This can be found in most anime. most character are very western looking even when they try not to be. the huge eyes that are basically a manga trademark are very western.
Im american so maybe im wrong but from what ive read asian culture is very conformist
in nature. Perhaps thats why thier characters are so very unique and stand out so much.
our entertainment medias often push boundries we ourselves wont dare to. whatever the reason im hooked on naruto like an old lady on murder she wrote.   See 11 other replies

Actually this animation style is really striking when you make it super realistic. Think of the cut-scenes from Final Fantasy VII (where cloud looks vaguely European) and compare them to the scenes from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. All the sudden, the Japanese look comes out because the animation is so much more detailed. I also like the idea that genetics may run slightly differently in alternate universes. I know Wesley Snipes in Demolition Man was a dye job, but there's something interesting about seeing an unusual hair color on a character.   See 11 other replies

I think that the simple explanation for the hair color is to make the main character stick out. If you are in a country where 99% of the people have the same naturally colored hair and eyes how do you make them stick out. Its also a recurring theme that the main character is picked on and ostracized in his youth for his weird hair. How visually boring would an anime be if all the hair colors were the same. I don't think its a racial thing because I've seen just as much blue, pink, red, and purple hair as blonde. Also look at the types of anime. Comboy Beebop, Monster, and other such realistic mature anime don't have crazy colored hair. The Shounen anime are flashy to keep the target audience interested.   See 11 other replies

kinda like how americans are loud and obnoxious? don't flag me I can talk about my own country that way if i wanna :P   See 11 other replies

they wouldn't need to look anywhere for a matching face. Just contacts and hair dye?   See 11 other replies

How do we explain the Raikage? He's clearly African. Art can be seen many ways, but doesn't it make sense that all of the races are represented by the different clans. I've always seen Shikamaru and Choji as Vietnamese and Chinese, but not Ino. Asuma and the Third seem the most Japanese, but that's just opinion. Creators of American cartoons and comic books almost go out of their way to include every race in a series, but we have a better mix here. I'd like to know some day what the writer of this series intended. Not that it makes a difference to how I enjoy the manga or anime - just interested.   See 11 other replies

I just think its neat. i totally saw what they were going for when i saw them in "Japanese style", but its not what i had in mind for Naruto. Someone should really do a Sociological study on it, if you are in college try to do a paper on it :)I know originally anime got its look from Walt Disney (Astro Boy was copied from that style) so that's why we get the big round anime eyes... But yeah the hair color etc... has me stumped. i still think it could be just a reaction to such a homogeneous society, not only do they look similar (not in a racist way, I can tell Asians apart, they just have more similar features and dress, if you ever watch a video of a city subway at rush hour its 1000's of guys who look identical), but in Japan you are encouraged to act similar and keep low profile, conform, and blend in; so to make a character stand out you make him with bright yellow hair, have him have bad etiquette, eat a lot, and scream a lot. That's why the whole spikey hair thing (final fantasy) got popular there too, it really makes you stand out if your hair is standing up and blonde in a crowd of short black hair. But that's just a theory.   See 11 other replies