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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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Why is it that the swordsman's attacks appear to do nothing until they click the sword back into its sheath?

For example, in One Piece, Brook, and sometimes Zorro, do some big attack with their swords, but the cuts are not shown until after they return their swords to the sheaths.
Cyberson
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Why is incest such a prevalent theme in manga and anime?

I used to think that incest was only in hentai/eroge, but gradually, I have run into more mainstream content which seems to hint at brother-sister, mother-son relationships, or the tension of such attraction. What is the origin of this theme? Why is…
MrSynAckSter
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Where does the "You are 100 years to early" trope come from?

"Hyakunen hayai ze!" This is a common boast in shounen anime, declaring that someone is X amount of years too early to even consider facing their opponent. Is this a long-lived reference to an older anime's catch-phrase? (in a similar vein to "You…
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Origins of the nose-bleed in anime/manga

In a similar spirit to my previous question, I wonder who was the first artist to feature a nose-bleed when thinking, shall we say, "provocative thoughts"? Did it become popularized in anime/manga because of the popularity of the artist's work or…
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Why do the stronger enemies in anime/manga tend to look more human?

So if the question sounded a bit confusing, allow me to explain. In media that feature a lot of non-human characters, such as many video games, anime, manga, or movies, the low-level enemies always tend to look blatantly non-human, ie generic…
DeeeFoo
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Why do sword owners tap them with a fluffy ball on a stick?

In many shows characters poke their Japanese swords with a soft-looking ball on a stick. It seems that swordsmen in real life did that too. What's the purpose of that? Here's one example from Shaman king E02:
basin
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What are the characteristics of a "tsundere"?

Although this question might be a naive thing to ask, I believe that I would get an much detailed answer to this question keeping in mind all my simple questions answered wonderfully by people in the past. I read the wiki page on Tsundere but…
Jony Agarwal
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Why are llamas/alpacas so popular in anime?

This has been something that has been bugging me for a while: Why are there so many llamas in anime and in anime fan culture? Some specific anime examples: You can buy alpacas at conventions too: Where is this coming from? Why do I keep seeing…
Toshinou Kyouko
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Is turning into stone as a result of waiting for someone for a long time derived from Japanese legend?

This concept is used in Windaria and an early episode of Pokémon (Episode 20: "The Ghost of Maiden's Peak"). Did it come from a Japanese legend I'm not familiar with, did it come from the Windaria novel, or is it just a Kunihiko Yuyama thing?
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What was the first magical girl transformation scene?

Shoujo anime is famous for its big eyes and magical transforming heroines. Sailor Moon is probably the most famous of these. When was the first time a magical girl magically transformed?
Toshinou Kyouko
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Why is the "drinking milk" trope so prevalent in anime?

Repeatedly I see that people in animes drink milk, often after bathing. Females tend to say that it helps to grow their chest. Is that true? But also male characters sometimes drink it, like Kurozuma Watarufrom. Image from thedreamingotaku. Sanae…
Gerret
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Why is it that almost every anime I watch is about School kids?

Sure, there are a few exceptions, but very few. Every anime I watch is about School kids and/or usually takes place in a school. Why is that so? Is it about the general audience, or something else? Edit: Oh yeah, also School Clubs. Schools and…
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Why do rich people laugh like they do in anime?

I've found that whenever an evil rich character laughs in anime they raise their hands to their mouth and let out a 'ohohoho' or similarly annoying laugh. Where does this mannerism come from? I can now tell someone is rich if they have this style…
Toshinou Kyouko
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Why do anime characters have official birthdays?

Why do anime characters have official birthdays? Why do they decide for the anime characters to have birthdays? Does this have a historical basis? And when exactly is a character's birthday decided? Is it when a character's physical appearance is…
xjshiya
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How are ditzy characters classified?

How are ditzy/airhead characters classified in anime/manga? For example, while Lucky Star's Kagami is a tsundere, her airhead sister, Tsukasa, is a ________?
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