History Analysis / JapaneseSpirit

This section will list and examine the most common tropes of JapaneseSpirit. Not all of these tropes are present in every work, but most of them pop up often. Further, while this list is mostly comprised off of a {{Shonen}} plot structure, other genres will often borrow or utilize it as well.

* TheRival

Even if the focus of the story is on friendship, teamwork, and constantly expresses that no one is useless, the final battle will almost always come down to a one-on-one duel against the BigBad.

Villains are usually extremely jaded or nihilistic. The villains embody the way reality supposedly works, versus the hero's more romantic idealism. The world is harsh, so they personify that harshness.

Even if the focus of the story is on friendship, teamwork, and constantly expresses that no one is useless, the final battle will almost always come down to a one-on-one duel against the BigBad.

The first phase of the fight will reinforce the seeming invincibility of the villain while the hero struggles just to survive.

Certainty is taboo in these types of stories. If we're assured that something is scientifically impossible or that something will last forever, [[BeyondTheImpossible that will eventually]] [[NotQuiteForever be proven false]]. To emphasize this point, most {{Shonen}} heroes are idiots, or at the very least, lack scientific or academic expertise. TheSmartGuy will usually be on hand to help them out, but the protagonist will usually be more hot-headed than studious. If science plays a part in the hero's victory, it's as a foundational or supportive role and is [[ScienceIsUseless ultimately useless if the combat phase fails.]]

* NotQuiteTheRightThing

Certainty is taboo in these types of stories. If we're assured that something is scientifically impossible or that something will last forever, [[BeyondTheImpossible that will eventually]] [[NotQuiteForever be proven false]]. To emphasize this point, most {{Shonen}} heroes are idiots, or at the very least, lack scientific or academic expertise. TheSmartGuy will usually be on hand to help them out, but the protagonist will usually be more hot-headed than studious. If science does play a part in the hero's victory, it's as a foundational or supportive role and is [[ScienceIsUseless ultimately useless if the combat phase fails.]]

Heroes tend to suffer quite a bit. That which does not kill them, however, makes them stronger.

Villains are usually extremely jaded or nihilistic. The villains embody [[ThisIsReality the way reality supposedly works]], versus the hero's more romantic idealism. The world is harsh, so they personify that harshness.

At the end of the fight, we will usually know a lot more about the villain than at the start of the battle. Sometimes, villains will have flashbacks before they're defeated, and sometimes, the hero will gain an insight into why they're fighting. In the end, though, their resolve is inferior to their

.[[folder: Conflict Progression]]

* HiddenDepths: Everyone has a hidden power inside.

[[/folder]]

Thanks especially to ''Manga/DragonBallZ'', American comic books and Japanese shounen have a lot of overlap. Like their Japanese counterparts, American heroes tend to possess an abundance of Talent, HeroicResolve, and HeroicWillpower. As such, there are many similarities between the two, and in the West, fans of one are often fans of the other.

Japanese heroes tend to defeat villains who [[DefeatingTheUndefeatable are far above themselves]]. Every BigBad that showed up in ''Manga/DragonballZ'' seemed undefeatable when they first appeared. Aizen was ''certainly'' portrayed as miles above every other character for the vast majority of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', and the same is true of other villainous characters across {{Manga}} like [[Manga/{{Claymore}} Priscilla]] and [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Itachi Uchiha]]. When the villain isn't portrayed as exceptionally more powerful than the hero, they will tend to take on the role of TheRival, and the rest of the story will be a mad rush for power until the hero and villain duke it out to prove who's tougher. The villain will usually be defeated at their most powerful incarnation--either in their OneWingedAngel form or with the MacGuffin that brings "ultimate power". TheHero thus usually defeats them by overcoming that might with either an EleventhHourSuperpower or ThePowerOfFriendship or some other power born from their resolve and will. This is in stark contrast to American superheroes, who will usually outsmart the more powerful villain (as Superman does to Mr. Mxyzptlk), remove their powers to bring them back down to a defeatable level (as is Batman's go-to strategy against Bane), exploit a WeaksauceWeakness (as Franchise/{{Spiderman}} does against Electro, Hydro-Man and Sandman), or [[AvengersAssemble get help]].

First, it should be noted that in the page quote, [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Yoruichi]] is not entirely accurate. The term "Instinct" refers to behavior which is biological in nature and can be done at any time without any form of education or learning. Yoruichi is using the [[YouKeepUsingThatWord colloquial understanding of "instinct"]] to refer to any unconscious or automatic behavior, which is inaccurate. For examples, humans ''very much need to learn to walk''. It takes several years for a human being to completely master walking, while a horse can do it within minutes.

It's critical to know that Feudal Japan only fought two wars against outside forces: the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mongolia}} Mongol Invasion]] of the 12th Century, and the conquest of Korea in the 16th. Thus, Japan created entirely different standards of warfare [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen based around individual skill, merit and "fair" play]]. Even in massive campaigns, most battles involved single combat between {{Samurai}}, thus the Japanese found foreign tactics, like MountedCombat and RainOfArrows barbaric and dishonorable. Again, Shinto belief and customs has a lot to do with this, as they believed in a very complicated system of karma where someone who lived or died dishonorably would leave behind an evil spirit that would haunt and taint the world for future generations. Thus, dying an honorable death was preferable to living a dishonorable life. Also important is that Japanese {{Swordfight}}ing evolved into a very fast-paced, fluid style of combat that made it ''impossible'' to think during a skirmish--thus, every fight essentially came down to an individual's training, skill, and ability to read an opponent's intent through pure "instinct".

Japanese heroes tend to defeat villains who [[DefeatingTheUndefeatable are far above themselves]]. Every BigBad that showed up in ''Manga/DragonballZ'' seemed undefeatable when they first appeared. Aizen was ''certainly'' portrayed as miles above every other character for the vast majority of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', and the same is true of other villainous characters across {{Manga}} like [[Manga/{{Claymore}} Priscilla]] and [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Itachi Uchiha]]. When the villain isn't portrayed as exceptionally more powerful than the hero, they will tend to take on the role of TheRival, and the rest of the story will be a mad rush for power until the hero and villain duke it out to prove who's tougher. The villain will usually be defeated at their most powerful incarnation--either in their OneWingedAngel form or with the MacGuffin that brings "ultimate power". TheHero thus usually defeats them by overcoming that might with either an EleventhHourSuperpower or ThePowerOfFriendship or some other power born from their resolve and will. This is in stark contrast to American superheroes, who will usually outsmart the more powerful villain (as Superman does to Mr. Mxyzptlk), remove their powers to bring them back down to a defeatable level (as is Batman's go-to strategy against Bane), exploit a WeaksauceWeakness (as Franchise/{{Spiderman}}) against Electro, Hydro-Man and Sandman, or [[AvengersAssemble get help]].

As always, there are gray areas on both sides. Some superheroes ''do'' fight stronger enemies--''Franchise/{{Spiderman}}'' is a chronic underdog. Some Japanese heroes do exploit a villain rather than fight force with force (Manga/{{Naruto}} has use this tactic more than once). And some American stories do employ an EleventhHourSuperpower to defeat a superior threat (Superman is, after all, is the TropeCodifier of NewPowersAsThePlotDemands). However, in aggregate, there are clear formulas the two genres employ.

It's critical to know that Feudal Japan only fought two wars against outside forces: the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mongolia}} Mongol Invasion]] of the 12th Century, and the conquest of Korea in the 16th. Thus, Japan created entirely different standards of warfare [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen based around individual skill, merit and "fair" play]]. Even in massive campaigns, most battles involved single combat between {{Samurai}}, thus the Japanese found foreign tactics, like MountedCombat and RainOfArrows barbaric and dishonorable. Again, Shinto belief and customs has a lot to do with this, as they believed in a very complicated system of karma where someone who lived or died dishonorably would leave behind an evil spirit that would haunt and taint the world for future generations. Thus, dying an honorable death was preferable to living a dishonorable life. Also important is that Japanese {{Swordfight}}ing evolved into a very fast-paced, fluid style of combat that made it ''impossible'' to think during a skirmish--thus, every fight essentially came down to an individual's training, skill, and ability to read an opponent's intent through pure instinct.

It's critical to know that Feudal Japan only fought two wars against outside forces: the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mongolia}} Mongol Invasion]] of the 12th Century, and the conquest of Korea in the 16th. Thus, Japan created entirely different standards of warfare [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen based around individual skill, merit and "fair" play]]. Even in massive campaigns, most battles involved single combat between {{Samurai}}, thus the Japanese found foreign tactics, like MountedCombat and RainOfArrows barbaric and dishonorable. Again, Shinto belief and customs has a lot to do with this, as they believed in a very complicated system of karma where someone who lived or died dishonorably would leave behind an evil spirit that would haunt and taint the world for future generations. Thus, dying an honorable death was preferable to living a dishonorable life. Also important is that Japanese {{Swordfight}}ing evolved into a very fast-paced, fluid style of combat that made it ''impossible'' to think during a skirmish--thus, every fight essentially came down to an individual's training, skill, and ability to read an opponent's intent.

It's critical to know that Feudal Japan only fought two wars against outside forces: the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mongolia}} Mongol Invasion]] of the 12th Century, and the conquest of Korea in the 16th. Thus, Japan created entirely different standards of warfare [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen based around individual skill, merit and "fair" play]]. Even in massive campaigns, most battles involved single combat between {{Samurai}}, thus the Japanese found foreign tactics, like MountedCombat and RainOfArrows barbaric and dishonorable. Again, Shinto belief and customs has a lot to do with this, as they believed in a very complicated system of karma where someone who lived or died dishonorably would leave behind an evil spirit that would haunt and taint the world for future generations. Thus, dying an honorable death was preferable to living a dishonorable life. Also important is that Japanese {{SwordFight}}ing evolved into a very fast-paced, fluid style of combat that made it ''impossible'' to think during a skirmish--thus, every fight essentially came down to an individual's training, skill, and ability to read an opponent's intent.

It's critical to know that Feudal Japan only fought two wars against outside forces: the [[UsefulNotes/{{Mongolia}} Mongol Invasion]] of the 12th Century, and the conquest of Korea in the 16th. Thus, Japan created entirely different standards of warfare [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen based around individual skill, merit and "fair" play]]. Even in massive campaigns, most battles involved single combat between {{Samurai}}, thus the Japanese found foreign tactics, like MountedCombat and RainOfArrows barbaric and dishonorable. Again, Shinto belief and customs has a lot to do with this, as they believed in a very complicated system of karma where someone who lived or died dishonorably would leave behind an evil spirit that would haunt and taint the world for future generations. Thus, dying an honorable death was preferable to living a dishonorable life. Also important is that Japanese [[{{SwordFight}}ing evolved into a very fast-paced, fluid style of combat that made it ''impossible'' to think during a skirmish--thus, every fight essentially came down to an individual's training, skill, and ability to read an opponent's intent.

Japanese heroes tend to defeat villains who [[DefeatingTheUndefeatable are far above themselves]]. Every BigBad that showed up in ''Manga/DragonballZ'' seemed undefeatable when they first appeared. Aizen was ''certainly'' portrayed as miles above every other character for the vast majority of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', and the same is true of other villainous characters across {{Manga}} like ''[[Manga/{{Claymore}} Priscilla]] and [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Itachi Uchiha]]. When the villain isn't portrayed as exceptionally more powerful than the hero, they will tend to take on the role of TheRival, and the rest of the story will be a mad rush for power until the hero and villain duke it out to prove who's tougher. The villain will usually be defeated at their most powerful incarnation--either in their OneWingedAngel form or with the MacGuffin that brings "ultimate power". TheHero thus usually defeats them by overcoming that might with either an EleventhHourSuperpower or ThePowerOfFriendship or some other power born from their resolve and will. This is in stark contrast to American superheroes, who will usually outsmart the more powerful villain (as Superman does to Mr. Mxyzptlk), remove their powers to bring them back down to a defeatable level (as is Batman's go-to strategy against Bane), exploit a WeaksauceWeakness (as Francise/{{Spider-man}}) against Electro, Hydro-Man and Sandman, or [[AvengersAssemble get help]].

As always, there are gray areas on both sides. Some superheroes ''do'' fight stronger enemies--''Manga/{{Spiderman}}'' is a chronic underdog. Some Japanese heroes do exploit a villain rather than fight force with force (Manga/{{Naruto}} has use this tactic more than once). And some American stories do employ an EleventhHourSuperpower to defeat a superior threat (Superman is, after all, is the TropeCodifier of NewPowersAsThePlotDemands). However, in aggregate, there are clear formulas the two genres employ.

Thanks especially to ''Manga/DragonBallZ'', American comic books and Japanese shounen have a lot of overlap. Like their Japanese counterparts, American heroes tend to possess an abundance of Talent, HeroicResolve, and HeroicWillpower. As such, there is often a ton of overlap between the two, and in the West, fans of one are often fans of the other.

As always, there are gray areas on both sides. Some superheroes ''do'' fight stronger enemies--''Manga/{{Spiderman}}'' is a chronic underdog. Some Japanese heroes do exploit a villain rather than fight force with force (Manga/{{Naruto}} has use this tactic more than once). And some American stories do employ an EleventhHourSuperpower to defeat a superior threat (Superman is, after all, is the TropeCodifier of NewPowersAsThePlotDemands). However, in aggregate, there are clear formulas the two genres employ.

Naturally, there are still traces of this in Japanese culture and media--a minor means of spotting it is with the phrase "Ganbatte! (Do your best!)" in place of the Western "Good luck!"--although some scholars predict it will die out fairly soon. The concept of {{Kawaisa}} has been adopted as its chief replacement, although it can be argued that it still promotes a powerful emotional ideal (in this case, cuteness and delicacy) over a logical or unpleasant one. Another possible result of this trope is that Japan at large still has a [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10543126 mistrust of technology]] in favor of the GoodOldWays.

'''NOTE: Putting everything in this section within the "Analysis" tab, as the article is quite long as it is.'''