Questions tagged [tropes]

A recurring element across anime, manga or works in other media. Tropes cover clichés, genre conventions and other recurring plot points, character types, narration styles, …

A trope, in the general sense used here, is a feature that is found in many creative works (anime, manga, or any other media), for example a plot point, a character type, a setting, a narration style, etc. It is expected that at least some readers or viewers will recognize the trope. Some tropes have a well-identified source that other works have imitated, departed from or alluded to; others are so old that their origin has long been lost.

The website TV Tropes collects tropes (in all media, including anime and manga, despite the name). If you're looking for a list of works using a certain trope, TV Tropes is the place to look. You'll also find lists of tropes seen in a particular work.

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Michiru is a fake blonde, ok. But what about Sachi and Amane's hair colors?

Both the VN and the anime stress that Michiru is a fake blonde. Makina and Yumiko have natural hair colors... But what about Amane and Sachi? I don't think there are too many natural redheads in the native japanese population of the Kyoto region…
Mindwin Remember Monica
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Why is harem a common theme in manga/anime?

Harem manga and anime are so popular that they have their own category. It's easy to name a few: Girls Wild, High School DxD, Sekirei, The World God Only Knows. Why is this such a popular theme in both anime/manga? It is odd because in fantasy…
stevebot
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Why do anime end with spoilers?

Is there any rationale, or at least historical reason, why many anime end their episodes with spoilers to the next episode? Even those that rely heavily on plot twists, it's very surprising and one needs to stay sharp to skip it early enough (only…
NoxArt
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Where does the shroom on the head come from?

If been re-watching some Gintama episodes and noticed the parasitic mushrooms in some episode. Which started to grow on their head and slowly take them over. I also came across the pokemon Paras to which something pretty similar happens: While…
Dimitri mx
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Why is power ups associated with red eyes in anime?

For eg, consider Ghouls in Tokyo Ghoul, Naruto Sharingan, Shinji vs Zureal in Eva 2.0, Code Geass when Lelouch activates his power etc etc. Why in all these shows is it taken that getting red eyes mean one activates power?
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Which Anime/Manga introduced Physical Pilot Damage/ Synchro Rates in a Mecha?

Which series introduced Damage Transfers (i.e. Mecha Takes Damage and this Damage is transfered to the pilot) aswell as Synchro Rates between pilot and mecha? Are there series before EVA?
Raildex
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Which anime was the first to feature energy blasts?

A lot of animes feature characters capable of firing energy blasts (Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Punch Man, Fairy Tail, etc.) But which was the first one? Which anime was the first to feature energy blasts?
Pablo
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Which anime does the idea of the afterimage comes from?

In Dragon Ball, Goku has an "after image" technique, where he moves so fast that he leaves a false image of himself in the air, where actually there is nothing. I've seen this idea also in One Punch Man , where both Speed of Sound Sonic and Saitama…
Pablo
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Why are manga authors so reluctant to draw their own faces in their works?

Although not every manga has the author(s) drawing depictions of themselves, many do and I have yet to come across an example where it was anything other than the ‘chibi’ or superdeformed style of drawing when it was supposed to be a human…
M. Y. Zuo
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Which was the first anime to feature Dragonoids?

I was watching Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken and a character in there is said to be a Dragonoid. I remembered Dragon Quest also features a character which has a Dragonoid form. Then I looked for more info in internet and I found that Dragonoids are…
Pablo
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Why is "body/soul exchange" so prevalent in anime?

Body/soul exchange is a very common theme and is a base for many anime series/movies. Some examples: Your name Kokoro Connect Rascal doesn't dream of Bunny Girl Senpai The reason for body exchange is series specific and has their own explanation.…
Fumikage Tokoyami
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When did the trend of powerful slimes come about in Anime?

Slimes are commonly known as the weakest creatures, but more and more I'm seeing powerful slimes show up in anime. When did powerful slimes become a thing? Or have they always been a thing and I just haven't seen them around before? Earliest example…
David Hobs
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Why heroes are physically stronger than average humans

In the world of My Hero Academia, the human society acquired Quirks. So basically instead of having regular humans, we have humans with abilities. With the exception of Power-Up quirks (like one for all...etc), why do humans/heroes/villains seem…
Tech Support
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What is the origin of the soul-to-sword trope?

In various franchises, like Noragami, SAO Alicisation, Guilty Crown, souls can become weapons. What is the origin of this trope? Does weapon personification have roots in Japanese folklore?
user51780
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Which was the first anime to feature instant transmission?

Several anime characters have the ability to use instant transmission or teleportation by their own means. Some of them are, Goku in Dragon Ball Z, Merlin in Nanatsu no Taizai, Ryo Shimazaki in Mob Psycho 100, Shirai Kuroko in Toaru Kagaku no…
Pablo
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