After watching countless hours of anime, it dawned on me that there is something all the big anime titles, or at least the ones everyone can’t seem to get enough of, have that elevated them much higher than the rest of the competition. This formula has been replicated a couple of times, and anime fans all around the world have gobbled it up entirely even wishing for more of the same. Even though it’s closely tied to what makes a good story overall, there are some aspects of it that are specific to anime. The formula is simple. Here it is.
Step 1. Have a young, male main character
Step 2. Have the main character have some defect no one else has.
Step 3. The main character aspires to have the strongest position in the land.
Step 4. The main character’s defect makes it impossible for him to even get to close that position.
Step 5. His drive to get to that position is so strong it unlocks a power.
Step 6. This drive inspires people around him who become his friends and support him till the very end.
Step 7. Lots of filler.
Step 8. Powerful enemies who force him to go ‘beyond his limits’
Step 9. Secret love interest.
Step 10. Main character gets to the position he always wanted.
If you’re familiar with Naruto, One Piece, and most recently, Black Clover, this formula basically describes how the shows have progressed save for a few adjustments according to the plot of the respective anime. These three are arguably the most popular anime ever (save for Black Clover, but it’s definitely making a case for itself) and they all have one thing in common: the formula I just mentioned.
Look back at Naruto. He grew up with no parents, he was never as skilled as Sasuke when it came to fighting, he had a crush on Sakura who barely acknowledged him, and above all, he wanted to become the Hokage. His defect being the Nine Tailed Fox called Kurama that only came out when was pushed to the edge up until later on when he made peace with him, and they chose to work together. His Ninja Way (drive) inspires others around him who choose to support him through good decisions and bad; a lot being bad at first but somehow working out in their favor in the end.
I never go back on my word! That’s my nindo, my ninja way!
Naruto Uzumaki
The same can be said for One Piece and Black Clover. Luffy wants to be the Pirate King and Asta wants to be the Wizard King. See what I mean? A bonus step might even be to make the main character of lower intellect than everyone else who charges into battle and asks questions later. Bottom line is… it works. You could probably come up with something else in 2020 following this blueprint, and it very much could see a considerable amount of success.
This kind of thing doesn’t just happen in anime; it happens with other creative mediums as well such as writing or music. A lot of hip hop artists sound pretty much the same and they still sell because that’s what the market wants. There was a time when the Hunger Games was still hot and young adult science fiction books were selling like crazy. It’s a simple human trait most of us do without thinking. When we see many people converged in one place, we automatically assume there’s something interesting there and even if we don’t, we stick around anyways because we don’t want to seem like the odd one out. If there were two videos on YouTube talking about the same thing, one had 100,000 views and the other one had 5,000, which one would you watch? Exactly.
This isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes there actually is something worth your time whenever there’s a lot of people interested in one thing. After all, if it wasn’t quality, no one would stick around, right? Maybe. My way of thinking is I read the little description on what the show is about, probably watch a couple of episodes, and if I like it, I’ll watch it. I didn’t really like Black Clover at first mostly because I found the action lacking and I hated the way Asta literally yelled every word he said. But as time went by and I found little else to watch, it slowly grew on me and now here I am on episode 81 enjoying the Magic Knights battle it out for who will be selected to the Royal Knights to face the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
The successful anime formula exists, and these shows have proven it works. Will it get old in future? Possibly. Nothing lasts forever. The winds of change blow eventually, and something else gets its place in the sun. Until then, I’m here for it so long as they do it right.
Photo courtesy of Animelab.
Height Above Sea Level 