Japan makes cooler characters than everyone else...
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This is a very subjective topic. Some pre-puber boy/girl/a mix of both wielding a giant sword and yelling in a badly dubbed Japanese to English translation while flying through the air to have a giant aerial fight to a backdrop of flashing colours does not amuse me. I fact, it makes me want to rage really badly. What's with the giant hairdo and sword, anyhow? Most of those characters could drop the 1-ton hunk of metal and use their spiky hair to head-butt their enemies to death.
On the other hand, at least the gruff marine carrying a gun is doing the smart thing. A 8-foot long sword is great if you subscribe heavily to the "bigger is better" theory, but once you try lifting it, you'll realize how dumb an idea it is. A modern gun not only has a far longer range, but a human can actually hope to carry and use it.
Also, the marine is usually easily identifiable as a male (or rarely, female), and his eye sockets are the normal size, instead of being roughly the size of saucers. If the marine is male, he'll be pretty bulked up, but not impossibly so, and if female, she will have at least a DD cup size, and usually armour intended to emphasize that, so that enemy combatants will try to hit on her instead of shooting her... genius!
Seriously though, I find Japanese characters weird, boring, and unrealistic beyond any level of belief. At least western characters tend to stick somewhat to realism, except perhaps having a few too many muscles or extremely large breasts.
On the other hand, at least the gruff marine carrying a gun is doing the smart thing. A 8-foot long sword is great if you subscribe heavily to the "bigger is better" theory, but once you try lifting it, you'll realize how dumb an idea it is. A modern gun not only has a far longer range, but a human can actually hope to carry and use it.
Also, the marine is usually easily identifiable as a male (or rarely, female), and his eye sockets are the normal size, instead of being roughly the size of saucers. If the marine is male, he'll be pretty bulked up, but not impossibly so, and if female, she will have at least a DD cup size, and usually armour intended to emphasize that, so that enemy combatants will try to hit on her instead of shooting her... genius!
Seriously though, I find Japanese characters weird, boring, and unrealistic beyond any level of belief. At least western characters tend to stick somewhat to realism, except perhaps having a few too many muscles or extremely large breasts.
Can't agree with the OP.
Just off the top of my head I can several superior western characters.
Roland Deschain.
Al'Lan Mandragoran.
Tyrion Lannister.
Raistlin Majere.
Gandolf.
just to name a few...
Also, when it comes to giant robots, none are better than Battlemechs. Its the only mecha I've ever seen that does giant robots right. Every japanese giant robot thing I've seen fails improbability checks on several levels.
Just off the top of my head I can several superior western characters.
Roland Deschain.
Al'Lan Mandragoran.
Tyrion Lannister.
Raistlin Majere.
Gandolf.
just to name a few...
Also, when it comes to giant robots, none are better than Battlemechs. Its the only mecha I've ever seen that does giant robots right. Every japanese giant robot thing I've seen fails improbability checks on several levels.
Also, when it comes to giant robots, none are better than Battlemechs. Its the only mecha I've ever seen that does giant robots right. Every japanese giant robot thing I've seen fails improbability checks on several levels.[/quote]
Friggin Right! Thank you! It was terrible going through school with my friends telling me that a
"Gundam" could kill an Atlas... WTF? Hmmmm comparison, 100 tons v.s. 7 tons. I'm pretty sure that
that Atlas is going to walk away from the fight.
I enjoy watching much anime BECAUSE of how ludicrous it is. Hell, if I wanted to watch some
realistic warfare I would watch Full Metal Jacket, Band of Brothers, or Patton. I watch so that I
can see someone take a cannon from their back pocket, shoot down something crazy big, then
comment to the large impossibly proportioned girl to his right that he left his BIGGER gun at
home. Somethings, you watch to expect craziness. Hell, otherwise, all the animation on television would be gone!
Friggin Right! Thank you! It was terrible going through school with my friends telling me that a
"Gundam" could kill an Atlas... WTF? Hmmmm comparison, 100 tons v.s. 7 tons. I'm pretty sure that
that Atlas is going to walk away from the fight.
I enjoy watching much anime BECAUSE of how ludicrous it is. Hell, if I wanted to watch some
realistic warfare I would watch Full Metal Jacket, Band of Brothers, or Patton. I watch so that I
can see someone take a cannon from their back pocket, shoot down something crazy big, then
comment to the large impossibly proportioned girl to his right that he left his BIGGER gun at
home. Somethings, you watch to expect craziness. Hell, otherwise, all the animation on television would be gone!
As a Halo fanboy and DBZ fanboy, I admit that DBZ is cooler, but yes, opinions.ZeroMachine said:
Japanese characters I think are cool: Dante, Auron.
American Characters I think are cool: War, Alex Mercer.
I think we can settle this with a quick fight to the death.
Incidentally I just picked characters off the top of my head. I'm sure you CAN think of cooler.
American Characters I think are cool: War, Alex Mercer.
I think we can settle this with a quick fight to the death.
Incidentally I just picked characters off the top of my head. I'm sure you CAN think of cooler.
The same way I'm supposed to relate to a grim gravel-voiced middle-aged dude who doesn't give a damn about anybody else with a huge gun.Ryan Kish said:
Alucard (Hellsing) - A sadistic vampire of immense power
Light Yagami (Death Note) - An extremely intelligent borderline psychotic who decides to fix the world by giving people he doesn't like fatal heart attacks.
Nagi Springfield (Mahou Sensei Negima/Negima! Magister Negi Magi) - a 10-year-old wizard/teacher who has a severe worrywart complex and a penchant for charming the pants off of girls half again his age, desperately seeking to find his absentee father after seeing his hometown
Teruharu "Hideo" Kousukegawa (Change 123) - A teenaged wimp and Masked Raider fan who manages to always have the courage to stand up for his friends, even though said friends are among the deadliest fighters in Japan, if not the world, and the guys he stands up to are capable of breaking him in half without much effort.
Of course, I can also balance this with unique Western characters like Deadpool, Coop, Ben Tennyson (Though he is a lot like a Shounen hero), Snake-Eyes, Optimus Prime, and the like.
Two things to mention:DexterNorgam said:
#1: Giant robots in and of themselves are improbable.
#2: The mechs that primarily shaped the design themes for BattleTech both came from anime: Super Dimensional Fortress Macross and Fang of the Sun Dougram.
And Mobile Suit Gundam still beats Battletech on several levels when it comes to realism.
a: Mobile Suits are not the kings of ground combat. Gundam Tanks tended to have heavier standard armor and bigger guns. Mobile Suits, conceptually speaking, are Space fighters with some ground combat utility. In fact, before MSV, 08th MS Team and MS Igloo 2 retconned some early GMs and Guntanks into the picture, The Federation actually pushed the Mobile Suit-using Zeon forces off the planet with a completely conventional force.
The difference is, is that the East makes characters based on their ability, their power. They have no limit. It all gets boring very quickly. Like that mech the size of the galaxy? I mean come on, seriously? Yeah it's powerful, but I can't take it seriously. And power =/= cool.Sean Hollyman said:
The west, however, has limits, builds character, weaves morals into a story, delivers messages relative to the real world. That shit is da bomb.
I've never played it myself, but based on reviews and first person accounts, he is definetly not your standard "whiny teen protagonist with a stupid haircut".Ryan Kish said:
Not trying to start a fight in anyway but, Gundams from the Gundam Seed universe range anywhere from 60 - 100 tons.Goldhawk777 said:
I'm not saying who would win in a fight because I don't know much about Atlas's firepower. Just pointing out the facts.
Although if you look at the Gundam Wing universe, its Gundams are around 10 or so tons. Depends which show you look at really.
If you're looking for a Dante style of cool then the West can deliver that pree-ty well...Death_Korps_Kommissar said:Hmmmm....
He may be on to something...
And how about a lazer sword duel on a plant-destroying giant gun between a psychic powered cyborg-man and his long lost son to decide the fate of the galaxy?
What about Warhammer 40k, it has mechs and giant robots coming out of it's GRIMDARK ears, and it's British!Sean Hollyman said:
There is only one place, and the Rock means ONLY *one place*, where Japan makes cooler characters than everyone else: the minds of people who haven't the first clue what makes a strong, compelling character (e.g., MovieBob, you).Sean Hollyman said:
More like it depends on what Mobile suit you use. A Leo would stand no chance. The Atlas would most likely take down a Zaku, but would be hurting if it got too close first (especially a SEED Destiny ZAKU). Against the RX-78-2? The Gundam could take it down at a distance or if it gets the jump on it up close, but the right model Atlas could give it problems. Ironically, the 7-ton Wing Zero could vaporize an Atlas with no problems whatsoever.Archangel768 said:
And if you include something like the Destroy [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0qR0iac1m8]...? Yeah, Atlas is DOOMED. Any Battlemech you care to name is DOOMED. Hell, most Regimental Combat Teams could lose against the Destroy.