Do you think anime should be more inclusive towards other ethnic groups?

[Silver7]

Anime shows mostly White European looking characters and I think the White Euro characters are awesome but what about adding just a few more Black characters to anime. Heck I think they can even showcase East Indian and Native American Indian characters too.

I liked how Tite Kubo's Bleach had a variety of different kind of characters, we had the dark skin Hispanic guy called Chad, we had the beautiful dark skin Yoruichi, we had Kaname Tousen and more etc.

I think the diversity is one of the things that made Bleach so popular, Naruto Shippuden was diverse as well. I wish more manga creators would do the same thing Kishimoto and Kubo did when it comes to character diversity.

What are your thoughts?

[conventurecomics]

There are plenty now days. Anime is fine the way it is right now.

[vapidink]

Anime characters aren't white though, unless they're specifically referred to as being from the US or Europe, or just having a non-Japanese name. Like FMA's characters and settings were more or less modeled after Europe, specifically Germany. I don't expect anime to be big on representation of other ethnicities/nationalities just because Japan's a very homogeneous country. There's very few foreigners in Japan so other cultures are kinda out of mind of the general population.

I agree that it's nice to see other nationalities represented in anime though. Bleach was cool because of the variety of characters it had, but Kubo just happened to be very interested in other cultures. Saint Seiya also has characters from different nationalities, same as most--if not all--Gundam shows. While it's cool to see, I wouldn't expect Japanese creators to get on the diversity mindset that's more prevalent in the US.

Editing to add that Golden Kamuy is a very good manga/anime that focuses on the indigenous Ainu people of Japan. Just wanted to rec that one, lol.

[RedLenai]

Unless specified, anime characters aren't white nor european.
They mostly are Mukokuseki, the deliberate lack of ethnic features. Most of anime characters have hair and eye colors that don't necessarily associate with in real-world genes. So seeing someone with yellow hair, doesn't necessarily imply that they are blonde.

And this is caused because Japan is a society that is all about appearances and following a certain standard, while this sounds racist: "All japanese (Or Asians) look the same" is due to the fact there is a mold to respect, it was not even until long ago that anyone with a hair lighter than Dark brown had to obligatory dye their hair in order to be accepted in schools or workplaces and even so, some establishment are still obligatory on that "dress-code" despite nowadays there is more "half" children nowadays that have lighter hair colors.

A lot of manga and anime are even more popular than Bleach and Naruto without necessarily being inclusive. A lot of mangakas are not going to necessarily be inclusive just to satisfy some kind of western quota, some don't even encounter a gaijin through their entire lives regardless of how many are moving to the country.

If the rumours are real, the reason why Tite Kubo has a lot of hispanic influences in his work, is because his wife has mexican heritage. But again this is just a rumour

On my end, I wish representation was done properly, not only on anime... alterning already existing characters just to satisfy people superficially doesn't seem that appealing to me, I would vouch for Original characters. Especially since for many, an adaptation or re-work could be their first introduction to a franchise, and if they investigate the original source they could probably feel discouraged and disappointed to see the character they project themselves into looking entirely different. I get liking a character or feel seen in one, but sometimes people tend to project themselves a bit too hard in characters, and I've seen the kind of fights and harassment that comes out with that, even for stuff that is mostly a headcanon.

[ueonts]

I think it's a problem of "writing what you know". Most manga authors aren't in a position in which they know many ethnically diverse people in the first place. I think it's cool when authors branch out though. Blew my mind reading JoJo's part 9. Despite his age it seems like Araki constantly reaches into new areas and stays fresh, the fact that he made a POC protagonist there was pretty cool. (Actually not certain or can't remember, Jodio is a POC right? haha).

[ButterflyEmpress]

I don't see why not. It can open up a whole new world of stories to tell and create more interest in cultures that aren't well known. There's already a ton of anime with a majority European cast like FMA, SpyxFamily and Attack on Titan so it's not like writing about other cultures is impossible. I'd love to see more shows like Michiko and Hatchin, Great Pretender, and Carole and Tuesday.

The unfortunate reality is that people with dark skin are still associated with negativity which means they won't sell as well. Plus there's a lot of racism in the anime community so seeing more diversity in anime isn't something coming anytime soon.

[NickRowler]

Most anime characters aren't white unless the author goes out of their way and states that it's a white person. Usually anime characters have colorful hair and eyes because it's more fun. The characters still have Japanese names, act Japanese, and engage in Japanese culture.

I think for diversity, I noticed that because of the internet, mangakas can see that their work has appeal all over the world. That has encouraged some creators to add more diversity to their story to reflect that.

I think my concern is how there are many cases where Japanese creators have tried to add diversity and it just ended up being stereotypes.

I do think Hare + Guu is a cute show, but it definitely enforces a bunch of weird stereotypes about South East Asian people. I also remember there was this one anime that I saw in some anime club years ago where an Indian man threw curry at people. Shaman King did try to showcase Native Americans but did some in a way that was a bit YIKES.

Like I don't think people should avoid adding diversity, I just think people need to do their research.

[UrMom]

Oh no, you're all wrong. Japanese people base their anime/manga characters off cats, not caucasians.

[ar-ninetysix]

Was expecting this to appear. So.. if people are attracted to these designs based off cats.. wouldn't that technically make them furries?

[Stargazer31]

I personally think that more anime characters who aren't Japanese/White would be a good thing, as it opens up possibilities for different stories. Also, there'll be more characters to cosplay as

[UrMom]

Yes, all fans of anime and manga are actually furries. /tru fax

[NickRowler]

The more extreme facial proportions always looked very odd to me. They sort of reminded me of those grey aliens . So when anime designs dipped into the uncanny, I would tell myself they weren’t humans, they are aliens.

[DokiDokiTsuna]

There are plenty now days. Anime is fine the way it is right now.

...I think you should know that this is a hair's-breadth away from just being a racist dogwhistle.

Like, what does 'plenty' mean?? That there's some arbitrary diversity quota that's already been met, and any further attempts to be inclusive would be 'extra' or unnecessary...?
What is 'the way it is right now'?? Anime wasn't always the way it is right now, and it isn't always going to be the way it is right now: like any other medium, it will continue to grow and change with the people who make it. Why bring this up as a response to someone asking about inclusivity?? Unless you think all the other ways it will inevitably change are somehow more acceptable....?

TL;DR, you really need to think before you just say things...

I don't see why not. It can open up a whole new world of stories to tell and create more interest in cultures that aren't well known. There's already a ton of anime with a majority European cast like FMA, SpyxFamily and Attack on Titan so it's not like writing about other cultures is impossible.

This is actually a very good point. Diversity is never an issue when anime writers want to include (white) Europeans, or even focus on them completely, but when POC get involved, all of a sudden it's a different story...
I mean, I understand all the hundreds of reasons why, but it still feels hypocritical to a degree. ;/

Also, let's not pretend that there aren't people of mixed heritage, or just actual immigrants living IN Japan who might like to see themselves represented in media as something besides an 'exotic other'. Whose lives are made harder by the cultural homogeneity surrounding them, and who aren't just 'acting like Americans' if they would like for things to change.

Racism itself doesn't only exist in the US, despite what some people would have you believe...although, if having a large potential audience in the US is what it takes for some media companies to consider that other cultures exist, I feel it's a net positive.

So in answer to the title question: Yes, AND I think more inclusivity is inevitable. Every time an anime character who looks or acts 'different' is allowed to appear onscreen, they make it just a little bit easier for the next one. It may take a while, but this kind of progress tends to move forward, not backwards.

[UrMom]

I'm being shot back to early 2000's shoujo anime.

All otaku and weebs have been duped, all their anime characters are alien cats! (In all seriousness though, I can see the resemblance. Some of those facial proportions can be like "Wow, wtf is that!?" Lol)

[conventurecomics]

I have seen tons of anime and it's fine right now no need to recreate what they are creating now. What I don't want to see is AI, or anime 3d not drawn by artists but ethnic has always been in anime they already have all sorts of diverse characters. Anime is on the right direction. It would be nice to see more animal characters in anime such as Polar Bear Cafe Polar Bear's Café, even dragons that talk, Pokemons that talk would be fun to see more, a new Thundercats would be fun again to see. The direction the creators are going is awesome.

[flourish]

I think anime should be kept Japanese, Black people or not. I am black myself but i don't want a future or current situation where someone will draw a comic in black and white about a black man living in New York and then go on to call it manga.
That's a COMIC!!
Sure you can twist manga and make yours unique but don't turn anime and manga into stuff like that. There are some dope comics and cartoons like avatar, boondocks, marvel, Rick and Morty e.t.c so we dont need to teist manga or anime to fit us. You could make a comic, manhwa, manhwa or you could even create your own brand.
Just like how a black and white manhwa is not manga, we shouldn't take all these diversity to the extent that Anime and Manga becomes something like A black guy fighting an African God in Uganda.
Edit: These examples are metaphors.

[NickRowler]

i don't want a future or current situation where someone will draw a comic in black and white about a black man living in New York and then go on to call it manga. That's a COMIC!!

So I guess Me and the Devil Blues is not a manga????

Just like how a black and white manhwa is not manga

The word "manhwa" is just the Korean pronunciation of the word "manga".

[ButterflyEmpress]

Why would an anime/manga about "A black guy fighting an African God in Uganda" or a "black man living in New York" be a bad thing? There's already plenty of series that have majority European casts like Full Metal Alchemist, SpyXFamily, and Attack on Titan. Also there's a manga called "Hanbun Kyodai" about what it's like to be half black in Japan. Then there are series that are made in collaboration with western studios

Anime/manga isn't a sacred medium that can only have certain types of stories told by certain people. It evolves just like every other medium otherwise it'll grow more and more stagnant.

[vapidink]

I guess Michiko and Hatchin didn't happen. Or Afro Samurai, Yasuke, and Carole and Tuesday. Honestly, manga has nothing to do with whether the characters/settings are Japanese and if it did we wouldn't have Vinland Saga, Tiger & Bunny, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, and so many other series that aren't mainstream enough to be more widely known.

[flourish]

Manhwa isn't a pronunciation and this kind of manga isn't what I mean. I personally think anime should remain sacred, if anyone can just draw something in black and white and call it manga then what is manga?