Line #42 HumanAliens/AnimeAndManga


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6	HumanAliens in anime and manga.
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8
9	* ''Anime/{{Bakugan}}'':
10	** ''New Vestroia'' introduces an extra-dimensional race known as the Vestals. There's not much difference between humans and Vestals, aside from their eyes. Human eyes have distinct, black pupils, while the Vestal pupil is just a darker shade than their iris. Given this style of pupil can be the norm for humans in other shows, one might not notice the difference immediately.
11	** Subverted with the Gundalians and the Neathians in ''Gundalian Invaders.'' While Ren, his teammates, and Princess Fabia appear human when they first appear, they are actually disguises and their true forms are actually HumanoidAliens.
12	* The Altirrans in ''Manga/BirdyTheMighty'', including the title character herself, look pretty much human and most pretty much are. That said though a few of them, again including Birdy, have superpowers thanks to various [[spoiler:SuperSoldier projects, including SuperSerum projects and [[ArtificialHuman bio-engineering super soldiers]]]], the latter involving Birdy herself. However, there are apparently enough differences that in the remake manga, Birdy has to warn Tsutomu to avoid the hospital, lest abnormalities be detected.
13	* The Arume in ''Manga/BlueDrop'' are human in every way, although their whole race [[OneGenderRace consists of females only]], leading to [[YuriGenre certain kinds of behavior]].
14	* ''Anime/BraveRaideen'': The Mu are from the continent of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu_(mythical_lost_continent) same name]], which, while Earthern, is completely isolated from the rest of the world. Mu are different from ordinary humans, being farther technologically advanced and gifted with the power of telekinesis. It is only when a foreign threat invades when they bother to explore the outside world.
15	* ''Franchise/DragonBall'': The franchise in general classifies every humanoid being as humans. Some fansubs use the word "mortal" as a substitute, but it's very clear that the humans on Earth are simply called "Earthlings" by aliens and extraterritorial gods. When Gods refer to aliens as "humans", they don't mean the Earth's race per se.
16	** Barring their monkey-esque tails (which can be permanently removed), Saiyans look exactly like Earthlings, and can even [[HalfHumanHybrid interbreed with them with ease]]. In fact, Goku didn't even ''know'' he was an alien until his brother came to Earth looking for him. Of course, the "Earth" of ''Dragon Ball'' is also inhabited by five foot tall talking foxes, dogs, cats, pigs, sea turtles... and [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight nobody ever thinks any of it is strange]].
17	*** There's a few other variations that aren't noticeable at first glance, such as their hair remaining the same from the day they are born to the day they die ([[Anime/DragonBallSuper except for beards]] [[WebVideo/DragonBallAbridged and moo-staches]]), and the fact that their growth halts almost completely for several years as children, until they undergo massive growth spurts in their teens and then remain in their physical prime until at least 80. Also some Saiyans like Borgos and Shorty have inhumanly pale skin. It's also revealed in ''Anime/DragonBallZBioBroly'' that Saiyan hearts are twice as big as human hearts.
18	** The Tuffles, who were the original inhabitants of planet Plant before the Saiyans took over and renamed it planet Vegeta, were even more human-looking. In alternate universes, however, they have [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation inhuman skin tones]], placing them among the franchise's multitudes of aliens who look like paletteswapped humans.
19	** A lot of Frieza's troops are these as well. [[QuirkyMiniBossSquad Ginyu Force]] member Recoome just looks like a really big human, unlike the rest of his team. Others, like Namole, Raspberry and a number of nameless {{Mooks}}, could well be perfectly ordinary humans. There's also Blueberry, who looks like a crocodile, but since Earth in the ''Dragon Ball'' universe is populated by FunnyAnimals as well as humans, he'd still fit in.
20	** A filler arc in the TV series also had some that were fleeing from a world attacked by Frieza.
21	** Daiz, one of Turles' goons in ''Anime/DragonBallZTheTreeOfMight'', could also be mistaken for a human (or a Saiyan, given that his boss is one) but is instead yet another alien species from the planet Kabocha.
22	* The Kaguyans from ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasChronicleOfTheMoonExploration'' look exactly like humans.
23	* The Coralians in ''Anime/EurekaSeven'' are born with various shapes and sizes for their forms, including human Coralians like Sakuya, [[spoiler:Eureka and Gonzy.]] Justified in that they were [[spoiler:created to look that way.]]
24	* All human characters in ''Manga/EdensZero'' are called humans, but they're still aliens by virtue of living on planets other than Earth. Rebecca {{lampshade}}s this by saying she and Shiki are technically aliens to each other due to coming from separate planets.
25	* The Greecians from ''Anime/FantasticChildren'' (compared to Earthlings they're giants though)
26	* Haruko Haruhara from ''Anime/{{FLCL}}''... maybe. She claims to be a 19-year-old space patrol officer, but is actually a galactic criminal out to find the Pirate King Atomsk. It's kinda hard to be sure of anything Haruko tells anybody. Other than pink hair and yellow eyes, Haruko is entirely humanlike. Also she fights with a Rickenbacker guitar, uses a house cat as a walkie-talkie, and has a flying Vespa. She can change her voice and probably appearance at will, as seen in episodes 1 and 5, which puts her in the AFormYouAreComfortableWith category. Which would also explain what happens to her face when she's angry.
27	%%* ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'' has [[TagalongKid Mamoru Amami]].
28	* The Yato from ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'' appear very human, although they do have super strength and are weak to the sun. Even their coloring isn't unnatural -- Kagura and Kamui's orange hair and blue eyes would be uncommon in Japan, but have been seen elsewhere. Other Yato characters are shown with even plainer coloring.
29	** To be fair, with the exception of a few characters, [[Franchise/StarWars Yoda]], or ''Manga/DragonBall'' parodies are most aliens really human looking. They may have an antenna, [[EyesDoNotBelongThere eyes where they do not belong]], PointyEars, be an AmazingTechnicolorPopulation, or even colorful hair. Some even walk around in penguin (?) costumes.
30	** Subverted with Oboro and [[spoiler:Utsuro]], their human appearance coupled to some not so human [[HealingFactor attributes]] seemed to indicate this trope, but they are [[spoiler:actually both from earth. Oboro's healing factor is due to Utsuro's blood, and Utsuro's nigh-immortality is a mutation caused by the series' [[AppliedPhlebotinum Phelbotinum]] ]].
31	* In ''Manga/HoshinEngi'', Taikobo (later known as [[spoiler:Fukki]]) is later revealed to be one of the [[spoiler:"First Humans", which are actually an ancient race of aliens]], although he looks exactly like a human. Somewhat justified, in that [[spoiler:the "First Humans" actually merged with the planet and indirectly influenced the course of nature and evolution. So technically, humans look like THEM.]]
32	* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable'' character Mikitaka Hazekura ''claims'' to be an alien as the only features that physically set him apart from others are his pointy ears. Oh, and he has an innate VoluntaryShapeshifting ability and he starts to panic and break out in hives at the sound of a police siren. But these could just be a [[PsychicPowers Stand]] he developed after getting hit by the magic Stand-imbuing Arrow. But the Arrow just barely grazed his neck after it actively curved ''away'' from him and he had the pointy ears already. Also, [[InvisibleToNormals only Stand users are capable of seeing Stands]] and Mikitaka cannot see them. No one knows the truth. And the author refuses to say what is the truth.
33	* ''Anime/LagrangeTheFlowerOfRinne'' has really human like aliens that are at war near earth. [[spoiler:[[JustifiedTrope Justified, as the aliens in question are descendants of an earlier human generation]] [[ApocalypseHow that fled an apocalyptic Earth]].]]
34	* The Time-Space Administration Bureau in ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' covers multiple [[AnotherDimension worlds]] but are all apparently human. One character comments on how somebody in her family history was from Earth when they were discussing "[[InsignificantLittleBluePlanet Unadministrated World #97]]".
35	* ''Anime/{{Macross}}'':
36	** The Zentraedi, who have appeared in almost every series since the original ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'', are one of the clearer examples of the trope, straight down to the HandWave concerning their origins being linked to that of humanity. Their primary physiological distinction from humans is that they are ten meters tall in their natural state, but can through an ill-defined process be shrunk down to roughly human size (and expanded back to their original size afterwards); the two species are otherwise so similar that they're capable of easily interbreeding (provided that one partner has changed themselves to the right size first). Individual Zentraedi can also have a few other physical traits (generally either incredibly bright hair colors like green and pink, and/or somewhat pasty bluish/greenish skin tones) that don't appear in regular humans, but ever since the two species started interbreeding, these traits are now often found in their mixed-heritage descendants.
37	** In fact, most alien species met so far are human-looking (besides the Zentraedi, there's the [[Anime/{{Macross 7}} Zolans]], [[Anime/MacrossDelta Windermerians, Ragnans, Voldorians, and a few other unnamed races]]), due to their genes all being messed with millennia ago by the Protoculture, who were biologically near-identical to humans (this is not a coincidence, as they also engineered the human race deliberately). The one alien race met that was not toyed with in its infancy by the Protoculture, the Vajra of ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'', are StarfishAliens.
38	* ''Manga/MajesticPrince'' depicts the antagonistic alien species known as the Wulgaru (aka "the Ulgars"), and numerous instances are pointed out to the characters that, despite their notable human appearances, they are aliens. The reason for this is the fact that [[spoiler:the species had been in decline for thousands of years, and as a means to preserve itself, spread its genetic data throughout the universe to cultivate new life, only to harvest it later. Humanity is one of these creations.]]
39	* In the ''Anime/MazingerZ'' universe, ''[[Anime/UFORoboGrendizer the Fleedian race]]'' -represented in the series by TheHero Duke Fleed [[spoiler:and his sister Maria]]- looked completely human. On the other hand, the aspect of [[AlienInvasion The Vegans]] varies wildly. BigBad Emperor Vega seemed a hairy, pointy-eared, pig-nosed monster, but his daughter Rubina mostly seemed human. Other humanoid alien races in this universe range of monster-like to human-looking but with unusual hair, skin or/and eyes colour (like secondary character Menao).
40	* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' has an interesting take on this, in that [[spoiler:the Magic World is in AnotherDimension]], that happens to be layered on top of Mars. Meaning that anyone from the [[spoiler:magic world]] is technically an alien.
41	* The aliens from ''Anime/NieaUnder7'' are human for all practical purposes, save for the shape of their ears and conspicuous antennae (for most of them) on top of their heads. Chada is somewhat of an exception, since he is plain ... weird.
42	* The people of Queen Earth don't consider themselves human in ''Manga/NurseAngelRirikaSOS'' but for all appearances are near identical to humans. The main differences seem to be their unusual powers and [[WorldOfTechnicolorHair equally unusual hair colors]].
43	* None of the characters in ''Anime/PanzerWorldGalient'' are from Earth. All of them are completely humanlike. There're not discernible differences between people of Arst –- like Jordy or Chururu –- or people born in other planet –- like [[spoiler:Hilmuka]] or [[spoiler:Marder]]. Justified, since [[spoiler:Hilmuka and other people from her homeworld migrated from Arst several millennia ago.]]
44	* The aliens of ''Manga/PleaseSaveMyEarth'' are only the size of a human thumb, but look exactly like humans.
45	* Mizuho Kazami and her family from ''Anime/PleaseTeacher'' look like humans with weird HairColors. She is herself a HalfHumanHybrid, but her mother isn't.
46	%%* The [[OneGenderRace all-female]] Alpha Cygnans in ''Anime/ProjectAKo''.
47	* The Mu from ''Anime/RahXephon'' are entirely indistinguishable from humans save for their [[AlienBlood blue blood]]. Then there are the HalfHumanHybrids such as [[spoiler:Ayato and Hiroko]] whose Mu-phase has yet to be activated, making them appear human in every way [[spoiler:[[TomatoInTheMirror even to themselves]]]].
48	** Background material indicates that [[spoiler:the Mu evolved on Earth alongside humanity, so it's possible that they aren't a different species at all, but merely another race of humanity... which would turn this example into a Subversion.]]
49	* Though the Zentraedi of ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'' are basically identical to the ones in ''Macross'', the novelizations claim that despite their striking physical and genetic similarity, humans and Zentraedi are ''not'' the same species, they just look like it by random chance. There are only two hybrid children; Dana Sterling (who was explicitly stated to [[AWizardDidIt result from the Workings of the Protoculture]]) and Hirano (created through genetic manipulation and in-vitro fertilization).
50	* ''Manga/SailorMoon'':
51	** The S and Stars seasons of ''Anime/SailorMoon'' brought '''so''' many Human Aliens (or at least aliens that were ''originally'' human in appearance) from across the galaxy [[TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse to Tokyo]] that one could wonder if non-humanoid intelligent lifeforms really existed at all! Even the [[TalkingAnimal talking cats]] Luna and Artemis, who were aliens from the planet Mau in the [[Manga/SailorMoon manga]], could assume human forms. (Rei's crows Phobos and Deimos were also revealed to be aliens who could take human form in the manga). The {{Filler Villain}}s Eiru and An from the start of the second season were also aliens who could assume human form, though the villains from the first season and the rest of the second season were originally from Earth.
52	** The Moon Kingdom inhabitants and the Senshi of the past also count, since they're technically not from Earth. This also means [[spoiler:Queen Nehelenia/Zirconia]], the BigBad from [=SuperS=], would count, even though the rest of her minions are either from Earth originally (animals given human form, some girls from the rainforest given powers) or are dream-monsters (the Lemures).
53	* ''Manga/{{Sekirei}}'' has the 108 beings that give the series its name, who are essentially a cross between a humanoid {{Mon}} and a MagicalGirlfriend. The vast majority are beautiful women and cute girls, with a handful of extremely rare {{Bishonen}} on the side. They physically resemble humans, but possess various super-powers and require a human partner (an Ashikabi) to unlock their full power. A major source of their power is ThePowerOfLove, so the partnership with an Ashikabi is almost always InterspeciesRomance.
54	* ''Manga/{{Semelparous}}'': The mures, a race that once lived in the VoidBetweenTheWorlds until a CivilWar led to them conquering AlternateUniverse Earth, with their dissidents fleeing to our Earth and creating the Bulwarks to keep the others out. Mures are externally indistinguishable from humans, but can pass through the walls between the worlds, as well as draw energy from them to heal from wounds.
55	%%* ''Manga/SgtFrog'': Mois, Kogoro, a few other examples.
56	* The aliens who inhabit the world of ''Anime/{{Simoun}}'' all appear to be human females, but are actually quite different. For one thing, they are neuter until age 17, when they become either male or female.
57	* The Nazi-inspired Gamilans (Gamilons) from ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato / Anime/StarBlazers'' began as looking identical to humans in every sense of the word. However, the creators of the show retconned their design a few episodes into the show and gave them blue skin, blonde hair and black eyes. Why? Probably to distinguish them easily from the human cast. This is further developed when it's discovered that the Gamilons [[spoiler:need radiation to survive, like how a human needs oxygen to breathe -- which was why the Earth's bombardment was HostileTerraforming]].
58	** When the crew captures its first Gamilon prisoner and sees what their opponents look like, this is a huge shock for them, as they'd pictured the Gamilons as monsters. It plays into the theme of the episode, as well, as Kodai (Wildstar) must put aside his overwhelming hatred of the aliens who killed his family to see this prisoner as a ''[[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman person]]'' who should be treated decently.
59	*** This scene is virtually repeated in the second season, when the capture of a Comet Empire POW proves that ''they'' are human aliens as well. This time, Wildstar [[CharacterDevelopment is the level-headed one,]] and it's [[HotBlooded Sgt. Knox]] who has to learn restraint.
60	** The 2012 remake, ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato2199'', decides to take this trope further. The Gamilans with human skin tones from the early episodes are [[CerebusRetcon retconned]] into an entirely different race of Human Aliens who are SlaveMooks to the real Gamilans. In the adaptation of the story where a (native) Gamilan prisoner is captured, it's stated that [[GenderFlip her]] DNA is identical to humanity's; the [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe blue skin]] is just the equivalent of being a race or ethnicity not found on Earth. (The need for radiation wasn't included this time).
61	*** [[spoiler:TheMovie, ''Ark of the Stars'', explicitly reveals that a race of {{Precursors}} were the common ancestors of all the Human Aliens in the series.]]
62	* The Buff Clan in ''Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon'' look identical to humans, with the exception of them lacking pupils. They also possess the honor code of the samurai, call their warriors samurai (though the actual humans don't), and even call their home planet Earth. They even have the same blood types and can give transfusions to humans. If it weren't for the fact that they were an isolated race before meeting the people of Logo Dau, you'd swear that they were human!
63	* ''Anime/StarTwinklePrettyCure'':
64	** There's Lala (no relation to the other Lala on this page), an alien from the planet Saman who ends up on Earth. Though she is the first alien MagicalGirl in the series, she is essentially indistinguishable from one aside from a few easily-missed details -- [[ExoticEyeDesigns star-patterned eyes]], PointyEars, and antenna-like feelers -- to the point that she's enrolled in a Japanese middle school without issue. She does avert AliensSpeakingEnglish; her magical pendant is what gives her the ability to speak Earth language, and she has to teach herself how to read, among other aspects of Earth culture shock.
65	** Yuni, the other non-human main character from this season, subverts it. She comes from the planet Rainbow and appears to be a humanoid CatGirl, with ears and a tail being her only distinguishing features (she notably has pointed human ears ''and'' cat ears). Her blue hair might give it away, if not for everyone else in the series having unusual hair colors, including the humans. She's a shapeshifting MasterOfDisguise, however, and this human form is what she uses as her default appearance; her true form is even less human and more catlike, as Planet Rainbow is populated by CatFolk. Other aliens in the series tend to look either like {{Youkai}} or other species native to Earth.
66	* ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'':
67	** The Juraians not only look human but have Japanese-sounding names. According to Ayeka's computer in the first episode of the OVA, Earth is a 'colony world' seemingly suggesting that humans are actually transplanted Juraians. Unfortunately the matter is never explored beyond that one throwaway comment.
68	** Really, barring their [[AnimeHair hair]] and eye colors (and in Ryoko's case elongated ears DependingOnTheArtist), all six members of Tenchi's UnwantedHarem can easily pass for human.
69	** This gets flipped in the ''Anime/TenchiMuyoGXP'' novels where it turns out that the Earth in this franchise [[spoiler: isn't the original but a duplicate built by the {{Precursors}}. Their original home planet is the Earth from ''Anime/DualParallelTroubleAdventure'' and these original humans are the progenitors off all the human aliens in the galaxy.]]
70	** ''Anime/MagicalProjectS'': The people of the magical kingdom are referred to asnot being human (even though besides having magic they are identical in every aspect).
71	%%* ''VisualNovel/ToHeart2'' brings us Lucy Maria Misora, aka Ruuko Kireinasora.
72	* Similar to the Saiyans above, Lala's race from ''Manga/ToLoveRu'' are indistinguishable from humans apart from their tails (which act as [[FantasticArousal erogenous organs]]). Lala and her sister also have pink hair, though that's apparently a trait from their mother, [[NonhumanHumanoidHybrid who belongs to a different alien species]]. Ren and Run are only distinguishable by how they're SharingABody ([[spoiler:which only lasted until some way into puberty]]) and have white/green hair. There are other examples of Human Aliens, but it is shown that there also exist RubberForeheadAliens and PlantAliens, so at least the universe has some variety.
73	* The Plants in ''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' look exactly like humans, all to various degrees. The ones used as power look semi-humanoid with wings and other assorted appendages, while Vash and Knives can easily pass for human. This is because plants were made by humans. In the manga however they are [[spoiler:beings from another dimension with different laws of physics]] which is why they can generate power from seemingly nowhere. In their default state they also look something like a [[spoiler:human glued to a bunch of baby corpses, tumors, and angel wings.]]
74	* Lum and her Oni family in ''Anime/UruseiYatsura'' look almost exactly like humans, only with two small horns, pointy ears, and green hair. Secondary and tertiary alien characters are either [[StarfishAliens starfish]] or vaguely humanoid in appearance.
75	** Lum's closest friends are also very human-like, to the point Benten doesn't even seem to ''have'' any particular supernatural powers at her disposal. Ran fares slightly better in that [[OurVampiresAreDifferent her fangs and ability to suck the life from others]] make her at least a tad eldritch.
76	** Although her father is a good twelve feet tall, in keeping with their race being the inspiration for Japanese legends of ogre-like Oni.
77	** Rei is a handsome-looking humanoid, but he can transform into a giant tiger-cow thing.
78	%%* Not surprisingly, the same trope is in effect for Ichika Takatsuki in the "remake", ''Anime/WaitingInTheSummer''.
79	* While not aliens, the main characters of ''Anime/WolfsRain'' spend a lot of time looking human, mainly as a form of camouflage, as they're supposed to be extinct.
80	* In ''Manga/TheWorldOfNarue'', Narue is half-alien half-human, but her father, sister, and all other members of her species look completely human. They also come from planet Japan, which also appears to have a history very similar to the Japan we know, so go figure. The manga series [[{{Deconstruction}} gradually explores the concept further]], and it turns into one of the big mysteries of the setting why all the known alien races are indistinguishable from Earth humans. Two major interstellar political bodies are ready to go to ''war'' over which answer they believe in. It's one of several soft sci-fi tropes the series tackles.
81	%%* ''Manga/WorldTrigger'' Has Yuma Kuga and the gang of Aftokrator. They are known as Neighbors.
82	* ''Anime/BattleOfThePlanets'' changes ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman's'' villains into a race of humanoid aliens called Spectrans.
83	* ''[[Anime/YuGiOhGORUSH Yu-Gi-Oh! GO RUSH!!]]'' has Yudias Velgear, a humanoid alien who hails from the Velgear Star Cluster somewhere far away in the galaxy, and is also the first non-human main protagonist of a ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' anime series. Appropriately, he runs a deck composed of Galaxy-Type monsters, a never-before-heard-of monster type that is exclusive to ''Rush Duel''.
84
85	!!Aversions and subversions
86	* Subverted in ''Anime/AldnoahZero''. Martians look human because they ''are'' humans. They're people who went to live on Mars several decades ago but no longer view themselves on par with earth-dwellers to the point of fierce FantasticRacism.
87	* ''Anime/BakuganBattleBrawlers'': Gundalian Invaders introduces the Neathians, who all have unusual hair colors, and the Gundalians, who resemble normal people with stock AnimeHair styles. The former are actually blue-skinned humanoids with no pupils and the latter are [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent reptilian, grey-skinned beings]].
88	* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', oddly enough several of the Angels are roughly humanoid, others are more... [[EldritchAbomination interesting.]] Notably, the two most powerful ones are basically cloned {{Half Human Hybrid}}s.
89	** But it's not surprising considering that in the Eva universe, [[spoiler:humans were descended from the 2nd Angel, Lilith. As such, one of the aforementioned {{Half Human Hybrid}}s (Kaworu) refers to humanity as "Lilim". Then in ''End of Evangelion'' Misato puts forth the theory that humanity, collectively, is the 18th Angel.]]
90	* ''{{Anime/Voltes V}}'': The inhabitants of [[TheEmpire Planet Boazania]] resemble humans, but there's one main difference: [[HornedHumanoid Some have horns]]. Though both classes lived in harmony in the past, at some point a FantasticCasteSystem was instroduced, dictating that while horned Boazanians were allowed to live freely, but the hornless ones [[MadeASlave were forced into slavery]]. The [[AliensAreBastards cruel horned Boazanians]] would relentlessly abuse this caste system to the highest degree to support [[EvilColonialist the planet's thriving galactic tourism industry]]. [[spoiler: This is thankfully upturned in the series finale, where the heroes aid the hornless Boazanians in a rebellion that's reminiscient of UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution]]. Apart from that, some Boazanians are of AmazingTechnicolourPopulation and have blue, red or grey skin.

Context HumanAliens / AnimeAndManga