Anime pt2: Those we luv, hate, and wanna.....?

In the world of imagination and creativity, whether it be a live action, or animated show, the story and the character go hand in hand. Anime, though different from its live action counterpart, the characters that are born from its variety of story genres not only frighten, but inspire its viewers long after the show ends, leaving their impressions from childhood, far into adulthood. Anime character types(and subtypes), are many and detailed, if not complicated, so if you be so willing to read along, i'm going to try to describe just some of those character types, see which one(s) have been your favorite.

The Warrior

The stoic, disciplined, and often times meticulous persona, is a character that shows up in a lot in fantasy and war-type shows. He or she is an expert in their style of training, weaponry, and knowledge of the group to which they belong to. Sometimes not always the warmest person to be around, their impersonal behavior is used as a cover to hide unknown personal(and sometimes tragic) emotional scars they refuse to let anyone see, until someone unbeknownst to them wears their "emotional wall" down. So dedicated to duty and code, they are willing to give all, including their life, to defeat the Big Bad in the story. Sometimes the warrior is a complete goof-off. They can be lazy, absent-minded, or a complete ditz. It's only when battle is joined, when the warrior shows their true colors. Why we love the warrior i feel that one: the level of training that may be shown throughout the story though exaggerated, as the old saying goes "if they can do it......", two: the level of discipline of the character. If this warrior character can stay calm and brave while(enter situation), i can do it too.

The Underdog

What can we say about the Underdog? They are usually the biggest fan of the hero, or heroes in the story. Sometimes they are taken under the wing of a mentor to train them up the ranks so their dream of becoming like their idol is realized. Other times, they are the ones thought least likely to succeed in anything, thought of as being not a threat, and underestimated. But it is usually this underestimation that works in the Underdog's favor, as they rise to greater courage and power never thought possible, to the amazement of their mentor, and the shock of their enemies. We have all at one time or another have felt like this character, for various reasons personal to ourselves. It is when we see the Underdog persevere, against overwhelming odds, and succeed, we feel not only like we are a part of their story, but they are a part of ours as well.

Hero/Anti-hero

The Hero, they are the symbol of justice, fairness, and everything good in the world. They are the ones we all "wanna be when we grow up", positive, dedicated, moral and true. They may come from another world, reality, or born with gifts far above normal people, whether their gifts are inherited or past down from mentor to student. Though their battles against calamity and villians are exaggerated, it is oftentimes the lessons the Hero learns which draws our most attention. The Anti-hero on the other hand, tends to be displayed as the reluctant hero. Through some incident, mistaken identity, or bias, this character gets shafted. And sometimes, the Anti-hero has to do some "questionable acts" in order to survive. In other stories, the "hero" or the land in which the story takes place is corrupt, and it takes the Anti-hero to correct this. This character type may bring a lot of the love/hate discussion for reasons of how the story plays out, but at the same time, viewers will hope for a better change as the story progresses.

The Villian

If there is one type more hated, it's the Villian. Cold, manipulative, self-involved, this character type when seen in an anime, brings up feelings of rage and anger that only gets shared with a pillow(or bedroom wall, sorry mom). It's the Villian that tests our main protagonists, pushing them physically and emotionally to the edge, daring them to jump off. In some shows, though our protagonists know the Villian is irredeemable, a "sympathy for the devil", is shown, even though most viewers watching would not be as kind. We as viewers cheer and take our breath of relief when the Villian is defeated, it also goes to remind us for all the light that is with us, there are shards of darkness we pray we never come across or become in our real lives.

The Lovers

If you are viewer of rom-coms, or any anime that has these characters in it, you have been happy and frustrated by how the story plays out. Boy meets Girl, both grow up together, both shy and refuse to tell the other how they feel, or every time the two characters are together, they are interrupted by something or someone. Or, the characters in question work together, there is obvious romantic tension, but neither one wants to be to one to "make the first move." Though there are many variations with characters with stories like this, most likely you have at one time or another yelled at the tv trying to tell the characters in question, "Hey, get a clue/do i need to lock you two in a room!" Those stories that end on a happy note for the characters, for the viewer it's beyond satisfying, that even in an anime, love and romance can be difficult, just like in real life for us too.

The Enthusiasts

Forgive me if this title doesn't best describe this last group of character types. This group refer to the sports, fitness, and singing anime. These are the characters, who through trial and error, persevere to reach their goal as the best in that real-world activity. These shows so closely relate and mirror the real world, the viewer i think has to look up the places the story talks about to see if they're true. At the core of these anime stories are the lessons that the characters learn about themselves that make the viewer truly take to heart.

I hope that by trying to describe some of the character types in anime(though i know there's a lot more), you can for yourself answer, or have a list of those anime characters you love, hate, and wanna........?