels begin to warp and change, just such cool details that really show how pervasive Nishi's style is to the overall work, how when the style shifts, the whole perception of the sequence does.

I also feel like this spread is a really great example of why I like Nishi's character designs. They're all incredibly unique, and share very little to tie them to one another. All different outfits, proportions, and features. Clara's got a completely different style to Iruma, who's got a completely different style to Azz-Kun. It's a world of characters in a single story, and really never gets old.

And lastly, here's one of those perspective pieces I was talking about earlier. Nishi doesn't blindly use it to make for cool and more 3 dimensional panels or pages, but to convey something. A stretched out panel of Iruma fretting over being a human at a demon school, or in this case, a skewed perspective to sell the scale and grandeur of the Demon King. We're only at his feet, out of the entirety of his presence, Nishi is showing us where we're at in the story currently. It's a really great idea that just blends implicitly with "big Demon King is cool as hell".

So, at the end of this first volume, I'm thoroughly impressed with both the anime and the manga. The anime really grasps the material well and finds a way to heighten a lot of it, while the manga loses very little expression despite its relative handicap to the anime. Both are undeniably great, and both are certainly worth experiencing.

The energy remains apparent, the story is untouched and in its purest form, the art is all over the place in the best way, and the feel of Iruma-Kun is still so wonderfully strong. The silly nature that will have you breaking out in a laugh at the smallest things remains, and that warm feeling you get from the cuter moments is still there. It's still the same Iruma-Kun I know and love from the anime, and still places at the top of shounen manga that everybody should give a chance.

#mairimashita! iruma kun #welcome to demon school iruma kun #iruma kun #iruma suzuki #魔入りました！入間くん #mairuma #asmodeus alice #clara valac #sabnock sabro #naberius kalego #anime and manga #manga #manga review #manga recommendation #shounen manga #shonen manga

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masonuf · 1 month

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Post for 3/27

“Neo-Nationalism and the ‘Liberal School of History’” by Kersten makes some compelling observations about the surge of post-war neo-nationalist propaganda in Japan, and the article serves as a good warning before reading Sensōron by Kobayashi. Sensōron was such a disturbing read for me because of its heavy usage of nationalist propaganda. It almost felt like reading a collection of political cartoons, especially in comparison with all of the other more traditional manga that we’ve read so far in this class. The author depicts Japanese people as innocent victims of war who have been unfairly converted into “brainwashees” by America. Putting national pride above all else, Kobayashi completely dismisses any responsibility or accountability that the Japanese government should hold after the war. Instead, he criticizes the anti-war side of Japan for not upholding the same dangerous extent of pride. In one section, Kobayashi focuses on disproving the legitimacy of a series of anti-war photographs. And I get it – some war photographs tend to be more artistically captured to emotionally resonate with people while others maintain the scene as it is to remain objective. Photographers should clarify this detail regarding legitimacy when taking these pictures. However, I couldn’t help but get super frustrated when Kobayashi tried to debunk the photo of the baby being alone in a field of ruins as being fake. Like, okay sure, maybe there were people around the baby who could’ve been the baby’s guardian… but did you completely miss the part where the buildings in the background were completely annihilated? Do you think those buildings were destroyed just so this photograph could be taken? Do you think that just because this particular image was captured in this way means that other babies aren’t being abandoned in the war? Would there really have been such a massive difference if the baby’s parents were in the frame? Kobayashi completely tunnel-visions on one minor detail of the photograph instead of addressing the bigger picture that it was trying to convey. It’s almost like he’s saying “Wow, since this baby might not actually be alone, it means that the victims here haven’t suffered enough! How about you go get some more proof of your suffering before you can convince me that war is bad?” Just because a few images were “fake” doesn’t automatically excuse the Japanese government of their wartime atrocities.

Image of the baby in the field of ruins from Sensōron.

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saint-miroir · 2 years

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Abt 2000s 2010s shoujo mangakas..

Are they still active in Japan? Or the lack of info about their new works on mainstream intl..is them retiring?

Or those 90s 00s shoujo artist just changed artstyle?

Or maybe my info is warped bcoz there are just a handful shoujo anime now. Compares to pre2012s

Hi, thank you for your question!

I’d say it does depend on the mangaka. Wataru Yoshizumi has a series that started in 2019 and appears to be ongoing. I know that Mia Ikumi tragically passed away from a Subarachnoid hemorrhage this year, but did the artwork for the Tokyo Mew Mew Re-turn manga in 2020 not long before her passing. However, even she hadn’t put out any works for many years until then. Pink Hanamori also has an ongoing Mermaid Melody sequel in Nakayoshi, but this seems to be the most recent thing she’s done since 2008. Mihona Fujii resumed the GALS! manga in 2019 after it seemingly ended in 2002. Arina Tanemura is also still active. Nakahara An of Kirarin Revolution fame finished her latest series in 2020. Nami Akimoto released quite a few works as recently as 2021, though they seem to mostly be single-volume releases. These are just a few examples, but in my experience, some of the most prolific mangaka from around that time are still active, but they usually come out with a new series every few years and tend to maybe have one ongoing manga currently running in a magazine (Tanemura and Yoshizumi). Others may not release anything for years, but may end up releasing a reboot/revival for one of their most famous and nostalgic works (such as in the case of Ikumi and Hanamori). One manga artist that comes to mind who seems to keep releasing very consistently over the years since around the mid 2000s is Ema Toyama. Her works have seemed oddly inescapable within the past 10 or so years. I do occasionally find mangaka for some series that are outright no longer active, though I’m struggling to think of any off the top of my head at the moment.

There could be various reasons for why mangaka take long breaks in between series or just outright quit after some time. As everyone knows, being a mangaka is extremely demanding and stressful work. Miho Obana, for instance, released her last work in 2010 and has a past history of tendonitis which she has gone on hiatus for before. It’s not unusual for the work to lead to health problems due to the extremely strict deadlines and heavy amounts of stress. There could also be other personal issues in their life that need tending to.

Another thing that could be affecting your perception could also be the number of series released where you live. Arina Tanemura still seems to be popular enough in the west (or at least well known enough), but I swear a lot of the popular shoujo mangaka from the 90s and early 2000s seldom get works released here anymore (at least where I live, in the United States. I’m not sure if its different where you live). I was actually relatively surprised (but pleasantly so) to see that Marmalade boy was getting an English re-release by Seven Seas. There’s seemingly such a limited number of shoujo series that get released outside of Japan and I feel that what is readily available where we live might not accurately reflect the reality of who is and is not still active. When you haven’t seen a work released from one of your favorite mangaka from that time period in a long time, it can make you wonder what they’re currently doing, and if they’re even still making manga at all. You also make an interesting point about how there are even fewer shoujo anime adaptations than there once were, but I feel that we’re starting to see a small change in that, and I hope that it continues. I could get into another rant about why we’re seeing such a lack in shoujo adaptations today, but I’ll refrain from doing so.

I’ll admit I’m certainly no authority on the matter and I worry my answer won’t be very helpful. There are certainly people who could give a much more informed, in-depth answer, but I hope I could at least provide some insight, if any at all.

#asks #shoujo manga #I’ll admit that this probably isn’t the most well written or well informed answer #I hope that it does at least help a little bit though

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makeste · 3 years

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an index of Horikoshi Kouhei interviews

these are organized by date, oldest to newest, and I’m including a brief bullet-point summary of each to make it easier to look up specific interviews by content.

also, please note that although I haven’t spoiler tagged this post, the interviews from roughly 2019 onwards include some spoilers, so please watch out for those if you’re anime-only or otherwise not caught up with the manga. that said, the other interviews I think are all good.

putting this below a cut to keep things tidy.

interview with Horikoshi Kouhei and Kishimoto Masashi, May 2015

(note: this is not the actual interview word-for-word, but includes the highlights)

Horikoshi talks about being a fan of Naruto when he was growing up

Horikoshi says he was inspired by the way Kishimoto shows emotion through drawing hands, and that he loves drawing hands thanks to Naruto

Horikoshi mentions that Gaara is his favorite character and that he really liked the Chuunin Exam arc

Kishimoto praises BnHA and says he knew it would be a hit when he read the second chapter

they talk a bit about the worldbuilding and the process of creating a story where 80% of the population has superpowers

they discuss Naruto and Sasuke’s rivalry and Horikoshi mentions that he found it “frustrating” and that he really liked the Valley of the End and thought it would be the end of the series. he says it was very emotional

they talk a little about the stress of writing manga and about the toll it takes on mental health

pre-anime interview, April 2016

talks about his reaction when he found out BnHA was getting an anime

talks about how the series originally came about

says that BnHA is the story of Izuku and All Might and that their story is the “vertical axis” which runs through the main story

says there is also a “horizontal axis”, which is the side characters and quirks and all of the other elements that he considers to be the “fun part” of the story which mellows out the darker aspects of the vertical axis

mentions that he really likes drawing and writing Bakugou

mentions Deku vs Kacchan 1 as one of the early highlights in the series for him

talks about Ochako being someone who has a more cheerful relationship with Deku, which balances out some of the heavier aspects of Deku and Katsuki’s relationship (again, horizontal vs vertical axis)

mentions that if he could pick any quirk he’d pick a “no need for sleep” quirk

talks about reading Dragon Ball as a child

mentions that he really likes American comic book heroes, especially Spider-Man

mentions Goku and Spider-Man as the two that come to mind when he thinks about heroes and what it means to be a hero (specifically, that Goku is the “win” aspect and that he brings reassurance to everyone, while Spider-Man is the “save” aspect who helps other people)

talks about hearing Deku and Bakugou’s voices in the anime for the first time, as well as Ochako, Iida, and All Might’s voices

another pre-anime interview with konomanga.jp, April 2016

(note: this interview is in Japanese, but Google translate does a servicable job with it)

talks more about Spider-Man, including his favorite costumes and comic artists

gives some American comic book recs

mentions that he likes Godzilla and Gamera and always goes to see those movies

talks about his Star Wars influences

talks about his favorite manga as a child -- Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Naruto

talks about becoming a manga artist, and about some of his influences

says that he likes drawing monsters, creatures, and villains, and says that he really liked drawing the panel where Tomura made his first appearance at USJ

talks a little about composition and frame movement in his work, and about the challenges of drawing a weekly manga

mentions that he knows what the story ending will be, but hasn’t yet figured out how to connect the dots to that point

interview with Horikoshi Kouhei and Umakoshi Yoshihiko in BnHA: Ultra Archive, May 2016

(note: Umakoshi is the anime character designer for BnHA. also, this interview was part of the Ultra Archive character book, so you’ll have to scroll a bit through its other contents in order to get to the interview.)

they talk about the process of creating the BnHA anime and sketching out all of the character designs. Horikoshi says the anime character model sheets look just like how he draws them

they talk about Horikoshi’s obsession with drawing hands lol. Horikoshi mentions that the way Mike Mignola (the creator of Hellboy) draws hands was a big influence

they talk a lot about art and drawing in general

Horikoshi talks about Ochako’s character design a bit

they talk about the differences between drawing manga and doing animation

Umakoshi talks about his first impressions of BnHA

Horikoshi mentions that he still has a lot of ideas for characters and quirks that he hasn’t been able to implement yet

they talk about the different character designs and which ones they find easy, difficult, and fun to draw

they talk for a fair amount of time about Iida’s character design

Umakoshi talks a bit about other anime he’s worked on

they talk about the character of All Might, and Horikoshi ominously says that All Might’s future will be “a fairly sad affair”

interview with Natalie Comics, June 2018

talks about the 4th anniversary of BnHA, and the release of BnHA: Two Heroes

talks about the Basement internship arc and mentions that it was challenging for him to write

talks about the question “what is a hero?” and how he defines heroes

mentions Mina, Sero, and Shouji as characters he would like to/plans to feature in the future, and mentions that he already has a story planned featuring Shouji

talks about the popularity of the series

talks a little about Koike-san, his first editor

talks about Two Heroes and its development and story

talks about club activities at U.A., and which clubs Deku and Katsuki would be in

talks about his mom and about some of his childhood experiences which inspired scenes in the manga

talks about why he became a mangaka

talks about what percentage of the series is completed, mentions the original planned length was about 30 volumes but that it has obviously surpassed that

mentions that he has an idea of how the last arc will be planned out

interview with Horikoshi and Eiichiro Oda, August 2018

Horikoshi talks about being a fan of One Piece and mentions he even sent artwork to Oda which was included in one of Oda’s galleries

they talk more about OP and about favorite arcs and how it’s influenced Horikoshi’s work

Oda compliments Horikoshi’s art and they talk about cover artwork and coloring (Horikoshi mentions he uses Photoshop)

Horikoshi talks a bit about BnHA Two Heroes

Horikoshi again mentions that he originally thought BnHA would be about 30 volumes (Oda says he should shoot for 50 but Horikoshi laughs and says he’s not sure he can do ten years)

they talk about how fucking long OP is and how manga stories tend to expand once the story starts taking off

Interview with Anime News Network at SDCC, August 2018

talks about his love of American comics, especially Spider-Man, and says that American comics are a lot more mainstream in Japan nowadays thanks to all the superhero movies

talks about how he got started as a manga creator

talks about being inspired by Dragon Ball, and that All Might in particular was inspired by Goku

talks a bit about the process of creating characters

talks about Bakugou’s popularity and that it took him by surprise at first

mentions that he doesn’t have the stamina for BnHA to be a long series like One Piece

interview with Cinema Today Japan, December 2019

(update: here is the link to @hanashimas‘ translation which is more accurate)

talks about Deku and Bakugou’s characters and their attributes

mentions that at the start of the story Bakugou thinks Deku is above him, so he tries to act intimidating and superior to overtake him

(ETA: apparently this is a mistranslation; he actually says that he intended for Bakugou to be a character who was “above” Deku so to speak, who Deku would eventually surpass. he then goes on to talk about his realization that Bakugou could actually have a much more interesting character arc, which of course we have since seen play out.)

mentions that he planned to have Bakugou and Deku improve on two separate vectors as they entered U.A.

mentions Deku vs Kacchan 1 as a turning point where he had some realizations about Bakugou’s character that humanized him for him

mentions that he always knew Bakugou wouldn’t turn evil and “would never lose to the darkness”

says the scene where Katsuki takes Kirishima’s hand at Kamino was bittersweet because it showed Bakugou’s growth, but also showed the ongoing gulf between him and Deku because Deku knew that Katsuki wouldn’t take his hand

mentions that Bakugou still needs to apologize to Deku

says that Kirishima, Kaminari, and Mina are among the easiest characters for him to draw because they take the initiative and get the other characters excited and help pull the story forward

mentions that he always hears Nobu’s voice in his head now when writing Bakugou

talks about the characters being high school kids still, and that when he expanded on their families he was conscious of that -- “I wanted to show that these protagonists are still children after all”

interview in Volume R (booklet that was released along with Heroes Rising), December 2019

talks again about his manga influences and what inspired him to become a mangaka

talks about the experience of getting his first manga published

talks about what inspired him to write BnHA

has an interesting quote where he talks about the vaguely desperate feeling of “trying one last time”, which was weighing on his mind when he created BnHA, and which also played into Deku’s motivations in the first chapter

mentions All Might as being a character that he’s attached to

talks about his reactions to the anime, the overseas popularity, and the first movie

talks about his heavy involvement in the production of Heroes Rising

talks about designing and creating the bad guys for Heroes Rising

talks about the creation and character design of Hawks and mentions that the original character design was going to have a bird head lol

mentions that Hawks will have a relatively big influence on the story in the future

talks about how the ending of Heroes Rising was his original planned ending for the series

talks about Bakugou’s character development which leads up to that moment

talks about the conclusion of the series, and that all of the characters will come together in the end

interview with all of the past editors of the BnHA manga, March 2021

(note: this is another interview that’s not translated word for word, but summarized. also this interview was with just the editors, not Horikoshi himself.)

they talk about the early reception to the manga, and Horikoshi’s reactions

they talk about the individual moments early on when they realized that the series would be “amazing”

Yoritomi mentions that Horikoshi came up with the designs for most of the Billboard Top 10 pro heroes at the last minute lol

including Hawks (all Horikoshi had decided on prior was that he was going to be “cool” and would be a spy)

everyone praises Horikoshi’s character designs in general

they talk about the start of the anime and that whole process

they mention that Horikoshi cried watching both of the movies

they talk about the overseas popularity of the series

each editor lists their favorite episode of the anime

they talk about Horikoshi sacrificing his original manga ending to be used in Heroes Rising

they talk about that one ending theme song in season 4 that showed the pro heroes’ childhoods, and that Horikoshi had the anime team change Hawks’s to match the backstory he had planned

they talk about the upcoming season 5 and send final messages to the fans

interview in the MHA Drawing Smash Exhibition Pamphlet, April 2021

Horikoshi talks about the art in the exhibition and about the process of creating the artwork

he mentions that the piece with Deku rescuing a falling Ochako took the longest to draw

he says the drawing of All Might was the most fun to draw for him

that’s pretty much it, this one is very short lol

interview in Jump GIGA Spring 2021, April 2021

talks about which characters will play an important role in the final act. specifically mentions Hawks, Ochako, Shouji, Shinsou, Monoma, and Sero

“many characters’ actions will converge into a single one, so maybe the best way to say it would be ‘keep an eye on all of them!’“

says that for Hawks’s flashbacks and the Todoroki family’s past, he was influenced by Sion Sono’s works

mentions that the drawing of Deku and Ochako from the MHA Drawing Smash exhibit isn’t directly related to the main story, but that while drawing it he kept in mind how their relationship would develop if he explored it deeper

says he had the final act (or at least the chapter 306 reveal part of it) vaguely planned for a long time, but started to think about the specifics in volume 21 during the Endeavor vs High-End fight

says he’s already decided on the ending, and that “the path to it has been longer than I initially expected, but the main elements that I’ve decided before starting the series are still the same”

Q&A trivia from Vol. W World Heroes’ Mission, August 2021

(and alternate translation by aitaikimochi)

talks about All Might not having many friends among the pro heroes (but says he’s become “slightly attached” to Aizawa since he started teaching at U.A.)

describes what Bakugou, Tsuyu, and Mineta’s rooms look like

talks about Jirou and Momo’s relationship and the kind of things they like to talk about when they hang out together

says that Shouji’s face will eventually be revealed, and that he is “not sure” about Hagakure’s :’)

talks about the types of YouTube videos Shouto watches (pretty insightful answer which is equal parts sweet and sad)

says that Midnight’s classes were the most popular among the students

says U.A.’s robots once rebelled against their creators (lol wtf)

says his three favorite movies are Akira, The Ring, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. he says Akira in particular is his bible

and that’s it for now, but I will update this post with future interviews as they are posted, and if anyone has links to an interview I’ve missed please let me know.

#horikoshi kouhei #horikoshi kouhei interview #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha reference #makeste reads bnha

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legitimateluffy · 4 years

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One Piece Animation Thesis: East Blue

If you would prefer to follow via the master Google Doc, [HERE] is the link! This will be updated as we go through the arcs and is currently planned to be updated weekly!

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Whew hey everyone!

So this is the beginning of a project that I have had in the back of my mind for quite some time and finally decided to start working on. A quick rundown of what this actually is, it’s a somewhat showcase of the animation found within the main One Piece anime (so, no movies/specials/filler arcs between canon arcs etc. although that may be something I will attempt to tackle one day if this does well). This will also include some insight into the anime industry and essentially give some insight on behind the scenes and why certain decisions are made as well as giving names of the hard working animators to their respective scenes. Hopefully this whole thing will continue to give a bit of insight into the One Piece anime as I believe that it is greatly under appreciated and while criticisms of it are valid, there definitely needs to be more of an understanding as to why the anime is the way it is. This will be a long journey ahead so please bear with me! Let’s get started!

The One Piece anime, including movies and specials, is animated by Toei Animation, and they are responsible for many other famous animated properties and adaptations, including Digimon, Dragon Ball/Z/GT/Super, Sailor Moon, Toriko, Gegege no Kitaro among many others. They animate many different series and have a big load to take on. This is something that will be touched on later, because it greatly affects the anime in later years. But for now, I’ll be going through the arcs, starting with the East Blue saga. The East Blue saga is made up of episodes 1-53 (including some filler) and consists of quite actually not that many noteworthy animated scenes, even though it covers many arcs (Shells Town, Orange Town, Syrup Village, Baratie, Arlong Park, LogueTown). Animation throughout this portion of the anime was quite limited, using minimal movement and taking appropriate shortcuts where necessary. Scenes are also quite hard to tell exactly who animated what due to the style consistency. There are a few noteworthy scenes though, but first I would like to introduce the rough structure of how the anime is made. An important part in animation is someone who is the character designer, someone who essentially designs the characters and in this case, attempts to replicate Oda’s style for it to be easily animated. During this part of the anime, the character designer is Noboru Kizumi who would continue to be the character designer for the anime for the next 10 or so years. These are the some of the sheets he made for the main characters:

This is something I’ll continue to showcase as we continue to go through each of the arcs, showcasing the strawhats as they pop up in the story. When the time comes, we will also compare the changes of style and why things have changed. But for now, I’ll just present the first designs.

One Piece at this stage was very cartoony and had quite a different style, especially compared to a lot of the current anime/manga at the time and it still continues to have a distinctive style to this day. Following these sheets allows for a good sense of continuity, which is very important with anime. If anyone out there attempts to draw something without looking at a reference, it’s not going to look quite as well as we want it to. So in using a reference, we can have a better grasp as to how the character looks from certain angles, heights compared to other characters, facial expressions and more.

In order to keep these characters looking somewhat similar so as to not disrupt the viewer’s experience by seeing jarring styles, someone works as a Chief Animation Director. They aim to ensure that characters remain consistent throughout the episode, and that they are on model. So, how is this achieved? Well, we’ll have a look at the process on how something is conceptualised and then put to screen.

Initially, a script is conducted. Going through the manga, people take what is deemed necessary material and put it into script format. It is important to note that as the anime and manga continue to go on for years, the gap between the anime and manga release shortened significantly, resulting in pacing issues. Keep this in mind for later as this is something I plan to touch on. Then a storyboard is created, having very rough lines in order to convey what is to be created. Here is an example:

A good storyboard can make or break an episode, as it dictates angles, how long scenes linger on screen, etc. Once the storyboard has been decided on, the animating can begin. Scenes are appointed to animators, where they create something called Genga. This is done on paper, similar to how it’s done in other parts of the world. Here are some examples of older Genga:

Even though times have changed and anime has become digital, with some animators now exclusively animating digitally, the anime industry still uses Genga, using paper and pencil to create their scenes. Here are some examples of newer Genga:

Once the Genga has been created, the Chief Animation Director will go in and correct what is necessary to ensure that the style remains consistent. Others may also help participate in this process, such as an Animation Supervisor. Here is an example of a Genga being corrected to ensure that it remains consistent in style:

In doing something like this, some animators can animate great action and keep their lines rough to save time, and an Animation Supervisor can clean it up and make it look good. After this has been completed, the Genga is then made into what is called Animation Cels. This is not exclusive to Japan, as for decades this is a process that has been used. This is a transparent sheet that had the lines and colours painted on, and is then photographed over painted backgrounds. Yeah...A long and dubious process indeed. This is not common place anymore due to how time consuming it is, and with the rise of digital, creating colours, effects, filters and backgrounds are much faster and easier to accomplish. Here are some examples of One Piece animation cels:

I would have much preferred to share cels directly from the anime itself and not the movies but they are quite difficult to come across and have more than likely been sold off from Toei long ago. But they will suffice, as it gives a good idea as to what they look like.

But voila! Animation has been created! All that’s left is music, sound effects and voice over and you’ve got yourself an anime. Wonderful. Easy right? Yeah, not exactly. All of this takes time and patience. And this is something that needs to be remembered. Time. A very important keyword in the animation industry and a lot more important than the word budget that likes to get thrown around. Due to One Piece being a long running weekly series, the animators have a lot less time than, say, My Hero Academia or Demon Slayer, two very prominent seasonal anime. These series do not have more money shoved into them, more budget, than One Piece that results in higher quality and consistent animation, a problem the One Piece anime definitely faces further down the road. Here’s an example:

Michelangelo is one of the most famous artists of all time, due to his remarkable attention to detail in his works present in the High Renaissance period. One of his most famous works is the Statue of David, an incredible piece of work that was worked on for 3 years. However, if you were to tell him to replicate it but say, give him a month, he’s not going to get anywhere near the same results as the piece where he spent 3 years on. It would be quite rough around the edges, and quite rushed. No matter how much money you throw his way, he still won’t be able to get anywhere close to those results. And this is the same with any artist, including animation. This is a big misconception in the anime community, and that is that as long as you throw money at people, they’re going to end up creating incredible works, regardless of the poor time management. That is just not how it works.

This does seem like quite a ramble, and it’s already quite long prior to even reaching the main aspect of this whole project, in which I showcase animators, but this is important background information that needs to be understood prior to delving in. With that very long introduction, let’s now get to showcasing animators!

Some of the animators that were present on many early One Piece episodes include:

Kazuya Hisada, Masahiro Shimanuki, Naoki Tate, Jin Inaba, Tadayoshi Yamamuro. Please note, there are many others involved animating wise, but these are some key names, and ones that will develop and evolve as the years go on.

Kazuya Hisada is someone who will pop up later and fulfil a more important role in the series, but in the early days he created some great scenes with some snappy timing, while using lines to help convey impact. He is found throughout early One Piece, however due to the limited animation and consistent style thanks to Noboru Kizumi, he can be difficult like most during this era to spot.

Hideaki Maniwa is more prominent in his animation, being more pronounced due to his camera movement on his characters. He uses subtle smears usually on impact to further enhance the idea that whoever is being hit, is being hit HARD. He also created the most animated piece of early One Piece in episode 23 where he creates seemingly natural movement of the background of the ship and water, making the sea feel powerful and heavy.

So what have we learnt so far.

Well, there is a lot of hard work that goes into the production of an anime series, and that is no different with One Piece. Early episodes for the most part had not too many interesting scenes animation wise, and the animators essentially got the work done in order to produce and release the series week to week. It will continue to be a bit of a slow start, with arcs like Alabasta and SkyPiea being similar in the regard of not many noteworthy scenes however, we can begin to see the cracks of emerging stars and evolving styles that will later become staples within the series.

This is it to the first of what is hopefully a long and engaging project! So far it has been quite a read and very lengthy and I apologise for that. Hopefully from here on out we should be able to successfully get through more animators and styles become more distinct and animation continues to evolve. Next up I intend to cover Alabasta.

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A massive thank you to everyone who has participated and uploaded at Sakugabooru! Without it, I would not have been able to make nearly as much as I have without all the hard work in identifying and tagging animators’ work! Most of the footage used to showcase these animators has come from there! I simply just turned the videos into gifs for an easier showcase.

I would also like to issue a big thank you to Animators Corner! The staff listing really helped me in determining who worked on what episode to identify animators and their works!

#one piece #anime #opgraphics #gif #if you could please share this!#would love for this to be spread thank you!#op animation thesis

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carriagelamp · 3 years

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Since it’s Pride Month, I decided this year I wanted to raid the library for a bunch of different queer books to read. Mostly graphic novels in this case, because I’ve had a hard time settling into much reading lately... thought hopefully now that it’s summer and I finally have my second shot I’ll be able to relax a bit more and dig into some heavier novels again. For now, enjoy some light, queer reads that I indulged in this June.

A Wolf Called Wander

A beautiful novel I had been hearing lots about. This story follows the young wolf Swift, who grows up knowing that he and his pack are the mountains, and the mountains are them. It’s in those mountains that he grows and learns and loves… until disaster strikes and he finds himself viciously torn apart from his family and forced out of the mountains that have always meant home to him. Forced to survive on his own. Swift then begins a gruelling journey that makes him face injury, starvation, and the everpresent danger of humans as he seeks a new place he can call home, and new people with whom he can form a pack.

This is all based on the true story of a tagged wolf known as OR-7, following the unbelievable route he took through Oregon and northern California! It was a very neat read, and I’d definitely recommend it if you enjoy stories told from an animal’s perspective because this book is a master class in it.

Bloom

I decided for June to try to read a handful of different queer books, and this was one of the first graphic novels I picked up. It is a super sweet story and the art is lovely. It’s about Ari, a boy who has just graduated high school and is now desperate to move away from his small town and his family’s struggling bakery, to join his band in the city where they hope to make it big. An agreement is finally reached: Ari’s father will let him leave, if he can find someone who can replace him in the bakery, which is how Ari meets Hector, someone who sees artistry and peace in baking. For anyone that’s read Check, Please, it gives off those types of vibes!

Boule et Bill: Bill est Maboul

Another book of Dupuis comics, because I can’t get enough of them! This one I just stumbled across and ended up reading on a whim but it was very cute. Geared younger than the others I’ve read, but still quite funny. It’s the charming hijinks of a young boy, his dog, and the family they live with. Each page or so is a different stand alone joke, a bit like Calvin and Hobbes except expanded beyond a single strip.

Chicken Run: Chicken Pies for the Soul

This was a ridiculous urge I got and had to follow. I recently rewatched Chicken Run (which is, of course, one of the best movies ever made) and felt the need to see if it had ever been novelized. Well, I found something better than a novelization! This is a chapter book with “advice” and stories written by the various characters, post-movie. It really does a good job with grasping the different characters’ voices and making something simple and funny out of it. It was very cute (and available on The Internet Archive if anyone else feels like reading something ridiculous!)

Doodleville

I picked this up on a whim and honestly, I shouldn’t have bothered. It was not very impressive. Very mediocre, awkward feeling artwork, and a story that only slightly manages to redeem it. The concept was kind of neat, and I did like how the ending came about, the rest was rather… plodding. I did not like the main character at all, her friends felt very Intentionally Quirky Aren’t We Cute :3 in a way that just tries too hard, and… yeah. Meh. It technically gets the “queer graphic novel flag” but it’s so in-passing that it feels rather excessive to give it that.

If you are interested, it’s about a world were doodles actually exist as living creatures that can be drawn into existence (the rather unsettling implications of which is never fully explored). This is all well and good, until the main character draws a monster and takes it with her to her art club... where it begins ravanging not only her doodles, but those of her friends. Together they need to work together to figure out how to stop this menace.

FRNCK v4

Phenomenal. I adore the FRNCK series, and book four wrapped up the first “cycle”, revealing several of the big secrets dogging the series so far, and changing how things are going to be able to run in the future.

If you haven’t seen me talk about it before, FRNCK is a graphic novel (a franco-belgian bande dessinée) about a young orphan, Franck, who’s chafing under the constant parade of uninterested foster parents that visit the orphanage he lives in. Determined to learn about his mysterious abandonment instead, he flees the orphanage… but finds himself tumbling through time, landing among a family of cave-people who rather reluctantly take him in and ensure this modern boy doesn’t die in the strange, dangerous new surroundings he finds himself in. You can get these ones in English as e-books, so if you want a really kickass graphic novel series to read please try these.

Haikyu!!

I’ve heard so much about Haikyu!! that I finally gave in and picked up the first book from the library. And I gotta say, it’s well worth the hype! This series really does capture the best parts of a good sports manga -- which is to say the team is filled with interesting, enjoyable character who all need to learn to pull together, boost each other’s strengths, and cover for each other’s weaknesses. Love me some found family tropes and this series oozes it in the best possible way. And then you also get some very cool action scenes as it makes high school volleyball seem like the most intense thing on earth. I can’t wait to continue it

Queer Eye

I haven’t been keeping up with Queer Eye but I was watching it ravenously when it first came out, and this seemed like a very cathartic book to read… and it really was. It had the same gentle, loving encouragement as the show. It doesn’t expect you to change your entire life, but to learn to embrace who you are, and take small steps to enhance those things. There a segment written (presumably) by each member of the Fab Five, explaining the mentality behind what they do on the show and how you can grow in those areas too. It’s very zen.

Spinning

I got this graphic novel out at the same time as Bloom, but it was the one that interested me less of the two... though that’s just because I have less interest in “real world” slice of life as a genre and this one is meant to be autobiographical. If you’re into that, you’ll probably love this because it really is stunning. Very pretty, and the format and pacing is all really well done. It’s a coming of age story for Tillie as she grows up dealing with a crosscountry move, complicated friendships, a burgeoning attraction to girls, and attending competitive figure skating classes.

This Place: 150 Years Retold

A stunning and heart-wrenching graphic novel told by a collection of different First Nation’s authors/artists, recounting oral histories about the 150 years since the colonialist formation of the country known as “Canada”. In other words, this is a post-apocalypse story, but one that really happened and that entire peoples are still fighting to survive. It’s very eye opening and beautifully told. Very strongly recommend the read, especially if you’re at all interested in history.

Torchwood: Serenity

Whoops, not technically a book. I had thought these were technically audiobooks at first, but rather they’re audio dramas that were played on the radio. Still, I decided to include one because I’ve been listening to them like a person possessed and they’re too fun not to at least mention. Let me indulge in my obsessions.

If you don’t know Torchwood, it’s a BBC series that spins-off from Doctor Who, focusing on the enigmatic and flirtatious Captain Jack Harkness, who is running the covert organization known as Torchwood, which is tasked to protect humanity from and prepare them for alien contact. It’s goofy and campy but also more adult and heavy than Doctor Who tends to get, so it is (in my opinion) a really fascinating series. Though it also has content warnings coming out the wazoo so maybe make sure it’s for you before delving in.

Serenity specifically is possibly one of the best Torchwood stories I’ve ever experienced. The Torchwood team concludes that there’s an undercover alien hiding in the idyllic gated community Serenity Plaza, and so that means it’s up to Jack and Ianto to go undercover as a happily married couple and flush out the alien without being discovered first. Even if it means being sickly sweet together, pretending to care about the local neighbourhood barbecues, and actually caring a bit too much about the Best Front Lawn competition. What is truly magical about this one, is that it manages to make it a Fake Dating AU despite the fact that Jack and Ianto are actually dating in canon. But they’re both used to dating as a pair of alien hunters with insanely dysfunctional lives, and who now need to figure out how to deal with domesticity. It is marvellous.

Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice

A middle grade novel that felt a bit like a cross between Harry Potter and Pokemon. It’s about orphan Barclay Thorne who wants nothing more than to be accepted in the rule-bound village of Dullshire, and live up to his apprenticeship as a mushroom farmer. He certainly wants nothing to do with the fearsome Beasts who live beyond the village, deep in the Woods or the sinister Lorekeepers that bond with them. It was, after all, a Beast that had killed his parents all those years ago. But when he finds himself at the very edge of the forest, hunting for an elusive mushroom, he is suddenly unable to avoid any of that. Not when a wild girl and her bonded dragon appear to summon a horrible Beast and end up getting Barclay bonded to it instead. Now, if Barclay ever wants to be welcomed back into his home, he has no choice but to venture into the Woods and find a way to sever the bond imprisoning him to the massive, monstrous wolf now imprinted on his body as a living tattoo.

I honestly can’t decide how I felt about this one. I feel like it’d be a really fun read for maybe a grade 5 to 7 student? I was a bit more meh about it. It was fine, but it was very hard not to draw unfavourable parallels to Harry Potter. But for a kid who’s never read Harry Potter? Or even an adult that has but is looking for something different to scratch that itch, this might be a good book to try. I’ll probably try reading the second book when it comes out.

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foundouthatdabiistouyatodoroki · 3 years

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My Hero Academia Character Design Analysis

My favorite thing about My Hero Academia is how the characters are cleverly created in their designs. I love the series for its simple yet complex character designs.

I wanted to share this with others so I created this so you could get a better idea of designing your Ocs for My Hero Academia. BNHA is a shout out to superheroes of Marvel and DC since the entirety of BNHA is composed of heroes since they’re the important aspect of the series, you can base your OCs and their quirk on a superhero or supervillain you know and use them as reference. They also don’t have to be based on superheroes and villains either; it's alright to base them on people or yourself when you’re designing them. What is your OC inspired by? That would be something you will answer in your design. As Horikoshi said in an interview, it's important to feel inspired. You can take inspiration from just about anywhere from down to scotch tape and earphones. So go out, take a walk, shower and the inspiration will come right there.

The series BNHA has basic character design elements, but BNHA fully utilizes this basic character design. You see how the simple shapes are incorporated in their design and how they tell a lot about a character. What kind of elements that go into a design is an important aspect to know what makes the character stand out as themselves and show their quirks which come up a lot in their design. Though I am going to talk about how to design your characters I am also going to talk about how to choose their names, quirks, hero costumes, and hero names.

Shapes and “what goes into the design” is an important aspect. but first I am going over the design before I elaborate on these aspects. Let's start on how these designs utilize simple shapes and “what goes into it” for the design components.

Designs:

All Might

Let’s get started with the titular hero of the series and the greatest of all time: All Might. As you see his design encompasses two simple shapes in both his muscle form and true form being both a square and a triangle. These shapes in both his forms convey a lot about his personality. You see All Might is defined with two basic shapes in his design. All Might's muscle form consists of a solid square. Horikoshi’s design features in All Might are his eyes in which he uses to convey his personality If you look at All Might’s face even his eyes share this shape. What could the square say about All Might in terms of role and personality?

Look at how square are used in design squares when used in the design are known to be Ordered, bold, strong, dependable, stable, strong, confident, solid, balanced, grounded. Squares are large and comforting, slightly clumsy, and are considered masculine in shape. Squares make us feel safe and contained gives a sense of security and stability. They symbolize fortitude or someone strong and steadfast. Squares are commonly used for superheroes with the square jawline in their faces. These aspects of All Might’s personality are visible in the overall appearance of his muscle form since both his face and eyes are square-shaped, which bears the similar jawline you see in heroes in cartoons.

But for All Might, squares don’t only convey his heroism, they also say something about his strength and determination. All Might give the impression of strength when in his muscle form All Might is the world's strongest hero, steadfast and determined when it comes to saving people no matter the cost. This determination pushes through to defeat powerful villains to save the day.

Squares reflects All Might’s role in keeping societal order as the symbol of peace, in which he inspires others to feel safe and secure, smiling to keep people at ease with his presence. All Might’s presence emits strength and reassurance to others which causes people to easily trust him due to it. Much like how the squares make people feel safe and contained with its presence. Surface-wise he comes off as sturdy, dependable embodying overall confident but underneath he’s clumsy at certain aspects he may be a great hero but as a teacher, he’s clumsy at teaching.

Speaking of clumsy, let's move on to All Might’s true form. All Might’s true form’s shape is angular in many aspects of his design. It doesn’t harbor the solid square that his muscle form has. The triangle is symbolic of All Might in many ways it conveys his personality differently than what the muscle form’s shape square does: his true form which is lanky and skinny in contrast to his public persona he displays he’s more insecure in certain aspects. Squares symbolize balance; triangles are lopsided and imbalanced because of the shape they have. All Might’s true form's face has an angular and lopsided triangle pointed down symbolizes the imbalance that he has in his life.

All Might’s private life is always in constant disorder since he got his injury from AFO, he struggles to maintain his work ethic despite injury limiting the amount of hero work he does, the prophecy of his upcoming death from Nighteye since during their falling out, his time of the symbol of peace running out, the fact he feels he only smiles to hide his fear of losing his power, he struggles to keep OFA a secret, even after All Might retired from his hero work and lost his power when fighting AFO he has his insecurities after he lost his strength he feels powerless when he can’t help others plus on top finding out that Tomura was his master grandson. The triangle reflects his insecurities with and without his quirk, he lacks the confidence his muscle form gave off the triangle notes this aspect of his character. The triangle seen in his face pointed down symbolizes imbalance and his lack of stability and balance in his personal life. Think of how hard he tries to juggle all these things back and forth and has a hard time managing all these things in his hero work and personal life. All Might’s life is a constant of constant imbalances.

His muscle form has a triangle it has another shape that shares his true form they both have a similar shape but have different meanings and impressions where for All Might’s muscle form triangle points up whitish his true forms triangle points down conveys something differently about his muscle form that his true form didn’t. Unlike how the triangle pointed down symbolizes imbalance, the triangle pointed up symbolizes power. The triangles pointed upright are very strong and dynamic. Although All Might's muscle form is a square, it has a triangle hidden in the triangles that have a sort of energy and power in them in which it’s upright; the position represents his stability and power of OFA. All Might is strong and fast in his abilities as a hero and dynamic when he appears on the page.

I am going to talk about the lines that are used in All Might’s design since like shapes, lines say something about a character’s personality. Lines are another way to convey a character’s personality; this is seen when Horikoshi uses these lines when he’s doing All Might’s character design in both true and muscle form. In-universe he’s said to be drawn differently this could be the number of lines that he's drawn with. He is drawn with solid black ink,

solid black is used for traditional superheroes you see in golden age comics. All might have straight lines and bold lines in his design his muscle form is drawn with thick lines, thick lines that are difficult to break suggest strength much like how his muscle form emits. Both thick lines are bold to make a statement in his design. All Might’s bold lines show his dynamism in his outward appearance. His incredible bold lines he has when he makes entrances in a flashy way looks like he stands out for being drawn differently from other characters like a superhero from a comic than a character from a manga looking dynamic enough to pop out on-page. His lines make All Might look more like a cartoon hero in contrast with the rest of the cast of characters.

More lines that All might is drawn with are vertical lines and horizontal lines. vertical lines are filled with energy, strong, rigid suggest stability and horizontal lines are there to be stable and secure. These lines tell these aspects in his role as the symbol of peace a call back to him keeping society stable with his entire presence as well as his strength.

This embodies All Might’s simple design elements. Now next on to what goes into the aspects go into his design.

such as his art style is different from the characters drawn because his design uses techniques from American comics. All might is drawn by different styles from different artists Mike Mignola and John Byrnes which he takes a lot of influences from. All Might’s smiles in his muscle form look like Byrnes’s version of superman’s smile.

His muscle form’s large towering body is drawn exaggerated to resemble John Bryne’s superman due to his absurd size and face shape.

Byrnes' superman has heavy shading like All Might’s design encompasses heavy shading. He's drawn with a much thicker outline shading.

Another artist who influenced All Might’s true form is Mike Mignola who is known for his superhero comic Hell Boy, All Might’s true form is inspired by Mike Mignola’s art style Mike Mignola was one of Horikoshi’s favorite artists and inspiration in All Might’s true form with his slouched angular shoulders and his face is angular with very few lines and fingers are square. This art style makes him appear more expressive than his muscle form and the very cartoony Mignola’s style is grimmer and suits All Might’s mindset in that state. These artists tell something about All Mights personality’s John Byrne’s art style showed All Might brimming with life and Mike’s shows All Might lifelessness. It gives All Mights design different impressions because of the art styles used in his design.

All Might is taken from an animal which is a goat his surname is yagi which is harmonious in Japanese for yagi which is translated into mountain sheep or goat. Goat is abbreviated as the greatest of all time All Might is considered the greatest hero of all time. and another abbreviation god of all things. Goats are associated with many gods this goes for all might: a hero and his god-like abilities to defeat enemies with a single punch and change the weather how he saves others no matter what effortlessly. His design resembles a goat with his narrow face looks exactly like a goat’s. All Might’s long strands of hair on top of his head are called horns; two strands of long hair look like goat’s horns. The horns are symbolic, being a symbol of strength and power the strength is usually seen in the horns, the horn of plenty symbolizes his abidance, and plenty for storing strength is seen in his powers and strength of his quirk OFA whose functions is a stockholding power in his attacks. The goat’s symbolism goes with his personality and role in the story. Goats represent peace, security, and determination, action initiative, order, force, protection, fearlessness. Peace and security notes all might as the symbol of peace and presence that’s used to comfort others. Power and force symbolize his power from OFA and determination, action, fearlessness, stubborn side notes, his drive to save others, and defeating a villain regardless of how powerful the villain is. Goats are commonly used for sacrifices in rituals of different cultures the term scapegoat is used to bear the sins of the entire community suffering for and bearing the sins of the world, notes All Might’s overly self-sacrificing nature his burden from his role as the symbol of peace beacon of light to the world his need to bear the burden makes him feel guilty when someone was hurt without him knowing. Horns are used to drive devils away, showcasing All Might’s presence that is enough to install fear in villains. The mountain goat that climbs the highest peaks symbolizes overcoming obstacles demonstrating the slogan plus ultra on how All Might would push his limits when facing a powerful villain and saving people overcoming his obstacles via plus ultra.

The last thing that goes into his design is on how All Might is designed to look like a quintessential American his design is based on a phenotype stereotype of a western foreigner with him having blonde hair and blue eyes which usually is the stereotype of a foreigner in the media and his loud, cheerful, booming personality fit his American image and his bright and vibrant style resembles All Might’s all American enthusiasm this notes on how All might be designed bearing American influences in mind he’s based on American superhero since his design is influenced by American comics. All Might is a huge fan of American pop culture having his super moves named after states would be largely due to his stay in America.

Shown in his backstory, When All might depart for us after the death of his mentor and his graduation from UA. his departure to stay out of AFO’s reach to gain enough experience to confront AFO. America is the birth of superheroes and where they first originated from. All Might references several heroes in his design. Horikoshi loves referencing superheroes in his works so they come up now and then he is heavily designed with American comics in mind. All Might’s all-American attitude and appearance came from superman and the golden age and comic book heroes his body resembles golden age superheroes like superman in the ways he’s drawn as well as his face and smile are modeled him. The color scheme of his hero costume comes from both Captain America and superman being red, white, and blue

his muscle form being massively buff when powered up resembles the hulk and having the signature cry Hulk has when he punches with saying “Smash” imitating Hulk’s cry in his attacks.

All Might resembles Superman in power and appearance, since he’s considered an ultimate existence in his universe. His powers are inspired by Captain America and Superman, with them having super strength and speed the powers of traditional American superheroes.

Horikoshi didn't just use simple design elements when designing All Might; he also took many references in putting All Might together. He didn’t take elements but also artistic styles from different artists to communicate All Might’s state and personality in his design which you get the sense of what they are by people by intuition. Horikoshi taught us that in his design of All Might you don’t only half use shapes and aspects to communicate what their personality is but how the art style affects the mood of the character that you're designing. Use any art styles you like and incorporated into your character you can choose what art styles you like to absorb as much as you like if you like an art style, use it. Don’t be concerned with genre and medium. Have fun with it.

Izuku Midoriya:

Time to start with the main character, Izuku Midoriya. Izuku is a simple person not overly complex before his character development and his design says that he’s a good person because it gives you the impression that he’s a kind person you automatically understand as a character. Izuku follows the basic rules of character design with his personality explained through shapes and lines to convey his personality. Like All Might, his design harbors two simple shapes: a circle and a square that tell something about his personality.

The circle’s symbolism is optimistic, charismatic, endearing, innocent, harmless, purity, or youth. Circles note the potential of the characters and are used to make characters harmless and innocent in design smooth rounded characters are calm, simple, pure, and safe. The thing to note: these shapes are used for children since it invokes youthfulness and innocence. Circles evoke positivity and are non-threatening; they give off a feeling of friendliness that appears soft and harmless that invokes likable characters. Characters with circles in their design are considered relatable. Circles are expressive and emotional; they make the character seem expressive and abundant in expressions.

Izuku’s character design of circles makes him timid and nervous and friendly as well as appear soft and harmless at a glance. His round eyes for circles display Izuku's variety of exaggerated expressions in bizarre situations and show his relatability since his reactions to those situations make him a relatable person. The potential part notes Izuku’s potential in being a hero. His altruism notes his kind nature in how he wants to help others in need, his self-sacrificing qualities in that he always rushes in to save others to the detriment of himself reflects his desire in how wants to be the hero that saves everyone.

Izuku is positive and optimistic. He's someone who’s always looking ahead and tries not to dwell on things too much. Izuku has this hidden charisma in him which attracts people who were once hostile like Iida and Todoroki. His design makes Izuku a likable character. Izuku might be the most endearing character in the cast of BNHA. Izuku is a juvenile character, someone who is in their teens the shape of the circle has shown that he’s still on the cusp of childhood and adulthood. The purity and innocent aspect note his naivete and inexperience he has since he recently got his quirk and her personality. Izuku’s circle in his design’s being a kind selfless person as well as naive and simple notes all his character traits he has.

His second shape in his design is a square. Squares in the design are strong, dependable, confident, steadfast, their masculine in shape squares are comforting and clumsy and used to convey heroism.

The masculine part of the square symbolism references Izuku’s muscles underneath his clothes and his gender.

His steadfastness refers to his determination and resolute will he has in never giving up when he wants to save others. Another note of his steadfastness in how Izuku wants to be a hero above anything else this shape conveys the desire of his dream to be the world’s greatest hero. Izuku is naive and clumsy; it notes Izuku’s naiveté and overall inexperience in his character and use of his quirk his clumsiness notes his inexperience when it comes to his powers that he recently inquired about and his naiveté in his personality when dealing with situations. he’s emotional but Izuku is someone who always thinks first before he acts. The square notes his intelligence and thinking the circle notes his emotional side. The confidence aspect notes Izuku's growing confidence in himself compared to when he’s first introduced and his dependability references him being one of the most reliable figures in class 1-A.

Remember what I said on how drawn lines of a character can go some way to describe your OC’s personality well for Izuku his drawn lines describe his personality in his design. Izuku lines are both curved and straight. Soft lines and curves suggest something that is rounded since it’s seen in round things like circles naturally soft as well as unimposing, unthreatening, approachable, and harmlessness. Curved lines are seen best in his curly hair since the curly lines are used in his hair. Izuku’s soft lines in his design make him more approachable and harmless. His freckles on his cheeks make Izuku give him a positive feeling in his personality. His design gives us the impression that he’s optimistic and kind and trustworthy since his design conveys this. Straight lines are balanced and grounded, pointing to an aspect of Izuku’s personality that being his intelligence and strong will when He tries to be stable in a crisis with him despite panicking. Despite this, he keeps his head and thinks and uses his intelligence in strategies defeating his opponents.

Onto what goes into his design here’s something I noticed when I was researching his design all the characters of BNHA designs are centered around their quirks. Quirk is called Kosei in Japanese. The term Kosei is translated as individuality in Japanese in a world where quirks are personalities as they are powers, the quirks represent metaphorically the individuality of the characters. Unlike the character who stands out because of their quirks, Izuku doesn’t: he’s very plain. Izuku is called plain by many characters in the story even Horikoshi acknowledges that he’s a little plain for a protagonist since being plain meant you don’t stand out as a person or have special qualities you go into the background. But Izuku’s plainness plays a part in his character design in which Izuku's plainness notes his lack of quirk since he is someone who lacks any individuality. Izukus plainness reflects his initial quirklessness in his design since he doesn’t have individuality or stand out; he's someone who was designed to not have individuality. He doesn’t stand out like everyone who has a quirk; it’s Izuku that stands out as someone who has no quirk; his plainness inspires his quirklessness in the way it suits him in the course of the hero academia. Horikoshi is pleased with this design aspect of Izuku; his plainness tells of his lack of quirk in his design.

Another interesting aspect of his design is that it explains the characters designs are based around their personalities, as seen in his school uniform with his tie: his tie is not tied very well, only appearing as a round bundle around his neck. This ties into his nervous jittery demeanor and how he recently got his quirk and lack of control of his quirk compared to his classmates. He hasn’t gotten the hang of it by tying a necktie.

Izuku’s main trademark is iconic big red shoes. Red in the media is commonly associated with heroes and makes him stand out as the main character as well as being an inspiring hero.

Izuku’s design goes through many changes to correlates to his character development shown in the number of battle scars he receives from the sports festival and the camp training arc.

One thing I learned in Izuku’s design is that clothes can show a character’s personality as well as the state in the story. The clothes are decided by the character, not the designer so think about which outfit that your OC would be comfortable in. Katsuki Bakugo:

Time to talk about Izuku’s childhood friend with a short fuse and rival Katsuki Bakugo. Katsuki’s main shape is a triangle. Bakugo has many triangles in his design whether it’s his hair, eyes, and face all of them are composed of triangles even his slim yet muscular body is composed of a huge triangle.

Triangles are rigid, dangerous, stubborn, angry, quirk, nimble and agile, devious, conniving, dynamic, competent, aggressive. Triangles give off this feeling of action, they show strength and are very intense, grabbing attention and being in your face they communicate aggression and are sharp and angular. Triangles are edgy and evil since villains that are drawn by using the triangle pointing downward triangles and sharp angles show danger and warn others to watch out. the symbolism of the triangle matches Bakugo’s personality perfectly.

The impression Bakugo gives off is someone dangerous, violent, and aggressive. His design makes you think he’s looking for trouble since he emits this sort of vibe to him. Bakugo has an intense personality; he is loud, rude, and overbearing he’s violent and comes off as scary at first glance or tries to be but doesn’t work this part show how much he demands people's attentions due to his large ego and tremendous pride and conceited nature and over competitive since he wants to be seen as the best.

Bakugo’s sharp lines and angles, his hair eyes mouth and jaws down to his quirk are visual traits often used for villains. He’s spent a lot of time being a bully as a little kid; his personality doesn’t fit into the mold of a traditional superhero would gear towards being a villain than a hero. Bakugo was pointed out by many characters he would be a better villain, so the triangle would also note that he has the composite to be a villain, but he isn’t.

Being conniving has been toned down with Bakugo, but it is a fact Bakugo is smart and intelligent. He puts it in strategies from fighting or written exams and he’s perspective able to see through situations and people he may not look it, but he’s very capable in many areas whether it in general or hero studies.

Bakugo has a flashy quirk explosion and wants to be seen as the strongest since the triangle depicts his strength. Bakugo is obsessed with his strength and doesn’t stand being thought of as weak and stubborn when it comes to winning.

As for lines, Bakugo has plenty of sharp lines and diagonal lines in his design. His face has sharp right angles lines showing his anger and frustration. Bakugo is always seen as angry in his character design. Diagonal lines show off-balance and in motion references; Bakugo who constantly moves around never citing still and in his overall fighting style utilizing jumping and flying in his quirk movements.

His main design is based around his quirk explosion since his wild blonde hair coming out in the shape of an explosion

Bakugo aspects from his design are based on a Japanese delinquent (he’s even referred to as a delinquent by Horikoshi in his character bio). His uniform shows how his pants are all sagged like a street thug and a detail of characters that Japanese delinquents are that they have dyed hair which Bakugo’s bleached blonde hair fits; he also doesn’t wear socks. Bakugo’s unique expressions pose comes from the way Japanese delinquent pose: his distinctive pose with his head tilted back to the side upper body learning back with hips thrust out shoulders hunched forward with his hands in pockets is like how a Japanese street thug pose might do. Bakugos tendencies to bare his teeth a lot as a sign of aggression the same expression a Japanese diligent bears to show aggression.

His school uniform is reminiscent of a Japanese delinquent with messy hair and coming to class without a tie with his shirt collar unbuttoned and pants sagged. When he dresses in his school uniform, he doesn’t wear a tie because he hates wearing ties. He doesn’t like conformity and plays by his own rules but at the same time doesn’t step out of line. Even though he abides by the rules it’s only so he wouldn’t get in trouble to get a stain on his perfect record.

Bakugo was inspired by Tetsuo from Akira, much like how All Might was inspired by Goku from Dragon Ball with the hair and body. Horikoshi loves Akira, it's one of his favorite manga that he loves to cite BNHA has roots in different media like superhero comics and star wars but its roots come from Akira. Bakugo’s character is similar to Tetsuo in many ways with being a teenager who holds a tremendous amount of power and immaturity. With Tetsuo who has really strong power but he’s like a kid who uses his power as a kid. Tetsuo is mentally like a child who’s strong with a way of fighting like jumping flying around which Bakugo’s powers, fighting style, and characters came from. Bakugo’s and Izuku rivalry harbors the same roots as Kaneda and Tetsuo rivalry. Where the former used to be a childhood friend until the latter became corrupted by their newfound powers and friendship soured after the use of his powers. This mirrors Katsuki’s relationship with Izuku whose attitude shifted after he manifested a powerful quirk. Another thing they have in common is how Tetsuo despises being thought of as weak and protected by Kaneda. This is like how Bakugo hated to be thought of as weak when he believes looks down on him; they both harbored an inferiority complex to their friend. Another thing to note Tetsuo and Bakugo are both “delinquents”.

What I learned when I researched Bakugo’s design is that it’s alright to take inspiration from characters in different media; you don’t always have inspiration from real people you can just take your different sources. Ochaco Uraraka:

Time to discuss the next character design Ochaco Uraraka, one of Izuku’s best friends.

Ochaco’s design has prominent round shapes and motifs drawn from the circle aspect. Her bob cut hairstyle, face, eyes, and cheeks are designed based on roundness; even her finger pads all have a roundness to them. Even her hair has a circle shape to it.

This shape suits her well since she has a majority of her personality characterized by it. It affects how people perceive this with that shape alone at first glance of her character design, it tells us by intuition from just looking what Ochaco is as a person that she’s a likable character due to her design.

Circles have a lot of symbolism. I know I already discussed this without explaining Izuku’s character design but this is going to elaborate on the symbolism of what it has to do with Ochaco. Circles symbolism, as stated, is cuteness, innocence, warm, cheerful, non-threatening, comforting, love, charismatic, soft, harmless and endearing as well as friendly, circles are expressive in expressions, circles are considered feminine because of the soft shape. Circles are associated with rounded shapes and round things are mostly used to design anything that is cute or for things that are cute in design.

Horikoshi is a great designer: he knew how to design Ochaco by using this shape; not only he designed her to be cute he kept her personality in mind.

Despite having a similar shape, they have different impressions. When paired up with Izuku Ochaco, bright, cheery, and outgoing in contrast to Izuku, he is shy and timid. Ochaco is first introduced as kind, cheerful, friendly shown when she prevents izuku from falling in the entrance exam her presence exhibits a warm refreshing vibe different from what Izuku was treated with other people, and Katsuki and how perceptive she can be when she noticed the emotions of people around her. Her main personality is bubbly and endearing, that's enough to make her a likable character to be around.

The love that notes in the symbolism notes her blossoming affections to Izuku which she tries to hide.

Ochaco is considered cute by various characters and the artist himself. Her main features, her blush stickers on her cheeks highlight both her cuteness and innocence portrayed in her character.

Ochaco is just as expressive as Izuku; she displays a variety of wacky expressions and reactions in bizarre situations. Ochaco is the third in the trio to have abundant expressions.

Another thing they have in common in the circle symbolism is altruism. Izuku wants to be a hero that can save others since it’s his dream. Ochaco takes a more realistic approach. She wants to be a hero to earn money to provide for her parents out of poverty. Izuku’s altruism goes to other people, her altruism goes to her parents.

Circles match her gender since Ochaco is a girl.

Ochaco has soft bendy lines and soft lines are innocent and harmless as well as feminine because of their softness the soft bendy lines show her innocence, cuteness and bubbly personality, and femininity in her design.

Horikoshi designed Ochaco to be not only a cute girl in the story but noted her personality and quirk concerning her design. Design-wise she was created to drive Izuku’s conversations and he was successful with her in choosing her shape in which her design conveys to this extent.

One last thing to mention is that her hair can resemble the moon because the circle shape silhouette looked like a moon, her being called moon face in smash extra reference this. Ochaco’s hair is designed resembling a moon due to the roundness in the relation of the space theme of her quirk zero gravity.

Tenya Iida:

Now time to go to Izuku's second-best friend, Tenya Iida, president of class 1-A and aspiring hero.

Iida’s dominant shape is a square. Iida has a square jawline in his design; even his eyes and glasses are square-shaped it reflects Iida’s personality traits. Iida’s personality is you know a typical square both design-wise and character-wise since squares are considered dull and boring since they follow a set of rules.

Squares show rigidity and have the effect of a stubborn character there other symbolism is that they can be reliable, uniform, dependable, bold, stable, large, and daunting. Squares are masculine in shape and are used to convey heroism in character designs. Iida is over-serious and a huge stickler to the rules and can be overbearing at times due to this. Iida cares about following the rules and expects others to follow them.

Iida is rigid and stubborn when it comes to the rules as well as following them. He doesn’t tolerate it when people don’t follow them like Mineta’s indecent tendencies and when Izuku attempts to break the rules by going to rescue Katsuki he gets visibly angry at him but this mostly out of concern towards him for doing something dangerous and reckless. Iida is uniform and traditional. He is the class president, even his dorm room is organized.

Iida follows the rules and puts high standards on himself at least he tries to be but in reality he loves to be praised and to be competent you see how he feels happy to be praised by Momo in the test and compete against Izuku in the sports festival. Despite his personality caring about the rules, it is not at all above breaking the rules out of selfish reasons such as him going after hero killer stain for revenge rather than rescue another pro-hero Native.

Iida’s frame is large and imposing due to its shape when first introduced, being referred to as scary by Izuku since he comes off as more severe. Iida is incredibly muscular in shape like a square which caused him to be taken as someone older than he usually is.

In his disguise to rescue Katsuki, he looked like the most adult in his disguise during the rescue arc; he is the only one in the group dressed as more grown-up due to his large frame this can note that he was originally designed to be an adult pro hero.

Iida is just as reliable when he’s taking care of his classmates and looking after their wellbeing As a class president, he wants to make sure everyone is safe when he is one of the people who were part of the Katsuki rescue team as their chaperon and claims he’s doing this to monitor them. Iida is steadfast to his friends and rushes to help them like when he rushes to Save Izuku and the rest of his friends in the war arc.

Iida doesn’t stand out in boldness but a few things that reference his exaggerated mannerisms such as how he moves his arms up and down. Another example of his boldness is when Iida posed as an emergency exit icon to inform everyone that everything is okay. The square reflects a majority of Iida’s positive traits.

Iida design is drawn with straight lines. Straight lines communicate his confidence and stability. Iida is confident in his abilities and how he keeps his class in line as the class president and leader.

Now time for the second thing that goes into his character design: Iida is designed based on a track runner since his quirk has a lot to do with his legs since he runs fast. Track runners relied on their legs; another example is his mannerisms with his arms bobbing up and down resembles the way the track runner runs.

When I was researching Iida’s design I struggled to figure out what his arched eyebrows are but it turns out his eyebrows are arrows half arrows to be exact Iidas eyebrows are shaped like a half arrow. The arched eyebrows go with his intimidating appearance when he was introduced.

Arrows symbolize the direction are used to illustrate the direction you are pointing at The arrows can refer to the function in which Iida’s quirk works pointing in the direction in which he runs. Iida runs straight and can’t make twists and any U-turns.

Direction can infer to how Iida directs the class as student president the arrow part references Iida poses as a warning sign much like how the arrow is represented to point the direction of the exit.

Iida is designed to look like a stereotypical honor student with glasses and side-parted hair. You see this kind of thing a lot in anime and manga with the hair swept to the side and glasses to make him seem studious and serious much like how Iida portrays himself to be or tries to be.

When you see glasses on someone you think of them as studious, smart, and serious It's also a unique way to tell Iida’s character: his glasses are metaphoric and symbolize his sight: how he only sees the future he looks ahead forward. Another detail is when he lost his glasses during his encounter with Stain it symbolizes how he lost sight of himself in his anger to get revenge on Stain.

The thing I learned when researching his design is that the square doesn’t always refer to all Iida’s personality traits. I discuss this before on how it reflects his base personality. We know that Iida is goofy and serious but secretly selfish at times. When you design your OC their personality doesn’t half follow upon the shape they have. You can make the shape a base personality and add other stuff underneath it. Shoto Todoroki:

Last but not least the cool dude with a fiery passion and the people in Izuku’s friend group: Shoto Todoroki.

Shoto is the exception of the characters I spoke about in their design. His design does not incorporate any visual shapes. Instead of shapes, Shoto’s design is told in lines. Shoto’s lines are soft and thin. Thin lines in designs are easy to break and are considered fragile but convey elegant quality.

Rei has many thin lines like Shoto and the lines convey his mother’s personality more Rei is gentle and fragile in personality. The thin lines make her delicate and the many lines give her gentleness and daintiness in both her appearance and personality. She’s a really beautiful woman, the most beautiful mother of BNHA.

The thin lines make Shoto out as someone cool and collected make him seem more subdued his lines don’t just give him a sense of coolness but show he’s expressive in the number of his lines the lines show that he’s a normal kid in that way and show that he’s a beautiful character.

Thin lines are used to draw something really simple and Shoto has a simple character design; it's not overly complicated. When Shoto is drawn with thin lines it comes off as very simple and less distinctive in character design. Besides the hair and scar, Shoto lacks any other distinctive features hairstyle when compared to other characters Shoto lacks any distinctive hairstyle that his classmates have without those features, his design is considered plain and indistinguishable.

Shoto has a rounder sort of face and rounder looking shapes, meaning the character is youthful. This notes that he’s a juvenile character empathizes with the fact despite having a cool collected exterior he’s still a kid, even though he wasn’t allowed to be.

Shoto has a traditional Japanese character design; it's been noted many times in the series that Shoto has traditional Japanese influences.

As I said before Shoto is a Japanese character with being a traditional Japanese home he grew up in and dorm room that has Japanese style interiors. If growing up in a traditional Japanese household was any indication his character design starting with both his eyes and hair has Asian influences in them.

Shoto has almond eyes, they are called long eyes because of the way they are drawn slanted downwards Shoto’s eyes are longer and wider like a Japanese eye. Almond eyes are considered attractive eyes of the Asian shape, in character design, it’s used to design beautiful characters they make a character seem more attractive and cool because of the shape. Shoto is called a beautiful character by many others and his personality is noted to be cool. It suits him well since he’s considered the prettiest boy in class 1-A.

The burn scar on his left side symbolizes the abuse he suffered from Endeavor's abusive training to groom him as a successor that his violence drove his wife insane causing her to burn Shoto. The burn scar symbolizes the abuse present as the scar on his face and connection to his past.

On the design aspect of his quirk, there are two colors in his hair white and red; they are drawn from his quirk half hot and half cold; his hair colors represent the sides where his ice and fire manifest.

The two colors in his hair symbolize duality, the duality motif that he has inherited his fire and ice powers from his parents and his character arc. Shoto’s struggles are how he can’t see himself as a full person, just an extension of his father. That even though he uses his flames he still hasn’t fully accepted the part of him that he doesn’t want to see. He struggles to come to terms with himself and his past. His arc is that of accepting himself and his past as it is. His character arcs main theme is this, the strongly rejecting someone you may end up embodying what you hated yourself only through acceptance of the situation or circumstance can you change whether it is who you are, your situation, or even your relationship. His design represents his entire character arc both metaphoric and literal.

One interesting aspect I learned when I looked at Shoto’s design is that you can use it to explain your OC’s backstory and character arc. Shoto’s design perfectly encapsulates this in his design.

Epilogue:

One thing keep in mind the characters are designed based on corresponding to their quirks you can see this in the example of Hanta Sero, Sero’s face is described by Bakugo as a “Soy sauce face” which is one of six stereotypical ways to draw an Asian to be specific “flat-faced”. “Soy sauce face” is a typical Japanese face. The basic way to draw a Japanese person references another part of mundanity from Sero. Since his design is drawn pretty basic it’s fitting since he’s one of the characters in the background.

Hair plays a major part in the characters design and personality it also references their quirks the hair acts as a silhouette in the design to reference a character’s quirk.

Like Sero’s hair looked like slabs of tape, Ochaco’s hair is a silhouette of a moon, Bakugo’s hair is shaped as an explosion, Todoroki’s two colors from his hair references which side his quirk coming from, La Brava’s twin tails are styled in a silhouette of a heart, Hachitsuka’s hair two arenas resembling being literal arenas of a bee, her huge side bang covering her face resembles the head of a bear, Momo’s hairstyle has the silhouette of a crane with the ponytail resembling a tail end of a crane and her bangs the head of a crane. Mineta’s hair is shaped like grapes, an innuendo of his quirk, Kaminaris blonde spiky hair and natural lighting shaped streak matches his electric powers.

Lastly, for Jiro, her eyes and hair go with her entire quirk which her eyes are triangle-shaped, unlike Bakugo’s triangle eyes which are used to portray anger and aggression. Her eyes are made to portray her cool and laid-back exterior and punk rock attitude, her triangle but eyes come from knobs of a stereo referring to her quirk utilizes ear jacks relating to sound. her straight asymmetrical kappa hairstyle go with her punk rock aesthetic and Jiro’s streak on her resembles cardiac lines about her heartbeat sound attacks. Her entire design is a reference to her quirk and personality.

I hope this at least gives you the picture of how to design BNHA OC’s though you don’t half make their design based on a quirk but one that would explain their personality in their design.

Compare and Contrast:

Hero Costumes:

Time for discussing the hero costumes the characters wear What do you think when you hear about masks? The mask is typical in the superhero genre In superhero comics here use masks and costumes to hide their secret identity.

In BHNA society, the mask serves as a stylistic purpose it represents individuality the masks characters wear symbolize their individuality since it’s the literal definition of quirk. The mask is used on a costume to distinguish one’s self from the rest. The mask symbolizes the character’s individuality and ideals that they portray themselves to others and show themselves to the world. The hero design says something about the character’s personality.

other than designing the hero costumes you should add functionality to them, the functionality that comes with hero costumes are there to reduce the downsides of their quirk or make it easier for them in the fighting.

I am going to go over both design and functionality of hero consumes. To a hero, the costume thinks about what you want to represent in your OC, shows the mentality of the characters and development, and shows what you want to emphasize in their hero costume designs.

Compare both Izuku and Bakugo’s hero costumes. They contrast and complement each other there’s a duality in their hero costumes. They both have different beliefs in regards to the foundation to their values as heroes; for Bakugo’s being able to win no matter what and Izuku to save no matter what. They both idolized all might think act on this administration you can see this in their hero costumes complementing and contrasting each other other than colors in the hero costume compliment and contrast each other both belts match and both have masks.

The observation is the number of holes in the collar areas of the costume. Izuku's mask has eight holes in his hero costume. Bakugo has 2 dots and six holes. the eight holes in their designs number that symbolizes balance and harmony ironic for an unstable relationship but would foreshadow their eventual harmony as their interactions in neutral territory. 8 can note the number eight in “Yagi” All Might’s surname; this notes how they both idolized All Might. Izukus and Bakugo’s relationship is seen in their hero costume designs. The hero costumes compliments their rivalry.

Izuku Midoriya:

Izuku’s hero costume goes through an evolution that correlates to Izuku character development His costume's color scheme is green and green goes with Izuku’s overall color scheme. Although design-wise it doesn’t stand out since it comes off as plain, this can showcase that Izuku has a vague idea of who he wants to be as a hero.

Izuku’s hero costume is based on his admiration towards All Might so the costume is modeled after all might the ears look like the horns on All Might’s head even complete with the teeth resembling the smile he even imitating his fighting style including yelling smash in his attacks.

Most of the things that make up Izuku’s hero costume are everyday items you can find anywhere from a convenience store to a military shop.

Spiderman was a major influence in Izuku's character design and hero costume as seen in his drafts that the mask resembles Spiderman. The Izuku hero costume takes heavy inspiration from Spiderman such as the ripped-off mask resembling Sam Raimi Spiderman’s film with his torn mask when he was facing Green Goblin. Izuku’s torn mask imitates this when he faced Bakugo from the battle trial shows us how Horikoshi pays homage to a superhero film.

His costume tells us his character development,how Izuku started as a timid, finicky boy with a huge admiration for All Might concerned about Bakugo’s bullying; he steadily gains his confidence within himself and the control of his quirk. During the battle trial with Bakugo he manages to overcome a large hurdle and become different from the bullied kid Bakugo picked on and his resolve to make his quirk his own and announcing his rivalry to Bakugo. The costume alpha was developed after Bakugo destroys costume beta, his costume became darker and rugged only with Izuku's metal mask that was replaced and the Izuku's gloves changed the only thing that didn’t change was the jumpsuit according to him represents his mothers love and belief in him. The new costume symbolizes Izuku's new development from a great deal of experience from the sports festival he received and the mastery of his quirk as when he began to use the full cowl.

Izuku receives a new upgrade after All Might's retirement and damage to his arms from his battle with Muscular. the damage caused to his arms was due to his recklessness this caused his mother to be adamant in not sending her son back to U.A but Izuku deflect this by showing her a letter that was given tells his mother it can be any hero school besides U.A but he won’t stop being a hero. The reason why he chose U.A was that All Might went there to be a hero, saying he will choose another hero school shows that this is shown that he is walking out of All Might’s shadow. The armbands are another facet of his development; special leg armor is added to minimize the damage caused by his recklessness.

Izuku is learning to preserve himself more and stop harming himself when he uses his quirk. He switched his fighting style from punches to kicks more close to his legs than his arms Izuku utilizes kicks not punches shows Izuku is ever so slowly walking out of All Might’s shadow seen in his instance in his fighting style.

The gloves that were added not only noted him after his experiences from the Yakuza raid arc discovering another machinist of his quirk that he learns all might doesn’t use 100 in his moves His new technique is air force moves are long-distance attacks similar to how Bakugo uses AP shot another way it correlates his rivalry with Bakugou is on how they develop. He faced gentle as his first personal villain as well as seeing himself in gentle as a major milestone in how he views villains.

He came from someone everyone mocked during the entrance exams to be a force to be reckoned with during the battle training arc in which class b takes seriously as a threat. He came very far from someone who flinches when people talk to him to be self-assured and confident in himself and take a decisive role as a leader seriously. His costume shows how far he got in using OFA and his slow but surely character development.

Katsuki Bakugo:

I love how the design aspects of Bakugo’s hero costume says something about his personality it gives a sense of what kind of person he is by looking. one overall look gives the sense of what he’s like as a person that he is rude, violent, and dangerous much to tell people to “watch out” and “look at me” and “I'm scary” the costume grabs a lot of attention and stands out visually and mentally. Bakugo’s dangerous because his costume gives the sense that he is. That's the original idea that Bakugo had to go for. This hero costume was successful in conveying his personality.

Bakugo’s costume is modeled after his quirk Explosion, given Bakugo’s quirk, his costume is based around it. his hero costume has dynamite all over due to being explosive themed, The horns attached to his mask coming out of his head resemble an explosion with the spiky headpiece looking like an explosion. His two grenade gauntlets are shaped as grenades that represents his explosion. Quirk Bakugo’s hero costume is themed after his quirk.

His hands have a weapon motif and the military for the bottom half of his pants and boots gives him an aggressive look that goes with his personality, his love for battles, and winning in which the military part represents. Given his battle-ready tendencies, Bakugo’s hero costume prioritizes his combative mobility; his costume was designed to withstand harsh battles. this would not only reference his quirk but also notes his love for fighting.

Bakugo’s costume design doesn’t just show the aspects physically but mentally as well with the gauntlets have a symbolism that correlates to Bakugos character The gauntlet's function is to store his sweat to amplify the power and effects of his quirk to the fullest; it represents his power he wields to the most extreme degree and goes into Bakugo’s head. Bakugo wants to win by himself and not rely on anyone to help the grenades; it represents his strength that's stored in the gauntlets.

His costume showcases his want to be scary and strong and it told us something about the personalities in his hero costume it was something that he wanted to be terrifying or he tries so hard to look strong and intimidating he wants to look scary but isn’t Bakugo is obsessed in being and looking the strongest this aspect in his costume screams the loudest he wants to be taken seriously and hates being looked down on his costume would be he wants the attention he wants people to know that he’s the strongest and fear him. but given his loud, overbearing and brash, and overblown personality takes him too seriously.

His hero costume is the embodiment of those said things he wants to be and it was successful not only conveying his personality but also his ideals. Ochaco Uraraka:

Ochaco is my second favorite hero costume design mostly because the visual comments convey her personality very well. A thing to mention before I get started is looking at both they have incredible design references. unlike Bakugo’s, Ochaco’s hero costume has notable visual components seen in her personality; both Ochaco’s and Bakugo’s hero costume are designed by the same company so it wasn’t a coincidence that they would be paired up to show design differences.

There is a contrast of the hero costumes Ochaco and Bakugos unlike Bakugou hero costume Ochaco’s hero costume has no sharp corners her costume was designed with a round motif so its not aggressive but soft impression with Bakugo looks dangerous and Ochaco looks harmless and approachable this shows well in her personality. Like Bakugo hero costume, Ochaco’s hero costume is based around her quirk zero gravity her helmet resembling an astronaut relating to the space theme in zero gravity. Her hero costume is based on an astronaut with her quirk in mind.

Despite the armbands and belt that are made with hard material, they’re rounded which gives Ochaco the soft impression embodying the round motif in her character design.These aspects make her appear harmless and soft but look cute and approachable. It suits someone as cute and bubbly as Ochaco who's a nice girl in personality. These parts tell her personality both mentally through her design.

Ochaco isn’t there to just look cute. Ochaco’s original idea of her hero costume was to reduce the dizziness and nausea from the use of her quirk; her entire hero costume was there to reduce her quirk’s drawbacks.This shows that Ochaco is practical. Ochaco is realistic; she won’t ask for nice things and gets embarrassed when she has it. Her heels in her hero costume are supposed to absorb the force that comes into contact when hitting a hard surface. Her heels have sharp points in contrast to the rest of the hero costume which is designed based on roundness; pointy objects in designs are seen as on point or blunt; this showcases her blunt, practical, and saying whatever comes to her mind.

This part in her hero design doesn’t just highlight cuteness but shows she is determined and serious underneath her bubbly exterior.

When her hero costume receives an upgrade to include grappling hooks if you look at the grappling hooks it resembles Izuku’s new facet of his quirk black whip. It's only an obvious implication of Ochaco’s growing romantic feelings towards Izuku she keeps hidden away that has been implemented in her hero costume.

Tenya Iida:

Time for Iida’s hero costume. The impression that I had the armors based on a knight. Knights follow the code of chivalry considered honorable and heroic. Iida follows the rules to an annoying degree and is training to be a hero.

In ancient times knights come from nobility, a not so subtle reference that Iida comes from a renowned rich hero family.

Knights are considered heroic in stories; this notes Iidas determination to be a hero. His costume is his version of an ideal hero citing Iida as idealistic to a degree and how he looks ahead in the future. This notes both how he’s proud of his lineage and determination in training to be a hero.

His armor could also be from a steam engine, the costume itself is based on his quirk engine for mufflers looking like steam pipes and relies on speed mentioning how it’s light to reduce drag from his quirk.

The helmet both resembles a knight and racers helmet you see on drivers when they race. The mufflers and mini-engines can be engines are what you see in cars and the helmet giving a close resemblance to race car driver helmets Iida can be considered a cross between a racer and a knight since his quirk is based around speed and increases the use of his abilities.

Shoto Todoroki:

Last but not least let's go over the hero costume of our resident cool and hot student Shoto Todoroki. Shoto’s hero costume like Izuku doesn’t stand out callbacks to how they don’t stand out since their costumes are considered plain, simple, practical, and boring they both have a vague idea of what it means to be a hero and are still learning if not they are still growing into themselves fully. One thing his hero costume has in common with Izuku is how it goes through a costume evolution that correlates to Shoto’s character development and as well as it goes with his mentality.

His idea for a hero costume was simple: it consisted of a white shirt and pants. It's very plain given a white shirt color scheme centered around the ice and the ice on his left side of his body. His debut costume is very simple but closely ties into Todoroki’s character.

Looking at his first hero costume rather than it being simple there is one thing that stood out that is the ice that covered the left side of his body his fireside is covered by ice blocked exterior he is focused solely on his ice side. The ice completely masked the fire aspect of his quirk like the use of ice to smother the flames within with a glowing red eye staring forward into the unknown unapproachable at first it’s frightful in appearance, not that inspires security but fear.

His costume is a metaphor for how he has a single-minded goal to reject Endeavor and doesn’t care about anything else other than that goal. In the beginning, his costumes reflect his personality at the time closed off rejecting his peers have their mindset on one goal his focus on rejecting endeavor his ice hid his burn scar on the side of him resembling his father the side mother rejected. Shoto’s use of his ice side over his fire symbolizes Shoto’s hatred towards his father and love towards his mother. His ice is trying to smother Endeavor’s quirk out of him and hides the stuff he hated about himself. This is in complete rejection of his father because of the abuse he suffered.

Before he uses to view the flame side that resembles his father and the ice from his mother his refusal to use his fireside stemmed from the abuse he suffered under endeavor. His emotions that were locked away due to the abuse he suffered from was until after the sports festival the ice he used as a mask to hide his emotions melted after his fight with Izuku, started using his fireside he opened up to his classmate.

His hero costume now accommodates both the fire and ice side of his quirk; this was a personal evolution. There were notable changes in his hero costume such as coming with a built-in temperature and different color scheme. His costume now fits his heating abilities, has heat resistant fibers and functions to regulate his body temperatures and the color scheme changed from an ice color scheme to a darker one his hero costume matched flames but still retains ice capabilities. Even though his hero costume changed to match his heating abilities the white boots tell us that he still retains part of his character.

Other things about the new hero costume said something about Shoto’s personality as I stated before his costume doesn’t stand out it's just a plain jumpsuit it isn’t flashy or attention-seeking but modest it reflects how Shoto wants to do good and has no grand ambitions and only wishes to be a hero that would put people at ease. The costume having heat resistant capabilities told us that the costume is very simple and very simple functionality.

Shoto is simple and he would prefer function over flashiness. The hero costume says these aspects of Shoto’s character and I find it a great way to show Shoto’s transformation as a character and inner metamorphose.

Colors:

In character design, people choose a color scheme to communicate the character’s overall personality. People use color to show characters in simple but effective ways by explaining how these characters’ colors communicate their personalities in their design. the meaning of their colors are used in their character’s design is incredibly important the colors help communicate a character’s personality. There's a good example of anime using colors to communicate the characters personalities.

Image colors or just regular characters colors convey the characters overall personality this rings true for characters like All Might and his colors being comic book reds, yellows, and blues that showcase him as a superhero since he’s the number one top hero in BNHA.

This can’t be any more true in anime characters are differentiated by the different colors they display in the anime Naruto series Naruto Uzumaki’s main colors are orange, yellow, and blue. Naruto’s colors communicate positive aspects of his personality. His blonde hair and blue eyes are uncommon in real life they also communicate and how he stands from the rest of the cast of characters from Naruto encapsulates his status as the main character of the series and notes his backstory on how he was shunned by the villager he treated like an outcast because of the nine-tailed fox within him.

Sakura’s color scheme came from cherry blossoms and cherry blossoms are usually pink and red. notes not only her being a girl but her name Sakura. The color pink and flower references a love interest or being in love which could indicate a love interest or only her feelings towards Sasuke.

Sasuke wears only darker colors to show his dark, brooding personality blue is one of the colors he wears blue is a deep emotional color that shows his cool, collected exterior. His colors are a direct contrast to Naruto showing their rivalry.

This might get a picture to help in choosing colors for your OCs in their design choose your colors carefully.

Izuku Midoriya:

The color green showcases Izuku. Taking a deep look tells Izuku’s personality in this color and his role in the series.

Most protagonists in media have reds, yellows, and oranges that attract the viewer’s attention the characters having vibrant communication personalities as people that are bright and energetic and have special abilities. Characters with the color green in their color scheme are associated with the common man with no particular talents or out of ordinary abilities but are hard workers with a strong sense of what is right. Green doesn’t stand out, it blends in the background and a refreshing one to follow.

If you think about it Izuku doesn’t stand out from the other protagonists by having any special ability especially when you compare everyone having flashy, brightly colored heroes. The color green correlates to Izuku’s plain character design since it's a color that doesn’t stand out; this part references his quirklessness.

He is not the chosen one type of lead and sticks out for being a normal, unremarkable character the color green is part of his character design suited Izuku’s overall presence he emits it matches his plainness that is in his design he stands out for his actions not his looks it shows one of Izuku’s character traits in which he is ordinary and hardworking you see in his personality. Izuku’s color being green is a fresh perspective on the shonen genre in which he stands out for being ordinary, not extraordinary.

For the color symbolism of green, it's the color of inexperience like the phrase greenhorn you hear is someone who joined recently. Green is a positive color it is easy and restful on the eyes relaxing color to people its other symbolism includes generosity, hopeful color, shyness, quietness, shy, compassion, safety, healing power, healing power, growth, harmony, freshness, optimism, stability, and endurance. In Japan green is the color for youth and vitality, a symbol of growth.

Izuku is quiet and shy. He gets nervous when he interacts with others or deals with bizarre situations. Overall Izuku is a positive person and has incredible determination to never giving up. Izuku is kind and caring. His kind nature can show his personality in helping others in need. Izuku wants to be the greatest hero to save everyone he always rushes to save others despite his incapability, seen in how he attempts to help with Todoroki and his family issues, Kota and his pain Eri with hers after she was saved and traumatized by Overhaul. Izuku is peaceful and avoids conflict with others and he is aiming to be a beacon of hope to people. Though Izuku is considered the symbol of hope instead of peace since Izuku brings hope in situations.

Green the color of youth notes Izuku is an adolescent when he first starts and the inexperience aspect notes that Izuku is the most recent holder of OFA but cannot control his powers and is clumsy when he first uses his quirk he is learning how to control his quirk. Izuku is very inexperienced, he constantly repeats that he is inexperienced in multiple aspects. When it comes to knowing how to be a hero he has a vague idea of it and doesn’t know the gray area when it comes to hero and villain. This is Izuku’s character development in being a hero and a person Izuku is still fairly naive not completely knowing the situation completely and inadvertently making things worse for himself.

The color Green emphasizes one of the themes of BNHA and that is being of growth and change. This especially with Izuku since he slowly grows and develops as a person and questions the idea of what it means to be a hero.

Green being the primary color of his design is also a complimentary color derived from blue and yellow. Blue and yellow came from the All Might color scheme Izuku's color derives from All Might's color scheme. He idolized All Might when he was young, no surprise since his color came from him and seen in his color in his character design. This also notes that he’s All Might’s successor and the one who inherited OFA from and mentor and portage relationship

Katsuki Bakugo:

You might think Bakugo’s color is red but actually, his main image color is orange. You see, his hero costume implements in this color and orange the color suits his personality well.

Like green, orange is a complementary color and is mixed with the colors red and yellow. They are colors that came from All Might and this communicates Bakugo’s idolization of All Might. Izuku and Bakugo both idolized all might in different ways, Where Izuku is about saving and Bakugo about winning they are both rivals since they have complementary colors in their design and their color plays up here intensity in their dynamic.

Orange symbolizes is heat, success, determination, expressive, creativity, passion the color oranges enhances confidence, it's full of energy, flamboyant demanding of attention has high visibility used to gain attention. Orange is a flashy color being bright and vibrant orange is bold, vivid, and obnoxious, symbolic of strength and endurance, is a hot color sensation of heat. Orange is the color of his explosions,

Bakugo demanded attention from others, wants to be seen as the strongest, hates to be ignored. Bakugo is determined to become a hero will always strive for the best and does whatever it takes to achieve it with being determined and strong at the same time to reach his goals. He has a flashy quirk and an explosive personality. He's prideful, has a lot of confidence in himself, he's angry and hot-headed well as is self-centered, arrogant, and lacks care towards others. Bakugo is a heated person for a hot and loud quirk, he’s expressive in the way he expresses his anger. Bakugo is skilled when using his quirk he’s smart and intelligent he can use his quirk effectively in combat.

Bakugo’s secondary color is red. His eyes are red, a color which notes many of his personality traits. Red symbolizes energy, speed, war, the color of leadership, courage, willpower, rage, anger, danger, action, determination, energy, passion, strength, power, aggression, danger, passion.

Bakugo is intense, aggressive, and passionate, has strong emotions linked to wanting to be the best, and always wins. He's driven by his instincts combined with his intelligence and is always seen moving around never sitting still. He is aggressive to both people and fighting looks to pick fights to prove his strength. When he’s in the room you know he’s dangerous. Bakugo has great leadership qualities when he leads his classmates in the jointed tail and sports festival. Bakugo is never afraid of a challenge fearlessly seen when he rushes headfirst in danger without fear. His eyes show his intense and rage driven character Bakugo always looks in a rage he’s petty and loses his temper. like orange, red is a color that demands attention and wants people to focus on him and demands of others and cannot control his emotions too well. red is flashy such as Bakugo’s quirk explosion. he embodies psychical energy like red has to be all action never words; he’s not too elegant but very vulgar.

Red is a popular color for heroes, again, and Bakugo wants to be the number one hero above all else.

Ochaco Uraraka:

Ochaco’s main image color is pink which is associated with girly things and her character In a character draft Ochaco was drawn holding floating sakura cherry blossoms. Sakura flowers indicate a flower of love, which denotes her character.

The symbolism for pink is sweet, nice, playful, cute, charming, friendship, affection, and a feminine color associated with girls. love interests color of innocent love and romance, love as in the innocent kind, not the passionate kind you see with red.

Ochaco is called cute by characters and the artist. All this is true since she is nice, playful, talkative, and sweet and wants to help others as well. The color notes her friendship with Izuku and Iida and the rest of her classmates in which Ochaco is very caring towards him, especially with Izuku. She loves her family, wanting to be a hero based on the pure desire to help them. Ochaco has growing romantic feelings towards Izuku unlike Himiko, her love is purer and not distorted based on the pure inspiration that Izuku gives her. Her second color is brown and it’s used in her character design. Brown is considered a common color in Japan, the most normal and mediocre. It’s a color that doesn’t stand out. Ochaco may be considered mediocre and has the most normal color of hair when compared to the rest of her classmates. As well, she would be called mediocre on the surface compared to her classmate’s abilities and intelligence.

Brown is considered down to earth and serious. Despite her plucky attitude, she harbors a strong determination when she is pursuing being a hero to help her family and is hardworking and set out to become a hero she grounded in tough situations and practical. Ochaco is forethought and serious, she's blunt and always speaks her mind. Instead of acting on her feelings, she chooses to suppress them like Ochaco decides to push down her feelings for Izuku to become a hero in fear it would become a distraction.

Ochaco has two different colors. Pink represents her cuteness and cheeriness and kind nature and romantic innocent love; brown would reflect her serious, hardworking, practical personality traits. Tenya Iida:

Iida’s color is blue dark blue. Both Shoto and Iida actually have the color blue, but are different. Let me begin with Iida and how it goes with his personality.

The symbolism of the color blue is authority, high values, honesty, idealism, dedication, stiffness, conservation, order, sincerity, integrity, seriousness. blue is a conservative and highly masculine color.

Much like the color blue symbolism, it matches his earnest, honest and serious personality Iida is straightforward if not being completely honest and overly serious. Iida is honorable and sincere, willing to admit his mistakes. He is idealistic when it comes to being a hero and has very high standards for himself when it comes to rules or wanting to be a hero. He works hard to meet the expectation put on him for his heroic lineage.

Iida himself upholds the rules and regulations, he dedicated to his studies and. He is a complete stickler to the rules. He expects his classmates to follow the rules and is obsessed with organization and discipline. Seen with his responsibility as president he takes personal responsibility for the safety of his classmates in a crisis.

Iida has a very masculine build out of all the classmates, even when disgusted he looks like a to rescue Katsuki he was easily identified as an adult when compared to the rest of them.

Shoto Todoroki:

Blue is Shoto’s image color. You see this best in his hero costume, but his color is specifically ice blue. His one eye is described to be turquoise but it’s blue just a different color variation of the design.

Blue represents his personality , but unlike how blue matches Iida own straightforwardness, honestly and overall seriousness, blue is deep links to the inner emotions of Shoto’s personality his ice blue reference his coolness that appears icy and cold and the ice side of his quirk.

The other symbolism of Blue is cold, calm, depression, depth, intelligence, sadness, aloofness both calm and intense deep emotions. Blue represents that depths better yet emotional depths.

This symbolism references to Shoto’s own deep emotions underneath his cool exterior surface-wise shoot appeared cold, calm, collected and serious but deep down he’s emotional He’s motivated by his own emotions in becoming a hero concerning and all might interview he watched with his mother. blue can symbolize shoot being both stoic and emotional by nature. He’s passionate, feels deeply, he’s emotional not outwardly but deeply and is sometimes brooding. Blue is considered a sad color that relates to Shoto’s sadness with the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father.

Thanks to Izuku he expressed more of his other personality traits, that is he is loyal to his friends and mother Shoto’s honest to the point of being ill-mannered, Shoto is intelligent whether in studies and hero work he’s precise and highly capable. He’s reliable in a state of a crisis.

Quirks:

In most shows, they try to give a character a superpower that better matches their personality BNHA takes it a step further by introducing the concept of quirks as superpowers. The context of the power system is that personalities are superpowers or superpowers are personalities. Quirks are not limited there is so much diversity in quirks you can see everyone having a different quirk, not the same one.

The word quirk in kanji “Kosei” is loosely translating to “individuality” in Japanese. A person's individuality is the literal definition of a quirk. The quirk is chosen first because the designs of the characters are based on the functions of their quirks makes sense since characters are designed based on their quirk. If you think about this it makes a lot of sense for example, Minata’s…ahem…sticky balls are an innuendo of his personality since he’s a pervert. Sero’s tape is a mundane thing that is used in everyday life fitting since he considers himself to be very plain. The majority of the cast of characters are designed based on their quirks with the expectations of Izuku who is quirkless.

Horikoshi took creative liberties with quirks gets very creative with this Horikoshi knows about the details of the personality of the character; another instance is how they use their quirks. The details of character quirks show an aspect of their personality, In BNHA quirks are not just powers they are a personality consider quirks to a core part of a person being part of who you of what makes you they are part of the person's character and a person's very essence. the quirks show how the character’s abilities fit their personalities and determine a person's personality and essence. A peculiar aspect of a person's character or behavior matching the personality of the user. Quirks will influence the personality or personalities will influence the quirks depending on the subject.

There's a similar connection to quirk and personality. It's linked to a person's identity not just with heroes but villains to a character's quirk are influenced by their personality this can be true to the characters and I think that this bounds well with the character overarching personality. Quirks influence your possible, future, and social standing by your very personality and identity they are vital aspects of what they are shaped by. In that person's self-perception of the world, their views are shifted and distorted in how their quirk forces them to interact with their surroundings.

The part based on their personality is hard-pressed by many characters since the character’s personality traits are linked to their quirks. It’s no argument that quirks have something to say about these characters’ personalities; whether quirks are reacting to personality or not is up to discussion.

For quirks to be realistic, you need to create drawbacks to the quirk. Your quirk needs to have limits, they can use their limits to defeat or outsmart a villain. Using their weakness to their advantage and creating a weakness for your quirk is important not only it’s realistic it also gives a character a limit to overcome. It would fit the theme plus ultra or surpass your limits going past one limit and beyond. This shows how to create and choose a quirk and develop their weaknesses by examining the quirks of the characters. Horikoshi shows the flaws in the quirks similar to how you see flaws in people. Quirks are used to showcase the character's flaws. Creatives use flaws in someone's power creating an imaginative and creative design with subsequently good quirks.

Create a limit to a quirk creative uses for flaws in someone's power notes the flaws in a person be creative when you use this. The system of quirks promotes creativity and is creative when creating quirks by exploring the character's personality.

This is seen in the way their quirks demonstrate the character’s personality; you deny the way the characters use their quirks; it shows aspects of their personalities that can’t be any more true for the mains characters' quirks in which I will explain and explore how their quirk links to their personality.

Izuku Midoriya:

Izuku’s quirk is One for All, his quirk stockpiles power in the form of super-strength that greatly enhances his physical abilities. It's a quirk that has been passed down by various heroes of the past storing their power. This represents Izuku’s potential born from his analytical mind and his kind, altruistic behavior to help others despite how powerless he is and his incredible determination on multiple occasions to become a hero to help others despite people telling him it's hopeless. His quirk being standard super strength this is a typical power you see in traditional superheroes from comic books. Izuku is the biggest superhero fan and his dreams to become one Izuku wanting to be a hero can show in his quirk. Each quirk tells there characters but Izuku is interesting since he didn’t have a quirk until he was given it by All Might however in a way like everyone I am going to talk about in this list it tells his personality in the way he uses it

His quirk doesn’t just tell his personality but also carries along with the themes of the story passing on one legacy and character development, One for All is a quirk that is passed on from user to user this is much like how quirks can be passed on from parent to child. Izuku inherited his legacy from the world's greatest hero and his idol All Might to be his successor the legacies in which OFA is represented in the themes of BNHA.

Another theme that his quirk carries is character development that showcases this theme in his quirk. One for All reflects his character development in the story, Izuku recently required power he doesn’t know how to control yet and his lack of control of his power showcases his inexperience in both learning how to control his quirk and as the protagonist in the development. He first starts both quirk wise and character-wise a timid, nerdy heroic but with a bout of reckless heroism but after every battle, Izuku's confidence and self-respect grow over time, his bravery becoming more noticeable the more control he gains his growing confidence is seen in the control of his quirk. Izuku slowly gains self-confidence in himself to stand on his own two feet; he is willing to work with others, accepting help when needed.

One for All symbolizes Izuku's character growth throughout the story, his growth is best seen in his use of control in his quirk. Izuku’s control over his quirk symbolizes his growth as a person that reflects him in terms of personality where he came from timid and anxious to confident and assured.

Izuku’s power has influences from Spiderman since black whip resembles his web Izuku's entire character is molded after Peter Parker with Peter Parker understanding the responsibility that comes with power and him accepting the responsibilities that come with it. This is seen best in Izuku’s character arc and development.

One of Izuku’s weaknesses is his overall naiveté. He is pretty naive when it comes to handling situations out of his control such as when trying to confront Overhaul with Eri and his battle with Shinso with the latter falling into his trap. Another aspect of his naiveté is how he approaches things without any knowledge or empathy, and doesn’t fully see other peoples’ views due to his admiration in response to hero society prevents him from seeing unable to see the flaws of hero society his naiveté truly prevents him from seeing just how much suffering is done by heroes. Izuku has yet to accept his power as his which was branched off from a villain power.

Izuku’s other flaws other than his Izuku’s naiveté is his lack of belief in his self-worth. This stems from his initial quirklessness that without a strong quirk he's useless he cannot do anything if he doesn’t meet anyone’s expectations if he doesn’t feel that he’s good enough then he’s useless. Despite being entrusted with power by All Might izuku doesn’t he doesn’t feel as worthy of his quirk he doesn’t believe that he deserves his quirk and try to prove that he isn’t useless so he doesn’t care about what happens to him as long as he would feel useful to others. When he saves others how he doesn’t consider himself in part of his equations Katuski points out that he doesn't take himself into account in his plans.

This showcases in how he uses his quirk with him breaking his limbs when he uses his quirk you can see this several times in the story that for Izuku, helping others he constantly hurts himself, he breaks his bones while he risked his life to save someone at the expense of himself this utter lack of regard towards himself nearly costs his arms his powers are harmful to him destroying his body overtime he uses it. Izuku’s lack of faith in himself gives birth to his self-destructive nature, creating reckless tendencies where he doesn’t put his safety in the mind; this approach backfired on him numerous times.

his powers go hand in hand with the duality of his determination to become a hero to save people and his self-destructive nature in which his fatal flaw is the lack of faith in himself ends up endangering himself. This self-destructive power of his quirk notes his self-destructive nature. The quirk shows both his strength and weakness like the name, one for all implies they demonstrate Izuku self-sacrificing nature and his self-destructive tendencies

Katsuki Bakugou:

Horikoshi's initial concept of Bakugo was that he is a natural-born genius who would inadvertently insult people but found it boring and decided to turn him into a nasty guy with an explosive personality. I’m glad Horikoshi did this because his current personality better fits well into his quirk and the laws of the power system since Bakugou’s quirk Explosion explains his entire personality perfectly. Bakugo is the rival unlike Izuku, he stands out for having a quirk that is loud and explosive. he has a quirk and he’s loud and overbearing in contrast to the quiet and timid Izuku

His entire personality is characterized by his quirk that he has an explosive personality and explosive temper. Bakugo is introduced to have a lot of explosive qualities shown flashy, loud his quirk is. much like how his quirk explosion is very loud and attention-seeking, this is shown in the way He wants to be seen by others as the best and not just the best but the best of the best he wants to be the number one hero who surpasses All Might and he demands to be always seen by others to be the strongest, not the weakest. he has an obnoxious personality he’s loud, demanding, and overbearing he's vocal and upfront on opinions. he’s conceited and self-centered and both hot-tempered and hot-headed and incredibly pettyone other thing the way Bakugo uses his quirk creatively showcases his intelligence.

Bakugo displayed overall aggressive behavior during the sports festival people pointed out that he would be a better villain and he can be villainous if he’s on the wrong side he may have the potential to be a tough hero but also a dangerous villain. Bakugo’s quirk can be seen as villainous; he chooses to be a hero; he's dead set on being a hero which allows him to not join the LOV.

His quirk is a metaphor for how his ego blows up on him. Bakugo is the constant victim of his ego as seen how he acts. Even though he is not safe in his explosions he has a flashy quirk but puts unrealistic expectations on himself he’s terrible at managing his feelings causing them to come out in outbursts. This blows up in his face literally but thankfully grows out of his negative qualities.

Ochaco Uraraka:

Ochaco’s quirk is zero gravity, zero gravity allows her to nullify objects depending on there mass leaving them weightless nullify gravity on any object or person she touches.

This references Ochaco’s uplifting, lively, bright, cheerful, talkative, and bubbly attitude She can be an airhead at times her personality makes her seem that she is weightless. Ochaco lightens and uplifts the mood when she is around she brightens the room with her positive attitude and nullifies people's problems with her uplifting attitude. Seen in how she said she likes Deku’s nickname since it gives a feeling of a can-do, how her presence to Izuku is a breath of fresh air to him. She’s warm and empathetic; her warm nature is highlighted when she cared for her family and friends. Her parents are her main drive to becoming a hero in which to earn money to give them a comfortable life.

remember what I said before that you can tell a character’s personality in the way they use their quirks? They’re a small detail where OChaco, balls up her fists to be careful to not touch anything since her quirk would allow anything to float if she’s not careful. This is a small detail but this detail shows her careful side to not let things slip up. This aspect references her more serious, practical side in contrast to her cheery persona and says that she is grounded in the way she’s careful what she touches seen in the way she handles her quirk.

She’s grounded and someone careful not to float away in a sense this notes back in the way she uses her quirk that always has to remain grounded and prevents herself by not getting carried away by her emotions metaphorically and physically.

Ochaco is willing to shut down her emotions in order not to get carried away by her feelings. She does this to complete her goals. Ochaco shuts down her feelings for izuku viewing them as a distraction to her goal to be a hero.

Tenya Iida:

Iida’s quirk engine allows him to run straight and struggle to make turns this could refer that Iida is straight-laced, straight forward, serious, honest seen in how his quirk runs straight he comes off as stiff and robotic being technically minded like a robot with efficiency carrying out a job without a single thought. But single-mindedness in his goal to be a hero also granted him a serious case of tunnel vision.

The detail in how his quirk preventing him from making turns when he runs only allowing him to run straight not allowing him to turn and look around this shows an incredibly selfish aspect of his personality from how his quirk is used with Iida focusing on a single goal to the detriment of others, he did not stop and turn to see if there are people who needed help instead goes straight single kindly to his goal such as abandoning Uraraka to zero pointers to focus on the entrance exam, and being consumed with revenge against Stain that he ignored the injured hero Native on the floor in favor of pursuing Stain. His lack of twists and turns references this selfishness of his personality.

He does show character development and thankfully he grew out of this flaw, when he grew more concerned about the well being of others. After Izuku and the rest came back from the Yakuza raid, Iida prevents the rest of his classmates from swarming around in consideration of their wellbeing. During the joint training arc, rather than pursue Honenuki fruitlessly, he instead intercepts Kaibara as he battles Ojiro; he goes straight for their wellbeing rather than for his personal feelings. Iida became more thoughtful in his actions, seen in how he becomes more considerate of his classmates.

Shoto Todoroki:

Shoto’s quirk is half-cold and half-hot. This showcases his personality very well which shifts into being cold and hot.

Shoto was introduced as cool since he mainly uses the ice side of this quirk. Shoto came off as cold, cool, stoic, and focused and reserved, aloof and closed off to others this is seen in how he interacts with others where he came off as cold and distant is shown in how he only used his ice quirk. However, he harbors feelings of passion underneath. Shoto’s refusal to use his fire abilities reflects not only him holding his issues inside but how his temper flares when others inadvertently bring up issues he’s trying to suppress. The fire is a metaphor for his personality in how he was not taught to properly regulate his own emotions.

Todoroki froze his own heart but when Izuku lit a fire in his heart; it awakened his desire to be a hero when he remembered the All Might interview with his mother, awakening his emotions that were long suppressed in the abuse.

After the sports festival, he begins to show more emotions become more friendly when he opens up to his classmates. He starts to use his fire abilities but remains reserved and oblivious. He’s starting to use his fire abilities again symbolizes him opening his warmer gentle traits. Shoto came off as cold reveals his fiery feelings of passion and a gentle heart underneath his cold exterior that was locked away from the abuse.

His quirk is a metaphor for his character arc in the way Shoto has yet to accept himself who he is and him growing to be his person, not Endeavor’s son.

Names:

The reason why I wrote the quirk segment first is that the majority of the characters are named after their quirks, mainly because their identity is loosely tied into their quirks.

The characters names Hoirkoshi uses are harmonious and carefully constructed Japanese word puns to explain the characters themselves. Most of the characters are named after quirks, but there are exceptions to this naming theme in which the characters of BNHA are not only named after their quirk but also after their role and/or personality in the story. Their names always have meant that tie into the characters quirk, ambition, or personality that ties into their role in the plot too.

This can be said that when you do names for BNHA OCs they have cultural subtext to them since a majority of BNHA names are influenced by Japanese culture since that’s where the series takes place.

Even if a Japanese name's meaning may not seem much on the surface when you look into it there is an understanding of the cultural context in the naming of work here. There’s a lot of subtlety that goes into naming a character with Japanese involved in your first half to know the meaning of the name and nuances of what it has to do with the characters themselves. this isn’t here to explain Japanese since it’s a work of fiction. This segment is here to help you get a better idea of how to pick Japanese names and how Japanese names work. It's only here to know how to properly choose a name for your OC. Japanese is a very contextual language, a very complex language to learn from when you’re choosing Japanese names for your OC’s keep in mind there are so many nuances in the language to learn from. You might need to look at different sources on how to do Japanese names but this is meant to explain how the BNHA character’s names match their personality role and quirk. I wanted to help you get the general idea of Japanese naming and create an authentic Japanese name for your OC. Japanese names are characterized by sounds and vibe, the sound that rolls out of your mouth when you say that name, and the vibe the feeling that comes from the name when you hear it. besides the meaning of the name, what do you think of when you hear this name? It will change your impression of what you think of your OC if you choose a name. depending on the meaning and sound of the name it can change the feeling when you hear these names.

Take Aki for example. It has two different kanji assorted with it but different meanings. The kanji takes on different meanings depending on the kanji used for it. Aki 秋 means autumn in Japanese; when we think of autumn we think of a cool walk in the leaves and the leaves changing color in the season things we associate autumn with as well as melancholy. Aki is a cool name to use for cool characters Aki gives a cooler serious vibe when spoken aloud.

Another way Aki is written is with this kanji 明, unlike the other kanji which is translated to “bright” in Japanese. It’s used differently when you’re naming your female OC you add ko in the name 子 “ko” meaning child. In Japanese Ko is a common syllable for girls to have in their names: when it’s used it turns into the name Akiko. when you give characters the name Akiko usually translated to “bright child” in Japanese. Akiko 秋子 autumn child 明子 bright child

When you hear Ko that would give the impression that she’s still a child hearing the name Akiko you get the impression that her personality is bright and cheerful. If you're writing her quirk it could be something light-based since the meaning of her name means bright you think of light. Since light is seen as something good it would fit quite well for her role if she wants to be a hero or better yet her character being a ray of light to others when they are down. Aki can be translated to the emptiness in Japanese and the meaning and feelings to it feel devoid of all emotion and happiness with a melancholy vibe, the same vibe that you assorted the kanji, Aki, with.

Hearing this used instead would make her have a different personality different from the kanji Aki you hear from you get the impression that her quirk is too being a void quirk since the name is close to emptiness. You see, you get a different impression of the character depending on the kanji of the name, sound and feel that is used in their names

Before you choose a name take some research to see how a Japanese name is used kanji have multiple readings. The one on-yomi means Chinese reading or kun-yomi. depending on the spelling of the kanji you need to check the spelling in the kanji and see if it lines up.

If you wanted your character’s names to sound more authentic here is a list so you can get a better idea. Common prefixes of Japanese girl names e ko yo ka ki ho mi na ne no o ri me ko

Common prefixes of Japanese Boy’s Name ya o ou ki ta shi ji to ma dai goro hei hiro jiro maru masa ro shiro suke taro yoshi hiko

I am going to begin explaining the meaning of the character’s names down below.

All Might: first up is All Might or Toshinori Yagi (八木俊典). All Might was initial quirkless so he didn’t have a quirk until later, but his entire name consists of his character, role, and quirk.

First, let’s start with his given name Toshinori (俊典). Hi s first name is comprised of two kanji with “Toshi” means “俊, an excellent person” and “nori” means “典, model or example”. When put together means “excellent role model.”

This goes very well with All Might role in the story: a great hero that everyone looks up to and aspires to be. All Might inspires others to be the best they can be and he’s a great example of a hero in the story.

His surame is Yagi (八木) and is comprised of two kanji. Ya means “八, eight” in Japanese and “Gi” means “木, tree” This references All Mights being the 8th user of OFA. The tree aspect of his surname can be referenced in Japanese history trees and wood are used to uphold buildings and bridges and used in Japanese architecture. The tree/wood likely refers to his role as him being the symbol of peace, the pillar that upholds society.

Yagi is in Japanese harmonious with a goat, a reference to his true form design. Goat being abbreviated to greatest of all time. All Might is the number one hero in his series universe.

Izuku Midoriya:

Now, the main character of the series. Izuku Midoriya’s (出久緑谷) name is the exception of the quirk naming theme go BNHA, fitting his initial quirklessness. Instead his name denotes his personality and overall role in the series.

Izuku’s given name is comprised of two kanji the first one “Izu,出” means “coming out from a certain place, to leave or exit,” and “Ku,久” means “long ago”. Together means “waiting a long time to emerge”. This is concerning Izuku’s role in the story, emerging as a brand new hero but also a new hero coming out after the long all might era Izuku who is emerging from all might's shadow to take his place as the new hero after the All Might era is over. His name refers to his main strength, his perseverance, his entire name gives the feeling of someone who is always rising to go all out to win and always emerging gives his name a lot of spirits his name is very plus ultra to use. The “Ku” in Izuku’s name is harmonious with the number “nine” in Japanese notes that Izuku is the 9th user of OFA.

When broken down “Midori,緑” means “green” and “ya,谷” means “valley” in Japanese. altogether means “green valley” it sounds like a river running through the valley sounds refreshing and gentle for someone nice, kind, and timid like Izuku. It also has deeper meanings.

I spoke before about how green matches his overall personality in the colors section and his green color scheme in his character design. “緑” kanji as green is relatively a new use this kanji “青” blue and green used to share the same kanji. The green came from the kanji for blue brings a new idea that is more positive than the kanji it's used to describe izuku as a new fresh hero much like how the kanji is derived from. This connects to All Might since his hero uniform is mainly blue; he is a mentor to Izuku.

For the second kanji “ya,谷” this may not say too much on the surface it means “valley” but it has a deeper meaning underneath the given meaning a valley means a gap between two high places it’s used to describe someone in a difficult position or predicament. Like a rock and a hard place in kanji “進退維谷, between a rock and a hard place” like a gap between two high places. there's no doubt Izuku is someone who is always in a sort of predicament Izuku is always met in a difficult position, whether being quirkiness and realizing he can’t reach his dreams, learning to control the quirk that was recently given to him by All Might, trying to keep his quirk a secret or be in danger of losing his arms he is someone who is always seen in a dangerous predicament he doesn’t catch a break.

Time to elaborate on Izuku’s insulting nickname and hero name Deku (デク). Izuku has a different spelling in the kanji, Izu can be read as “de”, “De” and “Ku” have the same spelling when together with “deku”.

Deku came from a wooden puppet but the nickname was served as an insult by Bakugo which means “good for nothing and useless person.” Deku came from a kanji the famous idiom called “dekunobou” (木偶の坊) used to describe someone useless. Dekunobou can sound roughly equivalent to calling someone a blockhead right? But, it’s not used to insult someone's intelligence, it's insulting someone by calling them useless and boring.

Deku is not seen as something positive; this is just a reference to his lack of quirk in the beginning. But it changes after he enrolled in UA. Ochaco likes the nickname since it gives the feeling of can do this is called “dekiru”(出来る) which bears the same kanji as Izuku’s given name. Dekiru means “can do”; dekiru is the Japanese verb you use to express the ability for something. Ochaco liked it because “deku” sounds a lot like “dekiru” so Deku can mean can’t or can do depending on who’s saying this inspired by Ochaco’s encouragement, this causes Izuku to take deku during his fight with Katsuki. Another thing “Dekiru'' shares the same kanji in Izuku’s given name. “dekiru”(出来る) “Izuku”(出久)

One last fact about Deku,: it's that it came from a Deku doll, and its particular feature it has no arms or legs. This can refer to Izuku always breaking his bones to use OFA causing him to almost lose his arms. The Deku doll has also referenced the legend of Zelda games with the wood goblins, an interpolation of the term Deku. Horikoshi may have taken references from Zelda games but knowing Horikoshi it would not come as a surprise as he references pop culture in his works.

Tips of advice if you want a nuanced name lookup Japanese culture references. I am not an expert on the Japanese language so you don’t have to use a completely authentic Japanese name in fiction.

One last thing All Might and Izuku have in common is that they have wood themed naming in their names that can note that they were both quirkiness. Katsuki Bakugo:

Now for Katsuki Bakugo’s (勝己爆豪) name. His name when split apart contains “katsu,勝” means “to win” and “ki,己” means “self”. His name is very self-explanatory, it describes someone who always wants to win by himself and surpass everyone, someone who’s ambitious and stays strong.

Bakugo’s surname (爆豪) when put together means “strong explosion” a reference to his powerful quirk explosion and explosive personality. It also can be read as “explosion master”, referring to his skill and mastery of his quirk and how Bakugo is smart and creative when he uses his quirk. The “ou” in his surname of “Bakugo” sounds like the word for “king” in Japanese reflecting on his drive to be on top and even attempting to take it as his hero name. Ochaco Uraraka:

Now time for Ochaco Uraraka (お茶子麗日) one of Izuku’s best friend and chatterbox starting with taking a deep drive at her entire name, an example of Horikoshi’s genius being a nuanced name like Izuku’s. First her given name “Ochaco'' is written with hiragana and kanji, “Cha'' means “茶, tea” in Japanese; the “o” in her name is denoting a degree of politeness a refined value to target for tea it a nice way to say tea in Japanese. “ko,子'' is a common end name for girls in Japanese, but here Horikoshi uses c instead of the typical K for ko this was added to make Ochaco sound cuter. Her entire given name together means “tea girl” in Japanese. this meaning notes her personality, much like how people drinking tea are relaxed. This notes how her presence gives a refreshing and calming to other people how her presence makes others comfortable to be around. Ochaco’s other meaning of her name is punny ones, Ochaco is derived from the Japanese expression “ocha ko pi” roughly meaning “piece of cake!” a play on her positivity she exhibits in her personality or “ochappi” “chatterbox girl”. Her name illustrates her chattery bright nice girl of a personality.

On to her surname “Uraraka”. “Urara,麗” means “bright and beautiful” “ka,日” means “day” when put together means “beautiful and bright day”. Given to Ochaco’s personality it associates with her energetic and positive mood as something as bright as the sun itself a peaceful wonderful day a note to her peaceful cheerfulness. Horikoshi designed her to be cheerful enough to drive their conversation and bright in contrast to the timid quiet Midoriya.

Her name is also the Japanese provocation of gravity: ura can be part of the word and bi can be vi then ti sounds like the English word tea making it sound like this (ウラビティ,guraviti) Gravity her entire name references her zero-gravity quirk. Tenya Iida:

Tenya Iida’s (天哉飯田) entire name is a pun, much like Ochaco’s. Besides Iida having a punny name, his entire name has a lot of deep meaning that goes into it.

Tenya’s first and last name’s kanji put together to form the word “Iidaten, 韋駄天” which is the Japanese term meaning “fast runner” or someone who can run fast. This is fitting his quirk engine denoting his super-speed abilities His name was also taken from one of the gods in Buddhism, Idaten, who is the protector of Buddhist temples famous for being a fast runner. This can relate to Iida’s role as the class president since he is put in charge to protect and take care of his classmates. “Ya” in his given name is interjections “哉, how, what alas” “ya” in his name is a popular end character of a boy’s name that is commonly used. This notes Iida’s exaggerated mannerisms; he displays his arms and personality being loud and overbearing and extremely goofy.

His surname “Iida” have kanji that are comprised of rice being “飯, cooked rice” and “田, rice field”. The rice aspect of the surname might seem to not harbor too much importance but rice holds huge importance to Japanese culture namely for its rich history Japanese history and culture is strongly rooted in rice fields. In historical Japan having a rice field meant that you are rich since if you have rice fields it means you have a lot to eat. This refers to Iida’s background, his family being of one of the distinguished hero families. Iida's upbringing came from a rich family even implied by Ochaco that Iida sounds like a rich kid. Shoto Todoroki:

Time for Shoto Todoroki (焦凍轟). Shoto’s kanji “sho” in his given name has the first kanji for the character “焦, to burn” and the second one “to” meaning “凍, to freeze” referencing the functions of his quirk half hot and half cold. His name can be harmonious to a Japanese short sword “shoto, 小刀” which is made by heating and cooling. This is a reference to both Shoto’s Japanese character design and quirk.

His surname “Todoroki” means “轟, to roar or reverberate”. It’s used in Japanese to describe a loud noise that crackles and for thundering expressions. The kanji is widely known for people far away that can hear the loud sound. It's an expression used for somebody for whom they are famous.

Shoto’s surname refers to his background as the son of the number two hero Endeavor, the second most popular hero in Japan, and another thing is how he’s popular among his classmates. Shoto is so well known so much that people can hear his name far away. and it refers to how powerful Shoto’s quirk is in the series.

So as you see Shoto’s name when said aloud gives the impression of someone cool much like how Shoto himself is.

Hero names:

As Best Jeanist said, hero names represent your desire, the embodiment of who you wish to be your ideal self, or better yet who you want to be. The hero name of BNHA talks about the character’s desires themselves or as someone points out it can refer to their future character arcs later in the series. The hero names are not just symbolic of not just character ideals but also their desires and character arcs.

Izuku's hero name Deku was inspired by Ochaco’s encouragement. Since Deku sounds like the Japanese verb dekiru which is translated “to do your best”. Deku was originally an insult against him but he shows this to proudly show his determination rather like how he’s not inherently a hero but has to work towards becoming one.

All Might’s hero is short for is almighty; this refers to his unmatched strength, status as the number one hero and symbol of peace. The origin of his hero name came from All Might’s backstory in volume 0 when he was leaving for America he said “I’ll save everyone with all my might”.

Rumi’s hero name is Mirko. The origin of her hero name came from her backstory, in her high school days, her friends call her Ruko instead of Rumi a prefix at the end of her name in japan (school girls will often give their friends nicknames that are the first syllable of name and ko). Mirko’s hero name ends up being her first name spelled backward. or ko could be taken from her surname from middle school usako, who crashed into various fight clubs until she was caught and expelled. Her hero name references an MIA fighter and her love for fights. Horikoshi did the character in meta-reference.

Bakugo’s initial hero name “king explosion murder” is Bakugo’s high expectations of himself on how he wants to be seen as the strongest. His surname “ou” is a reference to the “o” the Japanese word for “king” sound-alike in Japanese .It's like he is declaring himself to be the king of explosions and reflecting on his drive to want to be the best. His second hero name lord explosion murder may not seem all that different but if you looked close lord is below king you can see how he personal downgrades himself and doesn’t see himself as the best he never felt like he won since Todoroki didn’t face him with full-strength and wasn’t a complete victory when Todoroki held himself back. Bakugo’s immaturity and childishness are seen in how he chooses his hero names him realizing he was not all-powerful as he thought he was. In the recent arc he finally reveals his hero name Dyamight. His childishness and immaturity is still prevalent but this shows his admiration towards All Might be combined with his quirk

Ochaco’s hero name is a pun on the Japanese procuration of the word gravity and her surname. This refers to both her quirk zero gravity but also her motive relating to her family. Ochaco using her family name instead of her name is a reference to her family matters and how she loves and cares for them and her main motive to being a hero comes from wanting to get them out of poverty.

Todoroki just chose his name as a hero name. Todoroki’s hero name reflects his character growth; this notes how Todoroki is changing compared to when he was first introduced. He’s just choosing his name instead of his surname shows that he’s destroying any possible connection to his father his way to shed Enji’s grip from him and yet he cannot shed himself from his family nor his left side. Shoto has yet to accept himself as who he is and his arc is about accepting himself and his past as it is. Superhero powers:

Much like how the characters from my hero academia have many influences from heroes from different cultures. BNHA pays homage to pop culture and heroes

Izuku and Peter Parker (Spiderman) are nerdy kids that were bullied by their peers who recently acquired power. Petterare struggles with managing his day to day life as a hero and student and Izuku is struggling to control his powers and keep his quirk a secret.

Peter’s character arc is one about what it means to have personal responsibility and Izuku’s questioning what it means to be a hero it ties into Peters character in what it means to take responsibility for his said actions. How Izuku fights is similar to how Spiderman fought his opponents: they use their smarts to outmaneuver their opponents (even his quirk black whip resembles Spiderman’s webs when he swings).

Izuku was a huge influence on Izuku in both character and superpowers. Horikoshi was initially going to make him talk in a similar way to spiderman

Spiderman is a huge influence on BNHA as a whole. There is the use of Spiderman in his works with Sero was inspired by Spiderman in his works seen with his quirk and web-slinging building to building to the next Since Horikoshi has a love for Spiderman this wouldn’t be considered surprising used this with Sero and Kamui Woods since they have similar designs and quirks.

All Might takes a lot of influences from superheroes like Superman, Captain America, and Hulk. One thing these three have in common they embody traditional superhuman strength super strength is typically seen in superheroes. All Might’s buffed up form resembles Superman and how he changed from his true form to muscle form like the hulk. Even imitating Hulk’s catchphrase “smash” from Hulk smash in his attacks. Red, white, blue color scheme coming directly from Captain America.

Tenya’s quirk came from the Flash from comics due to his super speed.

These are only examples You don’t have to base your OC off of a superhero or power they use. Choose whatever you want you can take references from heroes if anything that is entirely up to you.

How to do:

I am going to go over my two OC’s Hozuki Kizuki (Oni) and Keiko Uchihara(Kitsune) there OCs for My Jirokichi Academia series a friend has done. They don’t harbor a lot of BNHA influences but Jirokichi influences though they have some such as being designed based around their quirks, personalities, and motifs.

They’re both inspired by cosplay photos done by a friend, The photos served as a source for their inspiration for their design while I worked on them; they became their people the more I breathed life in them. The things I paid the most attention to is how I designed my BNHA OCs are the face, hair, and eyes.

Oni and Kitsune are aliases that go with their designs and motifs since their designs came from Kitsune and Oni from Japanese folklore. I based it on it with the mask that references the motifs around it.

For Hozuki, her face is shaped like a circle making her face rounded. Round looking shapes are used to portray someone youthful: her shape notes her age being 17, her design is meant to portray her as a juvenile character, someone on the cusp of adulthood. Circles are used for female characters or child characters makes sense since she’s still considered a child in normal terms and a young woman.

Hozuki’s hair bun, bangs, and fringes are shaped like a flame and when turned right side up it closely looks like a Chinese lantern plant. This aspect is a reference to where her name and quirk Demon Ray that being the rays of light from the lantern and the flame aspect in her hair being flame from a lantern.

Keiko’s face is narrow and its shape closely resembles an oval; this emphasizes that Keiko is an adult and an older woman. Keiko has many curved lines on her face and designs the lines to look softer and feminine another addition to that she’s a woman. The curved lines closely resemble the lines that are seen in traditional Japanese art, in which they are fluid, this notes Keiko’s Japanese character design. The curved lines are also used to portray movement and I think that it resembles the way a fox is drawn with the bendiness and fluidly in the lines going to her fox motif.

The eyes are the main thing in design to portray the personality of the characters. This goes well with the personalities I conveyed with Hozuki and Keiko with their eyes in their personalities.

Hozuki’s eyes are round, they have two shapes combined, one circle with a triangle at the end. the sharp end of her eye looks like pointed pointy objects that reference a character's blunt nature and are on point with someone. This says something about her personality which notes her blunt, curt attitude with others and shows her strength and strong will. The circle says she’s a good guy but just not in the traditional sense. She does good but others are scared of her. The triangle and circle symbolize how she comes off as approachable but in reality, she’s easy to talk to. She’s not friendly, but she’s easy to speak with. People are just put off by her blunt nature. Hozuki's straightforward she doesn’t hide any ulterior motives and she’s very simple her design would portray her personality by using these simple shapes and it highlights that she has a simple design that is not overly complicated

As I previously mentioned Keiko has a lot of curved lines, This is seen well with her eyes; they are curved to resemble foxes’ eyes. In media fox eyes in designs, they are usually used to portray sneakiness and untrustworthiness in the character’s personalities. However, in this case, her eyes have a gentleness in them; they show her to be easygoing and open-hearted which goes along with her personality. the lack of eyelashes highlights the androgynous in her design. The curved lines meant that she’s approachable and easy-going so that people would go to her since she has the expression of open acceptance. Just shows how her design in contrast to Hozuki makes her someone approachable due to the impression she has. If you compare their faces even their expressions say something different about their personalities and impressions they give off.

For Hozuki outfit it’s a sailor school uniform, a sailor uniform is commonly something you see in student uniforms. students from Japan wear school uniforms, a reference that Hozuki is a high school student since 17 is school-aged. Another fact her outfit is extremely durable and can withstand harsh battles this says something about Hozuki that she would choose function over looks in clothes.

Keiko is a traditional Japanese in design, with her wearing a male kimono and samurai sword along with Japanese foxes. Keiko has a ponytail along with the sword reminds the net of a samurai where samurai would tie them up in a ponytail and carry swords. The samurai aspect correlates to her fighting style in which she uses a sword. Keiko’s androgynous features resemble Inari Okami god of foxes who are considered androgynous in Japanese culture. Her entire design notes that she grew up in a traditional Japanese household. The aspect where she wears a male kimono instead of a female kimono notes that she doesn’t care for gender differences all too much and thinks people should wear what they want. This goes in hand with her open-minded acceptance trait.

When I was choosing quirks for both Hozuki and Keiko, I focused on which fighting styles match their personalities; their fighting styles reference the Kitsune and Oni motifs in their design. Keiko’s fighting style is swift and dexterous like a samurai, being precise, skilled, and careful and her movements are fluid as a fox. Her quirk gives a similar effect of vanishing than appearing in Japanese mythology foxes are known to disappear and reappear at will. Keiko’s quirk relates to precision and Hozuki's quirk relies on her raw strength. In her quirk, Hozuki relies on raw power and strength this is related to Onis in Japanese folklore.

Hozuki’s quirk is called Demon ray, Her Quirk allows her to convert her emotions into monstrous strength, speed, stamina, and reflexes turn her skin red as an effect of her quirk. One of the drawbacks of her quirk is that if she overuses her quirk she will get mentally exhausted. If Hozuki becomes too emotional she will go on a rampage she’s considered unstoppable and dangerous when she’s in that state. her quirk turning her skin red to give her the appearance of an Oni.

Her quirk references aspects of her personality, her passionate personality underneath her stoic behavior, and in that Hozuki emotional person deep down who feels things deeply. and her fierceness in her fighting style resembling that of a beast that goes with her character reference to her strong will. She looks cool on the outside but inside she has turmoils of her past her quirk acts as a metaphor for her emotions. Lastly, the red skin correlates to her oni motif.

Keiko’s quirk is Dimension cross. Her quirk allows her to move back and forth between dimensions at will and control them as well. If she makes a move in the dimension she resides in it will leave a mark. The drawback of her quirk is that she accidentally ends up doing damage to herself, others, and the environment if she is not careful. Another limit of her quirk is that even though it looks invisible if a disturbance is made in her dimensions she will be pushed back like if she’s being tackled with a phase quirk smiler like Mirio she will be pushed back.

This function of her quirk could reference an aspect of her personality in which Keiko can easily penetrate people’s walls noting her acceptance and openness traits.

For their names, Hozuki Kizuki’s (鬼灯筑気) given name goes with her Oni motif. “Hozuki” (鬼灯) means “demon lantern” in Japanese Hozuki is another way for “demon”. Her name is also called “Chinese lantern” referring to a fruit that was a distinctive red husk. The fruit references the functions of her quirk with her skin turning red with use and for the lantern aspect, lanterns emit rays of light that go back to the name of her quirk demon ray. Hozuki’s surname Kizuki sounds similar to Chitoses Kizuki’s surname but with different kanji that is used. “Kizuki” comes from the Japanese verb “Kizuku” (筑く) meaning “to contract, build up” the second kanji “ki” (気) translates to “feelings”. Her surname references the function in which her quirk is used; she stores her emotions in her quirk, an accumulation quirk that grows in power from her emotions.

For Keiko Uchihara (形交内原), Keiko’s first kanji of a given name, “Kei” (形) means “shape, form or body” and “ko”(交) means “cross”, “ko” is a common end particle for girls in japan. her surname “Uchihara” (内原) means “Between Plains” or “inside planes” Her surname may not mean much on the surface but if you look closely at her name when said together in Japanese means “body crossing between or inside plans” this refers close to the function in which she uses her quirk.

Hozuki’s color is dark red. Red symbolizes passion,strength,determination,energy and danger The danger part would note her fierce and beast-like battle skills and quirk. Hozuki has a passionate side that is hidden underneath and incredible determination when she is with her goals. The strength references her quirk, body, and strong will. Red is an intensely emotional color that fits Hozuki perfectly since she is someone deeply emotional.

The brown in Keiko’s design notes that her personality makes her come off as laid-back and decent and down to earth.

Hozuki’s quirk is inspired by powers from the Hulk with Hozuki’s quirk and the name came from. Her quirk Demon Ray’s name that was taken from Gamma Ray a call back to the Hulk’s Bruce Banner who was infected with Gamma radiation. Hozuki’s skin turning red when she uses her quirk references Bruce Banner's skin turning green when he uses his powers.

Keiko and Hozuki have matching swords in their designs symbolizing the partnership and friendship between them.

Out of one of the designs of my two OCs Hozuki’s design is the one I incorporated so much into. She’s the design I spent so much time with the most. When I was choosing a quirk for Keiko I thought dimensions sounded too moderndayish and didn't have any traditional Japanese influences in culture, but when I did research I found out that the kanji for dimension came from “Ma” (間). Ma is used to describe space and used in Japanese culture, Ma is used in traditional Japanese it means negative space Japanese word for space and dimension and used in Japanese aesthetics. When I discovered the “ma” I had a feeling I was successful in Keiko’s design and quirk with incorporating ma in there. I thought Keiko’s quirk was a perfect reference for her Japanese character design. Overall I felt help that I was successful with their designs because I incorporated a lot of things correctly.

Epilogue:

In light of the recent arc, I apologize if I left anything out or forgot to mention anything. This was written until up to the manga’s recent arc. I am not an expert on Character design this post was only here to serve as a basis to help design your OCs. this analysis was put there to help you get a better picture of what to do so this is not 100% correct this is just my analysis. This post serves only as a guideline to help you design your BNHA OC’s If I made mistakes or if I'm missing something feel free to edit I’m open to opinion. I hope this post can at least help with creating an OC and don’t worry about the extra details just as long as it's authentic it’s fine. What was I going to say? Be inspired by the things around you, do things you like, have fun creating an OC. The last thing, have fun!

#Character Design #my meta #my last meta of the year #izuku midoriya #shoto todoroki #ochaco uraraka #tenya lida #katsuki bakugo #bnha oc #my hero academia oc #THANK YOU SO MUCH HAMLIET!

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break-slash · 3 years

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Puzzleship JP & KR Fancomic Recommendation List

UPDATE (19-12-2020): Added two more artists and two more titles on the Japanese lists!

I don’t consider myself as someone very tidy and organized, but I just like making lists of the things I love, somehow. Hence this post. I haven’t been in the fandom for long but I thought I’d share some of my favorites primarily from two sites: pixiv and postype. Most of the postype ones are behind paywall, and I will mark them differently.

Some of my favorites come from the same artists, so I’ll also link their pixiv profile on top of my favorite work of them.

(I actually bookmarked a lot and picking them isn’t an easy task, so I will update this step by step. If you see only a link of an artist, that’s the reason, but I can guarantee you will love their works! Feel free to recommend me yours through reblogs or DM as well!)

Japanese

Artist: CYHGM

She is a Chinese and is more active on Weibo (she posted tons of puzzleship there, but my Mandarin is beyond rusty so I could only cry in despair lmao), but she has two fancomics that I absolutely adore of. Those two mentioned fancomics are:

The Past and The Future. You can check my translation for this one here. It tells about Atem who gets transported to 3000 years later before his coronation, and that’s where he met post-canon!Yugi. Just... everything about this comic is so wonderful. I teared up at the last page, not gonna lie ;_;

The Pharaoh and The Fairy: An Ancient Egypt-slash-fantasy AU featuring the S0/TOEI casts. The fairy Yugi was saved by Atem, and it’s an obligatory for fairies to grant their savior’s wishes. However, Atem doesn’t exactly have something he wants of, and this confuses Yugi on how he should repay him back. Pure undiluted sugar, and fairy!Yugi is just so cute.

Artist: Fushitas

Arguably one of the most popular Puzzleship fanartists in the JP fandom (look at their number of followers on Twitter, man), but maybe it’s also due to the fact they were in AoT fandom too. They’re mostly active on Twitter, and if you also watch Zexal, they draw tons of Yuma-centric pairings too. They have released lots of books, and their prices on the reseller sites are... well, let’s just say, unbelievable. Just to show how famous they are.

From everlasting to everlasting: Set after DSOD. A mysterious figure appears in front of Atem, claiming to be his queen. Everyone in the after life somehow acknowledges this person, which makes him even more confused because he’s the only one unaware of this. On the living realm, Yugi who is on the way to his home got hit by a truck (isekai much??) and when he woke up, he suddenly plays the role of Atem’s queen. I’ve always adored Fushitas’ drawing, and this is no exception. The story is pretty simple, but is still good! The ending of this comic is everything I’ve always wanted from the canon lol.

The King’s Guest: Ancient Egypt AU. The councils are starting to get worried because Atem shows no interest in marrying someone, so Shimon opens up a “chance” sort of for civilians to become “someone for the Pharaoh to talk with”. The civilian Yugi takes this chance right off the bat, and stuff happens? This one is just so sweet and the misunderstanding later in the story kinda cracks me up. I really love the way they build the two’s chemistry in here.

Artist: usi

They only draw two puzzleship fancomics, but both are so good and explores the themes I’ve loved from the pairing.

The Lotus’ Devil: Set post-canon with a flashback. It tells about Yugi’s regret in the past where he wanted to show Atem a small pool supposed to be full of lotus flower only to arrive seeing them not blooming. Fast forward to the post-canon, he found out that there’s actually a monster residing on that pool. I really, really loved the ending scene of this one.

Who’s The Detestable, Fortunate Guy Here: I think this is set sometime in the canon story, although the exact timing is unclear. It’s a short comic of Yugi asking Atem to pretend to be his date and go on a “dating practice”. A very pleasant hurt-and-comfort kind of story, and who doesn’t love a story of them dating anyways? :”D

Artist: Houzuki Anzu

She doesn’t draw much YGO, but she has some Arc-V and 5D’s fanarts too if you watch the series!

Hourglass: Sets after the Memory World arc. Yugi keeps hearing a strange sound inside his mind, and he finds out there’s a huge hourglass standing there, guarded by the will of Millenium Puzzle. Apparently, the hourglass is linked to Atem’s remaining time in the living realm? Anyways, the ending of this comic might look like a cliffhanger, but I personally think it isn’t. I love the theme this comic picks to explore and the way it is presented.

Present: Same setting with Hourglass, but this one focuses more on Atem sorting out his feelings about the Ceremonial Duel and what he has learned from Yugi in general. It’s a very nice extra detail that the canon slightly lacks of, and I just love... bittersweet stuff in general haha.

Artist: Chiriko

Are you the type who wants puzzleship to be full of happiness and fluff and nothing else? Well, she has a number of comics to fill that need! I actually love all of her works, but if I have to pick, these two are my favorite:

...Don’t Ever Leave Me Again: A short story about Yugi having a nightmare of where he was stuck in the fire accident at Otogi’s store. Well... this isn’t a fluff sort of, but it’s... a happy ending still? /shot

[Untitled]: A dialogue-less comic, but this is the sort of post-canon what-if that I really, really like. Atem stroking Yugi’s face while sleeping is just... so soft man....

Artist: Komori Nea

Their art style was one of those that’s very noticeable and has a certain charm on it. They are pretty active on Twitter, and even draws puzzle comics once in a while that haven’t been uploaded to pixiv (which is why I recommend you to check their twitter gallery too haha)

The Soul Stays Awake: Post!DSOD. Atem comes back from afterlife in hoping that Yugi would be as happy as he is, but months after, Atem’s existence still hasn’t been registered on Yugi’s life just yet. Another post!DSOD take that I like which involves the fear of another farewell and uncertainty, but this is a good hurt-and-comfort. I swear, it’ll hurt you just... for a while. :”)

The Attack’s Aim: Set during the canon series. A short comic mostly portraying Yugi’s hidden strength but also the tenacity of duelist that is not only targeted toward the opponent, but also to Atem, without the person actually noticing it. The last page of this one is so... soft and gentle I had to put it into this list.

Artist: caf

Often draw with S0/TOEI style, characters and characterization in mind. Their coloring in illustrations is so soft, plus artists who specialize in S0/TOEI style can’t be found so easily. Their comic style is not a manga-like one and they write the dialogues with handwriting, but if you can read hiragana and write and understand how kanji works (so you can write it on translation machine), their comics are easy to understand!

magenta: S0/TOEI AU where Yugi and Atem are two separate person. A short comic of Yugi lying under the rain as Atem searches for his whereabouts. I really love the way they portray the rain and the atmosphere surrounding the scene. Or maybe I’m just biased with rains in general, ahahaha.

Yuugi and Mao’s Stay Home: Same AU as above. Our two boys has to face the same shit we do IRL in this comic, which is quarantine. Atem offers to cook something for Yugi since he can’t eat outside. You love seeing Yugi eating stuff? This is a perfect comic for y’all.

Artist: Kkyut

Artist: Kayu(i)

Others:

Gemini: As Atem comes back to the living world, Yugi faces the dilemma of having being separated by “his other self” physically and mentally. A short comic, but the lines the artist used are so... beautiful. Like, the way they describe Yugi’s loneliness?? Just hits the park so much.

Until The Hourglass Runs Out: Set after the Memory World Arc. As their farewell day goes closer, Yugi decides to give Atem a full control of his body at school so he could spend his time with Jounouchi and the gang more. However, things don’t go as smooth as Yugi had expected. If you like that little teeny weeny pain before the Ceremonial Duel, this comic perfectly suits the taste.

see you sometime: Post-canon. Mahaad offers Atem a chance to meet Yugi in the living realm one more time, but with several conditions. Firstly, he could only stay for a day at maximum. Secondly, Yugi won’t be able to remember who he spent his time with after Atem hangs out with him. Thirdly, Yugi will not be able to “recognize” this Atem; he will only be registered in Yugi’s mind as a new classmate. A bittersweet comic in whole, but seeing the two having fun like a normal teenager would just makes me grin.

After The Rain: A dialogue-less comic, so everyone would be able to read this right away. A short comic of the two, but still very cute and wholesome!

The Tropics of Horus: Post!DSOD, Atem has to chase Kisara who lingers around Kaiba’s soul and he needs Yugi’s help to bring Kisara back to afterlife, but he has his own ulterior motive. This manga is so dialogue-heavy and might be hard to dissect especially if you don’t understand JP grammar and context, but the time spent trying to understand the meaning behind every words will be worth it. That much I guarantee. Just... everything about this comic, and how Atem’s “ulterior motive” connects to our boys’ adventure in canon series are so well planned. You can also purchase the R18 version in a form of the book here (toranoana)

Christmas Day: S0/TOEI puzzleship hint (dark puzzle???). There’s something in store for Yugi in Christmas, but this one might surprise Yugi a lot. It’s not that the prompt of “Atem gets separated from Yugi temporarily” is uncommon, but it is still a sweet one and makes you smile throughout the pages.

Korean

All titles mentioned here are not free unless mentioned otherwise. Also I don’t understand Korean except being able to read Yugi and Atem’s name, so my story interpretation might be wrong. If you understand Korean, I’d really love for you input! ;_;

You can check out on how to buy comics from postype here

Yugi’s 2020 Birthday Anthology: Rain and After End

This is an anthology consisting of four titles, but they share the same (or similar) setting where Atem is reincarnated, but he doesn’t remember his past (or has not yet, depending on how the story portrays it). Some are age-gap (adult!Yugi and high school student!Atem), so you might want to consider that if it’s not your cup of tea.

To Like Someone is to...: Age-gap setting. Mostly tells about how Yugi deals with his feeling as the reincarnated Atem in front of him turns out to have a feeling on him. I like how the story’s conclusion is that Yugi will sort it out slowly while also teasing Atem how he’s “too early” to date Yugi w.

In A Circle: A story about how the two met through an online chess game. Iirc Yugi works in a game company and Atem is sort of a famous e-sports player in this setting. There’s a lot of dialogue in this one and the app sometimes can’t process them very well, but I liked what I can understand from it! not very convincing is it haha i’m sorry i shouldn’t have done this

Familiarity: Age-gap setting, where Yugi becomes Atem’s caretaker. The comic mostly focuses on how Atem notices how kind (or too kind) Yugi is sometimes, but there are times where he feels distant. The plot where Atem gets into a fight with the other kid in his school because the kid mocks Yugi, and how Yugi just... accepts it even when Atem doesn’t want to say his reason of punching the kid is just.... god... I love this kind of age-gap setting like this I guess ;_;

Touchdown: Age-gap setting, but Atem is older in here (university student). The two goes to Atem’s university festival and they think about their own feeling when they got separated. On their way to drop Atem off, he confesses to Yugi, but Yugi is still unsure on his overlapping feeling between the reincarnated Atem and the Atem he knows. Make sure you play Motohiro Hata’s Rain and Aimer’s After Rain during the car scene to make the “rain” mood works even better :”)

Others:

Try For Point: A continuation of Touchdown, where Atem (like, the one from the past) visits Yugi in his dream and helps Yugi in sorting out is his feeling toward his reincarnated self. Atem’s advice is so sweet and there’s one certain line from this comic that I remember very deeply - there’s a part where he says, “If you don’t pull out the card, you won’t know what card it is, right?” to help Yugi clearing out his hesitancy ;w; at this point, I curse myself for not being able to understand Korean

#puzzleshipping #blindshipping #ygo #im sorry if i can't make a precise description...#will be updated regularly as i scan through my bulky bookmarks

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pocket-luv101 · 3 years

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Summary: Kuro is a mangaka and Mahiru is his editor. They visit London to do research for Kuro’s new shoujo manga. (KuroMahi, Modern AU)

“I’m back, Kuro! The meeting with the marketing department took me longer than I thought so I expect you to have your storyboards finished!” Mahiru called into the condo as he bent down to take off his shoes. The heavy bag he carried was lifted off his shoulder and he turned around to see Kuro. He hanged the bag on the wall for him. “Since you’re being so considerate right now, am I right to assume that you didn’t finish the chapter yet?”

“Ran out of inspiration.” Kuro said and tapped his finger against Mahiru’s lips. While Mahiru tried to feign annoyance, his faint blush betrayed his true emotions. He placed his hands on his strong shoulders and lifted himself onto his toes until he could kiss him softly. He thought a brief kiss would be enough for him but Kuro cupped his cheeks to steal a longer one. He whispered. “Welcome home, Mahiru.”

“Trying to put me in a good mood won’t get you out of trouble.” He nipped at Kuro’s lower lips before he let go of himself. Mahiru walked into the apartment they shared and threw himself onto the couch. He was tired after the meeting he had and he wanted to rest. “How far along are you in the storyboards? I’ll look them over for possible corrections.”

“I only need to finish the last two pages. Since it’s a two-page spread, it should only count as one page, right? That’s not much so don’t be mad.” Kuro collected a few sketchbooks from his work desk and then joined him on the couch. Mahiru sat up so there would be enough room for both of them. “You can look over what I have so far.”

Mahiru placed the sketchbook on his knee and flipped through the pages. He worked as Kuro’s editor for years and he enjoyed his manga series. Eventually, Mahiru fell in love with the man. They started dating but they had to keep their relationship a secret. It was unprofessional for an editor to date their manga artist and he would be fired if they were discovered.

When they decided to live together, they told others that it was so he could keep track of Kuro’s work better. He had an infamous reputation of missing deadlines and then sending the chapter around midnight. Kuro was talented but people found his work schedule impossible to manage. His past editors often asked to be assigned to another mangaka after a few missed deadlines.

Mahiru never gave up on him though. He would visit him every night to see his progress on the chapters and help him coordinate his schedule with the publishing company. It was clear that he loved helping mangaka publish their work. He was the best editor he had in his career and the effort Mahiru put into his job pushed Kuro to work harder as well.

“A talk show requested an interview with Sleepy Ash for the release of the new volume. You were finally able to surpass the sales of the former bestseller. I told them that you were too busy to give a public interview but you’ll send them a statement.” Mahiru told him.

“Thanks.” Since Kuro wanted to keep his privacy, he published his manga under a pseudonym. He leaned against Mahiru and showed him a sketch. “What do you think of this European cottage for the hideout?”

“This is beautiful but you should make the cottage more rustic. Thinking simply, they wouldn’t hide in something that stands out. Maybe have more trees around it too.” Mahiru suggested and Kuro nodded. He flipped to a new page and he started a new design for the cottage. In the corner of his eyes, he noticed Mahiru pull out a few magazines from his bag. “I picked up some travel magazines while I was out.”

Instead of handing them to Kuro, he sat on his lap and opened the magazine. “You said that you wanted to have the two leads go to Europe in a future chapter but you were having trouble choosing where. These might help you find one that suits the main couple. There are pictures in here that you can use for reference as well.”

“I was trying to choose between London or Paris. People say that Paris is the most romantic place to have a honeymoon. On the other hand, I grew up in London so I won’t have to do as much research for the chapter.” Kuro rested his cheek on Mahiru’s head and watched him flip to a different page. “Do you think I’ll be able to fly to London and do a little research? It’ll only be for a few days.”

“I can discuss the idea with the chief editor but it might be difficult to arrange the trip. The boss shouldn’t mind as long as you submit next month’s installment well before your deadline.” Mahiru started to rearrange their schedule in his mind. “If you add in travel time, you’ll be gone for a week. I’ll miss you while you’re in London. Make sure that you call every night so I know you’re eating properly.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I was actually hoping that you would come to London with me. The university that I went to has a flower nursery that I know you’ll love. We can visit those tourist traps for couples too.” Kuro suggested. “You deserve a break.”

Last month was December and the publishing company wanted each of the mangaka to contribute special chapters and illustrations for the holiday. Mahiru worked late into the night to manage so many projects at once and review their work for publication. Now that the holiday rush was over and their job had slowed down, Kuro thought they could relax.

“I’ve never travelled outside of Japan before.” While he didn’t tell him directly, Mahiru knew that he suggested the vacation for his sake. Kuro was the type to show his feelings through his actions rather than direct words. Mahiru could feel his love in how he held him and supported him. A warmth fluttered in his stomach and then spread throughout his body. “I’ll ask for Misono’s approval tomorrow.”

“We can tell him that you’re going to supervise me while I’m in London. That’s the same thing we told everyone when you moved in and they believed it.” Kuro wished that he could tell more people about their relationship but he would never ask Mahiru to give up the job he loved. A vacation in London would allow them to go on a date like a normal couple. He buried his face into the nape of his neck and savoured his warmth. “I know a place we can stay that’s cheap but it’s still comfortable.”

“Honestly, I’m a little curious about your childhood in London.” Mahiru stared at the rose garden featured in the magazine and he imagined Kuro standing among the flowers like a scene from a shoujo. He turned the page and read the description of a statue. “The Mask of Truth? Maybe we can take a detour and go to Rome. I want to ask the mask whether a stray cat truly stole the last slice of pie like he said.”

“You should’ve seen the cat scale the wall to reach our window and steal your pie. He must’ve heard the legend of your wonderful baking.” Kuro’s silly story caused Mahiru to laugh. They both knew he wasn’t truly upset at him for eating the pie and he was only teasing him. Mahiru leaned back into his chest and reached up to stroke his hair.

“We can have as much cake as we want in London.” Kuro was wealthy with his job as a popular mangaka but Mahiru rarely asked him for anything. He respected how independent Mahiru was but he wanted to give him an easy life. “I should finish that new chapter so we can go on our vacation.”

“If only you can be this motivated all the time, Kuro.” Mahiru said but he knew how hard Kuro worked. He remembered the nights he found him asleep on his desk. In the past, Kuro ate instant noodles rather than a proper meal because it was quicker to make. He was able to see a side of him that others didn’t. Mahiru kissed his cheek lightly before he stood. “I’ll start making dinner.”

The plane ride from Tokyo to London took twelve hours and Kuro’s body was stiff after sitting for so long. He slept through most of the trip with his head on Mahiru’s shoulder and his presence made the cramp chair a little more comfortable. “If they make plane seats any smaller, they’ll be the size of baby chairs. I don’t know how you were able to work on the plane.”

“Those seats would be uncomfortable for a tall person like you.” Since Kuro was half British, he was taller than him. His strong features were appealing to Mahiru. He reached out to him and took his hand. “Misono said that it would be difficult for me to join you on this trip. We made a compromise that I can go as long as I work on the proposal for Tetsu’s new poetry collection during the trip. I wanted to finish the report on the plane so I could have more time with you in London.”

Kuro forgot how tired he was after he felt Mahiru’s warmth and he squeezed his hand slightly. He brought their interlocked fingers to his lips so he could kiss his hand. They both worked hard to be able to go on the trip and there were dark circles under Mahiru’s eyes. “Are you hungry? Airport food isn’t that great but it’s better than nothing. I’ll order us breakfast while you find us a table.”

“Okay. We have a lot of time before we need to sign into the hotel so there’s no rush.” Kuro handed Mahiru his suitcase and walked to the food stands nearby. They lived together and they knew each other well so he could guess what Mahiru would want for breakfast. He was glad that the line was short and he wouldn’t have to wait.

Mahiru found an empty booth and he set the suitcases next to each other. They were only staying for a few days so they didn’t pack a lot. Still, he had looked forward to the trip for the past week. A smile appeared on his lips as he imagined the different places they would visit. In the corner of his eyes, he noticed a stall that sold maps.

He kept the suitcases close to him as he walked to the stall. Kuro grew up in London but Mahiru thought they should have a map in case they become lost. A lot could change in a city, even in ten years. He chose a thick booklet that included pictures of different attractions. His English wasn’t the best but he tried to start a conversation with the cashier. “Hello. I am a tourist. I want to go on a date in London. Do you know a place that is very romantic?”

He and Kuro already had a list of attractions they planned to visit. He thought he should ask a local about other places they go. Mahiru held out the map to the cashier with the expectation that he would point to a spot. He was surprised when the man grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer. The desk was between them and Mahiru winced as his knee struck the wood.

“I thought Japanese men were more reserved but you asked me on a date before you even knew my name. You’re cute so I’ll accept. My shift ends in a few hours so wait for me in front of the airport.” He said and Mahiru realized that he misunderstood him.

“I did not mean that, Sir. I already have a boyfriend and I was asking about a date with him.” He tried to pull his hand out of the man’s grip. English had always been his worst subject and he wished he knew the language better. “Let go, Sir!”

“What are you doing to my boyfriend?” Relief washed over Mahiru the moment he heard Kuro’s voice. He placed himself between the two and the glare he aimed at the man was enough to make him let go of Mahiru. Kuro wrapped his arm around his waist and he naturally leaned into him. It didn’t seem the man had hurt him but he asked, “Are you okay, Mahiru?”

“He was the one who asked me out so shouldn’t you be mad at your boyfriend instead of me?” The cashier retorted and his words caused Kuro’s eyes to draw together. They began to speak in quick English and Mahiru couldn’t understand their discussion. “He asked me out.”

“I know Mahiru and he wouldn’t do something like that. You obviously misunderstood or something. Do you often try to grab tourists like this? I wasn’t going to report you to your boss because it would be troublesome. I don’t like people who lie about my boyfriend though.” Mahiru didn’t know what he told the cashier but it seemed to silence the cashier.

Kuro picked up the luggage next to them but he kept one arm around Mahiru’s waist. He led him away from the cashier. Beside him, Mahiru said: “Thank you, Kuro. I heard that other countries are more forward than Japan. Should I be more careful? You grew up in London so you act more casual with people but you never grabbed me like that.”

“That guy was just a creep.” Kuro said. He pulled Mahiru closer to him and kissed his forehead. He was glad that he could finally be affectionate with Mahiru in public. They both wanted to keep their relationship private but it was difficult since he was a popular mangaka. “When I moved to Tokyo, I was surprised by how different it was to London. But I’m not the type to be this affectionate with others. You’re the only one I would hold close like this.”

“How many pictures do you need to take of me for ‘references’, Kuro?” Mahiru sat on the ledge of a fence. They walked along the River Thames and Kuro would occasionally ask him to stand in front of an attraction for a picture. He claimed that he needed someone in the photo so he would have a reference for perspective and proportions. “I’m fine with posing for you but don’t put me in your manga as a character or anything like that. It’ll be embarrassing.”

“I won’t.” Kuro promised after he took another photo. He didn’t include Mahiru as a character in his shoujo series but he was the muse behind most of his work. His work had become more hopeful and warmer after they started dating. “I’m pretty sure if I put you into the series, the villain would be defeated by you easily. You’re the only person who can be both scary and cute when you glare.”

“Oh please, Kuro.” He rolled his eyes but there was a blush on his cheeks. He put the camera into his bag and then walked forward to help Mahiru off the fence. When he stepped in front of him, Mahiru shook his head and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Kuro didn’t know what he intended to do but he stood still. Mahiru leaned on his shoulder for balance as he took out his phone. “This photo is for just us.”

“I’ll take it for you. Do you want the bridge in the background?” Kuro asked as he handed the phone to him. He held the phone at armlength and pulled Mahiru closer against his side so they could both fit into the photo. As he pressed the button, Kuro kissed his cheek lightly. He couldn’t help but grin as he pulled away and saw how flustered he was. “Do you like the photo? I can take another one if you want.”

“I like this one already.” Mahiru smiled at the image briefly before he put his phone back into pocket. He slid off the fence and into his arms. He stumbled slightly and he instinctively reached out to Kuro to catch himself. They didn’t have to worry about people discovering their relationship while they were in London so he wanted to savour the opportunity to hold him close. “Thanks, Kuro. You’re saving me a lot today.”

“I’m just glad you didn’t fall backwards into the lake. This cat is terrible at swimming.” They both knew that he would try to rescue him if he did fall into the water so Mahiru only laughed at his words. He stepped back from him and brushed the dirt from his pants. He took his hand and they continued to walk along the water. “The rose garden should be a few blocks from here.”

“London is tightly packed and we can easily walk places.” Mahiru said and squeezed his hand. They had already planned most of their trip but he would also have fun simply walking with him through the streets. “I know you find walking troublesome. How about we try one of those carriage rides? It might inspire a scene where the characters escape the villains with a horse and buggy.”

“I don’t mind walking like this.” Kuro shrugged but his words made Mahiru happy. “While we’re walking, we should try to find a local bookstore. Hyde made me promise to buy him some books as souvenirs. First edition Shakespeare collections.”

“Don’t get me started on the list of things Licht wants us to bring back.” Mahiru laughed. He rested his head against Kuro’s strong shoulder and smiled up at him. He tried to remember the English phases Misono taught him while they prepared for their trip. “Is there something you fancy, Kuro?”

“I fancy you.” He replied and his alluring voice created flutters in Mahiru’s stomach.

“You’ll have to wait until we get back to the hotel for that. Remember, we came here to do research on possible settings and locations for your next shoujo.” He reaches into Kuro’s pocket for his camera. Mahiru started to scroll through the photos. He paused on the image of Kuro eating fish and chips. It was a simple image but he thought he looked handsome and relaxed. “Maybe I should buy a cook book and try some new recipes.”

Before they met, Kuro would only eat instant ramen. He remembered the long lecture Mahiru gave him when he found his kitchen overflowing with ramen cups. He cooked him a proper meal after he finished yelling at him. They would eat together since that day and Kuro was certain he couldn’t go back to eating junk food. Mahiru had always supported him as more than an editor.

Kuro didn’t know when he fell in love with him but couldn’t see a future without Mahiru next to him.

#servamp #kuromahi #sloth pair #servamp kuro #mahiru shirota #fanfiction

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littleeyesofpallas · 4 years

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So i kind of went on a brief tangent in my last Bleach post about how it always stuck out to me that Kubo designed a lot of the Visored as being very kind of specific to the 1970s, or at least not contemporary. And other than the styles themselves being fairly distinct to anyone who’d recognize them, what also pushes the contrast into the spotlight is how unlike Kubo’s sense of style it is otherwise.

But let’s talk about what that even means...

Kubo was kind of well known for his chapter covers and impeccable sense of style by the time the Arrancar was well underway. But it wasn’t always like that, his early sensibilities were very street and sporty (and frankly kind of ugly if you ask me) A lot of graphic tees, random English, and things like windbreakers or other utilitarian outer wear. His idea of accessorizing was sweatbands, sports watches, and scarves/bandanas. And a LOT of different colors, often bold primaries, in every individual outfit.

Also a lot of goggles and headphones, which strikes me as funny, because he also tried to throw goggles into a lot of actual character designs, yet always wound up ditching them in the end... Ganju and Renji both started with goggles that they ditched without explanation.

(the above are actually from the digital colored manga release, but tiling them in black and white at that scale was just going to be illegible. Only the Chapter 5 cover(top row: 2nd from left) was originally a color page. The digital colorist seems to have a pretty firm grasp of Kubo’s sense of style though.)

It seemed like he started picking up a taste for semi-formal wear around the Soul Society Arc, but he also started doing more cover art that was just characters in their in-story outfits, and the series of Shinigami with their names in a kind of calligraphic style, so Kubo’s fashion sense kind of vanished from sight for a while.

(The calligraphy and general wet and heavy brushwork is something else that Kubo picked up and developed into his style over time. It definitely wasn’t in his early Bleach work, or his earlier work. He seemed to start with hand lettering his sound effects, but over the course of the SoulSociety Arc he really started incorporating it into his actual illustration. But that’s a different subject...)

It’s not uncommon for manga artists to pull from real world reference material, although I think it tends to be more common in shoujo artists, but Kubo clearly started perusing fashion magazines, or maybe just google, for inspiration as things went on. And whether he kept working off reference material or eventually developed kind of an eye for design himself, he clearly has the ability to focus in on one particular style over another when he wants to; That is to say, he can work in starkly different styles, and doesn’t just have one core kind of fashion he makes small variations on.

So, when he does something like Shinji’s very 60s-70s British mod wardrobe, with a blonde moptop and a toothy grin, it’s not a coincidence. He knew what style he was going for and he homed in on it, and probably searched it by name when looking for reference.

And that’s the reason I get so hung up on these lingering features of the Visored that didn’t actually go anywhere... Shinji’s thing about Jazz in Turn Back the Pendulum even solidifies this to me, because the “110 years ago” timeframe, be it from the in-world time or the publication date just doesn’t add up. So why have it at all? The obvious answer to me is that because, even if Kubo never intended Shinji to have been around 110 years ago, he did always intend Shinji to be into Jazz. And again, the deliberate fashion choice with Shinji side by side with a Jazz theme points to the 1960s-70s Jazz-Rock scene.

Also, just a random detail, but every other Visored has just one outfit, yet Shinji changes clothes EVERY time the day changes during the Arrancar Arc.

Then there’s the distinct 1970s shoujo vibes with Rose that place him in a very specific time period.

And Mashiro’s tokusatsu bodysuit, heart-shaped and bug-eyed hollow mask, and gogo boots+goggle glasses look, are all 1970s staples. The overall outfit I believe a bad pun on Gogo Dancers and Gorenjaa(5-Ranger), her hollow mask is a mix of Momorenja(Pink-Ranger)’s heart shaped visor and Kamen Rider’s grasshopper helmet: The original Kamen Rider and Himitsu Sentai Gorenja series airing in 1971 and 75, respectively.

It’s just super apparent that Kubo had the 1970s in his crosshairs, and it’s hard to really take a concrete guess at exactly why. But by proximity some of the others like Kensei start to naturally fall into place as their more obvious themes have their own links to the 1970s.

And this is just a bunch of Arrancar Arc covers for comparison. Unlike the other two image sets these are actually mostly originally color pages; in fact only the 1st-4th, and 7th(Uryuu) tiles in the top row were originally black and white.

#bleach #Hirako Shinji #Kuna Mashiro #Visored #Kubo Tite

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animehouse-moe · 1 month

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Goze Hotaru Chapter 2: The Little Bird Takes Flight

I'm saying this right now, Goze Hotaru is the best new manga Shounen Jump+ has seen in years. Go read it.

In terms of this chapter specifically though, it's really incredible how Tosaya has been able to successfully conclude (temporarily, at least) 2 different characters within the span of a pair of chapters.

Hotaru's adoptive brother Masa has gone from the older brother that drags his sister everywhere, to the overprotective and meek sibling that feels pity and sorrow for his sister, to the older brother that's recognized the independence of his sibling and wistfully watches that little girl walk out into life on her own.

Hotaru's grandfather on the other hand actually regresses, feeling guilt in burdening Hotaru with the truth of her parents and seeing her join the Goze. His feelings of guilt and failure essentially force Hotaru into putting on a brave face to depart with the Goze, but it ultimately promises a reunion full of love and happiness when the pair see each other next.

And then there's the art, oh the art. I don't think I've seen a mangaka debut with art as incredible as this in a very long time- and I mean a very long time.

Tosaya deftly cements Hotaru's sparkles as a part of the visual language of the series, a representation of her excitement, anticipation, and passion, and the looser and darker pages as an expression of Hotaru's imaginary visuals for the various stories that appear in this manga.

It is quite honestly, borderline freakish artistic talent. Tosaya has immediately carved out an incredibly well refined artistic niche that they execute upon constantly. Rough linework, heavy and sketchy shadows, backgrounds full of swirling lines that make every moment feel tumultuous and turbulent, much like the uncertainty and confusion that Hotaru faces with every turn.

It is, very simply put, a manga that everyone should be reading. I'm certain it'll see a quick release from Viz, and will quickly become a series of critical acclaim. These first two chapters are just too incredible to deny.

#goze hotaru #shounen jump #shounen jump plus #shonen jump plus #new manga #anime and manga #manga #manga reccs #manga recommendation #manga review

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hueswrites · 4 years

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hq kinktober [day1] tendou

main hq kinktober list

hq kinktober [day1] tendou satori/cosplay

includes: a bit of story, some angsty broody stuff on reader's part, cosplay (obviously), fingering and female receiving oral sex

wordcount: 4,827

ok this turned out to be more fluff and actual sort of plot than smut. i just started writing at 12:30am and kept going until 6 in the morning. this is the result. if you were looking forward to straight up smut on this first prompt, i'm sorry but THIS IS NOT IT LMAO.

i absolutely adore tendou and the perspective i gave him on life in this. stay quirky, my friends. (as kenma would say... stay interesting, shouyo)

Being Satori was hard. It was unfortunate, exhausting, and just plain miserable - that's what his junior high school classmates wanted him to believe, at least.

In his early years of school, Satori Tendou was teased for his awkward, gangly appearance and unusual mannerisms. His attempts to interact with his peers were often shunned due to the offbeat semblance he exuded, which left most of the other kids feeling unsettled.

His mother, equally peculiar in her own way, urged Satori to make the most of his eccentricities. "Think about the characters you like from the manga you read. Would you want to keep reading the story if all the characters were the same?"

Satori shook his head, already concluding the point his mother was trying to make. "I get what you're saying, Mom," he grinned from ear to ear, a smile the width of his perfectly straight cherry red bangs, and pushed himself away from the kitchen table. He plopped down onto the wooden floorboard with exuberance. "Life is boring when everyone's the same. Who wants to live a boring life?" He padded over to his room and jumped onto his bed, going back to the first page of this week's issue of Jump. The warm, tingly feeling of adventure took over as he reread the newest chapters of his favorite series for the thirteenth time that week.

A decade later, Satori found himself living in France, where he stood out more than ever before. Not only did he need to learn how to adapt to the country's unfamiliar customs, he also had to learn how to speak its language: the language of love. He found his self-appointed tutor in the bookstore he frequented once he felt comfortable navigating the streets of Paris, which happened to be the same bookstore you browsed when you had a little bit of money to spend.

There you stood alongside him in the graphic novel section, your form hidden under an oversized hoodie, brows scrunched together in what appeared to be deep concentration. You were extremely aware of his presence looming over you, and it created a feeling of unease that sunk into your bones. You braved a glance up at his face, and he quickly turned his head back to stare at the row of the slice-of-life series that lined the very top shelf before him.

Tall, you thought to yourself. That's a very tall man.

You shuffled away from him just a bit, browsing the very bare section of "how-to-draw manga" guides that you knew were second rate to how real manga artists crafted their work.

Moments later, a silvery voice spilled into your consciousness and caught your attention. "Hmm, if only Matsuo-chan realized Hibari's feelings for her in the very beginning..." You can't help but look back up at the lanky man next to you, listening as he changed his speech from French to Japanese. "Then perhaps sweet misery would've never crushed their poor, little hearts." He turned his head to look down at you, heavy lids lowered over brilliantly crimson irises. A cheeky upward curve lifted his thinly shaped lips, and your heart skipped a beat.

Your mind went blank, rendering you speechless.

"I saw the Todai button on your bag," he said, voice now light and cheerful.

You blinked once, twice, then looked down at your messenger bag decorated with various pins from the clubs you took part of in college back in your home country of Japan. Your body relaxed, and a breathy laugh escaped your lips. "Yeah, Tokyo University. Are you from Japan?"

"Yes! Came here from Sendai. How's my French?" He beamed a child-like smile.

You produced your most sarcastic chuckle, turning to lean a shoulder onto the bookshelf so you could face him. "It's kind of terrible."

He mocked a look of despair and dropped his head in feigned embarrassment. You noticed how the pale skin of his cheeks turned a faint shade of red, and you wondered how someone could go from intimidating to adorable in a matter of seconds. Then his eyes snapped back to you, and a toothy grin spread across his face. "Wanna be my tutor?"

Your cheeks flushed pink, and your breath came to a halt again.

"I'm not sure I'm qualified to do something like that," you said, pushing yourself away from the shelf to stand square.

He hummed and straightened his posture, shifting his eyes away from yours, down to your shoes, then back up to your face. "Why not?" The look on his face expressed genuine curiosity.

You decided to pretend you didn't notice his blatant evaluation of your physical form just now.

"I've only been here for a year. I can speak enough French to get by, but I'm not sure I can teach someone else how to speak it."

"So little faith in yourself, little miss."

You furrow your brows at the nickname.

He whipped out a volume of a manga you recently started reading and held it up to you. "You have a pin of this on your bag, too," he said with a wiggle of his sparse eyebrows. "How about you try and get me to start reading this subpar manga by making me read it out loud in French?"

You gave him a look of piqued interest. The possibility of roping someone into reading your favorite series was tempting.

Then he continued, "And we can get yakitori and beer while you teach me?"

The hue of red on your face extends to your forehead.

"You've got pins of beer and yakitori on your bag, too."

A few weeks later, you and Satori were on your sixth date seated across from each other at a cat café in downtown Paris. It took the first three dates (he'd somehow coerced you into) for you to realize that the strange man was just that - strange, but harmless. The one friend you'd managed to make in your year in France introduced you to some very attractive and very gregarious men that you just couldn't see yourself with. Your friend's idea of fun was clubbing and bar hopping through the streets of Paris, and that was unsurprisingly the same kind of fun those men preferred as well.

To you, fun was something much more personal and intimate. Your past experience with relationships lead you to believe that you are meant to be on your own - that there is nobody in this world that will appreciate your oddities and make you as happy as you can make yourself.

Your interests lied in worlds of fiction and fantasy - games, books, movies, and manga, which you learned Satori was just as passionate about as you. Not surprising. He seemed to fit the socially awkward, emotionally inept stereotype you knew most men fit into that also liked anime. He asked too many questions, didn't understand when his questions push personal boundaries, and just wouldn't. Shut. Up.

He did smell nice. You gave him that.

"So little turtle-in-her-shell, do you ever go to conventions?"

You paused your chewing of the last bit of coffee cake you ordered. "Turtle in her shell?"

That carmine, wide eyed gaze of his remained fixed on your face. "You wear that big hoodie all the time like a turtle in a shell."

"It's comfortable," you state. “And yes, I go to conventions.”

Nearly a minute of silence passed between the two of you, and if it weren't for the chatter of others seated around you and the clinking of cups and plates, you'd have really retracted into your "shell" of a sweater.

So you changed the subject, deciding to ask a question that stepped a hair outside of your comfort zone to a man you weren't quite sure about yet.

"Were you just trying to get my attention with that whole "be my tutor" spiel?" You asked following a sip of your iced cappuccino. A little calico feline had chosen you as its scratching post, kneading its nails into the fabric of your jeans. You ignored the little stings of pain for the sake of the cat's enjoyment.

Satori multitasked between feeding himself scoops of his chocolate parfait and playing with the lashing paws of the black cat that sat on the table between you. "Hey now," he said, lightly squeezing the cat's tail before quickly retreating his hand away to avoid the tiny beast's teeth. "I wouldn't know all the different ways to say "I need to take a dump" in French if it weren't for your tutoring thus far, little miss.”

"That's a weird nickname you have for me." The cat on your lap suddenly hopped to the ground, skirting across the ground to the human it suddenly deemed more worthy of its attention than you. You frowned, the action wounding your cold, bitter heart.

"You wouldn't remember me if I called you by just your name, would you?" He used a straw to slurp up the remaining concoction of sugar at the bottom of his cup.

"Do you even remember my real name, Satori?"

He pushed the now empty cup aside and ruffled the black cat's ears with his fingers. It hissed and gave a quick swat of its paw to his hands, then jumped off the table and scurried away.

"I never forget the names of all the cute girls I get to add to my harem," he said with a smirk, his cheeks rising to meet the crinkled corners of his eyes.

You gave him a lopsided glare. "You're kidding, right?"

Satori laughed - a lilted giggle that sent a shiver straight down to your gut, and then his expression darkened and his eyes captured yours in a binding stare. "Would you like to come over and see for yourself?" The way his voice rumbled an octave lower than you've ever heard had you squeezing your hands into nervous balls of tension above your knees.

You frowned. You genuinely couldn't tell if he was being serious. If you hadn't known how much wit and jest the man exuded in nearly every one of his actions, you wouldn't put it past him to be a basement dwelling, serial stalking NEET that kidnapped girls and made them dress up to suit his twisted fantasies. The thought had you questioning every single thing he's said to you so far. He had your number, he knew where you liked to eat, where you liked to drink, and he even knew where you worked. Was this guy like the others?

Suddenly his laughter burst through the air, the sound so boisterous it made you flinch.

"You look so petrified! Are you that gullible to believe everything I say?"

You grit your teeth and grabbed the paper wrapper from his straw to chuck it at his face. "That was so not cool!" You huffed, getting your wallet out to leave a tip on the table.

His laughter continued to tumble through the café, disrupting conversations from nearby customers only for them to direct their attention towards you. You rose to your feet and hurried towards the exit. You absolutely hate being the center of attention!

Satori followed you and matched your stride easily, one of his steps covering three of yours. He stood unbearably close, and if he didn't smell as sweet as the parfait he just ate, you would've shoved him away,

"___-chan," he sang, and you realized it was the first time he said your name. You allowed yourself to relax just a little and slowed your steps. A brief moment of silence settled between the two of you, and he used that moment to gauge your current state of emotional wellbeing.

"___-chan," he said again, this time demanding your attention.

You remained silent. Satori had picked up on so many of your habits in the past few weeks of talking to you and observing your actions that he understood your silence as your cue for, "Go on, I'm listening."

"I'm sorry for upsetting you," he said, bending at his waist so he could meet your line of sight, continuing to stroll alongside you. He must've noticed the creases under your eyes disappear as your tension eased away because that smug little smirk returned to his face. You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye, turning your head to look at him just slightly. A shade of pink colored your cheeks when you met his gaze - his wide, inquisitive eyes studying you with childlike innocence.

You looked forward.

He chuckled and stood up straight, sliding his hands into his jean pockets. "Adorable," he said aloud, further deepening your blush.

You steeled yourself and regained your composure. "Which way do we go?"

Satori hummed. "What do you mean?" he said, bending down again to look at your face. Why must he always have to stare like that when he speaks?

"Aren't we going to your place?"

He grinned. "Really?"

You threw a glare his way. "I'll change my mind if we don't start heading there right now."

Satori grimaced. "___-chan does not cool down so easily after bursting into flames," he mumbled, and you ignored the comment. He sighed. "This way, little miss," he took your hand and pulled you along, bounding across the street as the pedestrian crosswalk countdown hit zero. Your hand wrapped around his, holding on tight to keep up.

You couldn't help but laugh at the stupid sound effects he made as he continued to leap from the street onto the sidewalk, giving you no choice but to run and jump over the curb with him.

Your self-conceived belief that you are all you'll ever have and all you'll ever need to be happy now faced a challenger. This strange person - this bizarre character - punched a hole through the wall you've put so much effort to build on your own.

Satori's twenty-seventh birthday came just after your one year anniversary of the strange... relationship... you managed to maintain despite your ongoing struggle against the warped, pessimistic reality you believed about relationships through years of self-doubt. Slowly but steadily the glass case you built around yourself chipped away due to Satori's freakish ability to see beyond your façade and understand your feelings.

You learned about the bullying he faced in his childhood, and how his mother and high school volleyball team helped him accept the fact that life will always have real jerks with nothing nice to say to test your tenacity. He created a routine of reminding you that you can choose whether or not you let those nasty words bring you down or give you motivation to build your self worth.

Life is more fun when things are a little out of the ordinary. Who wants to be the same as everyone else? These are words you considered when you felt down.

For Satori's birthday, you wanted to do something different, something unique that he would remember about you if you ever went your separate ways.

Since the beginning, you noticed Satori had a thing for cute girls in cosplay. When you told him about your own cosplay projects and showed him pictures, his whole demeanor changed. He became shy - something hardly anyone had ever seen in his usually indiscreet personality.

One thing that helped you feel a little more confident in yourself and your relationship was your experience in physical intimacy. From what you gathered in the little bit of discussion you've had with Satori on the topic, he seemed to have far less experience than you. It was cute how his face went bright red when you managed to pry the details of his past encounters out from the tiny little box of insecurities he still held within. Perhaps it was your turn to bring something out of the wicked Guess Monster (you thought it was a cheesy name but he really took pride in the title whenever he reminisced on his youth at Shiratorizawa Academy) that he kept so carefully hidden away.

"Why are you so shy about this?" You asked the first time you had sex.

Suddenly, the creepy, unwavering eye contact he managed to hold with anyone he came face to face with vanished from the list of unsettling and seemingly unashamed habits and mannerisms that made Satori Tendou so uniquely... Satori.

"The one thing I still have trouble with is..." he looked down at where your naked bodies connected on the plush mattress he swore really was worth the $2,000 he spent. (I don't mean to diss your profession, but do you really make enough money as a chocolatier to afford a bed that expensive?) you asked, immediately regretting having asked the question when a gloomy grey cloud appeared over his head).

"Fucking?" You said, giving him a cocky little smirk.

He buried his face in the crook of your neck with a groan.

"I know you get turned on by cute cosplays of your favorite anime girls."

"...and cute actresses," he muttered, now stuffing his face between your breasts.

That's when you decided to shake things up.

Satori's weekends were usually occupied by work at the sweets factory. He was in the process of getting promoted to a position that freed up his weekends, but it wasn't happening anytime soon.

It was just your luck that his birthday fell on a Saturday this year, your only day off on the weekends. You left your cosplays and wigs back in Japan, boxed up in the bedroom you grew up in. While Satori was slaving away at work, you went shopping. You managed to find a decent sewing machine and plenty of fabric at a (pricey) thrift store on the other side of town. The wigs you looked at were ridiculously expensive - definitely for the high end fashion scene of Paris, not for nerdy cosplayers.

Once you returned to his apartment, you spread all of your findings across his bed and bedroom floor.

A maid's skirt that you will definitely chop up to be anything but modest.

A coreset you honestly weren't sure would fit your little love handles and tummy that lost its tone after all the dessert dates Satori insisted were good for "self care."

Cute devil horns with a pointed tail to match.

Knee high stockings and garters he mentioned as being one of the sexiest things a woman could wear.

And a simple leather collar to put around your neck... with the option to hook a leash.

You looked at the spread before you and wondered how such a quiet, reserved person such as yourself could be so... kinky.

You checked the time on your phone. You had three hours to put something together.

9:43pm Satori:

i'm leaving! boss said he'd let me leave 27 minutes early to celebrate the 27 years of my blessed existence on this planet

@( o･ꎴ･)@

9:44pm

that's all he did for your birthday? and wtf is that emoji

9:44pm Satori:

it's supposed to be a monkey but now that i look it really doesn't look like one. be home soooooon!! ＼(^o^)／ he gave me a $1000 bonus too #stacked

9:45pm

omg you are so lame! come straight to your room for your present :)

9:45pm Satori: (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖) ohooOoOOo??

9:46pm stop sending faces and just get your skinny butt over here

9:46pm Satori:

┏( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)┛┏( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)┛┏( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)┛

You heard the front door open, followed by the thump of Satori's shoes hitting the wall. The sound of the lock sliding into place once he closed the door sent a little shiver up your spine.

You sat on his bed, back against the headboard, legs crossed in front of you. You fixed your little devil horns, made sure the tail was pulled out from underneath your butt, and pushed the coreset up to give your cleavage a boost.

Inhale. Exhale.

You'd never dressed up for something like this before, and you had no idea how Satori would react. You imagined he would immediately pass out with a nosebleed.

His footsteps neared his room, and you heard him in his chipper, sing-song voice. "What is my little ___-chan up to, hmm?"

Once he reached the doorway, his eyes landed on you, and his entire body froze. His jaw went slack, looking like a fool with his mouth wide open in dumbstruck awe at the sight before him.

You gave him your most innocent smile, spreading your legs open just a hair. "Come eat up your dessert, Satori~" you said with a tone so sultry it turned his bones into mush.

Satori's shoulders slumped, and he ran a hand through his matted hair in exasperation. His rusty red locks had grown longer than when you first met him - curling behind his ears and covering his forehead. "Baby..." he said, walking into the room, towards the bed. "Baby, baby, baby," he repeated in English, his favorite language to express excitement. He crawled onto the bed, stopping just before you to sit and cross his legs while he looked you over.

Your skirt was cut so short he could almost see the sweet spot between your legs. The garter straps hugged the meat of your thighs and hooked onto the thigh high stockings that fit the muscle of your calves.

Those pointy little horns sat just a little bit lopsided on your head. That slim, pointed tail traced back to your rear, and the collar around that gorgeous neck of yours drew his eyes down to your barely contained cleavage.

"Baby," he said again, almost a whisper. He leaned forward onto his knees to hover over your body and cradled your face between his hands. Hungry crimson eyes gazed right through you, a shade darker than you've ever seen before. "I'm the luckiest man in the world," he said, then pressed the softest, most gentle kiss to your lips.

Your heart fluttered, hands coming up to thread your fingers into his hair. "Happy birthday," you murmured, bringing him back down for another kiss.

The kiss quickly went from gentle to fervent, his hands slipping up your calves over the stockings, over the garters and up to your thighs, rounding out over your ass. He gave your fleshy cheeks a squeeze and broke the kiss, going straight to your neck, kissing every bit of your exposed skin.

You spread your legs more, asking him to come closer, and he did. Your hands slipped underneath his shirt, lifting it above his ribcage, up to his shoulders. He barely moved back to remove the shirt completely before pressing his lips back to the skin over your collarbones, giving you gentle nips with his teeth.

This was the Satori you wanted in bed.

He sighed into your chest, going down to kiss the swell of your breasts. "My little devil," he said, sucking on the skin right above the coreset. "You're so sexy," he bit down a little bit harder, eliciting a hiss through your teeth. "So beautiful," a kiss over the bite, moving to your other breast. "So irresistible," both of his hands came up underneath your ass to lift you up off of the bed and into his lap. You yelped, forgetting his lithe frame could muster so much strength. He placed you in his lap, leaning forward to run his tongue across your lips and into your mouth once you opened up for him.

"Take your pants off," you mumbled, pulling at the waistband.

"I don't wanna stop kissing you," he whined, hands running up along your waist and over your back to press you up against his chest. At that moment you wished you could feel the warmth of his skin, if it weren't for the coreset.

"How are you gonna fuck me if you don't take them off?"

"Mmmfgh," he groaned, a funny sound that only Satori could make without killing the mood.

He pulled away, then quickly leaned forward to steal another kiss, and pulled away again. You crawled off his lap and sat back, watching him rise to his knees to shimmy pants down his hips. He sat back on his butt and kicked them off then crawled back to you, caging you between his arms and legs.

You pushed him away and gave him a devious smirk. "If I knew dressing up like this would flip your switch, I would've done it a long time ago."

He returned your grin with a wicked gleam of his own, eyelids drooping down to look at you with his most perverted leer. "Achievement unlocked?"

You slapped your hand over his face, pushing him away with a laugh. Spreading your legs again, you drew his attention down to your skirt and flipped it up over your stomach to show him your bare cunt.

He groaned, a mix of a whine and a curse, before diving down to attach his mouth straight to your dampened folds. He licked and sucked, pressing the flat of his tongue against your clit before sucking on the little bud, repeating the motion over and over until you started to writhe.

"I-" you began, letting out a huff of a breath, "would tell you to slow down," your hand flew up to grip onto his hair tightly once he pushed a finger inside you. "But it's your night," you huffed again, a strangled moan leaving your throat. "Go wild, Satori."

He removed his mouth and went straight from one finger to three, rubbing the pads of his fingers up against the walls of your core stretching you out and looking up at you with glossy, hazy eyes. "Best dessert I've ever had," he groaned, watching you tilt your head back, chest heaving as your body started to tremble. He went back down to lap at your folds, replacing his fingers with the muscle of his tongue, pushing it deep into your little hole.

"Fuck, Satori, I'm already close," you sighed, rocking your hips up against his mouth. He pulled away again. "I want you for breakfast," he pushed his fingers back inside your cunt, now sloppy with the slick of his saliva and your arousal. He gave a bruising kiss to the inside of your thigh, "And I want you for lunch," a kiss to your other thigh, "And dinner," he groaned, feeling you clench around his digits, pumping harder, faster - long, nimble fingers reaching the very depth of your core.

Those little horns started to slide off your head as you tossed your head forward and back, watching him work between your legs and thrashing back against the headboard whenever he hit your sweet spot.

You lifted your hips off the bed, urging your body to the peak of pleasure. Your voice kept going, encouraging him to go faster, harder, sighing, panting, moaning.

And just like that, every muscle in your body tightened, and a gush of liquid splashed out over his fingers and onto his tongue, his nose, and his chin. Your moans turned into brief, choked sobs as your orgasm rocked your body. You gripped your fist into his hair, so tight you ended up bringing his body forward.

"God," you groaned out load, dropping yourself back down to the bed, your body now spent. He kissed the spot under your navel, over your belly button, back up to your chest, your neck, and your chin. You felt the tips of his fingers slip underneath one of the stockings and pull up and away, letting it snap back down against your skin. You giggled, bringing him up for a slick, sloppy kiss.

You both remained as you were, his forehead now resting against yours, eyes closed, soft pants easing back to controlled breaths. Your left arm slung over the back of his neck, and your right remained tangled into his messy locks, the pads of your fingers giving a gentle massage to his scalp.

"How do you feel?" you asked, too tired to open your eyes.

"Hmmm," he hummed, not quite coherent enough to give a substantial response.

Suddenly, both of his arms wrapped around your waist, and he flipped himself over so that you were on top, straddling his waist. His back rested flat against the bed, that mischievous look once again casting a wicked shadow over his face. He glanced over to where the little devil horns fell onto the bed and placed them back where they belong atop your head.

"I feel like I'm just a peasant, sentenced to be one of hell's slaves for all eternity."

You grin, catching onto his narrative. "Such an unfortunate fate. You were once a hero, but were corrupted by the temptation of lust."

Satori grinned, a toothy, mischievous grin, and his eyes narrowed maliciously. "Now I'm cursed with the inability to ever be satisfied..." He breathed a laugh. "We're so fucking weird," he murmured, "Sounding like Team Rocket..."

You leaned down to give him a kiss. "Weird, normal. Whatever. As long as we're having fun, right?"

#hq kinktober 2020 #hq x reader #hq smut #hq kinktober #reader x hq #tendou x reader #haikyuu #should i even put these in the haikyuu tag or will people try to fight me #whatever

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snkpolls · 3 years

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SnK Episode 71 Poll Results (for Manga Readers)

The poll closed with 176 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Manga Readers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll, click here.

RATE THE EPISODE 172 responses

This week’s episode keeps up the high mark of the previous episodes, with 98.8% of respondents giving the episode a score of 3 or higher (overwhelmingly 4s and 5s). Nice!

It was aight.

It's cool

8.5/10

great!

Very rocky imo in terms of animation, as the cracks are beginning to show but overall look like the backgrounds and music choices were top tier.

Really good episode, I was disappointed in the jacket scene but it’s not the end of the world

loved it

It was overall a great episode I loved it.

🔥🔥🔥

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING MOMENTS WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 174 responses

46.6% of respondents overall were most excited to see Eren meeting up with Floch and the others, with 23.6% of those respondents favoring the scene of Eren putting on his jacket specifically. 12.1% most enjoyed seeing the angry citizens shouting out the Survey Corps motto. 9.8% were thrilled to see Zackley’s death animated. 8% were psyched to see Pieck in disguise at the end, and 6.9% most enjoyed the moment where Hitch caught Armin red-handed trying to touch Annie’s crystal.

YOUR REACTION TO EREN PUTTING ON HIS JACKET? 171 responses

Eren putting on his jacket was a scene many obsessed over when it first appeared on page and many looked forward to seeing it animated. Most of the response choices were focused on various forms of swooning over Eren and his abs. Some (13.5%) stated that they didn’t really understand the dramatism and some others (another 13.5%) simply stated that they did not see much in Eren outright. We’ve gotten a lot of write-ins about comparisons to the pre-animated trailer shot of said scene. More on that in a later question.

i mean i understand the thirst, but eh

Prefer manga :/

The trailer did it better

Meh. Better in the trailer and the manga.

TF was that? Well it's still good in its own way.

YES! YES! YES! YES! Y E S!

both "HOOOOOLYYYYYY 😳" and "so dramatic and for what?"

Trailer/Manga shot was way better

Manga shot/trailer version are way better. Dissapointed

Trailer looked better :(

Mappa only made Reiner thicc, why Eren is so frain he has 1,85! He is so strong in the manga

I don't care

Manbun.........👀

He can have my babies anytime 😌💅🏻

Not as sexy as advertised; that’s okay, though.

That scene looked weird af ngl. It looked better in the trailer 😔

Me after THAT eren scene: 🤰🏻🤰🏻🤰🏻

Eren makes my dick rise

ON A SCALE OF 1-5, HOW HAPPY ARE YOU NOW THAT WE APPEAR TO BE GOING BACK TO LEVI AND ZEKE’S PERSPECTIVE NEXT WEEK FOR A BIT? 171 responses

Levi and Zeke’s chemistry has been the subject of praise for many, so it’s no wonder that 87.1% of respondents are rather excited to get back to seeing Levi and Zeke again. Wow!

ARE ARMIN’S FEELINGS FOR ANNIE GENUINELY HIS OWN? 173 responses

Armin’s feelings for Annie have been looked at under a microscope for a variety of reasons, which is why we’re asking if you believe that his feelings for her are genuine. A plurality, 49.1% think that they’re a mixture of his feelings for her, as well Bertolt’s. Slightly less (30.6%) believe that Armin’s feelings for her existed since before any of the recent developments. Only a select few believe that he either became interested in her post-timeskip or that his feelings are solely influenced by Bertolt. One person doesn’t think Armin has any feelings for Annie at all. And a few others just don’t care.

Bertmin simping for Annie and that apparently being enough for her to start considering him as boyfriend material is the fucking worst. I hate this shit. It's made me like both characters considerably less.

Uhh Armin where ya reaching?!

He was interested with her even before it was revealed she was the Female Titan and now that he has Bertholdt's memories, he sympathizes with her too and wants to understand her more so maybe Bert's memories intensified his feelings

His feelings for Annie are mostly his own. Bert's feelings might be in there a little, but the feelings are still Armin's.

CONTINUITY ALERT! EREN HAS HIS HAIR UP IN A BUN IN YELENA’S FLASHBACK. THOUGHTS? 173 responses

Uh-oh, Eren’s hairstyle moment. It would appear that there might be a continuity error with Yelena’s flashback and whatever that means for the timeline. A slight plurality (37%) didn’t seem to care about this, actually. But 33.5% appeared to believe that it was a mistake on MAPPA’s part that might get fixed in the BluRay version of the episode. 16.8% also believe that it was a mistake, but don’t believe it’ll get fixed. 9.8% think that it’s actually a retcon and that Eren’ll have the man bun when Chapter 123 gets adapted in Final Season Part 2.

I hope it gets fixed because it's bugging me.

I really wish it was like how it was in the manga. Eren looks good with his hair down in his 16-17-year-old phase. Despite the error, it wasn't a deal breaker for the episode.

He looks totally gorgeous with his hair up in a bun, please let this mistake be

Honestly I don’t mind it. It looks great either way.

Eren in a manbun is a total win for me!

WHICH PIECES OF INFORMATION MISSING FROM YELENA’S ADMISSION IN THE MANGA DO YOU WISH WOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE ADAPTATION? 163 responses

As with almost all dialogue-heavy chapters in this series, there are cuts. In this episode, these cuts mostly affected the conversation between Yelena and Pixis. The most yearned for cut material was Yelena never telling Eren to go along with the plan and Yelena saying that she used Floch as a “go-between” between her and Eren. Others also noted missing lines about Yelena wanting Eren to stand up for himself, Yelena stating that Zeke gave the volunteers a hopeful future and the idea that her and Eren came to quick agreement. The plurality (31.9%) however, didn’t seem to mind any cuts.

WHAT ARE YOU OVERALL FEELINGS ABOUT SOME OR ALL OF THE AFOREMENTIONED DETAILS BEING CUT? 161 responses

There is often a sort of expectation to have everything (or almost every) line from the manga adapted in the anime, so it’s interesting to see how people react to that sort of stuff. An almost 50% of respondents stated that they didn’t really care about the cuts, whereas smaller handfuls of respondents stated that the cuts either took away from the characterization of the conversation, or from the context and timeline-building purposes.

I'm not thrilled about the cuts, but I understand MAPPA can only fit so much in on each episode, so I'm okay with it

the yelena/volunteers plot has always been wonky and hard to follow

I don’t think it’s a problem, they need to cut certain things.

i literally never notice but i agree that it makes it harder to piece things together

Meh

It might seem for anime watchers that Yelena didnt do much, and Floch and Zeke that did the most part, in their own plans. Floch to betray and Zeke in predicting Eren wouldnt be on his side in some way. Yelena helped Zeke a lot to where he arrived in the rumbling

All of the above

ZACKLEY WALKS OVER TO HIS TORTURE MACHINE IN THE ANIME BEFORE MIKASA ASKS WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO EREN, RATHER THAN GLANCE OVER AT IT AFTER HER QUESTION. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CHANGE? 170 responses

There was a partially comedic insinuation in the manga that Zackley thought about strapping Eren to his “art piece”. The insinuation is possibly still there in the anime, but in a different form. So we asked how you felt about it. Slightly below a half (48.8%) stated that they thought the subtlety was still there. 18.8% thought the subtlety was lost with the small change and 8.8% believed the change made Zackley seem less unhinged. 21.8% really didn’t care at all.

Why is this a question?

The glance was funny as fuck in the manga, but might have been awkward to pull of in the animation

They're blown up tho, does it even matter?

DID EREN KNOW ABOUT THE BOMB? 170 responses

Whether Eren truly knew about the bomb is a bit unclear to this day and with how it endangered Armin and Mikasa. A plurality (40%) believe he knew about the bomb, but did not know about his childhood friends meeting Zackley. Slightly less (30.6%) think that Eren did not know about either the bomb or AM meeting the Artist. A minority (7.1%) does believe that Eren knew about both the bomb and meeting and 21.8% simply aren’t sure!

Even if he didn’t know, he obviously doesn’t care either way.

THERE IS SOME DEBATE ABOUT WHETHER EREN’S JACKET SCENE WAS BETTER ANIMATED IN THE PROMOTIONAL VIDEO OR IN THE EPISODE ITSELF. WHICH DO YOU CHOOSE? 170 responses

Here we go… The elephant in the room… Which Eren abs scene did you prefer? The Promotional video or the actual episode? A somewhat slight majority (57.1%) seemed to like the version seen in the promotional video more than the episode itself versus the ones who preferred the episode’s style (42.9%).

THE EPISODE MARKS THE BEGINNING OF FLOCH’S ACTIONS AS THE VOICE OF THE YEAGERISTS. HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT IT? 170 responses

Floch has always been a controversial character and the developments seen post-time skip have not been any less debatable. You may floching love him or floching hate, but he’s here and he’s staying for a while. A plurality (48.8%) notes that although they may not personally be a fan of the character, they truly do appreciate the nuance his appearance gives to the story. Just over a quarter (25.3%) stated that as big fans of the character, they’re looking forward to all the screentime the Flochster will receive. In contrast, 20.6% despise the man and his questionable haircut and are also dreading the showcase he’ll soon receive.

I hate Floch and will cheer again when he dies, but I enjoy his character.

I detest Floch but I'm not dreading all the screen time he'll take up.

Since he died in the manga, my hatred for him has cooled down somewhat now that I'm watching the anime.

I am once again asking for you to shut the fuck up, Floch.

WE KNOW NOW THAT EREN DID CONSPIRE WITH FLOCH TO BETRAY ZEKE TO ENACT THE RUMBLING. STILL, DO YOU BELIEVE HE DID IT BECAUSE HE HAS THE SAME BELIEFS AS FLOCH, OR WAS HE JUST USING FLOCH AND THE YEAGERISTS AS A MEANS TO AN END? 161 responses

An overwhelming amount of respondents (87.6%) stated that they believe Eren never truly saw eye to eye with Floch and his ideology and that Eren was simply using Floch as a means to an end. In contrast, 9.3% truly do think that Eren was ideologically similar to Floch and the “New Eldian Empire”. A select few thought you couldn’t just say one way or another.

They both wanted to protect Paradis

DO YOU THINK IF THE YEAGERISTS, BESIDES FLOCH, KNEW ABOUT THE FULL SCALE RUMBLING BEFOREHAND THAT THEY WOULD WILLINGLY FOLLOW EREN? 167 responses

The majority (53.3%) feel that the Yeagerists would see a divide if they knew beforehand that Eren wanted to initiate the rumbling, with some sticking around for the cause and others possibly leaving because it’s too extreme. 25.1% believe that they all would have fully supported the rumbling in the name of their own survival. 15% believe that every Yeagerist already knew about the plan to commence the rumbling, and only 6% feel that they would most certainly have betrayed the Yeager brothers (and Floch) if they had known.

I don’t know, this is a loaded question and I’m tired.

DO YOU THINK THAT, IF THE STORY ENDS PEACEFULLY, MIKASA WILL HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN HIZURU? 170 responses

While this plotline may not be going anywhere in the manga (or so it seems), the reminder of its existence is brought to light again as we revisit these older moments from the manga. 32.4% feel that Mikasa wouldn’t leave Paradis behind to start a life on Hizuru. 23.5% think that she wouldn’t leave Paradis behind, necessarily, but will still have a role to play in Hizuru. 21.2% think it doesn’t matter because Isayama has completely discarded (or forgotten) about this plotline. 12.4% don’t know what to predict (if anything) and only 8.2% believe that her future lies in Hizuru beyond the main storyline.

The last two options plus me not caring. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

hizuru is already rumbled, gone, but she will continue the azumabito clan in paradis

Is no one else gonna question Kiyomi's hair being sucked into her skull??? HELLO MA'AM???

Hizuru is likely flattened

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 171 responses

Episode 72 has already broadcasted as of the completion of this poll. For scenes that were most anticipated, 35.7% were most looking forward to seeing Levi and Zeke’s interaction in the forest. 33.3% most looked forward to Niccolo leaning straight from Gabi’s mouth that she is Sasha’s killer. 18.7% highly anticipated the Blouses learning about Gabi killing Sasha, and 9.4% were looking forward to Gabi/Falco and the Blouses gathering at Niccolo’s restaurant. Only a small amount were looking forward to Niccolo protecting Jean and Connie from drinking the wine.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

Man the animation was gonky

no levi </3

So many faces of Niles are weirds !

Let hange aloneeeeeeee and happy, please

I have no word for this, but I feeling good

Shit is getting really real now!

Everyone talking about Eren’s abs and I just wanna say the music in that scene was amazing!

I loved how it was all neatly put together and fast moving

Armin looked so good. Homie walked from point A to B and i SCREAMED. Thank you.

i wish they included eren's warhammer escape from the prison, besides that solid episode all around, the people chanting 'dedicate your hearts' gave me chills

I can't stand Hitch at all but MAPPA made her really pretty. Re: The jacket scene The trailer version was pretty much identical to the manga panel. But I liked the version that made it into the final episode too. People have been so ridiculous about MAPPA ""ruining everything"" this season, they should stop watching if that's how they feel. I thought Eren looked great and found the sun shining on his abs funny. The scenery was better in the episode, imo. I hope they don't cut Jean's line about booze not caring about what race you are. Lmao

Meh. It's not bad of course, I just find the rythm weird and I don't really feel many emotions watching the episodes. And I was so thirsty for the jacket scene, and it turned out weird too.

Mappa pls stop drawing eren like shit he is gorgeous in the manga

MMGH SOON!! LET'S GOOOOOOO

You friccin moron, you just got zooked!

i miss eremin </3

Wish they had shown how eren used his titan powers to escape.

I'm so not looking forward to the controversy that's gonna be reignited during the EMA talk scene. I'm actually dreading it, but we'll finally get the Levi vs Beast Titan scene so I'll be fine

112 will destroy ships

I felt the animation was flawless as usual but the script was kinda boring, I expected more of these aspects: -Yelena, it was bland with the cuts -Hange, they cut something I cant figure what in this Yeagerists coup act that turned her scenes a little bit lacking? Idk something -Again the soundtrack in the episodes is so silent. The only episode so far I liked the ost beyond the Opening and Closing themes is Reiner episode. I miss the melodrama of Witstudio osts

Eren putting his jacket on in slow-speed whilst talking at regular speed is fucking trippy

Just happy to see Hitch!

It was slow and mainly plot driven. I enjoyed it despite the changes.

goddamn is that a hella well-animated explosion

more abs please

Great episode. Really ridiculous how many people overreacted about the jacket scene. It's ok to perfer the way the trailer did it but to those who say Mappa is ruining the adaptation because of minor things like this, calm down.

I wish the jacket scene was better But over all the ep is pretty good

Boring, but then again so was this phase in the manga.

I really like the VA they chose for Onyankopon! His voice is very warm and genuine, which suits his character well

The sunset was so aesthetically pleasing

yoooo just read ch. 138 and im crying in da club :(

These MAPPA episodes have been a low point for me. I’m trying to enjoy them because I love this story but it feels like a chore.

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 161 responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

#snk poll #snk polls #snk spoilers #snk s4 #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #snk #aot

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trashexplorer · 4 years

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BLCD Review: Given 5

Title: Given 5 (ギヴン－given－5)

Release Date: 2020/02/25

Author/Artist: Kizu Natsuki

Cast:

Furukawa Makoto + Saitou Souma

Hino Satoshi + Takumi Yasuaki

Tamaru Atsushi

Masuda Toshiki

Hamano Daiki

Enoki Junya

Yashiro Taku

Synopsis: Adaptation of the fifth volume of the series of the same name.

Review Proper

Why am I so weak when it comes to Mafuyu and Uenoyama’s relationship??? Not even a few minutes in and they already show Uenoyama’s anxiety. I JUST WANT MY CHILDREN TO BE HAPPY. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO IN ORDER FOR GUSARI TO JUST LEAVE THEM ALONE??? This is quite ironic seeing as how I was praising Gusari for adding some realism into their relationship in 4. 😂 But I’m honestly so beat up from Itsuka Koi ni Naru Made and Saezuru that I wanted my heart to take a break. Who the hell even made this log list and why the hell is Itsuka Koi ni Naru, Saezuru, and Given right next to each other??? I was initially going to put SuzuMinta’s works before Saezuru and Given, but did I really want to put Saezuru and Given before Therapy Game and Love Nest? That’s gonna be total heart ache after total heart ache!

Anyway, the voice work and sound direction here was phenomenal as usual. Shout out to MSG for most of the sound work, Misa Sasa for the Ugetsu’s violin, and Yohei Matsui for the lyrics. It’s so sad that all the cast and staff of the BLCD were never brought in for that anime adaptation. I mean, what was the point in getting rid of all of them? Everyone absolutely loved the series and working with each other, so I don’t think any of them would ever refuse appearing in the anime, busy schedule or not.

Scratch that. I’m gonna say it. I absolutely hated how they scrapped all of the VAs. Where was the need? Are my boys not good enough for the anime adaptation??? When they’ve got a solid fan base that’s about four years old now??? Is Saitou Souma not good enough of a singer for you that you replaced him with some inexperienced VA to voice Mafuyu instead? I know that prods tend to hold cast auditions for anime adaptations, and I don’t have any beef with Yano Shougo and I’m sure he did his best, but the audacity of Blue Lynx to even hold them and not pick Saitou Souma...

I’ve heard the anime version of Fuyu no Hanashi and I dislike how it’s so polished and commercialized when Given’s just an indie band with an inexperienced vocalist. Who y’all fooling? And the lyrics...it completely took away the most important point of the song which is the “fingers getting cold” which is a very vital part of the series because the act of hands slipping away is featured in ALL of the characters’ relationships. If they changed Yoru no Mukou in the movie, I will be livid. Now, I personally don’t care about the anime cast using different tones for their characters so long as they are able to bring their characters to life just as well, but were they really able to do that? Mafuyu was supposed to have “a beautiful husky voice” as per Gusari, but Yano Shougo was more light and sharp which makes his sound less mature and more emotional as compared to Saitou Souma’s more distant and low-key tormented Mafuyu. I definitely prefer Saitou Souma’s soft yet heavy tone over Yano’s because I think that it encapsulates the manga Mafuyu more, but Yano Shougo’s was decent enough for a rookie actor regardless. Yuuma and Nakazawa Masatomo did well in their respective roles even though the former is higher and the latter is lower in pitch than their BLCD counterparts. Yuuma had nailed Makonyan’s Uenoyama down to a degree without going down to his pitch which was nice—UNLIKE SOMEONE. What was the point in making Egu try and replicate Hino Satoshi’s obviously more lower voice??? Egu’s Akihiko might be two to three pitches lower than his Kaburagi and you can clearly hear him strain his throat when he does it—and he goes flat while he does it, too! Please stop making Egu do that, that can’t possibly be good for his throat. I don't want him to go through what Okamoto Nobuhiko did. If Blue Lynx wanted that type of Akihiko, then why didn’t they just cast the original cast in the first place??? If y’all retained all of the Saezuru cast members, then why couldn’t you do the same for Given???

UGH. Way to ruin a franchise. Let’s not even get started with the general animation.

Anyway, back onto the topic of the BLCD, all of my boys slayed their parts as usual. Looking at the cast now, I just feel so proud that they’ve all made names for themselves in the BL industry and have blossoming careers ever since the first BLCD. I would’ve never guessed that Saitou Souma and Makonyan would rise to the top of the industry in just a short span of time. Man, I’m getting emotional. They’re like my children whom I’ve seen grow and robbed right before my very eyes. 😭😭😭 I feel like it was just yesterday when Saitou Souma made his very first appearance as Noiz’ or Hino Satoshi’s younger brother in the DMMD special CDs and now he’s chil-chil’s top 1 BL seiyuu. 😭😭😭 Bless.

No, we’re not going to talk about Haruki and Akihiko’s relationship here because you really can’t talk sense into someone’s who’s marupok. Anong siya pa den sa hule? MAHINANG NILALANG. If he’s happy being a clown, then let him be a clown. Let’s just hope that Akihiko doesn’t hurt him anymore (even though he’s said that he might hurt him again in the future).

Red flags: *exists*

Haruki:

This adaptation stuck closely to the manga, so reading it along would be easy. Yoru no Mukou was amazing. I was tearing up while listening to it and I think I like it more than Fuyu no Hanashi (Saitou Souma’s version), but Fuyu no Hanashi is just a different sting yo. These days I just find myself listening to both just to cry myself to sleep at night. HAHAHAHA. I definitely recommend getting the Live Edition instead of just the normal version because you just have to listen to the whole song!

#blcd reviews #blcd 2020 reviews #given #kizu natsuki #crown works #furukawa makoto #saitou souma #hino satoshi #takumi yasuaki #tamaru atsushi #masuda toshiki #hamano daiki #enoki junya #yashiro taku

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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The Horror Influences of Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan

https://ift.tt/2Zl6eQ9

This article contains spoilers for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is beloved by shounen anime fans for its nonstop action, absurd and over-the-top showdowns, and creative Stands (physical manifestations of one’s true self). It’s a bombastic series that defies predictions. We’re still waiting for the fifth part of the manga, Stone Ocean, to be released as an anime adaptation, and the story is still ongoing. Strangely, there’s still no confirmation that a fifth season is even coming yet.

In the meantime, however, we got something of a holdover: Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan. An adaptation of a series of one-shot chapters from JoJo creator Hirohiko Araki, it bridges the gap between the fourth season, Diamond is Unbreakable, and the fifth season, Vento Aureo. But while it follows manga artist Kishibe Rohan and what he’s been up to between both seasons, it takes on a decidedly different slant than the vanilla anime. Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan takes more inspiration from episodic horror anthologies, like that of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits. It is, by all counts, a horror series.

It’s a new direction for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, though not completely unexpected. The thing is, JoJo has always been riddled with disturbing, horrific, and downright chilling moments. They’ve just been couched between action-packed showdowns and bombastic character design so that the terror creeps in without you even realizing it’s there. Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan approaches the genre in a much more straightforward manner, though, wearing its influences on its sleeve. Both series, including JoJo to a staggering degree, are inherently spine-tingling properties, even if they don’t seem so at first blush.

Creator Hirohiko Araki is a ravenous horror fan, after all, and makes no secret of his passion for the genre. In his book, Hirohiko Araki’s Bizarre Horror Movie Analysis, he cites some of his top 20 favorite films as Misery, Alien, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The work itself is divided into several parts, each exploring a different branch of chilling media, such as “Bizarre Murderers,” “Animal Horror,” or “Sci-Fi Horror.” It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to think that, despite Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan originally being meant to be unrelated to JoJo, Araki created it to satisfy his love for the macabre.

The episode “Mutsu-kabe Hill” follows a woman named Naoko Osato, who belongs to a well-to-do family. She’s living in a house that belongs to said family along with boyfriend Gunpei Kamafusa. But she can’t be with Gunpei, as she’s already betrothed to a man her father has chosen. Plus, Gunpei is a family gardener, a profession her father won’t abide. The two end up arguing, and Nao tries to pay off Gunpei to get him to leave, as she knows her father and fiancé are on their way to the home. But tensions escalate as the two become violent.

Nao pushes him into a set of golf clubs and Gunpei dies instantly. He’s bleeding, and while Nao struggles to figure out what to do with his body, her father and fiancé are approaching her home. No matter what she does, she can’t get Gunpei’s corpse to stop bleeding. In the end, she lives with this bizarre phenomenon, telling no one about her plight, and doting on Gunpei’s corpse, disposing of the blood he continues to generate for the rest of her life.

Several comparisons can be drawn from this episode to Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” in which the narrator commits a murder, dismembers a body, and hides it beneath some floorboards. Despite having seemingly gotten away with the perfect crime, the narrator is driven insane by the sound of his victim’s heartbeat. He ends up confessing to the authorities as he believes they can hear it, too. It’s the story of an unreliable narrator whose sanity is slipping.

Though the narrator in that story ended up confessing to ease his suffering, Nao chose to live with the consequences of her crime, succumbing to a monster that lives off of people’s affection. The stories are quite similar in tone, though with very different outcomes.

In “At a Confessional,” Rohan recounts a story of how he met a man who confided in him while in an Italian confessional. The man spoke of a beggar to whom he refused food and instead forced to work until he died. The beggar returned as a ghost, swearing revenge on the man who wronged him, promising he’d return on the happiest day of the man’s life. Return he does, as the man has enjoyed riches beyond belief, a beautiful marriage, and the birth of a daughter.

The beggar appears in the form of an apparition in the man’s daughter’s tongue. He forces the man to toss pieces of popcorn his daughter was eating into the air and catch them with his mouth three times in a row in an absurd challenge. If the man succeeds, his life will be spared. If not, he’s beheaded instantly.

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This tale immediately recalls Stephen King’s Thinner, a similar story about a man who’s committed several wrongs, cursed the father of someone he’s murdered — this time, because he runs over a woman while driving and engaged in a sexual act with his wife. The curse finds the man, who is obese, becoming thinner and thinner at an uncontrollable rate.

Eventually, there are options available to the man, who pleads for a resolution. He’s informed by the same person who cursed him that he can eat a strawberry pie with his blood in it and die, or give it to someone else for him to be spared. It’s just as gruesome as forcing the rich victim in Kishibe Rohan to munch popcorn or die.

In JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, the scares seem to come directly from a series of inspirations for Araki instead of new stories based on the media he’s obviously consumed.

The first JoJo arc, Phantom Blood, sets the stage by introducing a swath of Gothic horror elements. It introduces the eventual vampiric rise of DIO in a Victorian society, which directly references classic novels like Dracula and Frankenstein. There’s even a serial killer named Jack the Ripper, who faces off against Jonathan and his allies, pulled straight out of history — a perpetrator of grisly murders who ends up transformed into a zombie. The undead are also a major component of Phantom Blood, likely due in part to Araki’s love for classic zombie cinema.

In the arc Stardust Crusaders, Jean-Paul Polnareff finds himself de-aged by a Stand user named Alessi. A young woman named Malèna nurses him back to health, up until Alessi uses his Stand, Sethan, unceremoniously de-ages her to that of a fetus outside of the womb. A few of Araki’s favorite horror movies of all time, including Basket Case, center on body horror, which doesn’t make this narrative decision surprising. But for those reaching that point in the story for the first time, it’s chilling in a way that even some of the most nightmarish films can’t even touch.

While the visual of a fetus itself isn’t as offensive as some gnarled, disfigured victim, its implications are disturbing, to say the least. A fetus outside of a mother’s womb will eventually succumb to a slow death, especially one of Malèna’s apparent age. That makes Polnareff’s eventual victory over Alessi and his Stand so bittersweet.

The entirety of the fourth arc, Diamond is Unbreakable, plays out like a classic slasher flick with the introduction of Yoshikage Kira, a man with a powerful obsession with hands to the point of fetishism. He murders women with “beautiful hands,” then keeps the hands as his “girlfriends.” It wouldn’t be a stretch to compare Kira to classic killers like Psycho‘s Norman Bates or The Silence of the Lambs’ Hannibal Lecter, as Kira is believable and charming when he isn’t committing grisly murders.

Most of JoJo’s Stands are horrific on their own, and even though their story arcs enhance their terrifying power, there’s a fair amount of fridge horror to be found in these beings. The Freddy Krueger-like Death 13 can kill you in a nightmarish dream world while you sleep. Metallica (yes, named after the heavy metal band) forces you to cough up razor blades or have scissors burst from your chest.

Another Stand, Green Day, can secrete a deadly mold that will rot and destroy the flesh of anything it touches in an instant. Lastly, Rohan Kishibe himself has a fairly disconcerting Stand: Heaven’s Door. It allows him to literally read someone like a book, then erase parts of their being, or add in what he pleases, like the ability to learn a new language as his pal Koichi asks in Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan.

It’s easy to see how Araki has masterfully melded horror into every space when it comes to both JoJo as well as Kishibe Rohan. With that in mind, it’s strange that the former has been relegated only to a series of one-shots when it shows so much potential as its own project, in which Araki gets to stretch his Rod Serling-esque legs or impart some very Argento-like stylings into his works. For now, we can appreciate what’s there — and continue finding parallels to additional well-loved classics in the genre.

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Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan is available to stream on Netflix now.

The post The Horror Influences of Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan appeared first on Den of Geek.

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