Japan makes cooler characters than everyone else...

[katsumoto03]

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'

Haha okay, you got me. I was totally off base there

There's always Yui-chan xP

 

[funguy2121]

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.

Other countries like America always create guys with guns and gruff, low voices who don't do much cool stuff.

So How come Japan makes cooler stuff than the rest of us.. They made Power Rangers.. America made Halo Spartans.

Wow. I was expecting more objectivity and refined taste than that. Power Rangers will never ever = cool in my mind, and neither will "crazy hair and outfits" (which, frankly, I'm a little tired of. A 17-year old with a white stegosaurus haircut? No thank you).

No, not every character that comes out of the USandA has a gruff, low voice and no, it is not true that they "don't do much cool stuff."

 

[Smooth Operator]

They make really cool cartoon characters, the western parts only move slightly out of the ordinary so it's still something that can be connected to reality.

What you prefer is however up to the individual, I prefer the Japanese style but with a modern story and real characters, so something like Cowboy Bebop or Ghost in the Shell is bang on.

 

[Henkie36]

What some consider to be cool, others consider to be stupid.

I mean come on, that's just silly. His hair is silly, his sword is stupid and the rest of his wardrobe doesn't make sense. (BTW, this is just a random picture)

Which one looks to be more awesome?
Which one would you take seriously?

 

[eximista]

So in the end every country makes badass characters and every country makes shit characters.

well which badass/shit character was made by liechtenstein?

 

[Hikikomori Ookami]

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.

Other countries like America always create guys with guns and gruff, low voices who don't do much cool stuff.

So How come Japan makes cooler stuff than the rest of us.. They made Power Rangers.. America made Halo Spartans.

Okay, your opening argument was good, but your closing argument was horrible. Japanese characters do generally have a lot more personally and style, especially when you are talking about Final Fantasy, but I think it has a lot to do with Japanese culture. American games do often feature gruff talking gun slingers, but that's part of our culture. But, backing up what ZeroMachine said, you have to take into account other media relating to American games. There is a vast amount of additional story surrounding games like Halo and, of course, the Star Wars franchise, that really spice up their worlds and characters. You can't forget about superhero games either. Although these tend to be horrible, the characters are often richly developed. Some have been nearly a century in development.

So, mainly I think you are generalizing a little overly much, and perhaps you need to try out a few more American games.

 

[Arashi500]

I think this boils down to which countries perceptions of "ideal" are, and who you agree with more. Japan has a pretty strange view on what "ideal" in most contexts is. While most everywhere else in the world hero-worships the war-hero/gruff badass type in soem sense, Japan idolizes extragance and beauty above most any other visual quality for both genders. Look at any guy who is considered a model in Japan, and compare him to the American/European equalivalent. The Japanese model will almost always be lanky, thin, ill-defined muscle to the point it looks like they are dying of cancer, pretty, and just generaly more "feminine" than "masculine". America's model will likely be some mix of Marcus Phoenix's body with Orlando Bloom's face, like Captain America.


Also recognize that war and military-ism(?) have only devastated Japan in the last century. Physical strength and patriotism have stopped being hugely desirable qualities.

 

[WanderingFool]

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.

Other countries like America always create guys with guns and gruff, low voices who don't do much cool stuff.

So How come Japan makes cooler stuff than the rest of us.. They made Power Rangers.. America made Halo Spartans.

Good lord...

So How come Japan makes cooler stuff than the rest of us..

I dont even have the strength to argue this today... suffice to say, that is an opinion, not fact, and it tends to ignore all the awesome things that came from the US and all the other western countries...

 

[Redingold]

I'm pretty sure there are American comics that contain fighting robots, planet-busters, guys with ridiculous costumes and over-the-top fight scenes.

 

[Techno Squidgy]

Spoiler

What some consider to be cool, others consider to be stupid.

I mean come on, that's just silly. His hair is silly, his sword is stupid and the rest of his wardrobe doesn't make sense. (BTW, this is just a random picture)

Which one looks to be more awesome?
Which one would you take seriously?

Neither of those look particularly awesome to me. I'm done with my "JAPAN IS THE COOLEST THING EVER" phase.

A Town Called Eureka, an american TV show, is by far more awesome than anything I can think of that the Japanese have done. I'm English, I'm supposed to hate American TV, but Stargate: Universe and A Town Called Eureka are both right up my street.

 

[VladG]

Did Japan make Deadpool? No? I rest my case.

Also I can think of many adjectives to associate with Power Rangers. But cool is just not one of them.

 

[Manchubot]

The coolest character ever was Han Solo 'nough said.

 

[Inkidu]

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.

Other countries like America always create guys with guns and gruff, low voices who don't do much cool stuff.

So How come Japan makes cooler stuff than the rest of us.. They made Power Rangers.. America made Halo Spartans.

Yeah, androgynous everything? Dude, opinion, worse than that badly supported opinion. I'm an English major all I do is opinion work, you've got to come up with better reasons than that. Deus Ex: Human Revolution looks freaking awesome.

Mass Effect, Gears of War, American McGee's: Alice, Assassin's Creed (Ezio looks awesome with a beard). For every example you chuck up I can come up with one. Think this out better next time.

 

[KaizokuouHasu]

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

I agree. Japan goes both ways. I feel like it is safe to say that Japanese game developers don't play the safe cards, but try to be really creative. They also have wider demographics to cater to since Japan has probably got the largest supply in the world for fetishes. Westerns games developers try to stay more safe and stick to steroid/testosterone space marines and barbarians... and "hot" chicks. Oh! And American soldiers.

That said, I like Vanille! She has [Death], and she's hot! Why does no one hate on Hope? That little shit had me grinding my teeth to dust until the last 3 chapters of the game (when he suddenly did 999k damage all the time).

*growls*

 

[Corporal Yakob]

I fail to see how anyone could possibly think the Power Rangers are cooler then genetically engineered super soldiers-oh wait yes I do, its called an opinion just as it is my opinion that wacky super powered high school girls and angsty twats with stupid hair are much less cooler then Space Marines (40K).

 

[scorptatious]

I think you need to dig a bit deeper than the AAA titles when it comes to cool characters from American game companies. (Although I do like Master Chief)

Here are some examples of video games characters from American game companies who I think are cool:

Spoiler

Abe from the Oddworld series

Glitch from Metal Arms: Glitch in the System

The entire fucking cast from Team Fortress 2.

Sly Cooper from the Sly series.

 

[scorptatious]

What some consider to be cool, others consider to be stupid.

I mean come on, that's just silly. His hair is silly, his sword is stupid and the rest of his wardrobe doesn't make sense. (BTW, this is just a random picture)

Which one looks to be more awesome?
Which one would you take seriously?

Honestly, I'd choose Cloud. I never was into realistic looking characters. Which is one of the reasons I love video games, they provide an escape from reality.

Of course that's just my opinion, which is all and all very subjective. Just like the OP's.

 

[Hollock]

There is no country with objectively cooler characters or themes. What you're doing here is claiming that there are several different awesomely crazy random legit extreme to the max things that the best and brightest of Japan have to offer, and America just has 'guys with guns and gruff, low voices who don't do much cool stuff.'
now I will list off why what you said is cool, isn't always cool.
Giant robots aren't always cool, see Jet Jaguar.
"Plantet-Buster characters" are rarely cool, it's often boring to see one character who can just do anything he/she wants, and to know that they can't lose. See Ichigo from bleach.
Crazy hair and outfits are defiantly not cool. It's over the top and gaudy. See yugi moto
And having swords and guns doesn't instantly make something cooler. Not to mention that everyone uses swords and guns in their fiction. But I guess you're emphasizing on the 'over the top' aspect. Well to that I say that subtlety subdued actions are often cooler than epic gnarlyiness brah. I believe that the 'say what again' scene from pulp fiction is much cooler than oh say ichigo vs rukias brother ( sorry for picking on bleach so much).

But none of those traits are exclusive to Japan or America, so try not to think like they are.
And your examples could easily be flipped around.

Why does America have such cooler characters? We have guys like the man with no name, Jack Burton, Travis Bickle, Ellen Ripley, The Bride(kill bill), Robo cop. They're all super awesome with they're take no shit attitude, wise cracks, craziness, Robot suits, epic killing swordfightingness, and all japan has are emo highschoolers who smirk and and dance.

See Japan looks stupid there. Actually I look stupid there, but that's the point. Cool is subjective, and cool is from all over the world. Except Whales. HAHAAHA

 

[BlackSaint09]

Bullshit. Japanese heroes are nothing but the same five guys and gals thrown into terrible clothing and fucking ridiculous stunts that involve paper-thin storylines. I don't like Japanese character because they're all the same. At least the Spartans have some fucking personality under all the armor, Japanese characters are just loud douchebags and ridiculously hot chicks with bad haircuts.

Dude... Really? Im so sorry but that was so funny i lold. You have to be sarcastic!
Oh nevermind. Youre opinion is youre opinion and this thread may obviously annoy you if it differs from youre opinion so much... But really? I suppose "NOT RESEARCHING ANYTHING" is allowed when the original poster didnt probably research anything either.
But i still lold at youre comment.