Summary
- Anime often relies on tropes like dead/absent parents to add tragedy and fuel characters' journeys, seen in series like Hunter x Hunter and Fullmetal Alchemist.
- Shouting out attack names is a common trope in Shounen anime, creating epic moments and memorable catchphrases in series like Dragon Ball Z and My Hero Academia.
- Teenage protagonists are a constant in anime, allowing younger viewers to relate more easily, while adult characters play supporting or antagonistic roles.
Tropes are something that commonly occurs across books, movies, games, and TV shows, with anime being no exception to that rule. In fact, due to the popularity and growth of anime over the years, anime now has its own subset of tropes, with some definitely more prevalent than others.
While there are some tropes that aren't so relied on in anime, there are definitely those that are overused, appearing in most major anime series usually for dramatic or humorous effect, and whether these tropes actually achieve this is down to each individual viewer.
10 Dead/Absent Parents
When there is a young and upcoming anime protagonist, it is almost guaranteed that their life is devoid of parental figures due to them either leaving when they were young children or dying in a tragic manner, which will usually be shown piece-meal through flashbacks.
While this trope is included to invoke sympathy in the audience and add a layer of tragedy to characters (or even throw in a surprise plot twist when a presumed dead or missing parent returns), it can also act like a catalyst for characters to get their story in motion and have them set off on their adventure. Whatever the reason, it is a trope that is certainly relied heavily upon in anime and features in series like Hunter x Hunter and Fullmetal Alchemist.
9 Shouting Out Attack Names
One tip for combat is never to telegraph attacks to the opponent, as then they can see what they are about to do and attempt to evade or counter it, yet this is something every tried and true fighter in anime does, yelling the name of the attack at the top of their lungs. This is definitely a trope Shounen fans will recognize and can probably list quite a few from the top of their head.
Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, and My Hero Academia are series that are all guilty of this, with the character getting themselves and the audience pumped for the awesome attack they are about to witness. It is just something that no epic attack would be complete without and definitely creates some catchy phrases the audiences are sure to remember and recite by heart.
8 Teenage Protagonists
A true constant in JRPGs and anime is that the main character(s) are almost always teenagers that are still at school age, finding their young shoulders saddled by the burden of being a protagonist. While this may draw shocked gasps of horror from adult fans, the teenagers who see the content can relate more to the central protagonist, which is probably the main reason for this.
While adult characters may feature in support roles or as antagonists, it is always down to the unlucky and unlikely bunch of kids to band together and save all of mankind. But with so much anime making use of this trope, maybe it's time to set loose a bunch of stressed office workers to let out some steam on whatever monstrosity is blocking their commute to work.
7 Filler Episodes
Love them or hate them, filler episodes are prevalent in a lot of mainstream anime, padding out the episode count with a handful, or several handfuls, of filler episodes. Most people will know what these words mean, but for those that don't, filler episodes are small mini-arcs contained in one or a couple of episodes that have no relevance to the main story as a whole.
Though it sounds bad in practice, some filler episodes can be enjoyable in theory, putting some of the more stoic characters in hilarious situations, such as Piccolo taking driving lessons in Dragon Ball Z. Whatever way fans feel about filler episodes, it doesn't look like they will be going anywhere anytime soon.
6 Power Scaling
Intense emotions or a fight for their life--these are the two most common conditions that will kick off this anime trope: power scaling. With this trope, characters go from 0 to 100, quite literally in the case of Mob Psycho, gaining the power they need to turn the tides in their favor. It's often accompanied by an epic score and plenty of yelling from the character in question, which can make it more cheesy than anything.
Nonetheless, it's an enduring trope found in any anime that has combat and characters with power and will mostly likely feature in more anime in the future.
5 Fan Service
Despite this trope being called fan service, it can often be divisive among fans, with some enjoying its inclusion in their favorite shows and some setting it as a pointless and somewhat uncomfortable addition. Yet, fan service remains a near constant in the majority of anime shows, giving some of the fans what they want.
Though not all fan service is for the purpose of titillating fans, some of it is done for more humorous or ironic effects, such as in the ridiculously over-the-top anime Keijo or even in that one infamous scene of High School of the Dead.
4 Self-Insert Protagonists
A common trope in Isekai or Shojo anime is to present a "blank slate" character to the audience, someone with very little self-identity and a mild personality that allows the viewers to project themselves onto them, a trope that is also found in popular game series like Persona.
While this trope helps fans see themselves on the screen and live vicariously through them, it often does lead to having an exceptionally bland main character that can't be rescued by shaping their decisions to the viewer's tastes like an RPG could. Despite this, it's a trope that is used repetitively across anime and is one that will likely continue to see future use. Anime fans can only hope that this trope doesn't water down otherwise interesting characters.
3 Love Triangles
Love triangles are a popular trope in their own right that sees a lot of use in Western media, but that doesn't mean anime is immune to it. Many Shojo anime or series that feature romance and an ensemble cast will most likely feature a love triangle at some point, even though it would be more apt to call these entanglements love corners as it features one character and two eligible romance choices vying for their affection.
Animes such as Vampire Knight, Fruits Basket, and Peach Girl are all guilty of including this trope which helps to add some drama to an otherwise ordinary romance story. While it does add a touch of conflict that every story needs, love triangles can sometimes be annoying to witness and are certainly overused in some genres of anime.
2 The Power of Friendship
When one person isn't enough to save the world, it's time to bring in some friends to help balance the odds, as their unbreakable bond will overcome any evil! That is the idea behind the power of friendship trope, and it is often seen in anime tailored toward younger audiences, though there are some exceptions to that rule. It reinforces the idea to audiences that people can't do it alone and that it's okay to ask for help.
It's a good lesson to drum into the impressionable minds of young children, which might be why it sees so much use in anime. But there is also just good logic behind this thinking, as there is strength in numbers, and people who are good friends are more likely to be able to cooperate than strangers.
1 Cute Artstyle Hides a Dark Secret
Most anime features a cutesy art style, with characters having exaggerated-sized eyes and colorful hair that isn't achieved in the real world naturally, and sometimes these animes are what they seem on the surface--a series of cute characters going on light-hearted slice-of-life adventures. But people who watch this show should be aware that things might not be as they seem.
A common trope that is used in these animes that seem painfully adorable is that there is a darkness beneath the light, and if the audience continues watching, they will soon see the hidden horrors. One of the most infamous animes for this is School-Live, in which the main character thinks the cast is simply enjoying life in a school, indulging in extracurricular activities, while the truth is they are holed away as an apocalypse ravages the outside world.