History Main / GenericCuteness

* This can also produce the opposite effect: characters who are supposed to be exceptional are, well, not that much cuter than all their classmates. ''[[SuzumiyaHaruhi Haruhi Suzumiya]]'', for example, is considered stunningly attractive, but so is everyone else in the school.

* ''DumnestorsHeroes'': Crunch the frost giant is ''supposed'' to be hideous.

* Most of the cast in ''QuestionableContent'' is in their 20s, the outliers being Ellen (introduced just before her 18th birthday) and Amir (35 but explicitly stated to be [[OlderThanTheyLook much younger-looking]]). Anyone much older than that tends to look like a younger person who dyed their hair gray for some reason.
* Davan [=MacIntire=] of ''SomethingPositive'' is, particularly in the earlier strips, supposed to be [[http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp02112002.shtml hideously unattractive]], even though he's drawn as your average geek, neither particularly handsome nor particularly ugly.
* Lampshaded in ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}'', where Franchise/{{Batman}} has Oracle use an EnhanceButton to see the face of a woman who managed to blur herself on a security tape. Didn't help, since in the {{DCAU}} all women look the way Bruce Timm draws women, i.e. attractive.

* Many male leads in {{Shonen}} are supposed to be average-looking as well but most don't look any worse than any other male character that is supposed to be good looking (barring the local {{Bishonen}}).
** By extension, most if not all harem protagonist has relatively feminine face with a male body, the result may vary but overall, InUniverse opinion ([[LampshadeHanging even from themselves]]) will be collectively 'above average'. [[ValuesDissonance This is because being pretty is considered attractive in Japan. Whereas most shonen protagonist started childishly masculine by default]] (at least until ArtEvolution).
* Ataru in ''UruseiYatsura'' is frequently described by girls as "ugly looking", even though he's a fairly typical design for a Rumiko Takahashi character. The only thing that really sticks out are his buck teeth and the frequent stupid look on his face.

* Miki in ''MarmaladeBoy'' is described as "cute but not pretty" by Suzu and Yuu says that her face is "ugly", yet she has the same facial design as the other characters.

* Lina from ''{{Slayers}}'' is constantly [[TheArtifact teased for being flat-chested]], but she's decently developed for a 15-year-old; Recent redesigns to fix this ironically mean Lina has actually become less endowed as she has ''aged''.
* Fuuka from ''{{Yotsuba}}'' is often mocked for being plain-looking, having funny eyebrows, or somewhat overweight (particularly over having "fat thighs"). She could only really be considered as such in comparison to her much more conventionally attractive sister Asagi. Ironically, [[WordOfGod mangaka Kiyohiko Azuma]] admits Fuuka really is supposed to have these traits but says they're supposed to be charming.

* Miaka from ''FushigiYuugi'' is supposed to be average-looking (kinda the girl version of the typical male lead in a [[UnwantedHarem harem anime]]), but she is far from plain-looking.

* Shiruku from ''KyouranKazokuNikki'' is supposed to be horribly scarred behind her mask, but once it comes off she only appears to have a discoloration around one eye, which isn't too distracting from her otherwise cute face.
* While Himeko from ''KannazukiNoMiko'' has several characters lusting over her, she's portrayed as not really being above average in the eyes of most. The other girls are surprised to see her hanging out with the likes of ever-so-popular and beautiful people like Chikane and Soma.

* Nina Einstein from ''CodeGeass'' is frequently pressured by [[CoolBigSis Milly]] to lose her glasses, but...[[{{Meganekko}} doesn't really need to]]. Nina's plainer and less endowed than all the other schoolgirls in the main cast, but in a show where character design was done by Creator/{{CLAMP}}, all this means is that Nina is realistically beautiful while [[TheBeautifulElite everyone else]] is ''impossibly'' beautiful. Including [[strike:some]] nearly all of [[{{Bishonen}} the guys]]. Girls the world over ''wish'' they [[AttractiveBentGender looked as good in a dress]] as Lelouch.
* Hitomi of ''{{Escaflowne}}'' has rather plain looks, which once or twice troubles her. She doesn't have a less attractive face compared to other female characters though. However, the series is also heavily populated by pretty {{Bishonen}}.
* Sakura of ''{{Naruto}}''. She's canonically not that attractive, merely cute-looking with a prominent forehead, but you wouldn't know that to look at her. According to WordOfGod, she really wasn't attractive at the beginning. Kishomoto's assistants even reacted at her reference sketch saying "She is not cute". Praise ArtEvolution here.

* The premise of the manga ''Family Complex'' (A spinoff of ''PrincessPrincess'') is that the main character, Akira, feels inadequate due to being the sole average-looking member of a supermodel-hot family. This may have come off as a bit more believable if [[http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/characters/8/93281.jpg Akira]] wasn't himself a doe-eyed {{bishonen}}.
* Although not an example of being cute, in ''FistOfTheBlueSky'' manga characters that are considered "good" are all portrayed as handsome and beautiful whereas those considered "bad" are disturbingly intimidating at best and comically ugly at worst; Zhāng Tài-Yán is perhaps the best example- the viewers know it's the same person with the same visual features, but he still managed to look significantly different before and after renouncing his evil ways.

** Though there are some UnfortunateImplications that a girl can't be the main heroine of a plot without being cute.

* Nadie from ''ElCazadorDeLaBruja'' is supposed to not be that attractive, judging by the responses of some male characters when she tries to act cute--for example when she disguises as a taco delivery girl. Still, her character-design is actually rather pretty, which is especially evident in merchandise for the show. Then again, she does have a tendency to make very silly faces. (Her name is also Spanish for "nobody".)

* Thin frame. Full lips. [[SheFu Voluptuous body that spontaneously contorts itself into sexy poses every five seconds.]] At least 75% of all superhero comics has not a single female character fail to meet even ''one'' of those criteria.
* Inverted and defied in ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' series, where Despair of the Endless is the ''exact physical opposite'' of any woman in the comic books industry.

* Usagi of ''SailorMoon''. Especially jarring in that the series uses OnlySixFaces. This also holds true for her weight, even though when you look at her it's hard to tell that she's supposedly a little overweight.

This trope can lead to InformedDeformity or UglyCute. Contrast InformedAttractiveness (although it ''can'' be a consequence of GenericCuteness). See also HollywoodHomely and ArtisticAge. Artist might attempt to dispel this by using a BeadyEyedLoser.

This makes it especially jarring [[InformedAttribute when we're told]] [[HollywoodHomely a character is physically unattractive, gained a few pounds, or has bad skin]]. It's too much work to draw these minor details. The only way to combat GenericCuteness is with a {{Gonk}} or you end up with a disarming cutesy look in some [[GrotesqueCute wildly inappropriate things]].

Occasionally this pops up because your story is filled with LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters but there are OnlySixFaces. Some artists attempt to avert GenericCuteness by hinting at some form of sorting algorithm of in-universe prettiness among their [[OnlySixFaces six faces]] so that the audience can tell that someone is ''supposed'' to be attractive without the characters explicitly stating it, though this may result in making every ugly, plain or beautiful character look even more alike.

* This is basically what doomed Hideaki Anno's plans for [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Rei Ayanami]]. He had intended her to be in the UncannyValley... but this trope kicked in, making her look more waifish than disturbing. It's hard to blame the viewers for CompletelyMissingThePoint when the point is shrouded in cute-looking fog.
** Naturally, her counterpart Kaworu avoids this much better because of the show's mainly male fanbase, who usually ignore his good looks and see him as [[UncannyValley unsettling]]. Unfortunately, the YaoiFangirl contingent latched onto him and declared him a DracoInLeatherPants. Thus the "Evil Kaworu" manga retool.

* ''RanmaHalf'': Ranma constantly calls Akane flat-chested. She's got the real-life equivalent of at least C's, same as almost every other Anime girl unless it's deliberate and/or a plot point.

This trope can lead to InformedDeformity or UglyCute. Contrast InformedAttractiveness. See also HollywoodHomely and ArtisticAge. Artist might attempt to dispel this by using a BeadyEyedLoser.

** This might just be because Rarity's mane and tail have a more elaborate design than the other ponies, and may possibly be intended to be the main indication of her beauty. It must be noted that she also holds herself in a very refined and - at times - sultry manner. Being a children's show, we never see a stallion take interest.

** This might just be because Rarity's mane and tail have a more elaborate design than the other ponies, and may possibly be intended to be the main indication of her beauty.

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': Madoka notices that Homura is charming (etc), but since everyone including the males have Creator/UmeAoki's signature wideface, the audience can't see how Homura is supposed to be significantly more attractive than others.

* Similar to Yomi, Hiro in ''HidamariSketch'' worries about her weight and her diet, but any differences in her weight aren't really visible to the viewers. Except for maybe that one bath scene in ''x365''.

* ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' naturally makes all of the ponies adorable. Rarity is treated as the de facto "pretty" cast member, and Fluttershy is apparently attractive enough to have had a brief but successful career as a model, which is odd considering that aside from hairstyle, the literally have the exact same body types as every other female pony.

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': Madoka notices that Homura is charming (etc), but since everyone including the males have UmeAoki's signature wideface, the audience can't see how Homura is supposed to be significantly more attractive than others.

* ''Webcomic/{{Chirault}}'' does not contain a single unattractive face. Even if a person is a demon who's suffering from PowerIncontinence and going OneWingedAngel, he'll look handsome while crushing everything around him. And they manage a CustOfSnowflakes, too.

** Naturally, her counterpart Kaworu avoids this much better because of the show's mainly male fanbase, who usually ignore his good looks and see him as a textbook Unsettling WhiteHairedPrettyBoy. Unfortunately, the YaoiFangirl contingent latched onto him and declared him a DracoInLeatherPants. Thus the "Evil Kaworu" manga retool.

[[caption-width-right:330:Now, try to spot the one that's supposed to be ugly.[[hottip:*:The tiger on the lower right?]]]]

** It's possible that, in the English dub at least, they tried to emphasize her gawkiness through her voice acting; at times, she almost seems as though she's taken speech lessons from ''HalfLife'''s [[UncannyValley G-Man]]. If this was the intention, though, it seems to have largely backfired, as most players simply [[MisBlamed assume that Fuuka's voice actor can't act]].

* Lampshaded in ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}'', where {{Batman}} has Oracle use an EnhanceButton to see the face of a woman who managed to blur herself on a security tape. Didn't help, since in the {{DCAU}} all women look the way Bruce Timm draws women, i.e. attractive.

** Even worse in the English anime instead of calling her flat-chested the insult Ranma says is "You are so uncute!"
** The only person who really says anything like that is Ranma, when he's teasing/insulting her on purpose. In the manga at least, the only people who are explicitly said to be bustier than her are Ranma's girl form and Hinako's adult form, and everyone else (who isn't a lunatic trying to kill/insult her) consistently treats Akane as being absolutely drop dead gorgeous (which hits the problem from the other direction since due to Takahashi's art style not making her look much different from any other girl). And despite his comments, even Ranma is heavily affected by her looks and body when caught off guard.

* This is basically what doomed Hideaki Anno's plans for [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Rei Ayanami]]. He had intended her to be in the UncannyValley... but this trope kicked in, making her look more waifish than disturbing. It's hard to blame the viewers for CompletelyMissingThePoint when the point is shrouded in cute-looking fog.