Anime and Manga Stack Exchange
Anime and Manga Stack Exchange

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 are there so many "in Wonderland" episodes?

Many series that I have seen have "x in Wonderland" episodes where they have retellings/variations of Alice in Wonderland with the characters from the show. Examples of this include Ouran High School Host Club (episode 13), Black Butler (season 2…
kuwaly
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What is it called when an anime character is emotionless on the inside and sweet/kind on the outisde?

Emotionless on the inside meaning literally that, and sweet/kind on the outside as in being completely fake and pretending to like someone or be a happy person just for personal benefit or similar. No violent behavior or psychotic behavior other…
memechild
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Is there a name for this anime/manga visual convention?

sometimes when a character is frustrated or has failed to do something, a cloud made of moving squiggly lines will form above their head (it's somewhat of a common trope in video games that use speech bubbles too.) Is there a name for this…
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Why is it (almost) always a 10 years gap? What is so special with 10 years intervals?

It seems there is something special in anime and manga about 10 years gaps. They seem to me that they will become a different person in 10 years. Yes, I know people age and a decade is a long time. I can think of the me 10 years ago, and he was…
Mindwin Remember Monica
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Why do some anime characters use Sanskrit spells instead of Japanese?

Recently while watching Twin Star Exorcists I noticed the main character using a Sanskrit spell. Why is that the case? Why don't they use native Japanese spells instead?
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Why do ninjas usually replace their own body with a block of wood?

Take as an example the Body Replacement Technique from the Naruto series. Using this technique, any user can replace his own body with some other object, but most of the time ninjas replace their body with a block of wood. This has also been seen in…
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What are these type of eyes called (see red hair girl on the left in image)?

I'm referring to characters whose eyes are constantly like that (Red hair girl in the picture) and don't change for a brief moment as a depiction of disappointment, most of these characters talk really slow and quietly. Examples include Tooru from…
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Why are the male love-interests of shoujo often portrayed to be top scorers?

In shoujo anime and manga such as Vampire Knight, Special A, and Kaichou wa Maid-sama, the male love interests (or Zero in the case of Vampire Knight) are shown to be top scorers in the class. Is there a known reason for this to be so common?
kuwaly
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Definition of a reverse trap

I am confused at how people describe gender roles and their trope classification in anime. I understand that traps are characters appearing to be girls but are actually guys. One of my favorite traps of all time is Steins;Gate's Ruka Urushibara.…
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Why is (action-adventure) anime so focused on teenagers?

I've been a fan of anime since Star Blazers in my childhood, but... I wonder about an overused cliche in anime action-adventure series: teenage prodigy heroes. For example, the most popular action-based anime (as opposed to comedy or…
Foo Bar
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Is it possible to make such a clean cut?

I started reading Rurouni Kenshin, and came across this scene: Is it possible to perform such a clean cut, or is this just some made up anime fiction? If so, what is the name of this style/trope? (I don't particularly dislike seeing it. It has its…
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Why do sick anime characters often are said to have a "weak body"?

In anime when a character is chronically sick, they are said to have a "weak body". The first and most obvious example that comes to my mind is Clannad, but I've seen this in other animes as well. Is this something out of japanese culture? Or maybe…
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Why do some anime characters never grow old?

Ash Ketchum from Pokemon By never growing old, I mean the anime has been airing for a long time, but the character never grows old. I think the most popular example for this kind of character is Ash Ketchum from Pokemon and Nobita and his friends…
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Why do characters in anime and manga tend to have long bangs or fringes that (can) cover their eyes?

In real life, if your bangs are so long as to cover your eyes, then you would find it difficult to see clearly whatever is in front of you. However, in anime and manga, the characters often have long bangs that (can) cover their eyes. Why do they…
Michael
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Why do characters in anime/manga eat their lunches in restrooms?

I have seen many times in anime and manga that a character eats his/(mainly)her lunch in a toilet. Examples include Nagisa from Kanojo mo Kanojo who used to eat her lunch in the restroom. (Revealed in Episode 3) Another example is Yuria from…
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