Power Of Friendship: Why is this prevalent is shonen?

It's cheap Aesop that isn't wrong. Perfect combination.

S-CRY-ed agrees with you.

Time to leave them all behind

I thought that too (but didn't say it). Power of Friendship would get uterly crushed in face of Power of Rivalry.

PoF could be an overused aesop, but what message do you want writers and producers to send to their main audience? That you shouldn't really make friends with people because friendship sucks? That the only way to become awesome is antagonize everyone?

Sounds like a good Aesop to me.

edited 23rd Dec '12 9:18:00 AM by judasmartel

But in several cases it work well.

Raoh approves.

So the message really is like this?

Companionship is just an obstacle in your journey to power. If you really want to become powerful, fight it out with the strongest in the world all by yourself, without anyone's help.

While it's really a good Aesop to teach kids so they would learn self-reliance and independence, sometimes there are just things people can't do on their own.

So are we saying here that kids should make enemies instead of friends because at the end of the day, friends can help you, and the enemies you make along the way can actually help you defeat entire armies better than a small team of people you actually trust?

No doubt about it.

edited 23rd Dec '12 9:30:14 AM by judasmartel

You can't grow without obstacles, that much as fact. Friends are useful, but enemies even more (thaat much is opinion though).

edited 23rd Dec '12 9:31:41 AM by Tenzen12

Agreed. Opponents can motivate you about 10x better than your allies ever can. But that shouldn't mean you don't need friends anymore.

The reason why you would ever need friends despite the above fact: they got your back.

edited 23rd Dec '12 9:45:19 AM by judasmartel

Because power can take any form. It ain't picky, and people have accomplished more as a group(especially a group who like each-other) than on their own.

There's also an emotional thing to it. Sure, some might say friends can hold you back, but when you're about to do something really stupid, or take an action you will regret later, having something to hold you back until you calm down and think things through might be a really good thing to have.

Really good friends will back you up for no other reason than because they are your friends. From a selfish stand point, that's a good thing. And if you do the same for them(and you probably will) then they'll be even more likely to help you out again.

The Power of Friendship is used because it's just a useful power to have. Have friends who will help you out when things have gone to absolute shit, and when everyone else has given up on you is a really good thing. And while more cynical types will say that people only care about themselves and do what is best for them, even that can constitute friendship. They help you because doing so makes them feel good; because they are taking joy out of being there for you.

Again, a good deal. You get a free back watcher, and they get satisfaction.

So huzzah for the power of friendship.

One Strip! One Strip!

I disagree with first point, People might accomplish big things as group, but I don't think many of these were best budies. These people gathered for big goals in first place not for Camaraderie though it isn't necessary inclusive.

I agree with rest, though again on every good friend there is 10 bad ones and not often it's easy recognise difference. So there is big probem if you entrust your back these by mistake.

edited 23rd Dec '12 11:19:46 AM by Tenzen12

Perhaps rather than simply not using the power of friendship, the solution would be to strain it, to show that it isn't infallible, that it can be involuntary and even undesirable. Perhaps some epic betrayals and back stabbings would do the trick of questioning the power of friendship (and not in the backstory, I mean in the actual plot with characters we've actually known).

Of course, that would need to be handled by an actual competent writer. You may notice that some of the above was done in Naruto, but the execution was ... unsatisfactory, shall we say.

Then again, an actually competent writer wouldn't stick to the power of friendship just because it is a staple.

edited 23rd Dec '12 11:31:28 AM by luislucas

In real world, no one can make it far being 'the lone wolf', because success in most human societies relies on tasks that can't be achieved by a single person. Life isn't following the model a fighting shonen follows, so while you probably could become a good street fighter or something by training hard by yourself, that doesn't translate into an actual better life. Even in crime, you need at least some truly loyal followers to really succeed.

The Power of Friendship is one of those anvils that need being regularly dropped, but most shonen follow an approach to it that stems from the basic Japanese concept of blindly following your superiors (in these cases, the 'leader' or protagonist) around and things will work out. Shonen friendships are rarely relationships between equals (ironically, rivals come the closest to this. As soon as a rival stops antagonizing the hero, they tend to quickly lag behind in usefulness).

Asuras Wrath also Follows the Power of Rivalry, yet it's version of Power of Friendship in ep 21 is really powerful and moving compared to most others like it.

Watch Symphogear

Because friendship is magic, social links make you stronger in battle, and emphasizing the importance of True Companions is a major factor in adding sentimentality without being sappy.

Even though in real life, most friendships don't last a lifetime.

edited 23rd Dec '12 4:02:41 PM by Ruise

Loves feel-good animation a whole lot.

I think many would disagree about it being sappy.

So I guess Western shows portray Power of Friendship better than the Eastern ones. After all, as you guys say, the Eastern concept of this trope is about blindly following your superiors, which while in itself isn't really bad (we sometimes need somebody to discipline us so we don't go Leeroy Jenkins all the time), it can sometimes cause conflict among the hero team. Maybe because either the hero is an arrogant prick who refuses to listen to his allies, or he is an Extreme Doormat who can't command the respect of his allies.

That's why I like the Western concept of companionship better. True friends treat each other as equals rather than someone to control. As Albus Dumbledore says, "It takes courage to stand up to your enemies, but it takes balls to stand up to your friends".

edited 23rd Dec '12 4:12:56 PM by judasmartel

The Power of Friendship could never be sappy! It's just too genuinely sweet.

Loves feel-good animation a whole lot.

So sweet it actually Tastes Like Diabetes. Can understand hating the concept once somebody gets older and more cynical, though.

But here: do know that companies prefer a relatively average (but not necessarily not talented) worker who can work with a team rather than a prodigy who tries to do everything by himself.

On the other hand, there's a reason why the best sports teams in the world (and I mean, championship teams) consist of individuals who absolutely hate each other, but are united by a common goal through Teeth-Clenched Teamwork.

edited 23rd Dec '12 4:27:05 PM by judasmartel

I like seeing rare, genuine friendships because I am cynical and somewhat Not Good With People. Only makes it sweeter.

...I just really like well-written, non-romantic character interactions.

edited 23rd Dec '12 4:35:08 PM by Ruise

Loves feel-good animation a whole lot.

Because the power of murder while very true is not something you want to teach your audience.

It's basically power of relationships aka power of LUV.

Plants are aliens, and fungi are nanomachines.

And that's why Neville Longbottom has always been badass, despite appearances.

This "faculty lot" you speak of sounds like a place of great power...

@TC:

First, Then I suggest you look up what "shonen" means.

Second, I suggest you start reading "seinen" instead.

Yup, Seinen is good choice for people who are fed up with standart shonen. Though you can still find there some shonenish seinens (Iris Zero, Akame Ga Kiru...)

edited 24th Dec '12 3:39:28 AM by Tenzen12