Superpowers of Convenience.

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Their are many things i hate about anime, and convenient superpowers is one of them. These powers that hero get in near death situation is so awful for me that it breaks the immersion and most of the times creates plot holes with unlovable hero in time.

I dont mind hidden power that hero have, but it should not be convenient or easy to use. Let me give some example how some anime handle this power complex in good and bad way.

Lets start in good way, Lets think of ‘Avatar The Last Airbender’ (I know it is not an anime but get on with it, for this post.), In Avatar Aang has a kind of super power called Avatar State, But he cant control this state easily and he may hurt his friends while in this state. From beginning Avatar State was integral part of him as Avatar, due to this connection this power never feels out of place. This Avatar State is used as an plot armor many times but it never feels disconnected, simply because he is avatar and Avatar States job is to protects him in times of near death.avatar-state

In Naruto, Naruto also have convenient superpowers in form of Nine Tails.  But story of Naruto also revolves around “A Monster Inside a Kid” kind of thing.  So This makes power of nine tails integral part of story and builds Naruto as character we lice.  Also this power is posed as threat towards Naruto and his friends than a gift, remember naruto cant control this power from start, when he uses power it can also hurt his loved onces.  This paradox of giving huge power in a form of Hop and a Challenge to overcome for naruto works very well. When in the end naruto can control this power of nine tails, the power itself has lost its convenience due to overpowering villains.naruto_kyuubi_by_agito_lind-d4yz6iy

In contrast Attack of Titan fails in this aspect. When i started watching  Attack of Titan i said “Holy shit what is this anime !!”. I truly liked anime until Eren turn into titan. Anime was 9/10 for me and then become 6/10(above avg.). I thought that our three heroes will create some plan to defeat those titans. And when Eren died i thought Mikasa will avenge him and story will continue with remaining two main heroes, But Noooo they resurrect the Eren with some convenient plot armor and make him a titan (Because why not?). In truth this act kill the animes serious atmosphere for me and made it into a typical shounen anime. Attack of Titan did not needed super powers plot wise and ruin its potential to be something different.shingeki-no-kyojin-episode-13-pic2

I can say the same about the new anime Koutetsujou no Kabaneri.

Thanks for reading this post, those just my thoughts so dont feel offended by them. If you got new ideas about next post feel free to share them, I am out of ideas. What do you think about post? do you like convincente superpowers? or do you hate it? let me know.

 

Guys I am very frustrated from few days. If you know anime or manga that will cheer me up plz tell me , Thanks for reading.

44 thoughts on “Superpowers of Convenience.”

  2. You made a good point. I don’t like it when anime characters have to go “beserker” to protect the people they care about. It lacks heroism, and I’m trying to avoid that and even advocate for alternatives in my own anime book series.

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    1. Wow you are writing a book, what book is it?
      I also want to be a writher but cant write because i dont like reading ironic is’nt it. But i am trying to improve and english is not my first lang that makes things hard . Best of luck for your book.

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      1. I can relate! I’m a picky reader sometimes. And your English seems pretty good to me; I wouldn’t have known that it wasn’t your first language.

        My book is called “The Golden Lands”. It’s a fantasy/anime book series. You can find episodes of my book on my blog, or you can download the free eBook here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/535151
        It’s also at other places online. Good luck with your writing endeavors too!

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  3. Yes, having superpowers should not take the place of storytelling.

    I think that one of the reasons I never liked the Harry Potter films is that “magic” always explained everything.
    How is Harry going to get out of this mess? Well –MAGIC.
    Magic is a plot device where the writer can just make any crap up.

    At least in the old Star Trek, the transporter would break down often enough, so that Kirk and Spock could not just beam out when things got dicey.

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    1. Thats true if you make superpower an important part of plot it doesnt feel out of place. But when an story makes you think that it doesnt need superpower to win over villains and use it anyway then immersion breaks.

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  4. Well, I like character with superpower that they got it from hardwork and intense training. It would be better if their effort also shown in anime or manga. Not someone who suddenly got a power or inherited from their ancestor. From that you can see that Im not really like Marvels, right? 🙂
    If you got bored i suggest you to read the omake/ extra chapter on manga. Some manga/ anime had it. For now Im reading Magi omake manga. It more funny that the original story. Hope you like it.

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    1. Thats true, if someone gets their powers from hard work we can relate to them otherwise they make very poor character and ruins the anime. Marvels does not feel that organic, but if someone gets their power through hard work(As in real life), We can easily be motivated by their struggle. Thats way everyone like sports anime even when there is not much difference between series.

      Thanks for commenting it makes me feel good when i hear opinions of other people about my thoughts and it helps me to improve .
      Thanks i will read that manga.

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    2. ” I like character with superpower that they got it from hardwork and intense training”

      I recommend Hunter X Hunter.

      It’s a long series. For most of the series, the characters are just ordinary guys, trying very hard to master martial arts.

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        1. Yes Hunter x Hunter is tiring, though it is great anime, i only watch about 100 episodes of it then got bored.

          Shonnens are not my types of anime. But people who like shonnens will like the show.

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  5. I would have to watch Titan Again. The resurrection I though was also due to something his daddy did to him. Was he not on his way home to find out.
    Still Superpowers are okay as long as there is always a flaw in it. Being bulletproof and melt when hit with water or something. At that point something can always go wrong.
    If in the process the strength grows it only feels more natural as well. And can have a story evolve around it the same.

    the read sure opens eyes towards power and view them differently. Well off to watch Hero and Koutetsujou

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    1. Problem with attack on titan that i have, is the show establish the characters as like they will fight titans with sheer will and with old human weapon that is our mind and battle strategy. I personally think that when show kills eren to show dark and cold truth of their world, and show should have continued with mikasa and yellow haired guy, These two characters should have carry the will of eren forward and would have defeated titans using technology, politics and willpower. I truly think the show would have been awesome.

      As for his superpowers, when he was resurrected show killed its environment and feel of the world that was brutal and unforgiving that it was trying to establish from few episodes. and now i know that no one in our three heroes will die.

      As i said attack on titan is not bad but it is disappointing. I truly thought that this anime will take shonnen forward but it just become avg. shonnen instead.

      Thanks for commenting i like to hear opinions of other people.

      Thanks.

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      1. The hype around Titan was just as big as the ass of the Titan. And for me all it had going was the art work. even though they still used a lot of moving stills.
        When looking at the story it just had to much holes from the start. And as you said, unbalanced with old techniques beating over powered giants.

        A plot in itself was not talked about or missing all together. The reason why titans exist that they are human experiments. or something in that order. As the series went on that is what could be concluded yet how, why. And if we have this technique why can’t we kill the titans.

        So all in all their is very little story an with the death of Eren you would assume a story based on the two other leads. It would have been better if Eren came back much later with at least a back story of some kind. The show was lacking in the story department.

        Your welcome.

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  6. Convenient superpowers used for plot armor is exactly why I tend to stay away from shonen anime. Most of the genre has been tainted with the same tropes and clichés over and over again, and frankly it just isn’t entertaining anymore. Just like you, I absolutely LOVED Naruto when it first started running because of the character development that came through the Nine Tailed Fox’s presence sealed within Naruto. However, once he had the ability to keep control over this beast, I became less and less interest in the show.

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  7. I kind of don’t mind superpowers appearing in times of crisis as long as there has been some indication or foreshadowing that it was possible. What I really find irritating are new characters dropping into the show for narrative convenience. When you have no vested interest in the new arrivals anything they do is just going to be seen as a trite sollution. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this issue.

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  8. I get what your saying about the whole super power thing I don’t like it when things go over the top depends what series I am watching. Currently I am watching gundam seed and there is a moment where one of the gundam pilots go berserk in order to protect their fellow ship but was done in a way that wasn’t sugar coated and used no special new attack. at the that moment though thought “Yep here comes a new attack”…. to my surprise nope was thought out strategically

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    1. Yes superpowers are not the problem ,But unrealistic execution of scene is bad. Also many animes use it as plot armor which ruins their realistic image. So if superpowers handled correctly and realistically the scenes can be a blast to watch.

      If you watch Game of thrones. Revival of jon show does not feel awkward because show is hinting at it from long time, and it is handled correctly.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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      1. I have never seen game of thrones so forgive me ahaha lol yes unrealistic execution is silly hehe but I am a person who doesn’t mind it most of the time 🙂

        Your welcome

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  9. Great topic. Well done! Indeed, convenient superpowers can make a good series disappointing. In literature, it’s similar to “deux machina” and we frown upon it. However, I disagree with “Attack on Titan”. I think that Eren’s hidden power of suddenly becoming a titan is integral to the plot. Not only it adds drama, but it adds dimension to his character and his relationships to others. He is like the bridge between the titans and the humans. Nevertheless, good job in writing this post. Keep it up. It’s a great submission to the Fujinsei Blog Carnival. Looking forward to another great one next month when I host the carnival again. Cheers!

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    1. Your advices truly help me a lot, thanks.

      I have to agree that, Eren’s power is an important part of story. But When i first step in this world, all i know is this world is ruthless and unforgiving. In this world anyone can die, even hero. But when eren gets power it just kills atmosphere transfer anime into normal action-shonnen anime.

      First Anime makes huge mistake of not revealing enough of the plot for us to understand how the universe works.
      Secondly anime emphasis on our heros weakness.
      Thirdly It present an dark world.

      While all the above mostly adds tension, But when Eren becomes titan all of this work against the series, All tension is lost.
      Either way i dont like Eren as hero, i think mikasa would fit role. But i cant complain against that because story is different than i thought. As an shonne anime AoT is very good but As an Legendary anime it is very weak.

      Thanks for hosting Carnival it has been blast, I met so many great bloggers and read so many great posts. Will be waiting for next Carnival. Thanks.

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  10. Pingback: Best Posts Round-Up of the 2nd Fujinsei Blog Carnival | Fujinsei

  11. I would have to disagree about Attack on Titan. I’m not sure how Eren’s superpower is “convenient,” given that he has to bleed to transform, his control has been touch-and-go, he’s been a serious threat to his own friends, the sheer heat from his Titan body threatens to kill him, his friends often have to put their lives on the line to protect him while he’s transformed, he’s facing enemies that can (and do) overwhelm him, etc.

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