We don’t buy it anymore.
Summary:
- “Looks are deceiving” seems to be a very typical message in anime.
- Seemingly weak or harmless characters are revealed to have great power.
- It influences fans’ future expectations.
“Looks can be deceiving” is actually a very important message to send, and a lot of series know that perfectly well. It doesn’t just go for anime.
Do you remember this horror trope with a little girl in a white dress that turns out to be a monster? There’s a reason why people don’t stop their cars in the middle of the night when they see one on the sideroad anymore.
They look wear, but it’s a ruse
Anime seems to be especially enjoying this trope. Speaking of fresh anime, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Sousou no Frieren) comes to mind, where each member of the main trio fits the trope.
Frieren, Fern and Stark all look like cute cinnamon rolls that couldn’t hurt a fly. However, Frieren is one of the most powerful elven mages, who manages to easily overpower Auro, who served under the Demon King himself. Fern and Start have also proven to be very efficient on the battlefield.
A lot of anime protagonists are kids or teenagers, and we know that protagonists just have to be strong. Take for example Gon from Hunter x Hunter, who also looks rather weak, but becomes a completely different person during a fight. Even Hisoka points out his potential and considers him a strong opponent.
Nezuko from Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) is also a good representation of this trope. She looks like the most wholesome and adorable girl in the world even after being turned into a demon. But when the need arises, she becomes a killing machine, capable of defeating any demon.
When you look at Demon Slayer’s Hantengu, you feel like he’s the most pathetic demon in the entire universe, but he proves you wrong really fast, as he becomes the greatest danger during the Swordsmith Village Arc and makes our favorite characters fight for their lives.
It makes characters feel relatable, though
The reason for this subversion of expectations is rather understandable, though. Shounens are targeted at an underage audience, and we all love to see something to relate to in anime characters.
If someone who’s seemingly weak or is getting bullied at school for their appearance sees a character like that but with great power, it may make them feel much better about themselves.
That’s why we can’t deny that this trope has positive effects on the audience, too. But still, it’s getting kind of repetitive, and influences fans’ expectations. If you always see tiny cute-looking characters with immense powers, then you’ll expect such characters to be strong in the future. So the subversion of expectations won’t even work.