How come most anime characters are teenagers?

HeartbreakerByZep · Post by **HeartbreakerByZep** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 1:41 pm

There are plenty of anime that uses characters other than teenagers.

But young people are cuter, so you tend to see that more.

Kaoshen · Post by **Kaoshen** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 2:35 pm

I think its because teens have more to relate to in life than adults or children.. thats why they are used in anime lots... It makes it more exciting i guess.

Akai Rurouni · Post by **Akai Rurouni** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 6:37 pm

It depends on what you watch.

Kenshin is 28. I think Vash is in the upper-20's as well. Spike and Faye have to be at least mid-20's, probably older, and I can't imagine Jet is any less than 30. Miaka was a teenager, but I think all the Seshi were in their 20's (at least). All the characters in Hellsing and Pat Labor are adults.

I think it's a combination of factors everyone's mentioned. It's part target audience, part subject material, and part what makes sense considering what the character does (i.e. because Naruto is a new ninja, working his way up the ranks, he _has_ to be a young character - it wouldn't make any sense if he was 40 years old).

Cloud Clone · Post by **Cloud Clone** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 7:30 pm

Akai Rurouni wrote:It depends on what you watch.

Kenshin is 28. I think Vash is in the upper-20's as well.

***Possible Spoiler warning***

Unless I'm wrong, I think in the series Kenshin is in his early thirties and his master is in his forties, but they both look much younger. Vash is over 120 yrs old so he looks, much, much younger. Pretty young people are just easier to look at, which makes better viewing. I don't think it goes much deeper than that...young people also don't have wrinkles, which makes for just that much less detail to draw over and over again, if that makes any difference. *Shrug*

Kalium · Post by **Kalium** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 7:41 pm

Let's expand here: most anime characters are either under twenty or act the part. That covers Kenshin and Vash, too.

Trident · Post by **Trident** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 9:45 pm

Keep in mind it's not just anime. A vast majority of TV shows in general feature either young people or old people who think they're young. Humans just have an obsession with youth in general.

someperson · Post by **someperson** » Sun Jul 04, 2004 12:43 am

Anime probably focuses more so on young people (teens, adults in their early twenties) because they go through a lot of transitions at that time of their lives than most older adults.

By the time you're thirty or so you generally (I'm assuming here) have your life figured out (until you hit your mid-life crisis).

When you're a young person you have to deal with all the raging hormones and growing up (physically, mentally, spiritually, etc.) and you're experiencing things for the first time.

Which would you rather watch? Adult with life figured out or emotional hormonaly unstable teenager?

Kalium · Post by **Kalium** » Sun Jul 04, 2004 1:13 am

What adult has life figured out? I kno plenty of them, and they seem to have just as many questions as I do.

someperson · Post by **someperson** » Sun Jul 04, 2004 1:17 am

*Shrugs* I was generalizing. I know when you're an adult all your problems and worries don't magically disapear.

cilu · Post by **cilu** » Sun Jul 04, 2004 3:24 am

Thank all of you who replied. yeah it makes sense now why they are using teenagers when they do. I didn't think too much on the subject before posting it, it was a curiosity which I hadn't figured out. Thank you all

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How come most anime characters are teenagers?

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