Regeneration is one of the most overused abilities in anime.
It can decrease the stakes of a battle and its impact.
There are clever uses of this ability, too.
Having superhuman abilities is not something new for anime. A number of series are especially creative with them, but there are a couple of powers that seem to be everywhere where supernatural is present. And one of these is the ability to regenerate.
We’re sure you don’t need us to explain what regeneration is. You’ve seen Eren grow back limbs after they’ve been cut off so many times in Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin). Or demons doing pretty much the same thing in Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba). So how could it be annoying?
You stop caring at some point
The point is that when a character can easily regenerate and grow back limbs or get up and fight after a deadly wound, it decreases the stakes of a battle.
Fight sequences are meant to keep you on the edge of your seat, worrying for your faves’ survival. But how can you care when you know that no matter what happens to them, they’ll be okay?
Going back to Attack on Titan, let’s remember Episode 5 of the series, when no one knew that Eren could transform into a titan. The battle was frightening, and you understood that a simple mistake could cost the characters their lives. Do you remember your horror and surprise when Eren’s leg was just bitten off by a titan?
It was shocking, to say the least, and the scene made a great impact on the viewers. However, after some time the dismemberment in the series became a regular thing. Why would you even care about it if all the Titan Shifters could grow back their body parts anyway?
The same goes with Jujutsu Kaisen and the Gojo vs Sukuna fight. They both have immense Cursed energy levels that allow them to regenerate their bodies. We are not trying to say that the stakes were low during this battle; it was highly entertaining. But it lacked the feeling of danger because both characters just felt like two immortal guys punching each other with no effect.
There are also good examples
However, there are times when regeneration is a great plot device. In the Fire Punch manga the main protagonist’s “blessing” is regeneration. And this is the only reason why he didn’t die after being set on fire.
Moreover, this is what defines his journey and his character development as he cannot put the fire out and cannot die because of his regeneration. So when used wisely, this ability can be game-changing.
Regeneration is one of the most overused abilities in anime.
It can decrease the stakes of a battle and its impact.
There are clever uses of this ability, too.
Having superhuman abilities is not something new for anime. A number of series are especially creative with them, but there are a couple of powers that seem to be everywhere where supernatural is present. And one of these is the ability to regenerate.
We’re sure you don’t need us to explain what regeneration is. You’ve seen Eren grow back limbs after they’ve been cut off so many times in Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin). Or demons doing pretty much the same thing in Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba). So how could it be annoying?
You stop caring at some point
The point is that when a character can easily regenerate and grow back limbs or get up and fight after a deadly wound, it decreases the stakes of a battle.
Fight sequences are meant to keep you on the edge of your seat, worrying for your faves’ survival. But how can you care when you know that no matter what happens to them, they’ll be okay?
Going back to Attack on Titan, let’s remember Episode 5 of the series, when no one knew that Eren could transform into a titan. The battle was frightening, and you understood that a simple mistake could cost the characters their lives. Do you remember your horror and surprise when Eren’s leg was just bitten off by a titan?
It was shocking, to say the least, and the scene made a great impact on the viewers. However, after some time the dismemberment in the series became a regular thing. Why would you even care about it if all the Titan Shifters could grow back their body parts anyway?
The same goes with Jujutsu Kaisen and the Gojo vs Sukuna fight. They both have immense Cursed energy levels that allow them to regenerate their bodies. We are not trying to say that the stakes were low during this battle; it was highly entertaining. But it lacked the feeling of danger because both characters just felt like two immortal guys punching each other with no effect.
There are also good examples
However, there are times when regeneration is a great plot device. In the Fire Punch manga the main protagonist’s “blessing” is regeneration. And this is the only reason why he didn’t die after being set on fire.
Moreover, this is what defines his journey and his character development as he cannot put the fire out and cannot die because of his regeneration. So when used wisely, this ability can be game-changing.
