This has long been a question, that usually doesn’t get answered because most people don’t really care. Why do a lot of anime characters not look Japanese? Is it because of diversity on screen? It would be interesting for someone to dive in to this topic. Hopefully, appropriately without any negativity or hate. I have my own theories, but I am curious to hear what other fans think.
A really good topic to discuss and would be great if you could find some interviewers with creators to include as I am sure this question will have been asked of them at different stages. Perhaps even look at comparisons to others that do depict diversity also. – SaraiMW5 years ago
My understanding is that it's not so much that anime characters "don't look Japanese" per se, as that they have muted racial features in general. The audience members are then supposed to project their own race and background onto the characters. To a Japanese audience member, the character will likely still look Japanese--but to a Westerner, they'll look Western because that's what they're most used to seeing if race is ambiguous. – Debs5 years ago
I think part of the charm with anime is the different art styles and the variety of different characters we are exposed to. The unique and vibrant styles of each individual character is what sets anime apart from other TV shows. It's also fun to see people portray anime in real life, with cosplays and digital art. – chelseaatmaja5 years ago
It is worth tracing a path from the works of Katsushika Hokusai - Hokusai manga (1814). Then looking at the influence of Disney on Tezuka Osamu. This helps to see how the characters have come to look westernised while retaining a unique Japanese aesthetic. – Chris Carter4 years ago
It's great to see any characters design. However it choose who is the beat – GlennMandagi4 years ago