The supremacy of blood.

[So_Indecisive]

So there's something I've noticed with anime. Not all anime in general but Shonen anime these two deep rooted issues to me are counterintuitive to the ideal of hard work defeating talent and revolution that these works promote.

Whether it be 'Bleach', 'Naruto', 'Dragon ball', 'HxH' and other Shonen works inspired by these, there is a strong element of fatalism and the reality that your bloodline determines your achievements.

'Naruto' is after 'Dragon ball' the most representative figure of this.
Naruto early on is depicted as an unloved orphan boy lacks in talent but uses determination and the friends he made along the way to go from the last in his class to the leader of his village. Let's all be honest in terms of talent no one in his class could directly compete with him his Uzumaki blood grants him enormous amounts of chakra and a strong vitality. His father was the former leader of the village, him becoming the hokage was like a feudal prince inheriting the throne. His teachers one of the strongest people in the village. At the end of the series we even find out that he is the reincarnation of the youngest son of a literal god, there is nothing ordinary about this boy at all.
I will not try to discount Naruto's personal achievements but we cannot deny that more than half of his achievements are due to blood and his parents connections.

Dragon ball's protagonist is an alien with an unreasonable body type everyone knows in dragon ball being a pure human being is the original sin, that's why my boy Krillin's the GOAT.
Let's not even get started with bleach. Ichigo's father is the one of the five major nobles of the soul society and a former captain, his mother a pure blood Quincy.

Another thing is the concept of shonen protagonists being the prophesied saviors of their respective worlds. It just shows that the mangakas of these works or maybe Japanese society in general believes that achievements are decided by fate and the nobility of blood.
Since when did we as a people begin to have the idea that blood determines achievement and people are born nobler than others, because in many literary works the protagonist either changes his race or acquires the blood of a superior race or isn't even human at all.

It seems like even though I'm pessimistic about humanity I still advocate the idea of the indomitable spirit of human beings.

 

[Corty]

The reason is simple:

People self-insert themselves, especially when the audience is young, as the hero when reading. The more special they feel when doing so, the better the sales.

There is nothing philosophical or deep meaning behind it all. People like feeling special. That is all to it.

PS:

I know not everyone feels like this, but this is how the majority works. You may disagree and feel differently, but then you are not part of the majority. Want proof? Look at the fan fiction stories and their 99% self-insert retellings of the original plot. Or look at the quintillion OP MC stories. I rest my case.

 

[PancakesWitch]

I think they use this as a way to make it "make sense" that they have great power in little time, instead of making them train for tens of years, they actually have superpowers related to their bloodlines or a demon sealed inside of them, whcih is more beliavable than if they achieved these levels of power through hard work in a short time. After all, the plot needs to move forward, and spending most of the story just grinding without doing any cool action or confroting tremendously powerful foes (which generates hype) would be boring for the audience (young men, children).

Hence why the hype moments when they face a super powerful foe several levels above the mc, they unlock this new form or technique to jump to their level or even higher (super saiyan for example). I think HxH is the one that does this the best though, and it is very different in many ways as well. Gon had to sacrifice all his Nen to temporarily reach his pinnacle and defeat an impossibly powerful foe compared to him, and even after he was healed he doenst have nen anymore, he isn't even the mc anymore. But yeah, HxH is more of a seinen than an actual shonen as we know them.

There's another way by making the mc already an experienced fighter, adult, and sometimes even a veteran, these are usually OP from the start, and you can use their experiences and hard work as a justification for their great power instead of bloodlines or demons inside of them. Though young men and children might not like these mc that much, as they cannot self insert into them instead of a wimpy young brat that's just starting his journey instead.

Of course, for the web novel audience this is completely different. Most people that read web novels prefer experienced main characters, and will usually not read a story with a children as the protagonist unless they're a reincarnated person with experience already and therefore they can self insert into it. I can't really compare manga to web novels, their audiences and selling points are way too different so the comparison comes out as shallow. But there are some elements that are applied anyway, such as bloodlines and demons inside their bodies, used to justify quick jumps in power without the necessary training and time.

 

[ThrillingHuman]

Since when did we as a people begin to have the idea that blood determines achievement and people are born nobler than others, because in many literary works the protagonist either changes his race or acquires the blood of a superior race or isn't even human at all.

Uh, ever since humanity went past stone age, maybe earlier but we don't have any documented proof pro or against this.

 

[Crazy_Cat]

Probably when the nepotism started. They woven lore of family of the tribe chief or shaman being nobal and chosen by god to make us believe they have right to rule the rest.

 

[NotaNuffian]

Because everybody wants to be special.

Not realising that they are already "special"

Yes I am making a mental impairment joke.

 

[LilRora]

There isn't anything that can be done about that. In a world where, say, bloodline and ancestry determines power, there is no way to become powerful unless you have that bloodline, or find an alternative way to obtaining strength. Effort and determination can take people far, but some barriers are plainly impossible to cross - maybe not so much in reality because here it's primarily tied to social status, but in a fantasy it's even harsher.

The only way to circumvent that issue would be to create a world that in itself works in a different way. In many superhero stories, people gain powers by chance or without apparent reason, but that in itself doesn't mean much since you just get an order determined by powers instead of ancestry. What's necessary is the ability to grow, yet, the the ability to grow is intrinsically tied to status - what's commonly seen in LitRPG where leveling can be greatly accelerated with the right equipment and outside help - and to... bloodline. Or soul, or power, or whatever it is.

It fundamentally becomes a feedback loop that is impossible to break without some extremely specific worldbuilding that would most likely just be convoluted and confusing.

 

[RedMuffin]

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Read spocon.

 

[InBetweenRealms]

I believe this relies on a unique philosophy in writing, combined with an understanding of the target audience. Take Naruto, for example. Naruto himself initially knew little about his own potential. He was barely aware of the Nine-Tails Fox inside him, which was seen by others as a burden rather than a gift. However, through perseverance and determination, he gradually uncovered his true capabilities—something he wouldn’t have realized without persistence, let alone shown to others.
The same concept applies to stories like Dragon Ball and Bleach. In both cases, the protagonists were unaware of their origins or potential until they continued their respective journeys of growth and self-discovery.
These narratives send a powerful message to young people: Don’t give up, don’t underestimate yourself, and keep pushing forward. As Naruto himself often said, "This is my ninja way" and "Believe it!"

 

[owotrucked]

That's why Cid Kagenou is the better protag, he's just a dude who wanted to parry a nuke

 

[Heartmint]

The idea of bloodline itself is tied to our nature as living being. It's not something that confined only in japan, or even to humans, it's something that every living being on earth instinctively knows. And it's an established fact, the better your parents are at something, chances are their offspring will have the talent for it. A good-looking couple will generally bear a good-looking offspring, there's no way around it.

I'm not saying that bloodline determine the achievement or how noble a person is. But nobility (the idea, not the position) itself is a highly debated concept that cannot be quantified in each person. And achievement is something that largely affected by how capable you are, and that capability is further determined by how hardworking you are and your gene,your bloodline. Sure maybe Yao Ming work hard to be where he is, but he probably wouldn't be that good if he's just 1,7m like most Asians. His genes gave him a good position to start with, ending with his achievement

 

[beast_regards]

It's less about the nobility of blood, and more about honouring your parents and family tradition.

You could see it in other characters which are already established as heirs or scions of the family, and their struggle to honour it. You very often see it at the side characters, or even love interests. Everyone knows what they are supposed to achieve, and they must achieve it, or it is a loss of face, embarrassment.

Naruto didn't inherit the post (even if he technically did), he honoured his parents by achieving it.

Same as Boruto struggles to honour his parent in the sequel.

If Naruto was completely self made, he would be seen as a dishonourable usurper, but since it was always the one to become a leader, he instead honoured his family and his struggle was validated as good retrospectively, and thus made his ambition heroic.

If Naruto was self-made, he would be villain protagonist (and thus bad example for kids who watch the show). Same would apply if Naruto did nothing and didn't want to be very best ... (eh, that's the different anime, but still, it is what happened)

You could notice that in stories with absentee parents, the protagonist always gains their approval and thus is not dishonouring them for the plot to happen. Same retroactive validation as in case of Naruto.

Even isekai protagonist are always diligent students or workers and get superpower in their next life as the reward for honouring the family until the very end.

 

[Kalliel]

The thing is, it's often easier to make a story feel more 'good' if the protagonist is winning, especially against stronger opponents, and it's easier to make the protagonist win once you add in the protagonist buffs of bloodline and fate. Also, you're looking at the wrong genre. Shounen mangas are for shounen—young boys—and they ain't looking for some profound doctrine of mankind's tenacity or anything of the sort when they turn on the TV.

Also, as far as I remember, isn't Goku the very opposite of what you're calling out here? Sure, he's far superior to ordinary humans, but most of the time, he competes with stupidly gifted opponents like Freeza, Beerus, or that godamn Broly guy by training his ass off. He ain't even the Saiyan prince like Vegeta. Don't discount my guy like that.

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

Because the peasants need it to be relatable enough to self-insert into the story.

 

[John_Owl]

So there's something I've noticed with anime. Not all anime in general but Shonen anime these two deep rooted issues to me are counterintuitive to the ideal of hard work defeating talent and revolution that these works promote.

Whether it be 'Bleach', 'Naruto', 'Dragon ball', 'HxH' and other Shonen works inspired by these, there is a strong element of fatalism and the reality that your bloodline determines your achievements.

'Naruto' is after 'Dragon ball' the most representative figure of this.
Naruto early on is depicted as an unloved orphan boy lacks in talent but uses determination and the friends he made along the way to go from the last in his class to the leader of his village. Let's all be honest in terms of talent no one in his class could directly compete with him his Uzumaki blood grants him enormous amounts of chakra and a strong vitality. His father was the former leader of the village, him becoming the hokage was like a feudal prince inheriting the throne. His teachers one of the strongest people in the village. At the end of the series we even find out that he is the reincarnation of the youngest son of a literal god, there is nothing ordinary about this boy at all.
I will not try to discount Naruto's personal achievements but we cannot deny that more than half of his achievements are due to blood and his parents connections.

Dragon ball's protagonist is an alien with an unreasonable body type everyone knows in dragon ball being a pure human being is the original sin, that's why my boy Krillin's the GOAT.
Let's not even get started with bleach. Ichigo's father is the one of the five major nobles of the soul society and a former captain, his mother a pure blood Quincy.

Another thing is the concept of shonen protagonists being the prophesied saviors of their respective worlds. It just shows that the mangakas of these works or maybe Japanese society in general believes that achievements are decided by fate and the nobility of blood.
Since when did we as a people begin to have the idea that blood determines achievement and people are born nobler than others, because in many literary works the protagonist either changes his race or acquires the blood of a superior race or isn't even human at all.

It seems like even though I'm pessimistic about humanity I still advocate the idea of the indomitable spirit of human beings.

I've always called bleach on that. "Ichigo worked hard!!" Yeah, he worked REAL hard to fit each new enemy type into his own genetic make-up in order to turn the enemies' guns against them, so-to-speak. Fighting soul reapers after the reapers stole the reaper-ness I got from my girlfriend? Not to worry, daddy is a soul reaper. Now it's quincy? Guess what, my dead momma was a quincy. Now it's humanoid hallows? Cool, I got those powers too!!

Like, stop. Any new enemy, we know you're just gonna find some loophole to become part them, add it to the mix that is you, then wipe the floor with them. No risk.

Dragonball Z had a similar issue of death no longer applying. The first time Goku dies, yeah, it hits HARD. but then he revives with a "one off" thing. Cool. Then it happens again. And again. And again. And suddenly, you have to wonder WHY does it matter so hard if the world is destroyed, since death means nothing. just rebuild the world in the afterlife. All you lose is the hardwork of this life, and over there, you don't have to deal with weekly threats.

I think they use this as a way to make it "make sense" that they have great power in little time, instead of making them train for tens of years, they actually have superpowers related to their bloodlines or a demon sealed inside of them, whcih is more beliavable than if they achieved these levels of power through hard work in a short time. After all, the plot needs to move forward, and spending most of the story just grinding without doing any cool action or confroting tremendously powerful foes (which generates hype) would be boring for the audience (young men, children).

Demon slayer. Yeah, he had a lost form, but in the end, he was a complete novice. He didn't know that that 'dance' was a sword style until part way through the series. His bloodline makes no real difference, other than the fact that he trained like hell to use a sword with a style that doesn't suit him, then translated those skills into honing the dance into a real sword style. and the time skip felt natural. You see the start, a brief few flashes of during, then it's done and you're told it's been X amount of time.

Also, Chainsaw man. Normal dude with no skills or power suddenly becomes the demon demons are terrified of because his best friend (a small demon that's easily bullied) had a special fusion power and became his heart. no bloodlines or "fate fulfilled" there.

Both of these are quite well done for the 'right time, right place' moment. Little different from a guy finding a dollar, buying a lotto ticket and winning billions. sure, it may SEEM like he's got all the luck, but in the end, it was just right place, right time, right action.

 

[cabbag3]

When I was young, I wanted to be Goku.
Now that I'm older, I want to be like Krillin

 

[Zagaroth]

There isn't anything that can be done about that. In a world where, say, bloodline and ancestry determines power, there is no way to become powerful unless you have that bloodline, or find an alternative way to obtaining strength. Effort and determination can take people far, but some barriers are plainly impossible to cross - maybe not so much in reality because here it's primarily tied to social status, but in a fantasy it's even harsher.

The only way to circumvent that issue would be to create a world that in itself works in a different way. In many superhero stories, people gain powers by chance or without apparent reason, but that in itself doesn't mean much since you just get an order determined by powers instead of ancestry. What's necessary is the ability to grow, yet, the the ability to grow is intrinsically tied to status - what's commonly seen in LitRPG where leveling can be greatly accelerated with the right equipment and outside help - and to... bloodline. Or soul, or power, or whatever it is.

It fundamentally becomes a feedback loop that is impossible to break without some extremely specific worldbuilding that would most likely just be convoluted and confusing.

I've done my best to create a world where just about anyone really can grow. Some people do have advantages, but the biggest external advantage you can have is a mentor or trainer who knows how to customize your training. The biggest internal advantage you can have is drive.

All strength beyond the strictly physical is developed through will and spirit, whether explicitly magical or not. It takes a lot of work to build it up, both training to hone what you have and pitting yourself against others to push yourself (hard-spars that leave bruises count, but the larger the danger you face and overcome the larger the growth).

Bloodlines are a mixed bag. They certainly help develop particular skills, but spreading yourself too thin (if you have mixed bloodlines) can slow the rate at which you grow stronger; your focus is split and your development is divided amongst everything you are trying to improve.