Shonen Manga and the Real World

[Guardian of the Rain]

In most shonen manga/anime, the world revolves around the fighting capabilities of individuals, organizations, and nations.
Individuals with formidable strength/abilities are usually the ones with the power to make their desires come true and have everything go their way.
Is this kind of society vague and only belongs in fiction? Or would you like magic/power/ki/chakra/etc to exist and only the strongest individuals to be the ones at the top and have all lesser people be at their mercy?

Obviously (military) strength is very relevant in reality, too. Just when it comes to organizations and nations though. I'm talking about individuals here.

 

[FreakensteinAG]

Nah, that'd be a terrible existence. Sure, there would be some great individual with the correct mindset who would bring prosperity to wherever he lived, but there's a chance that a terrible villain with lots of power would destroy what we all tried to build. There are people without these powers who still somehow cause so much destruction. I wouldn't want them to be more powerful.

 

[Umari Senju]

It's an interesting question but honestly powers or no I don't think the world would be any different than it is now. Well assuming people have had powers/magic/chakra/Ki etc. since our existence.

What I mean is even though you'd have tyrants who could say move entire cities with his mind; you'd also have others who could drop a meteor on his head in the name of freedom. It would be just another way of living.

 

[Guardian of the Rain]

Nah, that'd be a terrible existence. Sure, there would be some great individual with the correct mindset who would bring prosperity to wherever he lived, but there's a chance that a terrible villain with lots of power would destroy what we all tried to build. There are people without these powers who still somehow cause so much destruction. I wouldn't want them to be more powerful.

My thoughts exactly, man. No single person should possess so much literal power. Even someone with noble intentions may accidentally bring about a lot of harm.
Kind of makes me understand the premise of Batman v Superman. Most people are scared that Superman might destroy the planet sometime if he were to ever feel like doing so.
I'd probably be paranoid of that happening, too, not knowing how good a person Clark Kent is.

It's an interesting question but honestly powers or no I don't think the world would be any different than it is now. Well assuming people have had powers/magic/chakra/Ki etc. since our existence.

What I mean is even though you'd have tyrants who could say move entire cities with his mind; you'd also have others who could drop a meteor on his head in the name of freedom. It would be just another way of living.

Interesting, but I'm pretty sure the world would already be destroyed by now. There'd be no author or screenwriter to make sure the good guys win and save the world. This is reality, so the bad guys could very well put an end to mankind's existence, erasing us from the history of the universe.
So yeah, thank goodness that powers don't exist lol

 

[LBeezy]

magic/power/ki/chakra/etc is life bro. :Sparks:

 

[milkydean]

Like many above said,too much power at certain individual's hand might lead to world wide destruction.But nature has its own way of doing things,there should be equally powerful good people too.But I believe that if our world has power like those shown in shounen mangas at some point stability will eventually come like in naruto's world where they all organized themselves.

 

[Pyro NB]

I'm down with it:scorps:

 

[Locke Shaydow]

Hm, interesting topic. After sitting here, thinking, smoking, wondering what such a world would be like.
o_o;; It'd be pretty rough probably. The whole "abusing powers" would be a much larger issue. You know
though, I think that it might be a lot like how One Piece kinda is. Like we'd have renegade groups like pirates,
or a guild. Then we would have the government, I am sure they would pay and give people anything to aqcuire
new magic, spells, KI, etc.. So how strong would our goverment get compared to the every day people like you
and I that stumbles upon some kind of magical power or strength?

 

[Guardian of the Rain]

I'm down with it:scorps:

lol f*ck that. I'm fine with experiencing that kind of world via anime/manga/comics, video games, novels, TV shows, and movies.

Like many above said,too much power at certain individual's hand might lead to world wide destruction.But nature has its own way of doing things,there should be equally powerful good people too.But I believe that if our world has power like those shown in shounen mangas at some point stability will eventually come like in naruto's world where they all organized themselves.

I think it's wishful thinking to assume there'd be good guys that'd create sufficient stability.
I must emphasize on the fact that this is reality. There's no author ensuring good prevails over evil at the end of it all. If you don't believe in a higher being, then that means you must acknowledge that everything is determined by chance. So in real life, if a bad person with great power had an agenda to destroy the world, he could very well make it happen.
Not trying to be a pessimist, but a realist.

magic/power/ki/chakra/etc is life bro. :Sparks:

It's a nice thought, imagining such things being real, but it's for the best that they only exist in fiction.

 

[Guardian of the Rain]

Hm, interesting topic. After sitting here, thinking, smoking, wondering what such a world would be like.
o_o;; It'd be pretty rough probably. The whole "abusing powers" would be a much larger issue. You know
though, I think that it might be a lot like how One Piece kinda is. Like we'd have renegade groups like pirates,
or a guild. Then we would have the government, I am sure they would pay and give people anything to aqcuire
new magic, spells, KI, etc.. So how strong would our goverment get compared to the every day people like you
and I that stumbles upon some kind of magical power or strength?

lol @bold said that so nonchalantly
And I'm sure the government would be at the whim of individuals who possess greater power than they do collectively.
Like how the government can't do jack against Superman, so they better be immensely grateful he means mankind nor the Earth any harm.

 

[Pyro NB]

lol f*ck that. I'm fine with experiencing that kind of world via anime/manga/comics, video games, novels, TV shows, and movies.

Aw join us

 

[milkydean]

lol f*ck that. I'm fine with experiencing that kind of world via anime/manga/comics, video games, novels, TV shows, and movies.

I think it's wishful thinking to assume there'd be good guys that'd create sufficient stability.
I must emphasize on the fact that this is reality. There's no author ensuring good prevails over evil at the end of it all. If you don't believe in a higher being, then that means you must acknowledge that everything is determined by chance. So in real life, if a bad person with great power had an agenda to destroy the world, he could very well make it happen.
Not trying to be a pessimist, but a realist.


It's a nice thought, imagining such things being real, but it's for the best that they only exist in fiction.

Reality?Huh, You make it seem as if there are absolutely no good person in the world at all.Do we right now not possess weapons and power of mass destruction?Yah we have organized ourselves in country and no individual is powerful enough to cause mass destruction but we still possess that power.Nuclear weapons military based powers etc.UNO was formed after 1945 to ensure peace all over the world,and its been pretty sucessful too.No matter what everybody says we are at the most peaceful era of all time right now and thats a fact.Similarly if we had powers then we would also move towards stability at some point of time.And mind you if this is reality there will be no perfect good side or bad side.

 

[Theunrestricted]

As much flake that Fairy Tail gets. I would love to live in a world like that where friendship is power!

 

[Guardian of the Rain]

Reality?Huh, You make it seem as if there are absolutely no good person in the world at all.Do we right now not possess weapons and power of mass destruction?Yah we have organized ourselves in country and no individual is powerful enough to cause mass destruction but we still possess that power.Nuclear weapons military based powers etc.UNO was formed after 1945 to ensure peace all over the world,and its been pretty sucessful too.No matter what everybody says we are at the most peaceful era of all time right now and thats a fact.Similarly if we had powers then we would also move towards stability at some point of time.And mind you if this is reality there will be no perfect good side or bad side.

I definitely agree that the world is more peaceful than it's been in centuries upon centuries.
What I'm trying to get across is that the collective efforts of evil individuals would overcome those of us that would be on the good side.
There'd be Madaras, Black Beards, and Brolys raining down destruction. Evil people don't play by any rules, which gives them a mighty advantage.
Is good folk fight whilst having to protect the defenseless. We fight with out moral intact, which is a huge disadvantage.
So in reality and everything being left to chance and no higher power or the universe, I do believe evil would completely decimate good.

As much flake that Fairy Tail gets. I would love to live in a world like that where friendship is power!

Fairy Tale would be nice. The fact that it is cheesy and light-hearted makes it one of the most appealing shonen worlds to live in.
I wouldn't be living in fear and with paranoia all the time. I know FT has its villians, but they just don't seem as world-threatening and frightening as villians from other shonen manga.