17 Common Anime Tropes Diehard Fans Will Recognize Immediately

Jun 04, 2023

From filler episodes, to bouncy busts, to announcing signature attack names, these are the most recurring elements found in Japanese animations.

Japan started producing animations as early as 1917, but the global boom of anime, both as a distinctive art form and a commercial industry, didn't explode until the early 1980s, when it spawned various subgenres and targeted different demographics. Studio Ghibli, which produced a plethora of blockbuster movies in that decade, such as My Neighbor Totoro, Grave of the Fireflies, and Castle in the Sky, was founded in 1985. As for the most successful series back then, they included Saint Seiya, Dragon Ball, and Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam.

Then the 1990s came and cemented a global interest in the genre, especially with titles like Ghost in the Shell, Sailor Moon, Detective Conan, Pokémon, and Berserk. And the obsession with anime continues to this day, with avid fans still revisiting the classics, and streaming platforms investing in more and more original productions and acquiring the rights to the most acclaimed films and shows.

As with all entertainment genres, though, audiences have noticed certain persistent tro pes over the years, some of which can be deemed outdated and even labeled offensive by some. Most fans have come to accept them as a natural part of an industry that boasts many franchises and complex characters and tackles various themes and issues.

From uneventful filler episodes, to enormous and bouncy busts, freakishly skilled minors, and loudly announcing signature attack names, these are some of the most recurring elements found in Japanese animations.

Filler episodes (beach shenanigans, awkward dates, interactions in the work place) are usually not from a manga but specifically created to lengthen its adapted series. Though they are sometimes needed to give audiences a respite from emotionally charged developments, as well as provide more insight into a character, and possibly even a backstory, they are often labeled unnecessary, boring, or even annoying.

In a thread on MyAnimeList, fans wrote, “Detective Conan's fillers are so bad,” “I really dislike the fillers from Pokémon: Sun and Moon; they're all pointless,” and “There's a noticeable drop in quality, like the whole filler arcs in Bleach and Naruto.” Others, however, thought that “There are exceptions, like Violet Evergarden, where fillers give more personality to the side characters,” and "Inuyasha making soup for a sick Kagome was so adorable."

Related: Best Anime Shows to Start With for Beginners and Newcomers

Because many anime viewers are school students, a good number of shows take place in a high school setting, such as Hyouka, Classroom of the Elite, Horimiya, Komi Can’t Communicate, ReLife, and My Hero Academia. Besides exploring young romance, friendship, sports competitions, and academic life, they often tackle various relatable psychological and social issues, such as social anxiety, bullying, body image, peer pressure, and self-expression.

In order to emphasize the innocence and exuberance of youth, many characters, especially young girls, are often dubbed with a high-pitched voice and exhibit kawaii or cutesy behavior. While some audiences find this trope amusing, others tend to sexualize it, and many are completely annoyed by the squeaky pitches and childish tones. For instance, Myself; Yourself’s Aoi Oribe, voiced by Tomoko Kaneda, is an energetic, busty, and clumsy bookworm with an extremely strident voice.

Speaking of curvy and busty female characters, there is a noticeable obsession with large breasts, tiny waists, and long, bare legs in the anime genre. In The Seven Deadly Sins, for instance, after every separation, Meliodas traditionally hides his face between his beloved Elizabeth's humongous breasts, squishes them, hugs her tightly, and feels her butt. After the initial shock and blushing, she always smiles in approval.

So many misunderstandings could have been avoided, and so many couples could have found their way to each other sooner, if it weren’t for the frustrating interrupted confession cliché, which is used ad nauseam to stretch a sub-story and increase tension. A shy character finally musters the courage to profess their love, only to have their voice muffled by the noise of a passing vehicle, or to realize that the object of their affection has already fallen asleep. A normally aloof character is just about to admit a past mistake, but the villain decides to strike at that exact moment. Even an occurrence as plain and mundane as receiving a sudden phone call can postpone said confession, sometimes even indefinitely.

While there is a growing number of strong, independent, skilled, and capable female characters who defeat their enemies on their own, the classic beautiful, fragile, and not-quite-so-powerful damsel in distress trope has always been present in order to give male leads more occasions to shine. Even Love of Kill’s Chateau Noble, an accomplished bounty hunter, needed to be rescued from her captors by her boyfriend. Good thing she was later given the opportunity to return the favor.

In real life, it takes years and even a lifetime to master a difficult skill, be it in the professional, athletic, or academic fields, or in combat. Yet, in many anime movies and series, audiences are expected to believe that the (often young and inexperienced) lead can climb that seemingly impossible ladder in a matter of days, sometimes hours, simply because there is a crucial deadline. Not to mention that this sudden power surge often occurs when the hero becomes utterly exhausted during a face-to-face and is about to suffer an ultimate blow from the enemy. From surpassing a sensei in sword fighting, archery, or martial arts, to defeating an established champion in a sports tournament, to tapping into a hidden magical power right on time for a final confrontation, the genre is filled with such elements.

Speaking of young but capable protagonists, children and teenagers often get to outsmart or obliterate not only powerful adults, but also evil supernatural beings with terrifying abilities. Death Note's Light Yagami tricking an FBI agent into revealing his identity, or Hunter X Hunter's Killua and Gon escaping the Phantom Troupe are good examples.

Such supersmart minors might get help from an enchanted weapon, an older sidekick, or a spirit, but at the end of the day, they are pictured as shrewd masterminds who can evade or make fools out of the deadliest and scariest foes, be they human criminals or cruel demons. Not to mention that their parents or guardians are rarely seen around anyway.

No matter how gruesome, dark, or complicated a story gets, there comes the comic relief character to lighten the mood and crack a smile on the distressed viewer. Some of them are endearing goofballs, while others use clever insults or display an irresistible sense of humor. Examples include Re:Zero’s Rem, The Seven Deadly Sins’ Hawk, Dragon Ball Z’s Mr. Satan, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.’s Nendou Riki, and One Punch Man’s Mumen Rider.

In some animations, like Future Diary, Maoyu, and Beyond the Boundary, the protagonist and the antagonist fall for each other, and that usually entails a lot of tiptoeing, compromises, and sacrifices. But sometimes, those feelings are decidedly one-sided; it’s the seemingly cold and cruel male villain who finds himself strangely drawn to the warm and caring female lead. He becomes increasingly vulnerable to her and protects and saves her on multiple occasions, occasionally eclipsing the male lead.

There is a profusion of widely interesting, complex, and cool weapons and magical abilities in the anime world. The two giant Scissor Blades in Kill la Kill are made from hardened Life Fibers and can work separately; the red one can change its size, which means it can be kept discretely stashed when there is no combat, and the purple one can extend into a scythe on both ends. In Berserk, Guts’ signature weapon is Dragon Slayer, a massive broadsword that can pierce through anything and anybody, even astral entities. In Record of Ragnarok, Jack the Ripper’s Gloves can transform regular objects into weapons with a single touch. As for Hunter X Hunter’s Hisoka Morrow, he gracefully throws his French playing cards to target vulnerable spots, like throats and tendons. Moving on to special abilities, The Seven Deadly Sins’ Escanor channeling the sun to grow in size and overpower his enemies, Naruto’s Truth-Seeking Balls, and Julius Novachrono manipulating time in Black Clover rank among the most fascinating.

A lot of care and creativity is put into transformation scenes, regardless of their length. It might be a regular-sized human who turns into a fearless giant after activating a certain power. Or an all-powerful, multi-mecha merger. But it can also simply be a matter of practicality; in Lulu, The Flower Angel, the titular lead often uses a magical pin given by the King of the Flower Planet to revive flowers or instantly change her own outfits and accessories, depending on the predicament or environment she is in.

Whether in a multi-front battle or an inevitable one-on-one confrontation, crucial fight sequences, especially in shonen anime, can sometimes last so long that they take over an entire episode and may even span several of them. These intense and suspenseful displays of power, wits, and tactics, are often overly stretched with endless monologues, threats, and provocations.

CBR compiled a list of kind demons in anime, and it includes Blue Exorcist's Rin Okumura, Fairy Tail's Natsu Dragneel, and The Devil Is a Part-Timer's Sadao Maou.

Just like there is a plethora of morally gray antiheroes in Japanese animations, demons and evil spirits are also given importance, not only as antagonists, but also as beings with deep feelings, capable of expressing vulnerability, loyalty, pain, humor, and gratitude. While some do have cruel, psychotic, and sadistic tendencies, others can exhibit love, respect, and friendship. Case in point: in Natsume's Book of Friends, the titular lead is a teenage boy who can see and hear the Youkai spirits; but instead of destroying them, he treats them with compassion and helps them out. As a result, they show appreciation, break bread with him, and even return the favor on several occasions.

The technical term for a character’s over-the-top reactions, emotions, hand gestures, and facial expressions in both manga and anime is called kaogei. Ranging from cute, to justifiably intense, to comical, to utterly ridiculous, kaogei is mostly used to convey shock, anger, pain, infatuation, or joy, and can either make audiences smile or cringe, especially if it interrupts a serious or sensitive moment. Dramatic fainting, bulging eyes, distorted lips, sprinting around, and a deluge of tears are also very common.

Complex scene-stealing villains often come with an interesting backstory and a lot of emotional baggage; it’s therefore not uncommon to occasionally sympathize with them, especially if they display exceptional intelligence, use arrogant catchphrases, have a dry sense of humor and special abilities and skills, dress eccentrically, or are simply insanely attractive. Berserk’s Griffith/Femto, Akagame Ga Kill!’s Esdeath, One Piece’s Crocodile, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure’s Dio, Naruto’s Orochimaru, and Cowboy Bebop’s Vicious are prime examples.

Related: 10 Complex Anime Villains Who Are Incredibly Interesting

In action and fantasy anime, protagonists and antagonists often have face-offs that demonstrate the best of their combat abilities, whether supernatural or not. Instead of expediting the fight, they prolong it unnecessarily by explaining their ulterior motives, spewing threats, insults, and challenges, and announcing their signature moves and attacks. While the latter is particularly useful at the beginning to introduce audiences to a character’s skills and powers, it can get a bit repetitive when these announcements are either calmly made or shouted right before they are used, however impressive they may be. Case in point: Meliodas’ “Full Counter” and Zeldris’ “Ominus Nebula” in The Seven Deadly Sins. Fans both enjoy and poke fun at this tendency, as evident by a YouTube video compilation of Jotaro announcing his “Star Platinum,” or damaging close-range stand, in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

Lebanese multilingual voice-over artist, copywriter, author/poet, and TV director.