Cultural breakdown of an anime tropefrom @mike_sunday

Transcript

You always wondered why so many protagonists in anime have blonde hair? Well, there's actually a surprising amount of psychology behind it, and it really stems between this tension of individualism and collectivism or conformity in Japan. And to understand this, we need to know that a central tenet in Japanese society is the preservation of group harmony. You may have heard the term the nail that sticks out will be hammered down. And so understanding the structural dynamic makes a lot of sense when the trajectory of many shonen and anime protagonists are about escaping this conformity. Because oftentimes, these characters are special. They're unique. That's why we like them. And actually, in the seventies and eighties, Japan had systematic tools to try and curb juvenile delinquency, mandating natural straight black hair. And so adopting kinpatsu or golden hair was the ultimate act of rebellion. And you may have heard the term rank or gyaru, and some of these subcultures really go against the grain of Japanese society. Now, while blonde hair in real life has this sociological weight of rebellion, No, while blonde hair in real life has this sociological weight of rebellion, the manga and anime part, there's a slight nuance. And one of the worse instances is Good going Super Saiyan in Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball. Better, allegedly, because inking Goku's black spiky hair was so arduous, going Super Saiyan was actually a way to save time. And when the manga was translated into anime, he became his iconic blonde. No, of course, usually the protagonist is pinned as an outsider bullied at school, hiding some secret latent power. Or even if we look at Naruto, spiky blonde hair, blue eyes, orange jumpsuit, he has very better coded visuals further cementing him as an outsider in a very Japanese setting, the Hidden Leaf Village in Naruto. And even further than that in anime, the special person or outsider or foreigner is often loud, nonconforming, further separating them from this idea of conforming Japanese society. So in Japanese cultural history, kimpatsu is far more than a cosmetic choice. It is a visual signifier of social friction. And in a society that really is structured around collectivist ideals, bleaching your hair can be the ultimate act, declaring that you do not want to fit in. So do you have a favorite blonde protagonist in anime? If so, let's have a discussion down in the comments.