I don't know if you'd agree with me, but I discovered a trend in recent anime titles like D.Gray-man, BLEACH & Deathnote which I’d like to devote some time in articulating here.

Whereas older series like Dragonball & Sailormoon portray their lead characters as pillars of unerring goodness, recent series tend to present their main protagonists as figures straddling between the polarities of good & evil, with no clear demarcation in sight. This is, of course, not a serious academic exposition so I shan’t delve into the implications of such a tendency towards ambiguous characters.

The main protagonists from the 3 respective series provide insight into the validity of the above claim. Take Allen Walker from D.Gray-man for instance. Although he is an Exorcist of the Black Order, an organisation pledged to vanquishing demons on earth, Allen is also an individual cursed with the “Pentacle”, which gives him the ability to differentiate between humans & demons in disguise. Furthermore his pre-Exorcist past is something I would not say as that would simply spoil it for readers unacquainted with this particular series. His dark violent past coupled with the Innocence in his left arm, Allen Walker stands as a figure that looks as demonic as he is human. As such it is reasonable to assert, among other things, that the lead character in D.Gray-man is not someone who fits the hero norm, if older anime series are anything to come by.

There is also Ichigo Kurosaki from BLEACH. Originally meant to become a Shinigami (Death God) helping spirits pass on into the next plane of existence, he emerges halfway through the series as a main character that is half- Shinigami and half-Hallow. This becomes interesting as the figure of the Death God is one that inspires fear in people. Due to its fearsome status Shinigami are deemed evil. Yet in this context it is a figure of good as it is through death that there is closure. Thus in contrast to the “good” Death-God the Hallow is the antithesis of what the former represents. For Ichigo to traverse between the worlds of the living & dead, as well as that of good & evil thereby makes him a complex lead character. It doesn’t really help when, like Allen, Ichigo’s half-Hallow form with the mask obscuring half his face makes him seem less human. In this sense he is not exactly what audiences accustomed to older anime lead characters would label a full-blooded champion of heroism & good.

Lastly there is Light from Deathnote, upholder of justice. Whilst Light metes out his own band of vigilante justice to evil perpetrators by killing them supernaturally, he is simultaneously a character tainted by visions of god-like grandeur in this new world he plans to create; with him as the new almighty God. Light’s megalomania despite his originally-good intention of ridding the world of evil therefore presents in a morally-ambivalent light (pun unintended) Deathnote’s main character.


So...what do you think? Does it make sense?

I think it goes along a bit with what's happening in society. I mean, crime just keeps rising, and moral issues come up all of the time, and sometimes it's hard to know what's right. Although I do admit, the only main character that you've mentioned that I'm familiar with is Light, recently main characters in anime have been having significant moral conflicts. Like what I've watched so far of Code Geass, the main character I think, is about to enter a conflict of his own. (I've only watched like 2 eps so far, so I'll need to watch more to be sure...) When I first saw Light, in what he was doing in the beginning, eradicating criminals, in my opinion, was doing a good thing. However, when Light started to take his precautionary measures, and becoming spiteful, when he killed Lind L. Tailor, who he thought was L, for no good reason other than "disobeying him" it made sense that because of that action, his downfall started.

SPOILER (click to view)

Also, when trying to meet up with Near, in the final episode, if he hadn't let his pride get the best of him, by shouting "I win Near!" before he was even dying, there might have been some way for him to get out of the situation. But needing to show off in that way, led to his death.

However, I think that this makes things more interesting. Traditionally, the antagonists are supposed to be the bad guys, but when you get people like L, it begins to make things more interesting. Even more interesting is when both characters think they're doing the right thing.
I keep pondering over how

SPOILER (click to view)

Light could have won if he hadn't had let his pride take a hold on him, but his need to show that he won was his downfall in the end.

But yeah, I think moral conflicts make series more interesting. Maybe that's why I like X so much! ^^

Well, I agree with you guys. I mean, it does makes sense alright. Animes are usually made ( I think ) based on our environment with a little bit of difference here and there, of course. But you see, personally I think, animes nowadays are made in such a way to attract more people and obviously, to be able to make controversies. These controversies are actually the factor that make an anime obtain lots of fans, and make people curious enough to watch them till the end.

I mean, take Code Geass for example. Lelouch IS the main character: protagonist, and the way the story goes, somehow I also think that he is the antagonist. Just see the episode 24-25 he was like, as Suzaku said it,

SPOILER (click to view)

Using the Japanese for his own good while in the same way making the Japanese see it that he is doing it for THEIR own goof

.

Anyway, its kinda of boring isn't it, if you only have characters like Sailor Moon from Sailormoon. They are always kind and well, you can actually kinda predict what will happen next in the anime, don't you?

Personally, I kinda of like this trend. It makes animes interesting to watch.

PS: I am not a teacher or anything, but really, Landlala, the essay ( I mean what you wrote ) is a definitely good one!

Honestly, it comes down to the fact that tortured or conflicted individuals just make for better stories. A pillar of virtue never has to question why they do something, they just do, and therefore, they have a limited potential for storytelling. I don't think that this is any new trend in anime & manga. There have been anti-hero main characters since anime's inception. I think it is more of a manner of the increased exposure of people to anime and the increasingly sophistication of the artists working in the medium that has led to such works becoming higher profile.

VORTIA

Honestly, it comes down to the fact that tortured or conflicted individuals just make for better stories. A pillar of virtue never has to question why they do something, they just do, and therefore, they have a limited potential for storytelling. I don't think that this is any new trend in anime & manga. There have been anti-hero main characters since anime's inception. I think it is more of a manner of the increased exposure of people to anime and the increasingly sophistication of the artists working in the medium that has led to such works becoming higher profile.

To add to this thought-- the trend landlala pointed out is worth noting, but I think it might have more to do with American exposure to anime. Being "cartoons," marketers previously took titles like Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Speed Racer, Kimba the White Lion, etc.; series aimed at children, the traditional audience for animation in America. However, since a lot of fans today have grown up on anime and the market's epanded considerably, marketers have realized the potential of targeting an older crowd, and have consequently brought more mature series to the U.S., which is why we're noticing the more mature themes in anime most of us didn't previously get much exposure to.

There's probably a societal element, too. Japan's had to deal with some tough cultural issues of its own. I heard a report on NPR about how young women in particular are leaving Japan since they feel oppressed by society and have a difficult time finding husbands. This probably has something to do with the "Lolita complex," an increase in sexual crimes in which the victims are very young girls. I saw a book in the library recently, The Chrysanthemum and Thorn (something like that), which, I believe, talks about the hardships of Japanese culture, and it's not exactly a brand-new book. Japan's had societal issues for a long time, and that's been and is reflected in its popular entertainment.