History UnbuiltTrope / AnimeAndManga

** ''Anime/GreatMazinger'' introduced the HotBlooded AcePilot archetype with Tetsuya, who turned out to lack a sense of self worth and constantly feared being replaced due to a massive inferiority complex, which causes him to [[WouldHitAGirl abuse his adopted sister]] and later results in the death of [[spoiler:his adoptive father]].

** ''Anime/MazingerZ'' built off the concepts in ''Anime/{{Gigantor}}'' to [[TropeMakers create]] the SuperRobotGenre. However, the series also featured multiple deconstructions of Super Robot tropes, such as the main character [[InferredHolocaust nearly destroying a town]] while [[FallingIntoTheCockpit learning to pilot]] his HumongousMecha, or [[BattleCouple the couple of heroes]] being downright ineffective due to [[BelligerentSexualTension their frequent arguments]]. A later episode even has [[WhamEpisode the villains take over a Japanese village]], at which point they systematically slaughter any civilians they consider "useless" and then use women in the village as {{Human Shield}}s for their latest weapon. Not to mention what nearly kills Kouji in an early episode: not wearing a helmet of all things and subsequently hitting his head in the cockpit, back when [[HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic heroes loved to show their face in combat]]. Also one would think that earliest case of the HotBlooded Super Robot protagonist would be solely an IdiotHero, but Kouji when forced to think on his feat shows exceptional creativity and tactics and CombatPragmatist moments. It's an irony that later series which satirize Super Robot protagonists often dial up the IdiotHero and BloodKnight tendencies were as Kouji gradually grows out of them and eventually becomes respected scientist/inventor in Great Mazinger, Grendizer and Mazinger Infinity.

* Gaiking's first two episodes play out in a way that seems very close to what shows like Evangelion would do. The main character, Sanshiro Tsubawaki refuses the call to pilot Gaiking. But what's notible is he does it before even seeing the mech, instead refusing to follow the words of a mysterious caller asking him to come to a lab so he can save the world, something that is a SuprisinglyRealisticOutcome that most would do in a similar situation.
** The antagonists of the series know Tsubawaki is a threat, even before he encounters Gaiking, opting to try and assasinate him during his Baseball game by making it look like his death is a freak accident by warping the balls in different directions across the field, with the hope it injures or kills him.
** When Tsubawaki does pilot Gaiking to fight the first enemy, it goes poorly, with Gaiking unable to damage the enemy due to not knowing it's defences or weaknesses. Even moreso, his allies flat out leave him to SinkOrSwim.

** Lastly, due to the injury Sanshiro sustained from the assassination attempt, his career as baseball player has been ruined, unable to swing a bat with the same strength, meaning he is relegated to piloting Gaiking as a means to get by,

** Another aspect that is complained about is that mecha pilots seem to only be strong or powerful because of the mechs, rather than possessing their own strength or combat abilities. Getter in contrast shows that not only are the pilots physical strong, but also trained in combat as well as martial arts, are experienced in firearms and other non-mecha weapons.

** ''Anime/MazingerZ'' built off the concepts in ''Anime/{{Gigantor}}'' to [[TropeMakers create]] the SuperRobotGenre. However, the series also featured multiple deconstructions of Super Robot tropes, such as the main character [[InferredHolocaust nearly destroying a town]] while [[FallingIntoTheCockpit learning to pilot]] his HumongousMecha, or [[BattleCouple the couple of heroes]] being downright ineffective due to [[BelligerentSexualTension their frequent arguments]]. A later episode even has [[WhamEpisode the villains take over a Japanese village]], at which point they systematically slaughter any civilians they consider "useless" and then use women in the village as {{Human Shield}}s for their latest weapon. Not to mention what nearly kills Kouji in an early episode: not wearing a helmet of all things and subsequently hitting his head in the cockpit, back when [[HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic heroes loved to show their face in combat]]. Also one would think that earliest case of the HotBlooded Super Robot protagonist would be solely an IdiotHero, but Kouji when forced to think on his feat shows exceptional creativity and tactics. It's an irony that later series which satirize Super Robot protagonists often dial up the IdiotHero/BloodKnight tendencies were as Kouji gradually grows out of them and eventually becomes respected scientist in Mazinger Infinity.

** ''Anime/MazingerZ'' built off the concepts in ''Anime/{{Gigantor}}'' to [[TropeMakers create]] the SuperRobotGenre. However, the series also featured multiple deconstructions of Super Robot tropes, such as the main character [[InferredHolocaust nearly destroying a town]] while [[FallingIntoTheCockpit learning to pilot]] his HumongousMecha, or [[BattleCouple the couple of heroes]] being downright ineffective due to [[BelligerentSexualTension their frequent arguments]]. A later episode even has [[WhamEpisode the villains take over a Japanese village]], at which point they systematically slaughter any civilians they consider "useless" and then use women in the village as {{Human Shield}}s for their latest weapon. Not to mention what nearly kills Kouji in an early episode: not wearing a helmet of all things and subsequently hitting his head in the cockpit, back when [[HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic heroes loved to show their face in combat]].

** The Nephrite arc of the anime is the original "Magical Girl show villain has a HeelFaceTurn" story arc, but unlike most later examples, Nephrite doesn't end up joining our heroines or disappear from the show and presumably live HappilyEverAfter, he gets killed off by the next arc's villain, Zoisite.

** The series is also credited for popularizing (and not just in Isekai, but in non-Isekai fantasy as well) the hero getting a power that [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway looks lame at first]] (and it may play a role in the aforementioned betrayal), [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower but upon closer inspection turns out to have the potential to be devastating]]. Except Naofumi's Cardinal Shield never fit such a mold. Sure, its potential for offense was nonexistent (bar a couple [[TheCorruption corrupting]] {{Dangerous Forbidden Technique}}s) but it made Naofumi into an excellent [[SupportPartyMember tank, healer and buffer]] from the very beginning, however such power was useless on its own and made Naofumi extremely dependant on others to defeat his enemies. Even if Naofumi does get increasingly more powerful as the series progressed, this never extends to his offensive ability; he never outgrows the role of StoneWall WhiteMage and always depends on Raphtalia and other companions to deal some actual damage.

* Under most circumstances, a manga with the particular gimmick of ''Manga/DeathNote'' -- a notebook which kills anyone whose name is written in it -- would invite jokes and parodies in which the bearer develops a god complex and goes on a killing spree. As becomes clear by the end of the very first episode, that is the '''exact premise''' of ''Death Note'', running it to its logical conclusion and playing it perfectly straight.

** While in most cardgame anime characters just don't think of cheating, or when it happens is a one-off side character who is despised by heroes and villains alike, it was much more common in the first seasons (think Mai, Arcana, Roba, Keith, Weevil, or the Rare Hunters using counterfeit cards). And if today you heard about a YuGiOh villain using supernatural powers to win you might think it a deconstruction or a perspective flip on how often main characters are accused of cheating for doing just that... except it's the anime very first BigBad, Maximilion Pegasus, and back then it was treated as an unfair and underhanded tactic.

** The series also deconstructed the HaremGenre by condifying the UnwantedHarem subgenre. Whilst Ranma does think that Shampoo and Ukyo are physically attractive and even have their character upsides, he's ultimately [[FirstGirlWins in love with Akane]] and has no interest in leaving her, while most shows with even a SupportingHarem have the hero develop romantic tension with every member. Not to mention the series focuses far more on wacky martial arts hijinks than on the typical romantic interactions with any of the girls.

* The ''Manga/YuGiOh'' manga actually deconstructed the franchise idea of card games being SeriousBusiness very early on. In the Death-T arc, which was almost completely removed from the anime, Kaiba goes nuts after losing a single Duel to Yugi, developing a single-minded obsession with revenge (not just humiliation, but ''murder'' with death traps straight out of ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'') and explicitly not caring about the lives of ''anyone'' who gets in his way, be they Yugi’s friends or even [[WouldHurtAChild his little brother Mokuba]]. The ultimate reason for this madness? His adoptive father abused him as a child and [[MoreThanMindControl convinced him]] that losing even once makes you a worthless being who deserves to die. This arc makes it very clear that only a total psychopath would treat a card game with such seriousness, and there is a reason why later manga arcs and ''all'' spin-off anime series make Duel Monsters the key to ancient magic and not just a game.

* ''Manga/Cyborg009'' contains one of the earliest examples of the NebulousEvilOrganisation in Japanese media (which makes given how it was written by Creator/ShotaroIshinomori, who would later go on to create ''Franchise/KamenRider'') in Black Ghost. Unlike later evil organizations though, Black Ghost have clearly defined motives behind their schemes -- they're a network of arms manufacturers and war profiteers, with most of their schemes being to instigate or exploit conflicts in order profit off of them.

* Despite the premise of ''Literature/KnightsAndMagic'' seeming like another series made after the Isekai Boom, Knight's and Magic's novel came out in 2010, 2 years before the boom. It takes a different look at the overpowered main. While Eru is shown to be a skilled at magic and operating mecha due to his memories from his past life, he still needs to study and practice daily in order to reach this point. His innovative ideas in his field of expertise, building mecha, often have set backs, such as extra arms for magic staves needing more mana. This requires extra mana cables which end up making the mechs more bulky and slow. Even with the extra cables, the mana still runs out quickly. Eru's prototype mech, the Toybox is the first Silhouette Knight to achieve some sort of flight/hovering. However like the sub arms, this drains the mana quickly. His impact on the world is not entirely good as while his ideas allow for the mechs to be able to combat larger, more destructive demon beast, it also caused an arms race which led to equal if not worse mana powered mecha such as the Wyvern. Eru himself is different also; rather than being the usual bland, well meaning nice guy his character in the manga and novels is markedly more of a SociopathicHero, often caring less about the impact of the above arms race and more that it leads to cooler and more explosive mechs. The manga and novels frequently show his allies being put off/concerned by his zealousness and BloodKnight tendencies as well as his skewed priorities. This shown when he criticized an assassination attempt on Princess Eleonora, not because he found it cowardly or immoral, but because he wanted to fight them with his his mech. Prince Emrys, a similar bloodknight worries about his lack of morality in that moment. Also, while most post Isekai Boom mains form a harem of adoring girls, Eru's harem is an odd mix of cargoship and his childhoodfriend Addy who he later marries.

* ''Literature/MushokuTenseiJoblessReincarnation''. The first volume was published in 2012, just before the massive explosion of the modern [[ReincarnateInAnotherWorld Isekai]] genre. Many view the series as one of those that served as a TropeCodifier for many of the tropes in said genre. However, the series either [[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstructs]] or at least [[JustifiedTrope Justifies]] many of the common tropes in the genre.

* ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' is responsible for creating and popularizing the HerosSlaveHarem. Naofumi's reason for buying a slave in the first place is desperation to have an ally as he cannot fight for himself and no one trusts him after a FalseRapeAccusation. Further additions to the group are slaves due to Naofumi's trauma meaning he cannot trust someone who is not bound to listen to him.

** The main characters aren't your stereotypical do-gooders. Ryoma is a violent BloodKnight who is introduced crashing a martial arts tournament and assaulting the participants and judges as revenge over their martial arts committee disowning and shuttering his late father's martial arts school. However, the committee shut down the dojo because Ryoma's father taught a vicious, cruel and often times murderous fighting style. While Ryoma does care about saving humanity, he's appalled to learn that humanity can be just as evil as the monsters he fights when he learns about terrorists willing to use bioweapons on their fellow man for no reason.
** Hayato Jin is arguably one of the earliest {{Villain Protagonist}}s, introduced as an anti-government terrorist leader who [[BadBoss disfigures subordinates who demonstrate any disloyalty or doubt]] in his campaign of rebellion. He's also initially shown to be a massive coward when faced with a threat greater than him, as opposed to the bravery of most [[TheLancer Lancer]]-type characters in mecha and shonen he would inspire. While he does eventually becomes a much more heroic character, he's still willing to sacrifice loved ones for the sake of protecting humanity and develops a sink-or-swim mentality that magnificent bastards like [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Gendo Ikari]] would popularize.
** Musashi would deconstruct TheBigGuy comic relief archetype that would be prevalent throughout the mecha genre. Despite his goofy nature, he is disciplined and knows his way around machinery, as evident when he fixes up the Eagle Get Machine. He's also shown to be just as strong and durable as Ryoma and Hayato, as shown when he was impaled in the stomach yet still managed to not only defeat his assailant, but survive piloting the Getter with an untreated wound as well.

** The ColonyDrop that Zeon is known for making use of is shown to be an incredibly ineffectual tactic. The first colony they drop veers off course and collides into Sidney, Australia instead of their intended target.

** It has elements of the HaremGenre before it was really a thing, complete with an UnwantedHarem. Despite this, it's mainly a martial arts series. And there's a big emphasis on "unwanted", especially in the manga. The only one Ranma wants is [[FirstGirlWins Akane]], and Ukyo is the only other suitor that he even ''likes'', while most shows with even a SupportingHarem have the hero develop romantic tension with every member.

** The series is commonly considered to be the main TropeCodifier for the GenderBender in modern fiction, yet it almost completely averts or subverts many important conventions associated with the trope, such as ManIFeelLikeAWoman or GenderBenderFriendship. The first main plot point that is presented in the story is an ArrangedMarriage, and Ranma's relationship with Akane gets as much focus, if not more so, than the gender-bending related gags. Also, it's pretty clear from the start that the series is set in a semi-fantastic universe and is not meant to be a realistic exploration of gender-bending in any way (Ranma never has to worry about [[TheyWouldCutYouUp becoming an experiment subject]], for instance). It's worth to note that, unlike most later examples which were written by straight men, the series was made by a [[Creator/RumikoTakahashi woman]], so the use of this trope probably meant something entirely different for her.

* ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' predates both the MagicalGirlfriend genre and the HaremGenre as we know them, but looks like a DeconstructiveParody of both genres now that they're established. Ataru is a HaremSeeker and unabashed pervert who wants every girl ''except'' the one girl who can actually stand him, and the number two girl actually does the smart thing and books out of their relationship fairly early rather than putting up with Ataru's games. On Lum's part, she likes him being lecherous but wants a bit of that lechery for herself, and is a hot-tempered woman who's not above using ShockAndAwe to punish him when his gaze strays too far. Furthermore, Ataru actively wants nothing to do with her, at least at first, and thinks of her as more of [[CantLiveWithThemCantLiveWithoutThem a pain in the ass]] rather than a {{Love Interest|s}}.

** The example on the main page is from the manga. Thanks to his sophisticated storytelling, a lot of Creator/OsamuTezuka's work is like this. It's difficult to convince people that ''Manga/{{Pluto}}'' isn't so much a {{darker and edgier}} version of the tale as it is a mere {{perspective flip}}.