You are sure to be surprised by who these iconic characters were based on.
It’s no secret that creators often use real-life people as inspiration for their characters. After all, art is a form of imitation, as the famous Greek philosopher Plato said, and anime is no exception. Here are just some of the examples.
1.Armored Titan (Attack on Titan) — Brock Lesnar
The Armored Titan is one of the most easily recognized titans in AoT and one of the most significant as well. This character kick-started the beginning events of the story by breaching the wall Maria and setting a perfect hunting ground for other titans. But did you know that his intimidating appearance was based on the famous MMA fighter Brock Lesnar? Hajime Isayama was greatly inspired by Brock's physique and formidable attacking moves.
2.Jotaro Kujo (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) — Clint Eastwood
The most recurring protagonist of the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Jotaro Kujo is officially known to have been modeled after the widely-acclaimed American actor Clint Eastwood. Creator Hirohiko Araki admitted that Jotaro’s trademark finger pointing pose was actually inspired by Clint Eastwood’s photo on the right. Araki even met his favorite actor during the series 25th anniversary and presented him with a drawing of Jotaro (picture on the left).
3.Harunobu Nikaidou (March Comes in Like a Lion) — Satoshi Murayama
Nikaido Hanoburo is the rival and friend of Kiriyama Rei (the main protagonist), who aspires to become the top shogi player despite his debilitating incurable disease. This character was actually based on a Japanese 9th Dan professional shogi player. His name was Satoshi Murayama, and similar to Nikaido, he struggled with nephrotic syndrome, which he unfortunately succumbed to at the age of 29. Despite this, Satoshi managed to reach the top place of the Class A league and his willpower was immortalized in this wonderful story.
4.Gordon Agrippa (Black Clover) — Marilyn Manson
It’s almost unbelievable how much Gordon Agrippa, a chronically misunderstood character from Black Clover, actually resembles controversial American rock singer Marilyn Manson. From the gothic makeup and facial structure to the iconic hat, it’s almost like Manson used some sort of magic to appear in the world of anime.
5.Jewelry Bonney (One Piece) — Anne Bonney
Jewelry Bonney is the extremely gluttonous captain of the Bonney Pirates from the One Piece anime. Despite being short-tempered and often rude, Jewelry can also display levels of tactfulness and respect. Her real-life counterpart was Anne Bonney, a real Irish pirate and one of the few female pirates to be known. She mysteriously disappeared in April 1721 and her fate remains unknown.
6.Hijikata Toushirou (Gintama) — Hijikata Toshizo
The Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi, also known as the Demonic Vice Commander, was inspired by the actual historical Vice Commander Hijikata Toshizo. The Shinsengumi was under his command during the late Edo period in Japan. He was known to enforce strict discipline and rules among his subordinates.
7.Yuri Plisetsky (Yuri!!! On Ice) — Yulia Lipnitskaya
Yuri Plisetsky is a one of the fan favorites in Yuri!!! On Ice anime. He is an incredibly talented, ambitious figure skater with a prickly but rather adorable personality. Yulia Lipnitskaya is said to be the main inspiration for Yuri. She is the youngest Russian to win a gold medal in her first Olympics and is famous for doing crazy splits during her performances. It also seems that her Siamese cat appeared in the anime as well.