History ComicBook / AmericanBornChinese

* IdenticalLookingAsians: Several elementary school students think Suzy and Jin are engaged by their parents, even though she's Japanese-American, he's second-generation Chinese, and neither has met the other before.

* NobodyPoops: Averted; after flying across all of existence and passing the bounds of reality, the Monkey King relieves himself by urinating on one of the Five Golden Pillars [[spoiler:which turn out to be the fingers of Tze-Yo-Tzuh.]]

* InnocentlyInsensitive: Jin's well-meaning third-grade teacher, as the page picture shows. [[spoiler:Greg is also this by telling Jin he's not good enough for Amelia.]]

** Several Anglo characters behave in this way toward the Asian-American protagonists. Besides fellow students, just check out the page picture.

* BaitTheDog: Greg initially seems to be the one white boy at Jin's school who isn't a racist little shit. [[spoiler: But, when Jin goes out with his crush Amelia, Greg is the one who strongly urges them to stop, wanting her to "make good life choices," directly leading to Jin's broken friendship with Wei-Chen and the events of the Chin-Kee plot.]]

* EthnicScrappy: In-universe: Danny hates Chin-Kee, who ruins his life so badly that he has to change schools every time he shows up. According to WordOfGod, his one regret was not making Chin-Kee even ''more'' offensive, [[https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/this-chinese-american-cartoonist-forces-us-to-face-racist-stereotypes saying]] " I feel like I didn’t exaggerate him enough. If I had exaggerated him a little more, then maybe people would not find him cute."

** Amelia and Melanie look almost identical to each other, and are both lusted after by the protagonists of the segments they appear in, [[spoiler: implying that Jin HasAType.]]

* HijackedByJesus: In the tale of the Monkey King, all the Buddhist elements are replaced by Christian equivalents.[[labelnote:details]]The Buddha's role is taken by a GrandpaGod with a shepherd's crook, the bodhisattvas by heraldic animals who traditionally represent various Christian saints, and the journey to the West ends with the Monkey and his companions being the wise men from the East who visited the baby Jesus.[[/labelnote]] [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools Though not really in an unpleasant way]]. Done deliberately to show the blending of cultures that produces Jin and which he needs to accept. Also probably influenced by the author, who is himself a Christian that still values his Chinese heritage.

* MagicRealism: The Jin story, which starts as a mostly-realistic, if exaggerated, story of growing up as a second-generation Chinese in America, [[spoiler: but later includes physical transformation into a white kid, and a visit from the Monkey King to straighten the protagonist out.]]

** Danny is short for Daniel, which means “God is my judge”. [[spoiler: Danny/Jin is taken down a several pegs by the Monkey King who is an Emissary of [[{{God}} Tze-Yo-Tzuh]]. ]]

** When Jin is convinced to stop seeing Amelia he blames Wei-Jin for it rather than any of the racist expectations other people had fostered onto them.

* RaceFetish: Chin-Kee, in a deliberate invocation of every racist sterotype ever about foreigners "stealing our women," is always on the prowl for a "Amelican" girl so that he can, translated from the original accent, "bind [her] feet and bear Chin-Kee's children."

* The first is [[Literature/JourneyToTheWest The Monkey King]] [[TheMagnificent (Great Sage Equal of Heaven)]], who is shamed after being kicked out of a celestial dinner party for being a monkey (and [[BarefootCartoonAnimal not wearing shoes]]). He becomes obsessed with earning the respect of the Heavenly Hosts as a result.

* HijackedByJesus: In the tale of the Monkey King, all the Buddhist elements are replaced by Christian equivalents.[[labelnote:details]]The Buddha's role is taken by a GrandpaGod with a shepherd's crook, the bodhisattvas by heraldic animals who traditionally represent various Christian saints, and the journey to the West ends with the Monkey and his companions being the wise men from the East who visited the baby Jesus.[[/labelnote]] [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools Though not really in an unpleasant way]]. Done deliberately to show the blending of cultures that produces Jin and which he needs to accept.
** Also probably influenced by the author, who is himself a Christian that still values his Chinese heritage.

* NotHisSled: The story's version of ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' takes some sharp diversions from the traditional version. First when the Monkey King is challenged by Tze-Yo-Tzuh--who is heavily implied to be the Christian God--instead of the Buddha. Then later when the Monkey King's journey turns out to involve traveling westward to [[spoiler:Bethlehem to deliver gold, frankincense and myrrh to the infant Jesus]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/American-Born-Chinese_8861.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Welcome to America, Jin.]]

* LaughTrack: During the Danny story, subtitled laughter appears at the bottom of every panel after Chin-Kee says something offensive.

* LaughTrack: Danny's scenes are accompanied by one, in the style of an old sitcom, done as [[WrittenSoundEffect onomatopoeia]]. They are often at deliberately-uncomfortable moments.
* LosingYourHead: The Monkey King continues to talk even after being beheaded while demonstrating his mastery of the kung-fu discipline of immunity to wounds.

* NotHisSled: The story's version of ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' takes some sharp diversions from the traditional version. First when the Monkey King is challenged by Tze-Yo-Tzuh--who is heavily implied to be the Judeo-Christian God--instead of the Buddha. Then later when the Monkey King's journey turns out to involve traveling westward to [[spoiler:Bethlehem to deliver gold, frankincense and myrrh to the infant Jesus]].

* NeverLiveItDown: InUniverse, Danny finds he eventually has to change schools after bringing Chin-Kee with him for a week, so bad does the teasing and abuse get from all of his classmates and former friends who can only see him as Chin-Kee's cousin.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Yang's ''ComicBook/NewSuperMan'' would continue the concept of illusions, shapeshifting and mystical Chinese concepts (in its case, the ''qi''.)

* AsianSpeekeeEngrish: Chin-Kee, to a ludicrous degree. Wei-Chen averts it: he does have a thick accent, but it's an actual accent rather than a bizarre exaggeration. [[spoiler:And both Chin-Kee and Wei-Chen were faking the accents.]]

* CoolShades: [[spoiler:Wei-Chen wears them after revealing his true persona.]]

* CoolShades: [[spoiler:Wei-Chen wears them after revealing his true persona, also driving a CoolCar.]]

* HijackedByJesus: In the tale of the Monkey King, all the Buddhist elements are replaced by Christian equivalents.[[labelnote:details]]The Buddha's role is taken by a GrandpaGod with a shepherd's crook, the bodhisattvas by heraldic animals who traditionally represent various Christian saints, and the journey to the West ends with the Monkey and his companions being the wise men from the East who visited the baby Jesus.[[/labelnote]] [[TropesAreNotBad Though not really in an unpleasant way]]. Done deliberately to show the blending of cultures that produces Jin and which he needs to accept.

* AsianSpeekeeEngrish: Chin-Kee, to a ludicrous degree. Wei-Chen averts it: he does have a thick accent, but it's an actual accent rather than a bizarre exaggeration.

* EthnicScrappy: In-universe: Danny hates Chin-Kee, who ruins his life so badly that he has to change schools every time he shows up.

* The second is Jin Wang, a second-generation immigrant from China heavily influenced by Chinese culture. After moving from San Francisco to a new city, he awkwardly tries to integrate with the all-white students and staff at school, despite their stereotypical view of Asians.

* BarefootCartoonAnimal: The Monkey King was prevented from entering the celestial dinner party because he wears no shoes whereupon he strives to make himself more human like in his dress and appearance. It's notable that many of the other animals who were let in, like Dragons and fish, actually worse shoes.

Written and drawn by Gene Luen Yang, ''American Born Chinese'' is a GraphicNovel dealing with the trials and tribulations of Asians attempting to integrate into American culture.