Japan makes cooler characters than everyone else...

[Drakmeire]

Yes, Japan may make some pretty awesome characters from time to time but the Japanese did not make Batman. And Batman, seen here attacking a shark with a lightsaber,
http://www.boingboing.net/filesroot/batmanlightsabershark.jpg
is the epitome of all coolness.

 

[TheEldestScroll]

if by "cool" you mean "gay" i would be inclined to agree with you.

 

[krection]

Japan characters are mostly stupid. I mean, how are you supposed to relate to an angsty teen with a stupid haircut? All Japanese games usually do this( Catherine is my only exception). They are NOT likeable. They are ALWAYS the same!

Yourself begs to differ.

OT: Never, ever say anything about this ever again. This community is full of raging hypocrites when it comes down to Western vs Japanese characters/animation, and you will have fire rained down upon you from several active volcanoes.

First of all: What? Myself begs to differ?
Second of all: I don't care. It's fun to ignore trolls and express joy in my opinion.

You contradicted yourself. You said they were always (capitalized, no less) the same, except that one that you like.

Unless Catherine wasn't made by a Japanese company, they aren't always the same.

The key word was usually. I was referring to all the ones that weren't Catherine. Remember the word USUALLY

 

[KRbertsproduck5]

I think my favorite japan person is L from Death Note

 

[Drakmeire]

Japan also makes the most incessantly annoying characters (Vanille from FFXIII comes to mind).

I beg to differ. Americans created Snarf for crying out loud.
<youtube=f6FsT3EaZ5c>
nothing made by Japan has ever reached this level of annoyance...Well except maybe this chick.
<youtube=FkVYHUMCCwc>

 

[sketch_zeppelin]

From an artistic stand point they don't. The majority of anime designs are ugly and generic. the one exception being their machines. they do mecha very well but everything else is just crap.

they're designs are so generic that they HAVE to give there characters outragous hair and big eyes just so you can tell one character for the other (its a money saving technique because most animes have fairly small budgets)

if your just using video games as a comparison between japaness characters and american characters then yeah there are a lot of gruff deep voiced beef heads but your ignoring a huge collection of original characters from all sorts of other mediums and genres.

 

[TheJesus89]

You seem.... younger then the rest of us.

I don't think that they're any more or less cooler. You just don't live in Japan, so obviously anything that's different would excite someone of your age... I think?

I think, since you are... or appear to be... younger, that anything fantastical seems cooler then anything semi-realistic.

And that's basically what this whole debate boils down to. Realism vs Over the top.

On one hand, you have much tighter designed games, but maybe lacking in the creative department. The other one is maybe more interesting, but maybe not as developed or controlled.

Also, I disagree that they're any better then we are. I mean, yes, we re-use gruff, masculine men beating the shit out of each other, but how many times have they used giant robos or quiet protagonists with crazy hair?

 

[RaNDM G]

Does Japan have Chuck Norris? No? Didn't think so.

 

[MasterOfWorlds]

Japan makes decent characters. America makes decent characters. Europe makes decent characters. It all really boils down to what you're looking for. I'm not a fan of the big hair and over-the-top-ness that seems to spread through a lot of Japan's subcultures. That's not to say that they don't have plenty of characters that fit right into what I look for in interesting characters.

It's all a matter of taste.

Also, Rainbow Dash is 20% cooler than just about anyone else.

 

[Mr Pantomime]

Japan just makes weirder stuff that everyone else. Or at least weird for us. Hard Gay might be the Japanese equivalent of Two and A Half Men.

I think theyre given a bit more license with their media too. Less restrictions from both the company and the audience. But im just spitballing here.

 

[Demongeneral109]

Yes because a bunch of androgynous males who's only difference being the colour of hair is sooo much better. /sarcasm

Also: You're just dead wrong. I can only name a handful of interesting Japanese characters and they're all based off of non-japanese characters.

Also, also: Sherlock Holmes isn't Japanese, so you lose.

your anime avatar suggests otherwise... just sayin'

 

[Asuka Soryu]

In the West defense, we invented Doc Brown.

Check and Mate.

 

[Rawne1980]

I give you Warhammer (normal or 40k, take your pick) followed by a "go, go England".

Also, Lord of the Rings and Hobbit had some decent characters. Written by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, and inspired a loooooot of characters used in todays films/games. He was also English.

But enough false patriotism from me.

Every country has it's moments in creating something people love.

I can't agree completely with Japan making cool characters. I remember Tidus .... about as far from "cool" as you can possibly get.

 

[Xanadu84]

90% of everything is crap. When wallowing in the 90% crap and want something different, you might look at something that is from a different cultural perspective, and was good enough to cross the ocean. You might even develop a taste for it. Suddenly, the 10% of good stuff from Japan looks a lot more significant then the 10% of good stuff from the west, especially when you want something different, and cultural inertia means that that Japanese stuff will always be a bit different.

Its not better. It's different, and even then, not as different as you might expect.

 

[Princess Rose]

Japan always makes cool stuff like insane fighting robots, planet-buster characters, guys with crazy hair and outfits, and over the top sword and gunplay.

So true. ^^

Actually, I think it has to do with the short Japanese attention span. They have to crank everything up to eleven to try to keep viewer attention.

 

[Z of the Na'vi]

Damn right Japan makes cool stuff.

So do American and European developers.

You could have just posted an image of your avatar in response to the OP and I would have agreed. The way I see it, this thread wants to do nothing but start a rather weak flame war. It'd be like play sword-fighting with a pair of lit matches. Pathetic.

OT: I too, disagree. As stated, "cool" is subjective. Therefore, different from person to person. I like quite a few game characters created from other countries than Japan. Prime examples are Liberty Prime (Fallout 3), Emile (Halo: Reach), and Spyro the Dragon.

 

[silver wolf009]

Woah woah woah woah woah... Ok, now last time I checked, Rainbow Dash came from America. And NOPONY is cooler than Rainbow Dash.

I'm forced to disagree good sir.

 

[Sangreal Gothcraft]

Japan makes annoying Angsty teenagers with Spiked hair and Emotional and very annoying Americans make well..they make many stuff you just got to look deeper..? I don't know i don't pay attention to Much Television anymore...

 

[Demongeneral109]

Japan also makes the most incessantly annoying characters (Vanille from FFXIII comes to mind).

I beg to differ. Americans created Snarf for crying out loud.
<youtube=f6FsT3EaZ5c>
nothing made by Japan has ever reached this level of annoyance...Well except maybe this chick.
<youtube=FkVYHUMCCwc>

Ok, don't mock the Desu, its awesome!

for my actual contribution to the topic, It comes down on people's opinions on preferred character archetypes. People who enjoy western media(im mostly working with games here) prefer the stoic, determined badass that's more rough around the edges and usually antisocial. Eastern Characterization tends to focus on being open to your companions and the development of understanding and emotional bonds, eventually forming a solid 'nakama.' That's why people say JRPG characters are whiny emos, because they actually talk about and reflect on their pasts within the narrative. Their Western counterparts mostly do so in extended universe material (the halo novels being a prime example), leaving a blank-slate for personality within the game itself.

In the end, which characters are cooler comes down to the person's opinion of strength, or how much personality plays into your opinions on a character. If your idea of strength is being able to persevere against impossible odds and personal tragedy with bloody-minded determination, showing no weakness, then most western characters are cooler, and the lack of back story leaves a mystery factor that most eastern characters don't have...which gives them an innate cool factor. As for eastern fans, the ability to show their insecurities and weakness is a strength in and of itself. Their well developed personalities add depth that most fans find interesting, and in many ways, half the point of the game is learning more about them, and watching them grow. A broody depressed anti-hero might evolve into a true hero that has learned to get close to teammates and comrades and place their trust in them; isn't that a transformation worth watching?

That and some just love Gurran-Laggan style over-the-topness, its all a matter of preference.

 

[Demongeneral109]

I give you Warhammer (normal or 40k, take your pick) followed by a "go, go England".

Also, Lord of the Rings and Hobbit had some decent characters. Written by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, and inspired a loooooot of characters used in todays films/games. He was also English.

But enough false patriotism from me.

Every country has it's moments in creating something people love.

I can't agree completely with Japan making cool characters. I remember Tidus .... about as far from "cool" as you can possibly get.

I counter your tidus with Auron, who's sheer win counters all the fail of his dumbass companion