Having lived in Japan for 3 years and experiencing a lot of their culture, I’ve learned that the reason anime characters yell their attacks is because it promotes a fair, honest fight. Japanese people love friendly rivalries, and the only way to truly prove yourself better than your opponent is to give them every advantage and still come out victorious. Only a truly bad person would try to sneak in for an attack and catch their opponent unprepared. And that won’t settle any rivalry, even if they won the fight.
Plus, yelling your attacks just sounds cool.
Sneak attack? That’s like THE definition of a ninja; made in Japan
Ninjas are typically silent assassins, not badass anime protagonists. (I’m looking at you, Naruto!) Their deeds are not generally honorable in nature. Historically, they’re seen as more of an unfortunate necessity to preserve dynasties. The honorable warriors are the samurai. Although history has shown that the whole “way of the samurai” thing was actually made up for Japanese theater and they weren’t historically honorable either.
Regardless, when it comes to modern-day Japan, they love the concept of an honorable protagonist who wins by sheer willpower, even if the odds are stacked against them. Giving their opponent the advantage and then still winning in the end is seen as a clean and respectful victory.
Yeah, well, people attacking me with their wakarimasen special tends to be tiresome after a while. It’s not that powerful anyway.
It’s an established fact in Manga/Anime, if you don’t name your Ultimate move its just not powerful.
Like even Saitama named his ultimate move “Serious Punch” and so far it hasn’t failed.
My favorite is Gum Gum Bell
My thought is that it helps the audience know what exactly they’re doing. Not saying it’s necessary because I think a good visual indication will let the audience know, but I think that’s what they were maybe going for.
I really liked YuYu Hakusho for having big title cards whenever some characters would use attacks (and sometimes equipment/weapons) without yelling. It was also nice that the narrator would sometimes explain things quickly to not detract from the action, though they stopped doing that pretty early on, presumably because they assumed the audience would have a better grasp on things as the show progressed, or because the characters actually had a reason to assess or explain things.
The ol’ Brock effect, a character who’s job 90% of the time was to tell the audience what was going on. More forgivable in a kids show, used to happen way too much in more adult shows too
Especially in manga.
Pokemon world in shambles
Jujutsu kaisen lol
It does in Jujutsu Kaisen… sorta.
I like how in JJK it’s a chance to create variation in power levels while also allowing an in-universe reason to expo-dump about a character’s power.
It makes a shonen trope feel like these genius characters aren’t just giving away all their tricks for shits n giggles. But then sometimes we just get a total lack of explanation and that’s fine too because it’s more fun, and the character doesn’t need to (cough Sukuna)
PUNCH IN THE FACE!!!
I would watch MMA if one of them started doing this.
By the time it’s said, someone’s landed six of them.
False, the enemy is so amazed by your fucking swag that he is frozen in place. THAT’s when you hit em with the kamehameha.
Go Go Gadget Anime attack
Try telling that to a tennis player
Spells may require one of three components.
- an item that is destroyed in the process of casting.
- a verbal utterance,
- a physica movement
Doesn’t count, he uses a multiplier.
Except in some power systems where it does.
Also Tennis Players
But all the attacks are called HRRUAAGH
Meanwhile Saitama whispers…
consecutive normal punches
