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Apr 7, 2020 4:32 PM
#1
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Jan 2016
241
I've seen this like 1000 times, but I was never really curious until now: what is up with the whole "born weak" thing in anime? It seems like in almost every anime there's a character who is claimed to have been "born weak" where they're really skinny, get tired after even light physical activity, and have spontaneous fevers. As someone native to the US, I have never met people like this. I've met loads of people with physical disabilities and chronic diseases, but never anyone that was just born sickly like Myne and a lot of characters like this are.

I imagine it could be possible in Japan since they have such an isolated gene pool, so I was wondering if this is an actual common thing in Japan, or just an anime trope like female characters with permanent lethargy.
Apr 9, 2020 5:25 PM
#2
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Jul 2018
562029
It's probably just for narrative purposes and/or making the character more endearing or something.

It's also kinda the opposite for most isekais. Most isekais have the main character be OP
Apr 14, 2020 12:01 AM
#3

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Apr 2013
7989
Err being born sickly is a thing even today, but most of that can be solved by modern science/doctors. You can' task the same in a medieval environment.

Also it's not that common in anime tbh.
Apr 22, 2020 7:30 AM
#4
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Jul 2016
500
Can u give some exemples of being born weak? So far i can only think of Itachi from Naruto and Ukitake from Bleach. Cant think of anything else.
Apr 22, 2020 7:46 AM
#5
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Jan 2016
241
SinOfSlothKing said:
Can u give some exemples of being born weak? So far i can only think of Itachi from Naruto and Ukitake from Bleach. Cant think of anything else.


Nagisa from Clannad, Kaname from Ahiru no Sora....well....I think that might actually be the only example I can think of since I saw those shows recently. I remember seeing it quite a lot though, especially in slice of lifes, and it's almost always a girl. If you kind of look for it, you'll see it. Most shows have at least one chatacter like that.
Apr 22, 2020 12:06 PM
#6

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Apr 2015
6728
I actually appreciate that we have an isekai like this, instead of the usual "I'm in a new world with these cool abilities and immediately get bitches on my dick" thing.
"No, son, you may not have your body pillow at the dinner table!"
Apr 22, 2020 12:08 PM
#7

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Sep 2014
9574
CatSoul said:
I actually appreciate that we have an isekai like this, instead of the usual "I'm in a new world with these cool abilities and immediately get bitches on my dick" thing.


As mush as I agree with you. I cannot say no to free cool abilities and free kawaii bitches.
Jul 21, 2020 8:29 AM
#8
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Apr 2018
160
Hrybami said:
CatSoul said:
I actually appreciate that we have an isekai like this, instead of the usual "I'm in a new world with these cool abilities and immediately get bitches on my dick" thing.


As mush as I agree with you. I cannot say no to free cool abilities and free kawaii bitches.
.......amen...........
Jan 24, 2021 3:17 PM
#9
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Jun 2014
4
SenpaiMars-Barz said:
I've seen this like 1000 times, but I was never really curious until now: what is up with the whole "born weak" thing in anime?


Maybe because if they had the strength + smarts, then the character is too OP with no flaws. Have to give them flaws so they can write a story about how they overcome their faults in other ways.

A example off the top of my head for why it's bad to have an OP character: "That time I got reincarnated as a slime" show. The slime immediately gets all the buffs right off the bat, nothing can kill it, so it ended up being so boring to watch. No matter what kind of scary giant demon or whatever, they just show up and get swallowed and that's the end of that.

Flaws makes them the underdog, so you naturally want to root for them to be successful.
Jan 25, 2021 2:24 AM
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Jan 2016
1
DreamPhreak said:
SenpaiMars-Barz said:
I've seen this like 1000 times, but I was never really curious until now: what is up with the whole "born weak" thing in anime?


Maybe because if they had the strength + smarts, then the character is too OP with no flaws. Have to give them flaws so they can write a story about how they overcome their faults in other ways.

A example off the top of my head for why it's bad to have an OP character: "That time I got reincarnated as a slime" show. The slime immediately gets all the buffs right off the bat, nothing can kill it, so it ended up being so boring to watch. No matter what kind of scary giant demon or whatever, they just show up and get swallowed and that's the end of that.

Flaws makes them the underdog, so you naturally want to root for them to be successful.


I don’t see it that way cause slime isn’t a battle anime it is more of a political anime so in bakuman words it is an unorthodox battle anime

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