Storytellers active in many fields take inspiration from real life to create their works, and anime is no exception. Anime stories are not created in a vacuum. Actually, most creators of anime works take at least the basic theme and idea of the work from their society and surrounding environment before adding other elements to the process of their story.
This issue makes the fans of the anime world constantly trying to find the origin of the creation of each character. The feeling of familiarity and kinship that we find with an anime character is rooted in this fact. Of course, this is not always the case, but there are many cases where this source of inspiration shows itself well.
Sometimes it’s just plain obvious that the character looks a lot like a martial arts fighter or a legendary actor, or even takes on the behavior of a historical figure. Finally, it should be noted that many actors, athletes and even historical figures have been introduced as inspirations for the creation of anime characters, which we will review in the following. Stay with us.
1- Rock Lee
Rock Lee
Anime: Naruto
Bruce Lee is a well-known name in the world of cinema and martial arts. Undoubtedly, he has been the childhood hero of many adults today, who watched his martial and theatrical movements with love. That’s why many anime fans have noticed the similarities between Rock Lee’s character in Naruto anime and this legendary actor and martial artist.
From hairstyles and clothes to body language, as well as his fascination with taijutsu and mastering martial arts, are all signs of this bond. Of course, the creators did not act very creatively when choosing the name of this character, and anyone can easily make a connection between these two.
2- Viktor Nikiforov
Victor Nikiforov
Anime: Yuri on Ice
Viktor Nikiforov from the Yuri on Ice anime is a complex character who is a combination of two real characters, one is Evgeni Plushenko, a former figure skater of the Soviet Union, and the other is John Cameron Mitchell, an acclaimed American actor. has been created With this account, it is not surprising why this character is so popular among the fans of this series.
The author of Yuri on the Ice mentioned somewhere that he has designed the character of Victor in such a way that he simultaneously benefits from Plushenko’s achievements in the field of skiing and has the physical characteristics and attractive and boyish appearance of Mitchell.
3- Bunny jewelry
Jewelry Bonny
Anime: One Piece
The character of Jolly Bonney from the One Piece anime was inspired by a real and notorious pirate named “Anne Bonney” who lived a turbulent and colorful life around the Caribbean islands.
Perhaps this is the reason why Jolly Bunny has the same main characteristics of pirates, i.e. stubbornness, capriciousness, love of adventure and, of course, extraordinary independence. Finally, it should be said that in One Piece anime, there are many examples where we see inspiration from the lives of real people to create characters.
4- Armored Titan (Armored Titan)
Armored Titan
Anime: Attack on Titan
There is no doubt that Attack on Titan anime characters are inspired by famous mixed martial arts fighters. Their life is a cycle of repetitive actions such as eating, resting and crushing and destroying.
One of these character designs that is of interest to most fans of this series is the Armored Titan, which is an animated version of Brock Lesnar, the famous mixed martial arts fighter. Although Lesnar doesn’t use the metal plates that reduce injury during the fight, his overall hair and body shape is a good proof of this similarity.
5- Gordon Agrippa
Gordon Agrippa
Anime: Black Clover
The heavy makeup of the Halloween model, black nail polish and even lipstick to characteristics such as a strange aversion to sunlight and, of course, special behaviors all make it easy to notice the strange and interesting resemblance between Gordon Agrippa from the anime Black Clover and Marilyn Manson. Become a famous metal singer.
Therefore, it might not be surprising to the viewer if Gordon Agrippa suddenly started singing “Tainted Love” in the middle of one of Asta’s fights.
6- Sufficient
Coffee
Anime: Cowboy Bebop
One of the characters introduced in the Cowboy Bebop anime is a bounty hunter named “Koffi” who was introduced to viewers in the episode “Mushroom Sambo”. It is interesting to know that this character was inspired by a character from the movie “Coffy” who was played by the American actress “Pam Grier”.
Coffey is in pursuit of his prey, a mushroom grower who produces and sells rare drugs. Trying to trap him, Coffey confronts Edward. At first, he does not know that Edward is also a bounty hunter, but after learning this, the two decide to work together. However, in the end, an accident brought the work to a standstill and Kafi lost his prize altogether.
7- Yoshikage Kira
Yoshikage Kira
Anime: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
David Bowie’s resemblance to Yoshikage Kira’s character in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is more apparent when we see this character with blonde hair. Even the general expression of his face is reminiscent of the special appearance of Boi.
Of course, Kira’s desire to engage in a senseless killing spree and her obsession with living like a plant bear no resemblance to the life of Boi. All in all, it is mostly the physical features and even the symbolic use of clothes that evoke this resemblance, and the rest of the anime is a product of its creator’s imagination.
8- Chiyoko Fujiwara
Chiyoko Fujiwara
Anime: Millennium actress
Chiyoko Fujiwara is a complex character based on the combination of two famous actresses of the 20th century. Satoshi Ken, the writer of Hazare actor, announced in an interview that he was inspired to create this work by two actresses named Setsuko Hara and Hideko Takamine.
The story line of Chiyoko’s life is particularly inspired by the life of Hideko, who chose to become a recluse after leaving a successful career. He was a recluse until fifty years later and finally died at the age of 95. The plot of the story is an interview with an old actress who is apparently embarrassed by the media’s attention to herself and her life.
9- Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin
Samurai X anime and manga of the same name
Nobuhiro Watsuki, the author of Rurouni Kenshin, heard something about the life of a samurai named Kawakami Gensai that caught his attention. This samurai, who was a hired killer in the 19th century, was still loyal to his former comrades and performed the tasks assigned to him with the utmost conscientiousness and precision.
The life of this samurai inspired the author to develop his main character, Roruni Kenshin, in the form of anime, film, and a manga series. The plot of the story is not exactly based on the real events of Kawakami’s life, but the two, both Kawakami and Kenshin, have a series of similar roots and characteristics that make them similar. Both are killers who are loyal to the values of the past and are ignominiously discarded by their employers after their useful lives are over.
10- Jiro Horikoshi
Jiro Horikoshi
Anime: The Wind Rises
Hayao Miyazaki’s popular anime character The Wind Rises is a fictional version inspired by the character of a chief engineer of Japanese fighter planes during World War II. In fact, this anime has a look at the life of Jiro Horikoshi and even in terms of appearance, this similarity is evident.
The similar height and those circular glasses easily evoke this World War II hero. Of course, the similarity between these two characters is limited to some features and other elements depicted in the anime The Wind Rises are the product of the creative mind of the creator of this anime.
I hope you enjoyed this short review and staying with us. Have you had a similar experience and noticed the similarity of an anime character with a real one? If your answer is yes, introduce this character to your friends. We are still eagerly waiting to hear your experiences and opinions, share them with us. Thank You
