History Main / CastOfSnowflakes

* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' has a large cast of unique recurring characters that populate background shots. Hexside alone has around 50 different students who all have an established magic track and are instantly recognizable despite usually being seen wearing the school uniform.

Please note that almost all the facial features of the characters are different. Slight changes in hairstyle, hair colour, eye shape, or eye colour do not count. The opposite of this trope is OnlySixFaces, where even the main characters tend to look alike. In video games, there are usually only six background characters (YouALLLookFamiliar). Tends to go [[SisterTrope hand in hand]] with LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters. Sort of related to TasteTheRainbow, where a cast of characters may come in a huge number of permutations. Unrelated to SpecialSnowflakeSyndrome and SizableSnowflakes. Contrast with FlashyProtagonistsBlandExtras.

* Creator/SatoshiKon: Many (if not all) of his works feature this, most noticeably in ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent'', which has LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters.

** The ''Manga/DeathNote'' manga has distinct faces for nearly everyone, including random criminals who only appear once in a mugshot (though they tend to look [[{{Gonk}} a bit]] [[BeautyEqualsGoodness odd]]). Essential since there are LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters. The one time a character (one of the Yotsuba Group executives) looks similar (yet distinct) to the main character, Light, it's fixed by Misa LampshadeHanging.

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' is a good example of this. Despite the fact that most characters are simply wearing suits and many have similar (and realistic) hairstyles, every character in the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters massive cast]] looks completely unique, even background characters and all the random henchmen who get killed off immediately.

* ''Manga/BlackButler'': There are [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters whole new sets of characters in every arc]], yet all of them are easily distinguishable. Despite some similarities between characters (such as Sebastian and Vincent, Bardroy and Phipps, etc.) Toboso Yana still stays within this trope by varying their expressions and overall body language. While most of her bishies are long-jawed and narrow-eyed, one would still be able to identify them naked and bald.

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and its spinoff ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'' does a good job of this considering the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters. Even Mikoto's clones have slight variances from her. One exception is that Shutaura Sequenzia from the ''[[Anime/ACertainMagicalIndexMiracleOfEndymion Miracle of Endymion]]'' movie looks exactly like Seiri Fukiyose. The series' artist, Kiyotaka Haimura, realized this too late and apologized to the fans when the movie came out and he noticed the mistake. Another exception is that Vento of the Front looks like Orsola Aquinas, though this is disguised by Vento's many facial piercings and hat.

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''. There are LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, with many of them in the RedshirtArmy. Nearly all of the characters (with the exception of, what, four or five out of how many dozen?) have either black or blonde hair, making facial features more significant. Maybe her ability to distinguish similarly built characters is why [[spoiler: Father looks completely different from first Hohenheim and then Ed (''especially'' Ed, there seems to be barely a passing resemblance between the alchemist and his counterpart due to mannerisms and attitude alone) even though he is [[{{Doppelganger}} identical to them in physical features]].]] The same tactics are used to differ [[spoiler: Ling from Greed after they end up sharing a body and can still be fairly easily told apart from one another when they switch dominance in control.]]

* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' definitely applies. While it's not a manga with LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters per se, the main and secondary characters in it are all extremely stylized with completely unique outfits, hairstyles, facial features, weapons, and poses.

* ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'' is pretty good about this, especially post ArtEvolution. Every character has distinct facial features and expressions, with various traits by which to distinguish themselves, including secondary characters and even some recurring extras. And while the series may not have LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, with 30-some noteworthy characters in the mix it's certainly well on its way.

* ''Literature/SoundEuphonium'': Each of the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters 50+ members]] of the band has a unique design, personality, and set of relationships that are consistent throughout the entire series. This is despite the fact that the majority of them only get about two lines at most throughout the series. Then there are the non-band characters and the random one-off background characters, most of whom have unique designs as well.

* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' manages to pull this off, even with LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters. Even minor characters have distinct facial features and body types, helping to distinguish them from each other. Like other examples on the list, Ishida manages to make his characters distinct while still including familial resemblances, which becomes a ''critical'' bit of {{Foreshadowing}} when it comes to [[spoiler:Kichimura Washuu, aka Souta, who strongly resembles his half-brother Yoshitoki]].

* ''Manga/YowamushiPedal'': Every main and even background character has a unique face and build, which is quite necessary considering the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, and also quite impressive when you realize that while Imaizumi and Arakita have the same hair colour, eye colour, and a near-identical hairstyle, they also look nothing like each other.

* Gil Kane of ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'' was always pretty good about this, as were Doug Mahnke and [[ComicBook/BlackestNight Ivan Reis]]. Comes [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters with the territory]], probably.

* ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'', by married creators Wendy and Richard Pini, is famous for ''every single character'' appearing on panel looking unique. With such a [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters massive]] cast spanning generations, this is no small feat.

* ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'' tends to follow this rule - you can generally see when an issue was a little rushed because the crowds tend to be generic dog-like creatures, but when time permits the artist/writer loves to present crowd scenes in which every face is different. The comic also has LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, so at times one will spot a minor recurring character passing by who [[ContinuityNod has nothing to do with that issue's story at all.]]

* An early Brent Anderson example comes up in ''ComicBook/StrikeforceMorituri'', a series with LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, as he does a laudable job in giving everyone distinctive faces and body types.

* ''Blog/AlwaysHavingJuice'' has near-complete redesigns for the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' characters that appear, even the non-mains. And that's [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters a lot]].

* The ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven'' games take this UpToEleven by having LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters (over 1000 characters in the first game, and over '''''2000''''' in the third), of which ''every single one'' has a unique set of head sprites, 3D head model, mug shot, and a short bio. And this is all crammed onto a little Nintendo DS card, mind you.

** This is a standard feature of MultiplayerOnlineBattleArena games. Much of the games' variety comes from the playable characters, so most [=MOBAs=] have LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, who have to be distinct and easily identified in a chaotic teamfight.

* Every Wonderful One in ''VideoGame/TheWonderful101'' is unique. [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters All 100+ of them.]] Each one has their own name, superhero alias, outfit, signature weapon, {{catchphrase}}, and [[ThePointsMeanNothing pointless set of stats]], as well as each one coming from different cities in the world.

* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': Andrew Hussie took pains to make each character visually distinct from all the others, partly out of necessity; the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters sheer amount of characters]] and the fact that some characters are alternate versions of other characters, makes being able to tell everybody apart ''very'' important.

* The Webcomic/{{Walkyverse}} features LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, all of whom can be identified quite easily. See [[http://i.imgur.com/myAIs.jpg this poster]] for examples. Note that the only reason some of the people on the far right look like those on the left is that they ''are'' the same characters, but from [[Webcomic/DumbingOfAge another universe]].

* ''Webcomic/YetAnotherFantasyGamerComic'' does this impressively well, despite the rather simplistic, cartoony art style, there's enormous range in appearance among the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters massive cast]] of all different hairstyles, species, physiques, facial builds, expressions, and ethnicities. Especially noticeable with the fantasy races that tend to share certain very striking and distinctive features (drow all have dark skin, long white hair, and blank white eyes, orcs all have massive, bulbous snouts and large eyes) but are still easy to tell apart. Doubly impressive since the comic is entirely black-and-white and yet all the characters are still easy to differentiate despite the lack of color.

* ''Franchise/{{EXTRAPOWER}}'' gives nearly every character a unique appearance and body language expressiveness, often as a homage to different styles throughout the history of anime, manga or {{Toku}}. Cute or pretty characters never slip into GenericCuteness. Beefy, muscular characters are drawn across different types of muscular builds. Even unimportant NPCs are given unique and distinctive designs. The only characters not given the bespoke treatment are the swarms of {{Mooks}} - and even the human mooks are at least given 2 or 3 varieties per type to avoid homogeneity.

* ''Webcomic/{{Opplopolis}}'' has a large cast of various [[http://www.opplopolis.com/issues/3/3 ages]], [[http://www.opplopolis.com/issues/1/23 body types]] and [[http://www.opplopolis.com/issues/6/4 ethnicities]]. Even [[http://www.opplopolis.com/issues/7/4 the aliens]] are surprisingly distinguishable, despite their uniform, circular eyes.
* ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'' has a diverse cast of humans, elves, and various fantasy races that all look very unique, with no reused character designs except for the sparse number of recurring characters, which is all the more impressive given that it's a gag-a-week comic with an entirely new group of characters every Sunday.

* Characters in ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' tend to look unique [[ArtEvolution except in the first two years or so of the strip.]]

* Background people, even those in crowd scenes, all get the snowflake treatment in ''Webcomic/TheIllustratedGuideToLaw''. Partly a result of ArtEvolution.

%%* ''Webcomic/HowIKilledYourMaster''
* ''Webcomic/{{Lackadaisy}}'': All the characters are highly distinct and defined in every way, which is even more impressive when you remember that they are, in fact, anthropomorphic cats.
* ''Webcomic/HannaIsNotABoysName'' has a number of distinct characters with different faces, heights, body language (which gives them fairly distinct silhouettes, though nearly all of them have [[NoodlePeople similar builds]]), and color schemes. [[http://vert-is-ninja.deviantart.com/art/Next-To-You-I-m-Really-Short-151903123 Check 'em out!]]
* Due to its length ''Webcomic/CharbyTheVampirate'' has built up over 100 named characters each with their own distinct visual character design and personality, even twins in the comic are easy to tell apart as long as they aren't trying to pass as each other.
* ''Webcomic/MonsterLands''' cast is quite diverse in race, body type, and gender, as seen [[http://i1.wp.com/www.monster-lands.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/outfitchart1.jpg here]]
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'''s secondary and minor characters vary considerably, in some ways moreso than the main characters who by comparison suffer from OnlySixFaces. Chalk it up to ArtEvolution and the GrandfatherClause.
* ''Webcomic/TheMeek'' has a rather distinct cast, where no one person looks like another, all the while using realistically drawn cartoon figures.
* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' also does quite well with its CastOfSnowflakes. The creator only half-jokingly points out that random background characters are not related to the main story in any way.
* ''Webcomic/{{Bobwhite}}''. No two sets of eyes, heads, noses, colors, shapes, and bodies are the same, and all characters who only appear in one or two comics has a distinct face you'd be able to pick out if given a picture of them. Some of them even have stories and backgrounds!
* Ethan Nichole's series (''Chumble Spuzz'', ''Webcomic/AxeCop'', and ''Webcomic/{{Bearmageddon}}'') are all examples of this, but note should be made of Axe Cop's main sidekick, who changes identity every few pages and always looks completely different: first he's Flute Cop, resembling Sipowitz from NYPD Blue until he gets some dinosaur blood on him and becomes Dinosaur Soldier, who is an anthropomorphic t-rex built like Schwarzenegger. Later updates include him becoming Viking Cop, Ghost Cop, and Avocado Soldier (who soon gains a unicorn horn and becomes Uni-Avocado Soldier).
* All of the cast in ''Webcomic/TheDreamer'' look quite distinct from each other, even more so after the ArtEvolution.
* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' this is largely reserved for characters with speaking roles however, due to the large number of characters who do speak there are hundreds of unique character designs on top of a fairly diverse cast of background characters.
* ''Webcomic/{{Paranatural}}'' does a good job making every single character visually distinct, from minor background spirits that will never be seen again to students who show up in every school shot. [[http://www.paranatural.net/comic/chapter-4-page-10 Here]] is a group shot of almost ''forty'' Consortium agents, while [[http://www.paranatural.net/comic/chapter-5-page-29 here]] is a similar number of students, all of whom are important background characters for the next fifty pages.

* ''Webcomic/DresdenCodak'': The artist [[http://dresdencodak.tumblr.com/post/3583964949/figures-they-speak-for-themselves-mildly-nsfw makes a point of designing characters this way]] (mildly NSFW).
* ''Webcomic/HeroOhHero'' has [[http://fav.me/d6o9h6a 100 unique sprites]] already in reserve, each with their own design (even the ones wearing uniforms or otherwise sharing outfits).
* Every single character in ''Webcomic/WeaponBrown'' is a parody of a syndicated comic strip character. Crowd scenes are a who's who of different characters by different artists spanning more than a century of the genre.
* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': Andrew Hussie took pains to make each character visually distinct from all the others, partly out of necessity; the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters sheer amount of characters]] and the fact that some characters are alternate versions of other characters, makes being able to tell everybody apart ''very'' important.
* In ''Webcomic/BasketsOfGuts'' even background characters usually get at least a moderately unique appearance.
* Thanks to ArtEvolution, ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'' has become a good example of this, with even incidental characters passing the "naked and bald" test thanks to varying facial structures and body types, especially since most drow have the same natural white hair and dark skin. Most of the time when characters look similar it's because they're actually related, and the resemblance is acknowledged in-universe.
* Even background characters in ''Webcomic/StringTheory2009'' have individual designs. Not to mention many characters can be identified by their hands alone.
* ''Webcomic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'' is a FurryComic featuring a cast that wildly differs from each other, due to a wide variety in species and colors. Even though a good portion of the cast appears to be feline, it's very difficult to mistake Dan for Abel, Merlitz, or Pyroduck. Within the families shown in the comic, no two family members appear alike either.
* ''Webcomic/{{Afraid of Monsters|Ozkosar}}'' has [[http://afraid-of-monsters.thecomicseries.com/cast 30+ characters]] with different looks, save for those related to one another, and most of them are different species besides.
* ''Webcomic/DearChildren'': Notable for the careful crafting of its character designs, including detailed facial features and (especially as its ArtEvolution progresses) body types, so that in most scenes even secondary characters are unique and clearly recognizable. This is especially laudable, as the total cast of [[Characters/DearChildren characters]] shown and named so far is ''huge''.

* ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'' has completely unique designs for practically every major and minor character. Most notably the contractors, who along with having very odd appearances compared to the noncontractor characters, all feature completely unique and often abstract abilities, along with a unique and abstract [[PowerAtAPrice remuneration.]] This uniqueness even extends to characters who only show up for a few minutes at best. [[FanNickname Burger-Kun]] for example. The character designs often add strange or unusual aspects to a character's appearance with no real reasoning behind it, such as Wei's elf ears, Amagiri's one eye always half-closed, and Maki's heterochromia.

* Every ''WesternAnimation/PennZeroPartTimeHero'' character has a unique face shape and body type, even [[LivingProp irrelevant background characters]]. In the [[ShapeShifter part-timers]]' case, this allows the audience to quickly figure out who they are even when their current form doesn't display much MorphicResonance. More intricate details such as pupil sizes and eye shapes often vary as well.

* Common with classic manga artists, such as Creator/OsamuTezuka, Creator/ShotaroIshinomori, Creator/GoNagai, and Creator/KenIshikawa. Impressive when you consider that these artists generally drew most of their characters with black hair and conservative hairstyles. Of course, Tezuka is also the TropeCodifier for the [[ResuedCharacterDesign Star System]], where he would openly re-use character designs between different works; just not within a single work.

* Common with classic manga artists, such as Creator/OsamuTezuka, Creator/ShotaroIshinomori, Creator/GoNagai, and Creator/KenIshikawa. Impressive when you consider that these artists generally drew most of their characters with black hair and conservative hairstyles. Of course, Tezuka is also the TropeCodifier for the StarSystem, where he would openly re-use character designs between different works; just not within a single work.

* Common with classic manga artists, such as Creator/OsamuTezuka, Creator/ShotaroIshinomori, Creator/GoNagai, and Creator/KenIshikawa. Impressive when you consider that these artists generally drew most of their characters with black hair and conservative hairstyles.

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* ''Animation/LingLongIncarnation'': Impressively so, given that it's CGI, where recycling models is a commonly used short-cut.
[[/folder]]

* ''ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye''. Alex Milne puts a lot of effort into making sure each and every character is visually distinct from all the others, even if they're just background crowd-fillers. This even extends to the faces (Megatron has visible creases and "wrinkles", Cyclonus has a slim and demonic-looking face, Getaway's face plate looks different than most face plates, etc.), something most artists wouldn't bother with on robots. Even characters who were previously [[PaletteSwap repaints]] of other characters are redesigned to look unique (ex. Bluestreak used to look like a Prowl repaint, so Milne redesigned him to have a completely different body structure).

* ''[[WesternAnimation.TransformersGeneration1 The Transformers]],'' as a MerchandiseDriven show, has quite a few [[OnlySixFaces characters whose toys are identical except for color or other minor details.]] However, most such characters introduced in the second season are drawn with totally different proportions from their counterparts from the first season (for example, Hoist and Trailbreaker's toys are almost identical, but their animation models are very different). The most notable example is the "cone head" Seekers, where the animators varied them by making one change in how they transformed their toys from vehicle to robot (this was probably seen as necessary since the first season ''already'' had three Seekers identical except for color, and the second season introduced three ''more.)''

* Creator/ShinichiSakamoto: ''Manga/KokounoHito'' has this as a concern even early on in the series, but it's particularly noticeable in the later volumes, as the art improves tremendously and the differences become much more pronounced, owing to Shinichi Sakamoto's more realistic style. His next series, '''Manga/{{Innocent}}'', continues this trend, although some characters do end up looking similar due to the author's desire to portray beauty.

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''. There are LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, with many of them in the RedshirtArmy. Nearly all of the characters (with the exception of, what, four or five out of how many dozen?) have either black or blonde hair, making facial features more significant. Maybe her ability to distinguish similarly built characters is why [[spoiler: Father looks completely different from first Hohenheim and then Ed (''especially'' Ed, there seems to be barely a passing resemblance between the alchemist and his counterpart due to mannerisms and attitude alone) even though he is [[{{Doppelganger}} identical to them in physical features]].]] The same tactics are used to differ [[spoiler: Ling from Greed after they end up sharing a body and can still be fairly easily told apart from one another when they switch dominance in control.]]
* Not only are the characters in Arakawa's ''Manga/SilverSpoon'' very different from each other, but they're also quite different from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' characters, with occasional exceptions that are so obvious one might claim it's a deliberate {{Expy}}, such as the P.E. teacher who looks a lot like Major Armstrong.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Need a big crowd of Amazons? Marauding army of Pirates? Every single one of them has a unique face, hairstyle, outfit, and most likely, superpower. The biggest improvement in the art of ''One Piece'' has been the elimination of [[OnlyOneFemaleMold Nami clones]], Creator/EiichiroOda has gotten much better at drawing women, giving them small details that separate their appearance, rather than just unique hairstyles that most mangaka seem to use as a crutch.
* In ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'', every character has their own unique design. Ryoko Kui has even stated in her artbook that she dislikes when the cast of a manga all look too similar. In her opinion, a reader should be able to recognise each member even if they change clothes and hairstyles. To prove it, she includes supplementary sketches only showing a character's facial profile outline, eyes, or having them switch clothes, or even ''species'', and they're ''still'' completely distinct.
* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' includes hundreds of (realistic) sets of armor, and the vast majority of the cast have unique designs, especially more prominent supporting characters who appear more than once.
* ''Manga/{{Monster}}'': As shown in the page pic, the style allows the artist to give variety to various features, including the noses and eyes. Especially impressive given that, in contrast to most anime and manga, the cast primarily consists of heavyset middle-aged men in bland clothing and business suits.
* Hiroya Oku's ''Manga/{{Gantz}}''. Necessary, since the whole cast wears identical black suits.
* ''Manga/LiarGame'' is a rather impressive example considering that each new arc introduces about 15 new characters. Not only is each character distinct but the character's facial expressions display a range of emotions wider than the vast majority of manga.
* ''Manga/BlackButler'': There are [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters whole new sets of characters in every arc]], yet all of them are easily distinguishable. Despite some similarities between characters (such as Sebastian and Vincent, Bardroy and Phipps, etc.) Toboso Yana still stays within this trope by varying their expressions and overall body language. While most of her bishies are long-jawed and narrow-eyed, one would still be able to identify them naked and bald.
* ''Manga/KarateShoukoushiKohinataMinoru'' gives everyone a unique appearance in terms of build, facial structure, and features, not to mention diverse wardrobes, down to the unnamed bit part characters.
* In ''Manga/KenganAshura'', after years of publication the series has been consistently about one big brutal fighting tournament, its dozens of fighters have very varied designs and each fight is given panel time, even those where the protagonist isn’t taking part in, some are shorter, some are longer than others but all fighters are given some character and a background.
* ''Manga/SoulEater'' is pretty good with this. Every character in the series, most notably the main cast, has unique eyes, mouths, body types, and of course, hairstyles. You could differentiate the characters from miles away. However, some characters tend to look extremely alike (such as Patty and Kim), and in the anime at least it's a subversion as background characters are greyed out and indistinct, differing from a proper CastOfSnowflakes.
* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' is a good example of this. Despite the fact that most characters are simply wearing suits and many have similar (and realistic) hairstyles, every character in the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters massive cast]] looks completely unique, even background characters and all the random henchmen who get killed off immediately.
* ''Anime/RahXephon'' - all of the character designs are given unique facial profiles, making sure that everyone has a unique appearance. [[spoiler: The only exception being the Isshki clones, but who counts them, anyhow?]]
* ''Manga/{{Gokusen}}'' and ''Manga/DekaWanko'', both made by the same person, have very distinctive characters.
* ''Manga/KOn'' Season 2 is one of few anime where all 38 students in the same class are not only named officially (even if most aren't even remotely relevant in the anime), but also have complete character designs (although one of them looks like Mio wearing [[{{Meganekko}} glasses]], and another is an {{Expy}} of [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Rukia Kuchiki]]). Ironically enough, the show also falls into OnlySixFaces territory, due to how similar everyone looks, aside from Mio and Tsumugi, whose facial features are enough to set them apart from the rest.

* Many (if not all) of Creator/SatoshiKon's works feature this, most noticeably in ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent'', which has LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters.

%%* ''Manga/{{Zetman}}'' definitely falls into this trope.
* ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'' has completely unique designs for practically every major and minor character. Most notably the contractors, who along with having very odd appearances compared to the noncontractor characters, all feature completely unique and often abstract abilities, along with a unique and abstract [[PowerAtAPrice remuneration.]] This uniqueness even extends to characters who only show up for a few minutes at best. [[FanNickname Burger-Kun]] for example. The character designs often add strange or unusual aspects to a character's appearance with no real reasoning behind it, such as Wei's elf ears, Amagiri's one eye always half-closed, and Maki's heterochromia.

* ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'' is pretty good about this, especially post ArtEvolution. Every character has distinct facial features and expressions, with various traits by which to distinguish themselves, including secondary characters and even some recurring extras. And while the series may not have LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, with 30-some noteworthy characters in the mix it's certainly well on its way.
* ''Manga/Reborn2004'' has an insane amount of characters but each of them is distinct from each other (and if there is a resemblance, expect there to be a reason).
* Inariya Fusanosuke manages to pull this off in ''Manga/MaidenRose'' despite the fact that 90% of the cast are wearing the same military uniform, of the same ethnicity and with no AnimeHair to speak of.
* Anything made by Creator/YoshihiroTogashi.
** In any given series Togashi created, it'll even go into "NonstandardCharacterDesign" territory. Some of the characters he creates look like they belong to some other manga series, especially in the case of ''Manga/HunterXHunter''. In some cases, it's just... ''[[UncannyValley weird]]''.
* ''Anime/TweenyWitches'' is very good about this. Even though most of the characters are young girls.
* ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'' is usually pretty good with this, with the exception of the evil teams' {{Mook}}s. However, the Team Plasma grunts all have strikingly different faces and bodies.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' in general is good at this. Nary a Gym Leader, Elite 4, Champion, or rival look alike. Even in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'', it's rare to find a CharacterOfTheDay that looks similar to a previous one.
* ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita'' and its sequel series ''Last Order'' both have extremely varied character designs, even for the most minor background cyborgs. If two characters resemble each other, it's likely related to plot or thematic reasons, and not the artist being lazy.
* ''Manga/{{Shiki}}'' characters have very different faces from each other, even the ones who are only in a little while. Their [[NoodlePeople body types]] tend to be the same, though.
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' has a variety of distinct character faces.
* ''Manga/BladeOfTheImmortal'' definitely deserves a mention. As it's set in Edo-era Japan, most characters wear kimonos and have pretty normal hairstyles and colours, but Hiroaki Samura's realistic and detailed art style allows for plenty of variation in face and body features... though fans have complained that his women look too much alike.
* ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'' might count as an exaggerated example. In a show with '''32''' main characters in the protagonist team ''alone'' (and then we start adding the five main rival teams, the supporting cast...) they ''still'' go out of their way to try to make random background characters memorable. ''[[UpToEleven Then]]'' they add personal traits (as meta-characters) to the teams and tanks themselves, to the point that, as of ''[[Anime/GirlsUndPanzerDerFilm The Movie]]'', the sheer detail of each apparently broke the folder system. '''[[ShockingMoments Twice.]]'''
* ''Manhua/RavagesOfTime'' notably manages a greatly varied roster of faces for the male cast even for those who are only around for brief or even [[spoiler:seemingly]] one-time appearances. Unfortunately, with women OnlySixFaces is in full effect.

* The main cast of ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' are all distinct in terms of face shape, eye shape, build, etc, which is especially impressive since almost all of them wear the same uniform. Every Titan that gets any screentime is very distinctive too.
* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and its spinoff ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'' does a good job of this considering the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters. Even Mikoto's clones have slight variances from her. One exception is that Shutaura Sequenzia from the ''[[Anime/ACertainMagicalIndexMiracleOfEndymion Miracle of Endymion]]'' movie looks exactly like Seiri Fukiyose. The series' artist, Kiyotaka Haimura, realized this too late and apologized to the fans when the movie came out and he noticed the mistake. Another exception is that Vento of the Front looks like Orsola Aquinas, though this is disguised by Vento's many facial piercings and hat.
* ''Manga/BlueExorcist'' does this ''really'' well. However, Kato also takes into consideration ''family relations'' and so you can actually ''see'' they are related by their similar features (for example [[AntiAntiChrist Rin]], [[BigLittleBrother Yukio]], [[HeroKiller Amaimon]] and [[TheChessmaster Mephisto]] all sons of {{Satan}}) but still are easily identifiable.
* ''Manga/ZatchBell'' is this by far! Multiple demons and their book owners are introduced, all distinguishable from one another. Even friends, simple allies, and one-time characters have original faces.
* Becomes increasingly common in Creator/TsutomuTakahashi's works as his draftsmanship improves, with most of the characters in ''Manga/SkyHigh'', ''Manga/{{Sidooh}}'' and ''Manga/HitoHitoriFutari'' all having unique designs.

* Every main and even background character in ''Manga/YowamushiPedal'' has a unique face and build, which is quite necessary considering the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, and also quite impressive when you realize that while Imaizumi and Arakita have the same hair colour, eye colour, and a near-identical hairstyle, they also look nothing like each other.
* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' manages to pull this off, even with LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters. Even minor characters have distinct facial features and body types, helping to distinguish them from each other. Like other examples on the list, Ishida manages to make his characters distinct while still including familial resemblances, which becomes a ''critical'' bit of {{Foreshadowing}} when it comes to [[spoiler:Kichimura Washuu, aka Souta, who strongly resembles his half-brother Yoshitoki]].
* ''Manga/FoodWars'' even has every background character with a unique design.
* Takahashi Tsutomu, creator of ''Manga/{{Jiraishin}}'', ''Manga/HitoHitoriFutari'', and ''Manga/{{Skyhigh}}'' gradually transitioned into this as his art improved. With the exception of his more attractive female characters which can look a bit similar to each other, pretty much every single character in his more recent manga have completely unique designs, largely owing to Takahashi's stylized, sketchy aesthetic.
* ''Manga/KokounoHito'' has this as a concern even early on in the series, but it's particularly noticeable in the later volumes, as the art improves tremendously and the differences become much more pronounced, owing to Shinichi Sakamoto's more realistic style. [[Creator/ShinichiSakamoto Shinichi Sakamoto's]] next series, '''Manga/{{Innocent}}'', continues this trend, although some characters do end up looking similar due to the author's desire to portray beauty.
* ''Manga/{{Vagabond}}'' is famous for its extremely high-quality artwork, with even minor characters who only appear once or twice having detailed, realistic designs.
* ''Anime/DeathParade'' manages to do this. Despite most episodic characters featuring muted color palettes and sporting darker, realistically colored hair and eyes, they're all distinguishable by their silhouettes alone. The recurring cast has an easier time with this since their hair and eye colors and designs can be a bit more outlandish, while still being cohesive.
* Every single character in ''Anime/SpacePatrolLuluco'' has a distinct design, although this isn't difficult for the background characters since they're mostly aliens.

* ''Manga/{{Dorohedoro}}'''s characters are quite distinct. While some facial features are reused often, the resemblances between characters that ''are'' present tend to be intentional, and without hair and clothes, they'd all still be pretty easy to tell apart.
* ''Literature/SoundEuphonium'': Each of the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters 50+ members]] of the band has a unique design, personality, and set of relationships that are consistent throughout the entire series. This is despite the fact that the majority of them only get about two lines at most throughout the series. Then there are the non-band characters and the random one-off background characters, most of whom have unique designs as well.
* ''Manga/{{Haikyuu}}'': All the major characters have distinct facial features, hairstyles, postures, and body types. A lot of detail is put in the spectators as well.

* Every [[LittleBitBeastly Friend]] in ''Anime/KemonoFriends'' has an unique design. Even with the multiple [[CatGirl Cat Girls]] abound the models have distinct characteristics (such as ears or tails) that help them differentiate from the others.
* As ''Manga/ShuukanShounenHachi'' is set in a specialty school characters don't wear uniforms, and every character, background or not, has a visually distinct appearance and facial shape (although there is still some degree of GenericCuteness involved on the girls' side). This is despite adopting a less cartoonish art style than in ''Manga/MyMonsterSecret''.
* In ''Anime/YokaiWatchShadowside'', the background extras have a wide range of character designs and body sizes.
* In ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom'', no two major characters look alike.
* Every post-pubescent character shown in ''Manga/NurseHitomisMonsterInfirmary'' looks different, as appropriate for a world where [[OurHumansAreDifferent humans]] go through wild and random changes during puberty. Even background characters can suddenly be named and given a spotlight chapter about the troubles their unique traits give them.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' games love this trope. ''Every'' installment has a playable cast of at ''least'' thirty or so party members—sometimes even over ''seventy''—and a considerable amount of side characters, all of whom look different. Generic enemies and {{Non Player Character}}s usually [[http://www.awkwardzombie.com/index.php?page=0&comic=070912 don't get this luxury]].

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and its spinoff ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'' does a good job of this considering the LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters. Even Mikoto's clones have slight variances from her. One exception is that Shutaura Sequenzia from the ''[[Anime/ACertainMagicalIndexMiracleOfEndymion Miracle of Endymion]]'' movie looks exactly like Seiri Fukiyose. The series' artist, Kiyotaka Haimura, realized this too late and apologized to the fans when the movie came out and he noticed the mistake.

* The "hard mode" of the "Spot the Main character" [[MemeticMutation meme]], used to poke fun at how in cases where the protagonists [[FlashyProtagonistsBlandExtras stick out like a sore thumb among the drab extras]], consists on posting an image of a CastOfSnowflakes where it's actually hard to single out the main characters due to everyone having unique, distinctive designs.

* The "hard mode" of the "Spot the Main character" [[MemeticMutation meme]], used to poke fun at how in cases where the protagonists [[FlashyProtagonistsBlandExtras stick like a sore thumb among the drab extras]], consists on posting an image of a CastOfSnowflakes where it's actually hard to single out the main characters due to everyone having unique, distinctive designs.

* ''VideoGame/Pokemon'' fan-blog Pokekids and Friends has a distinctive appearance for every character, even the ones in the same [[https://pokekidsandfriends.tumblr.com/post/158458580507/poppys-big-ol-family-from-her-moms-side-now family group]]

* Writers for the ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' [[LevelEditor Foundry]] find that hitting the "random" button once or twice is a very good way to create individualized extras for their missions. Many authors take full advantage, although there's a hard cap to how many custom {{NPC}}s you can have in a given mission. There's also a godly number of premade {{NPC}}s that are useful.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'' - both the sculpted character faces/expressions and the engine models themselves, with a handful of exceptions.

* ''VideoGame/Timestalkers'' has around 80 unique characters, although being an RPG the enemy creatures aren't afforded such luxuries (four per 'monster family'). Still, being an RPG, it is hugely impressive. Also, non-consumable items? Yes, that's right, ALSO given the same treatment. (almost, most knuckle weapons look alike unless they have a special element/material.) Even if you dislike this sort of game, its worth it to hunt down and try just to take in the attention to detail.

* ''VisualNovel/PrincessWaltz'' is notable among {{Visual Novel}}s for giving every minor character their own set of unique paper dolls. In a big way, this helps to set up a big reveal around mid-game that one of those minor characters [[ChekhovsGunman isn't so minor after all...]]

* The cast of ''VisualNovel/{{Morenatsu}}'' almost all look completely different. Exceptions are the UncannyFamilyResemblance of Kounosuke and Yukiharu, and Nanafuse [[ShapeShifting assuming the appearance]] of Shun. Even in the latter case, Nanafuse has [[CreepyChild eerily]] distinct facial expressions that make him impossible to actually confuse with Shun.

* The ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' series is very good at giving all the students very distinct looks from each other, helped by the fact that some are drawn in different styles. This is even worked in as a plot point in [[VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc the first game]], as [[spoiler:the fact that twins Ikusaba and Enoshima have different faces is what leads Naegi to the truth]]. However, the faces themselves tend to be rather similar to each other, especially among the girls.

* ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'' is pretty good about this, especially post ArtEvolution. Every character has distinct facial features and expressions, with various traits by which to distinguish themselves, including secondary characters and even some recurring extras. And while the series may not have LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, with 30-some noteworthy characters in the mix it's certainly well on its way.

* The characters in ''ComicBook/JemAndTheHolograms'' all have vastly different hairstyles, body types, and heights. They can be distinguished by their silhouettes. Even Jem averts ClarkKenting by looking completely different from Jerrica.