Why don't manga characters look asian?

[BigTDogg220]

Why don't manga characters look asian? This is something that has particularly bothering me since the DBZ movie was made years back. In the film all the characters are asian for the exception of Goku, but since he's an alien I believe that's the reason why. Obvioulsy Akira Toriyama, who is Japanese, intended for his characters to be asian. This shows in what they wear and how they act, but they never look asian. Growing up watching DBZ I never thought any of the characters were asian they all looked white or like an alien.

In many of the manga the majority of the characters just look white. Take for example the manga's that are generally discussed on Naruto Base: Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Fairy Tail, and Full Metal Alchemist. All of the main characters look white...Naruto now with the Hidden Cloud village has some black characters, but no character particularly looks asian.

So why don't manga characters look asian?

 

[Hyperion]

Manhua characters look asian, but some manga characters don't.
Its most likely the art style or perspective of a westerner...

 

[Uchiha Josephus]

LOL!

 

[Hei]

Why don't manga characters look asian? This is something that has particularly bothering me since the DBZ movie was made years back. In the film all the characters are asian for the exception of Goku, but since he's an alien I believe that's the reason why. Obvioulsy Akira Toriyama, who is Japanese, intended for his characters to be asian. This shows in what they wear and how they act, but they never look asian. Growing up watching DBZ I never thought any of the characters were asian they all looked white or like an alien.

In many of the manga the majority of the characters just look white. Take for example the manga's that are generally discussed on Naruto Base: Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Fairy Tail, and Full Metal Alchemist. All of the main characters look white...Naruto now with the Hidden Cloud village has some black characters, but no character particularly looks asian.

So why don't manga characters look asian?

lol it doesn't metter

 

[BigTDogg220]

Manhua characters look asian, but some manga characters don't.
Its most likely the art style or perspective of a westerner...

Maybe it's perspective, but hair colors and facial features alone generally aren't asian. Blonde hair and red hair aren't asian, granted anyone can die their hair, but natural blonde and red hair aren't asian. Plus the more pointed noses is not something the majority of asian people have while it's prominent among white people.

 

[Xam]

lol

 

[r24alel]

Maybe it's hard to draw asian people

 

[15pathsofchaos]

Mostly because they hate us but they want to be just like us so they draw them like westerners

 

[SAGE OF ALL ELEMENTS]

Perhaps it is because the japanese creators didn't want it to look asian??!??

 

[Hyperion]

What some of you don't understand is that mangaka don't make it for westerners.
Its for the Japanese but the popularity garners outside attention, thus exposing it to the western world.

Some of them are meant to look like that on purpose.

 

[BigTDogg220]

Perhaps it is because the japanese creators didn't want it to look asian??!??

If that's the case then why are all the characters except 2 in the DBZ movie asian? I find it confusing.

 

[ninjastormgenaration33]

 

[Boa Hancock]

Why did Bryke make Avatar, and why don't the benders look Asian (well most of them)?

 

[Mercy]

If you ask me, it's just way easier to draw. (No offense or anything) I mean sure, everyone could do that but it would probably take longer than you think.

That's what I think and I asked my self this question as well sometimes but in the end, it doesn't really matter.

 

[BigTDogg220]

If you ask me, it's just way easier to draw. (No offense or anything) I mean sure, everyone could do that but it would probably take longer than you think.

That's what I think and I asked my self this question as well sometimes but in the end, it doesn't really matter.

In the end it doesn't really matter, it's just odd in my opinion. Maybe it is easier just to draw white people rather than asians.

 

[Kuroi Honoo]

Why don't manga characters look asian? This is something that has particularly bothering me since the DBZ movie was made years back. In the film all the characters are asian for the exception of Goku, but since he's an alien I believe that's the reason why. Obvioulsy Akira Toriyama, who is Japanese, intended for his characters to be asian. This shows in what they wear and how they act, but they never look asian. Growing up watching DBZ I never thought any of the characters were asian they all looked white or like an alien.

In many of the manga the majority of the characters just look white. Take for example the manga's that are generally discussed on Naruto Base: Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Fairy Tail, and Full Metal Alchemist. All of the main characters look white...Naruto now with the Hidden Cloud village has some black characters, but no character particularly looks asian.

So why don't manga characters look asian?

Thank you for creating this thread as I have always thought the same thing and in anime for that matter lol I can't see why the mangaka/anime artists wouldn't illustrate their characters to appear more Asian unless it is depicting another race, etc. e.g. Kuroshitsuji having the setting of Victorian era London thus most of the character pertaining to that particular race/language, is understandable. Visually, Naruto has a Western appearance in terms of hair color, attire and visage and he most likely carried that aspect onto many of the other characters as well. I think it would make for an even better manga whose setting is of Japan or any other location in Asia to possess characters with more Asian facial features.​

 

[opticsnm]

why should they look asian????

 

[BigTDogg220]

why should they look asian????

One reason is because manga is made in Japan. It's mostly surprising that while the characters are dressed in asian clothing and even act in ways that are believed to be along the line of asians they don't look asian. They certainly don't need to look asian, but it's interesting that the majority of manga characters don't look asian.

 

[saiisthehottest]

because asians don't have big eyes.

 

[NLee]

Well how would you draw asian characters in manga? As far as the manga goes it's just a story. Not an "asian" story. The fact that it's a Japanese manga really doesn't mean much when you think about it. It's just characters in a story