I love how the added lightning strike motifs and scars on the first protagonist make him look sort of spooky and undead and initially a little scary, but he’s just a relentlessly nice chill dude. It adds a dimension to his character that would be a pretty solid gimmick in a comedy anime where people are initially freaked out by him even though he’s the most comedically inoffensive nice wife guy in the world.
…I like this idea. It’s like Benny in Fates. Edit: I made this comment before I realized I have an OC very similar to this lmao, he’s like a cross between Tae Takemi and this concept.
When designing a character, I like to imagine someone cosplaying them and think “Would people know who it is?” If not, I add some features to make them more iconic
@@kirtil5177 Not always like I have a habit of making characters stand out for being what they are and who they are. Like I just made my most generic what they are character and he will still stand out in the setting he is from.
I love how they all went from: “literally just some guys” to “a guy making the best of his situation with a cool scar”, “stupid pathetic gamer boy who needs a nap”, and “middle aged weirdo with a cool hat”
Absolutely obsessed with the idea of an isekai protag thats like 35-40 years old and trying to survive but he's surrounded by very stereotypical isekai side characters and has to navigate explaining to the kawaii desu desu 300yr old vampire thats modeled like a 9yr old why he will not date her
I fucking love this idea. I’m so starved for a SPECIFIC kind of isekai and its exactly what you described, with the added flavor that this pathetic tired old man will instead adopt these side characters. Is it too much to ask for a found family isekai???
Its not a isekai but check out "I got Rejected So I shaved and took in a high school girl" girl got used to selling her body and is shocked office worker isn't a pedo and he even lectures her about how he's doing the bare minimum, she keeps offering to have sex with him bc trauma and he say "I am literally twice your age sit back down" there are sex scenes but its the girls flashback. He eventually starts treating her kind of like a sister I'm only on ep4 so I can't really warn you about anything else and that all of the info I can think of
@@athenasimp9928 Ooooh that DOES sound interesting, I mean, awful for the girl, but I just cant believe base decency like that is so rare in anime it actually feels like a treat. Thanks, I’ll check it out.
when it comes to isekai, let's not forget the all time classic: Alice in Wonderland. Alice makes a great isekai protagonist. She's down for whatever and she'll sass anyone she comes into contact with.
It also helps that the world and people in _Alice in Wonderland_ are very unique, lively and interesting compared to "Generic Medieval Fantasy Town #27".
A fun fact is that in the light novel it’s mentioned that Kirito has very feminine facial features, to the point where some clothing store employees direct him to the ladies section when he’s shopping lol
Also for kirito’s long hair and sickly looking vibe: consider that the characters’ in game appearances are supposed to reflect their real appearances. Maybe people were too scared to cut their loved ones’ hair because they didn’t want to do ANYTHING that could be misinterpreted as trying to take the nerve gear off. Also wouldn’t it have been cool if the characters started looking like they were wasting away because their irl bodies hadn’t moved for months? Keep the escape from reality vibe of the show but also keep that underlying tension for their situation
That would honestly be really cool like it would help convey the stakes that they're facing and while it probably wouldn't work in the actual SAO it would do so well as it's own story mechanic to drive the plot forward and tie the characters back to the real world. Sorry, it's just such a good idea that would make for some great and maybe horrifying imagery and I need to convey that
@@helloitsaperson6447 Oh you just reminded me of something most of the players if not all would have after being stuck unable to move in bed for months on end: pressure ulcers. It happens to immobile bed-bound people: their bones press against the blood vessels beneath them, just due to gravity, which cuts off circulation there and eventually the tissues there rot and die. They can get very bad, I wouldn't recommend looking up pictures. That's one thing I wouldn't want to see on the show lol
@@andynonymous6769 EXACTLY, that's what I meant by maybe horrifying as u can get really messed up from laying in a bed for so long, plus the fact that they maybe wouldn't be able to feel any of the effects of it but always see the effects of how long they've been trapped in the game would make for good psychological horror if anything
@@helloitsaperson6447 that would certainly be psychologically horrifying I wonder if the nerve gear would consider maggots as part of the character's appearance?
This character trope of the basic average guy is like the vanilla in character variety, with the difference being that at least vanilla icecream tastes good 💀
"Is he saving them or is he just participating in slavery?" Is not a question that you should have to ask when watching an anime. You are so brave for doing this.
That really bothered me about RoTSH. He claims to be against slavery, and yet contributes to it. The slave master himself said that it's only thanks to him, slaves are still on the market
@@LaCabraAsada He doesn't claim that, actually. The guy at one point not only verbally defends the institution of slavery & his participation in it, but challenges a guy who rightfully calls him out on it to a fight. Said argument being "Well if you don't like subjugating other living beings, then that's just your opinion bro". ...Fucking hell, that anime is bullshit.
Well, he saved the beastgirl trio because their previous owner was kind of horrible, even by slave-owner standards. And he bought the two princesses because one of them is a mind-controller who wanted a hot teenage boy for an owner.
@@lupvium probably lolis. i wouldn't blame them. lolis are on paper a creepy idea, and in action the most terribly written and annoying charactars fathomable.
With the last one I actually like the idea of 30 something years old dude (both in looks and mentality) getting isekaied into another world. Since most of the people he interacts with are probably 12-15 year olds he could become like a weird, washed up and tired of life, but still good at heart uncle to them. Like "This world is crazy and these kids are just running around with knives without supervision holy crap" and he doesn't really want to get involved but at the same time "ok well SOMEONE'S gotta look after these kids" and just takes up the role of temprorary caregiver himself And by the end of the series instead of having a harem of 9 girls he adopts these 9 kids that tagged along the journey
That’s kinda similar to “Leadale no Daichi nite” where it’s about a isekai’d girl and her “adopted” kids who had become pretty powerful in their own right. Also currently airing “Uncle from another World” also subverts common tropes somewhat
The long hair for kirito also makes sense because he LITERALLY HAD LONG HAIR WHEN HE WOKE UP FROM THE GAME I was so mad that they didn't keep his hair long 😭 he looked so much better
@@squitwart.tetanusbowls No, SAO is adapted from a light novel series. It has a manga, but that is just an adaptation of the anime, not the source material
I love the Kirito redesign. It really fits the idea of a guy whose approach to MMOs is to solo everything (aka weirdly antisocial for one of the most social types of games) and because of how much of a power fantasy SAO actually is for him. He also feels suitably cynical to the premise of the show.
I love your redesigns! Personally I'd have liked a more "medieval" look for Kirito as his leather jacket always looked jarringly modern to me alongside the knights in armour. However, I can absolutely buy the hoodie and jeans look for his life IRL, and you hit the nail on the head about him being depressed at the start of the series. 👌❤️
Agreed! Kirito’s outfit still being even more modern was literally the only thing I disagreed with about LavenderTowne’s changes. Everything else- perfect
Consider: people who buy a one-off sponsored skin for a game that looks jarringly out of place but people like it because it's seen as a status symbol / only the tryhards have that skin
@@mavericktjo4548Well, on novelupdates, there is a tag "slave harem", because there are so many works where MC's entourage is mostly his pretty girl slaves. Most of the protagonists from this tag are crazy paranoid and make all three protagonists above look like reasonable and upstanding people.
wow old comment, you may have found out later. eh who cares i can answer too. as someone who has unfortunately seen clips of a few, erm, maybe less good animes, theres an unfortunate trope in a lot of them where... hold on, lemme get my v*mit bucket. so, theres an unfortunate trope in a lot of them where the human male protag just. buys. a female nonhuman slave? like, almost always points are made that like the enslaved person isnt TECHNICALLY a slave bc the protag treats them well/as a person, takes care of them, lets them have money/their life/choices etc, sometimes they even use language to ensinuate the protag FREED them, but, uh, they still fund the slavery in their fantasy worlds through their purchase? so. (i said "person" and used unisex language even tho its always a woman. or rather a female child. i wonder why its always a female child in these stories. anyway, dont mind me, i just have to lean over this bucket for a second, no reason.) @@mavericktjo4548
Holy cow you actually made Kirito actually look like a real character with an actual story attached to it ! Incredible work because his original design is the pinnacle of NOT conveying the story of a character by their design.
I REALLY love your design for the first guy, Toya. Cool scars, singes, and heterochromia? Heck yes. Might have to watch that anime now haha. Couldn't get into Sword Art Online even though I tried to, my sibling and I lost interest around episode 3.
Aa I love the redesigns, honestly a lot of tropes in isekai rub me the wrong way, especially all the women being infatuated with the mc for some reason? Like miss gurl chill, he is the default character there is no need to love him so much
I really like the rattier look for your kirito redesign. a thing that happens early on in the show is that the developer who traps all the gamers in his game turns everyone's avatars into their actual real life appearances, but kirito still ends up looking like your typical handsome anime dude- which is a missed opportunity since you could have him start off looking like that, but when the change happens he visibly looks less attractive and more like your average shut in gamer nerd.
GOD i love kirito it's so fitting that he's just this depressed gamer in the most casual outfit even though he's basically god in the game. we need more cringeboy representation
Wait, I had no idea the first guy was killed by LIGHTNING?? The writers struck GOLD with that, why the hell was that not incorporated in the design!? Thank you Lavendertowne for the logical act of putting that in the design ☺️
Why wasn't that incorporated into the story? He could've had an arc like Ai Mizuno from Zombieland Saga where, because he was killed by lighning, now he's scared of it.
What's interesting is that you've actually nailed Kirito's personality for how he is early on in (the better remake version of the first arc.) Progressive and the chapter "the first day" version of Kirito is much better than the first LN and the anime.
@@syweb2Basically, yes. "SAO Progressive" writes the story of SAO from the very beginning and does it without much timeskips. As a result, they were on floor 2 the last time I saw them. While original story of SAO stopped on floor 75. Anime episodes 1 and 2 are adaptations of SAO Progressive, then it goes to side stories, and finally finishes the first arc with the volume 1 of SAO. Which is why anime is such a lovable mess.
The “bland protagonist” is really only there to make the viewer be able to place themselves in the protagonists’ shoes, but tbh I feel like a lot of them already have some sort of personality that they should just make them their own unique character. Don’t make them look so generic just for the sake of allowing viewers to imagine themselves in the forbidden written chapter of SAO with Asuna.
It's kinda weird that they'd do that too. I could see it with a videogame, where the actions of the characters are to an extent determined by the player's choices. But an anime? The character isn't going to act how I would act, so what's the point of stripping away personality to make me "project into them"? I mean, I'm even a socially awkward nerd, I should be the target audience for this drivel, but... I don't get it.
I'd honestly like an isekai where the protagonist is trapped in this alternate world that's like a puzzle and they have to put the two and two together in order to escape. No harem, no love interests, no nine wives. Just plain ol' mind games.
Or at least some more interesting premise like just having a really messed up interdimensional deity of some sort just grabbing random people and tossing them into magical/demon dimensions convincing them they're a savior only to have like 9 out of 10 die revealing that they're just messing with them and bored. Then having the main character realize this and staying alive out of sheer pettiness by like working as like a janitor at the evil King's Castle or at demon Starbucks Just completely hard turns into buddy comedy of an international deity trying to get the person to be entertaining and then the person being like nope I'm just going to sweep these floors while amazing magical sh*t happens in the background No magical destiny or harems just pettiness
That's how most isekai used to be before the rise of the lowest common denominator otaku pandering in the industry. Think Magic Knight Rayearth for an example, it is by all accounts an isekai... yet it's very different from the garbage we're seeing nowadays. There isn't a single protagonist but three, they're all girls and the focus is on the quest. There's romance but it's either part of the plot and happening to secondary characters or a smaller aside. And it's actual, y'know, romance, not just ticking a box on a list of "otaku fantasies fulfilled".
It would be cool if the anime he's in is just him being the Father figure of the girls. Instead of buying them and making them do stuff for him, he instead steals them and let's them decide if they want to stay with himp or leave. Some of them leaves, some of them stays, the ones who stay are the young ones, the ones who doesn't know how and can't provide for themselves. He raises them and yada yada. Basically the whole thing is gonna be about him being a good father figure.
I agree. Instead of making him 15 to be less creepy when shipped with the kids, I think it will pop off more with that plot. Never seen father figure isekai plots.
I agree it is pretty complex. Also, the jacket looking like he was struck by lighting doesn't make sense because he bought it after he was reincarnated. (It halves all magics the user can use and takes double damage from magics they can't use. Since he can use all magics, it's just a double magic defense. So clearly not a jacket from earth.) I say the tattoo would have been enough, but maybe not that bright red. Also, the whole reason he is reincarnated is because their God felt bad for accidentally killing him, so I don't think the God would leave that mark on the guy anyway. That god is really chill and likes to watch everything. (Maybe the selfish superficial goddess from the moonlight isekia would do this to the mc) The rings are a great touch, but clearly wouldn't come in until later in the series, like the golden eyes. I would suggest, if they were to get the lightning marks, maybe put it on his hand that he uses the phone with, maybe when he uses he magic the marks glow gold to hint towards him being blessed and the fact his eyes will glow too when he gets more powerful. Maybe even add a golden ring around his irises when he got reincarnated, like a sign he has seen the divine. They won't turn fully gold until he unlocks his full abilities. It would also be sort of funny if they made the hair look more like he got struck by lighting. Like he was born with flat hair but now his hair sticks up more and it becomes a little gag that he tries to flatten it it just bounces back up, or if people try to touch his head they always get a little zap.
I don't know anything about any of these series', but I feel like anime has the ability to animate really complex and detailed art, so a lot of that wouldn't be a big deal
Touya is definitely my favorite of the three redesigns, I absolutely love the electricity theme you gave him! Maybe him dying by a lightning strike gave him a natural affinity for lightning magic (which whould also help him charge his phone) He might also be insecure about his lightning scar, but his friends reasure him it doesn't matter what he looks like because he's truly kind
Oh my gosh, that’s brilliant! And would explain how his phone is consistently charged! It would also be nice to see one of these MCs with what would feel like a very real insecurity. His lightning scar could freak some people out, so it makes sense he’d feel sensitive about it.
I like to think that your redesign from Kirito's a good touch. Especially with his expression being so tired and exasperated, having to keep it together when he just wants to go home. Which probably should have been his character arc from the get go. As he's learning and maturing, he's tired of having to constantly be there, fighting for his life when he should be in society, growing up and getting experiences as he should as a teenager. But nope, he has to be a soldier and act like an adult when he's a teen.
It reminds me of one of my favorite isekai tropes: The most abhorrently generic fantasy world you can think of, except the person isekaid is somehow way different than the typical trope protagonist. Just imagine if the plot is that a war is brewing in the fantasy world, so they call on the most powerful warrior of another dimension to come to their aid, and they basically get a SEAL team 6 operative in full combat gear. They implore him for help, but upon learning that they use slaves for a majority of their labor, he fights his way through the castle and works to improve the world in his own special way by not fighting for either side but instead creating is own faction instead, acting as a father figure to wayward individuals as apposed to building a harem like we see in so many other places. Or if there was a similar concept of hopelessly generic fantasy world, except the isekaid individual in question is a paraplegic girl in a wheelchair who can't directly fight but instead outsmarts those who try to wrong her in wonderfully creative ways worthy of MacGyver or Artemis Fowl, all while trying to figure out how to get back to her own world. The other thing that fascinates me is the idea of a reverse isekai. Just imagine a fantasy world that's hopelessly screwed over, where a dark magic army is waging a viscous war of attrition against a corrupt human empire, and a lowly grunt of the dark magic army is volunteered for an experiment. She's a cold, combat hardened young girl who's cynical and smelled blood hundreds of times, killed men and monsters with her bare hands, and knows nothing but war... Until she wakes up after the experiment in midwestern America, where the most action residents see is a cow blocking the road, high school bullies, and biker gangs in diners, with the entire story being about her culture shock and relationship with the boy who finds her. There is so much you can do with such a simple concept, I'm legitimately surprised protagonist copy-paste syndrome is such a prevalent issue.
Really man, it's not hard, make a good character or a strong character concept and plop them into your fantasy world and have them react how they would, it's that simple.
Or Tadano Hirohito, he’s so ordinary but he has so much personality, and he’s so distinct. He’s genuinely a very kind and open hearted person. Very empathetic to the point he was in the parent teacher meetings talking about the positives of every student in his class. There skills and how talented they are. He is also able to understand Komi and push her to talk to others in a gentle way. He is also Just a normal teenage boy, also one of the love interests ((kinda)) was a boy. So it shows his personality can attract anyone beyond gender.
All these “Kiritos” resemble the stereotype typical Japanese young man - black hair, dark eyes, light skin tone and a modest body frame-a sort of Japanese John Everyman, a blank slate that any down-and-out 20 something can project himself onto. But, with these looks comes a certain attitude, a certain character type. Indeed, beyond just looking like their target audience, isekai heroes are meant to be like them as well, typically meaning they take on NEET and otaku sorts of personalities
The Japanese equivalent to John Everyman is a woman named Hanako Yamada, and IIRC there's a male counterpart to Hanako called Taro Yamada but all that comes up when I look up that name is a video game character with that name.
@@ashketchum6222 Taro Yamada is the love interest in a game and Habakkuk is his younger sister. And as far as I’m aware, the game only takes place in Japan and the creator YandereDev is American
Since Sao is the only one of the three I watched, I can only "judge" the Kirito re-design. And while I find it charming, and fitting for his beginning character (he keeps his anxiety and poor social skills in the real world, but he is actually compareably confident and relaxed in the game world), the clothe style of the hoody jacket doesn't really fit Sao's setting. It's more of a high fantasy midevil kind of setting. The design would have totaly worked for the setting in Gun Gale online though ( the official season 2)
Ehh as someone who's also seen Sao I don't really think you can call what they wear medieval lmao yeah there's motifs of knight and rogue aesthetic but I mean Kirito's outfit he wears the entirety of the first season that she used as reference is far from medieval, it leans more into the futuristic tech wear vibes that she leaned into, which I think makes sense bc most of the show these characters are tapping away on hologram screens and keyboards that float in front of them, as well as digitize and break into fractals when hurt lmao so I don't really think it's that off, he and Asuna straight up wear normal modern clothes during their "honeymoon" thing so lmao I think her design works way more for the idea that when his character fades away and reveals what he actually looks like, his clothes go with him
@@ariannebrodeur Sao's setting is a mix of medieval and high fantasy, so obviously the clothes aren't acurate to "actual" medieval clothes. But it is obviously medieval inspired, with lots of armor and knight like designs. Just typical medieval high fantasy like you see it in every mmorpg. The clothes the players wear in game also do not change with their apearance, that is verry clearly shown in the beginning. So his outfit wouldn't change to resemble what he is wearing in real live. As for the modern clothes during their honeymoon time, that's in a way higher level area, that's also outside of the "main story route", if you so will. It's literally the only place in Aincrad where we see these more modern casual clothes (they probably have super low defense stats, which would explain why no one outside of that place is wearing them), and Kirito wouldn't even have been able to aquire those clothes in the beginning unless he truly cheated. The only other character who wears something that could be considered "modern every day clothes" is Yui, who we also mainly see in that chill-live area. And that's just...a simple white dress xD This hoody-pullover-jacket design (I don't know what to call it, shut up xD), even if cool, doesn't fit with literally any other character design in Sao, outside of that casual monster-free hang out area. Not even in the citys, where the only way to die is through pvp, does anyone wear modern-esc casual wear. (Unless I'm blanking on any characters xD) So for this new Kirito design to work in Sao, we would have to change the entire character design set up for the show and make casual wear way more comon in at least the suporting cast. (Hell, Klein would probably be the first one to jump on cool modern-esc casual wear if it where an item with both good looks and good stats xD) Also, sorry for the long comment. I just suck at keeping things short >.
this is exactly what I was thinking while watching- both the "incredibly depressed" and "super simple modern outfit" she chose to revamp him with didn't really match his character past the first episode- plus his avatar was based on an RPG character he designed himself! Wish he looked more like an RPG character and less like a depressed gamer, since that kind of detracts from the "wouldn't you rather be something you're not? something cooler/more fantasy etc" theme the first season tells
to be fair, she did say she only watch 2 episodes total (well, excluding the last one) so she wouldn't have really known too much of kirito's personality in the game world. it does feel that she accurately redesigned kirito accordingly with the real world personality. although i would've been curious to see how the redesign wouldve gone if she accounted for his confidence seen in later episodes tbh, but i feel like it might've just been something a lil more modern lmao
I really like what you did with the smartphone protag in particular, the contrast between his happy expression and the severe scarring makes for such an interesting dichotomy and way more creative than the original.
Fun fact, this style of "bland" characters is Japan's way to try to get people to connect with them more because they look more like a stereotypical japanese person. The bland personality is an attempt to have the person watching it enter their own personality. (Learned this from someone analyzing monster musume mc, if this isn't correct please let me know so I can fix it)
I also think it works in an isekai anime to convey that they’re not from that world because the other characters have interesting designs it works as long as their looks change to be more interesting in later seasons
I dunno how to feel about a show on a 30yo dude (or anyone for that matter) essentially thrifting pre-teen girls and letting them call him “Master” 😬😬😬
Fun fact These sort of characters are called “Gary Stu’s” which is just the opposite of a Mary Sue. Generally they can be found in anime (more specifically fantasy isekai) as the main protagonists all have similar traits, abilities, and appearance’s (I have watched all the animes that the 3 characters shown are from. Touya, kirito, and also satou
They are also usually always overpowered and popular, despite looking like someone just took a random teenage Japanese boy off the street and used an anime filter on him
That's not the opposite at all, it's literally just different gender. The word Mary Sue itself is the name of a trope, it can be applied to any character that fits the trope, whatever gender they are, there's no reason to separate them when the only difference is just freaking gender.
I am absolutely in love with how you redesigned Touya, the lightning scars especially give him som much more depth and just makes him a much more interesting character
I love the unintentional worsening of characters from left to right First one’s fine, just with a bland design Second one’s boring and weird and with no redeeming qualities, even if he’s not the worst The third is literally a sl4ve owner who hangs out with/BUYS kids
Slave owner thing reminded me of Naofumi from Rising of the Shield Hero. Idk if other shows do it but it sure seems like a weird power fantasy of "Yeah sure I"m against slavery, but I sure would like to simply *own* a girl and make her completely dependent on me. I'll be nice about it though," dude that's gross.
@@celtickawaii57 True, the trope is gross, but you gotta give Rising of the Shield Hero a little credit for having it as a character flaw of a coldhearted, world weary MC rather than a glorified “I saved them as a virtuous hero and now they’re mine” BS. Still messed up that even the take of having it as a character flaw showing the MC’s bad side is rare, with the “glorifying enslaving girls” thing being more common… 💀
@@dragonblade4125 I mean, the only reason they're able to make Naofumi even remotely sympathetic is by making everyone who isn't in his immediate social circle a Saturday-morning cartoon villain.
@@Hawkatana apparently they are based on the people they know in real life, so maybe they are just unlucky enough to be surrounded by people like that.
@@dragonblade4125 Would also like to mention that the only reason he was "world weary" was because they used the sexist trope of 'women make false rape aligation to ruin a mans life because of uh #metoo or whatever' so you know its still really not that redeemable tbh lmao. Also my guy raised his fucking love intrest as a child then decided to date her cuz she "is a different race so shes matured earlier and legal now" so uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh (U*YT^RF&(UYT^%D^&Y**YT&R^&Y*(. There are some interesting parts of shield hero but most of it not only gets worse as time goes on but it also gets massively overshadowed by the every single problem it makes for ITSELF. Sorry for the rant but im very passionate about this anime and how theres so much wrong it manages to fit inside it while being deliberately put there (Possibly to get outrage attention but thats just a theory, game theory)
I have never met an anime fan who agrees with the rampant sexualization of young girls. At this point, why even do it? It feels more like producer service than fan service.
You’ve never met one because they don’t say it out loud. People aren’t going to shoot themselves in the face by talking about their looked down upon fetishes.
@@xxJing i was thinking the same thing because if they were not making money off of those themes, they wouldn't keep making them. there definitely are people out there who enjoy it. they just don't admit it to friends... which is really disturbing
"If they swapped clothes, you would not be able to tell them apart" Ah, that's where you're wrong! You see, while they all have the same generic face, protagonist #1's hair is #36454F, while #2's is #343434, and #3's is #301934. But I dont blame you. Only a TRUE FAN with an IQ of +215 would know the difference.
In my opinion, I think Kirito’s redesign is really good. He’s a lot less bland, although I think it would’ve worked more if the clothes had a more armor look since sao is a fantasy game. It’s still a good redesign for all the characters.
I liked how shield hero did the slavery thing. 'Guy pushed to the edge is in desperate need of allies, and has to resort to buying one, but treats them better than all the non-slaves around him' But now there have been so many damn shows copying this plot-point, and none of them have a shred of nuance to it.
As an aspiring manga artist, I could never understand how writers could bear writing such bland character design... It's so easy to use basic techniques to make character designs that leave lasting impressions. A perfect example is the character design for Naruto. Just one of many.
Shounen Writers did a good job when making character with unique design, they shows more creativity and embracing wacky ideas when designing character l, makes them more memorable than isekai /harem writer's who use same bland ,unimaginative template over and over again with some slight changes...
@@XTRAJOSS98 Shounen mangakas are indeed great with design but they pretty much suck at writing female characters (except a few) or really horrendous at adding romance. Harem mangakas are just notoriously horrendous at design and plot though. Isekai mangakas are a hit or miss especially in mangas/light novels. I prefer the slow life ones though since the overpowered and adventure one's are just so saturated and repetitive
She actually managed to make Kirito better! Ngl would low key consider rewatching SAO if he was the mc instead. Keep it up, Blaire! ✨✨✨💛 Edit: sorry but 450 likes? Lmao never would have expected that PS: yes i know now her name is Haley ✨
Or you could just... read the light novel. I personally think Kirito is a fantastic character, but the anime kinda... blends him into mush and forgets half the ingredients of the recipe, so to say.
Oh my god, can this become a series?? I LOVE this, and you’ve not only come up with a great system for quickly getting an understanding of these anime and their worlds, but you will also never run out of material for this, like, *ever.*
Placing one of Kirito's straps/scabbards on the inside of his jacket might have been a nice touch. It is implied that he wants to keep his dual wielding ability a secret until he needs it the most.
Lavender town makes such good videos she really is skilled and amazing I definitely think that these characters looked a lot better after she gave them a glow up
people always say that these types of characters are for you to relate to them because they are so normal but that's stupid, these characters are an excuse so that writers don't have to write a good protagonist with motivation and dreams , they are simply to comfort the niche of people who like self-insertion fanfics
As someone who likes self-insertion fics (specifically x reader stuff), I can 100% tell you, them being relatable is still just as bullshit from a perspective of someone who consumes that kind of content, these bland and copy paste designs definitely have to be just so the author can draw themselves with anime gals,
Kirito's redesign is hilarious xD "More of a depressed look" yep, even if he wasn't depressed before SAO, being stuck in a death game for more than a year definitely does the trick. Though, I think a bit more of a fantasy vibe would have been good, since SAO is extremely focused on it. But since this was done only knowing the first and last episode, I feel that it is fine. It's definitely an improvement from the ultimate generic appearance Kirito we know (because while I like Kirito, this is still the truth). (Unrelated to the matter at hand, but this Kirito kind of gives me extreme Nico di Angelo vibes. For those who don't know him, he's a son of Hades from the Percy Jackson Series)
I feel like while yeah kirito has suffered a lot of trauma (along with half the other characters in the show), he’s always been really funny and brought a light hearted atmosphere with him. Dude is a total Mary Sue in some aspects, but I feel like he is a very bright and likeable character, so for him to be portrayed as a greasy hermit was kinda a kick in the gut because his personality really shines through early on, showing that he was just a kid at heart- i think the look that Lavander towne was going for had potential but not to the extent portrayed and not with the outfit choice because he does always look somewhat snazzy.
@@flopplush counterpoint: with Lavender’s design and a few slight tweaks, Kirito being generally kind and friendly could be played as yeah he’s depressed and typically travels alone due to a low social battery, but he doesn’t want to be rude to anyone or get people worried about him (because depression often convinces one that one is not worth other people’s time). Plus it could be funny for contrast. Like you’re about to be murdered by high-level gorilla monsters, and this guy steps in and saves you effortlessly with ruthless murderous efficiency. He looks like a drowned rat and he’s kind of gaunt and haunting to look at, but then he puts on the widest friendliest smile and completely undercuts the initial impression you had of him.
@@ahappyjackolantern That’s a good point, I feel like he maybe he thinks of himself as an outcast and goes into the game wanting to escape reality, however he becomes a bit of a hero as his true personality shines through and his desire to help becomes more apparent, though I personally don’t think that someone with depression always has to look the part so drastically to the level that was portrayed in the video- but also I think the design takes away from the fantasy element the game has. I think Kirito is a very complex character. He’s troubled and scared like anyone else, but his determination to help others (and maybe an unhealthy VR addiction) allows him to grow stronger and develop into someone who starts to realize the beauty of real life. Perhaps the design would work in season one and merge into more of a healthier Kirito later on- but even without having a written out reason to justify- I’ve always loved him and the show and just wished for him to look a little snazzier and not so sickly haha
Instantly, they all have more personality to their designs than ever before. I especially love how you transformed Kirito to accurately depict his character traits. NOW he looks like a loner gamer-boy. The other MC retaining the lightning scars is an AWESOME touch too!
"Aaaaaaaaaaaactually, this particular design is so prevalant because it's supoooooosed to be generic so that the viewer can relate to them and project onto them so that-" Yeah, well, firstly. Not everyone can relate to a pale-ish black haired boy. I know the main demographic is Japan, but anime creator know how popular anime is in the west. Second of all, I don't need to see myself in my characters, I want to like them, and I don't like bland people.
I do think that Kirito in particular is meant to look generic, but not for the reason you said ( though i'm sure it did play a part, and it's connected ). He's not just supposed to look like any japanese teenager, he IS that. As poetic or whatever as it sounds, I think he's supposed to represent the complexity of everyday people. Because he may look bland, but his personality really isn't, actually. He's a very colorful soul underneath his cool and confident-looking front, one that's actually not that confident at all really. He's socially awkward, standoffish, a real dork, a little bit of a tease, and ridden with guilt, trauma and major self worth issues he needs to work through... Really a guy you could find in the streets of Japan and not look at twice, and yet everyone is more complex than at first glance, so he is. And I would like to add regarding your point... Japan is a very homogenous society. In fact, not standing out is an encouraged and praised trait to have there. Being different is even less accepted there than it might be in other places. You'd be surprised just how many people there would be able to see themselves in this kind of design.
You kind of blew my mind with Kirito's redesign. It was only when you were doing it that I realised how much a simple looking character with a recognisable face and hairstyle in a crowd of VR Chat waifus would actually stick out pretty well. Also, the idea that he perhaps never edits his avatar and some sci-fi logic just makes his avatar look like himself could add to that.
The desire to see you redesign every dark haired male protagonist is strong. I love these redesigns so much, it adds so much more character and individuality to the designs, they look so much better.
I want to argue with you because sometimes you just have dark-haired characters who happen to look alike, like Kageyama from Haikyuu and some of the other black-haired sports anime characters (especially since so many sports anime don't go supernatural, so they are limited in hair colors) but also I kind of want to see how Kageyama would get manhandled by Haley...
@@SpringStarFangirl i mean in kageyama's defense he literally is just a normal teenager,. aside from hair color most of karasuno character's hairstyles stick fairly close to reality (once they ran out of normal hairstyles they went apeshit tho, who even knows what bokuto is doing). Plus, he's so fixated on volleyball that he wouldn't care about anything like hair or fashion, so it's even in character lol,,
@@SpringStarFangirl Kageyama's appearance is 100% in character for him, as a teenage boy with no interests outside of volleyball XDDD When it comes to fantasy stories like those in the isekai genre tho? They're that simple because of lazy design and underpaid/overworked animators. I don't blame the animators tho, I'm not an actual monster XD
I really like these designs. I think clinically Depressed Kirito is my favorite because it really captures his attitude after losing Saki at the midway point of the Aincrad arc (from what I understand the novels gave that more time and emotional space than the show did)
As someone who has watched all three of these anime multiple times - damn good job you've done. The only one I'm not super on-board with is Kirito, but that's mostly because you made him look post-apocalyptic instead of world-of-swords/magic. SAO - and subsequently the Alfheim arc - is a fantasy game at its core, and removing all the fantasy elements from he design would make him mismatch with his series. (It works splendidly with his more nonbinary/feminine design in GGO tho, will give you that.) I'm *especially* thrilled with Touya's upgrade. I hated a lot about Isekai Smartphone, but the design you gave him is choice.
Its crazy how these characters are so different but when you look them up they look so bland like one got struck by lightning but still looks so ordinary
Omg I genuinely didn't realize the three characters in the thumbnail were all different people until I heard your introduction, thank you for your service.
7:08 This Kirito could have been less hated by the whole anime community and could have been called as "Guts' little brother" because of his black swordsman archetype
i'm honestly *really* digging the kirito design you've got going on, but oh no those eye bags- it adds so much to him, but as someone with both insomnia and iron deficient anemia, it really makes me worry if the poor boy is taking his iron supplements, lol
I think these characters are made this way so that their stories are easy for the target audience (teenage japanese boys, likely lonely) to self insert and live out power/sex fantasies.
Toya’s new design is def my favorite, Kirito looks so done with his life (depression achieved) and Sato looks the most different from his original design and I love how he got aged up
I always wondered why Kirito had a harem, if your designs were the cannon ones it would make more sense. because in sword art Kirito and his personality are just so plain
As an aside, I have to wonder if the bland protagonist trope is a direct reaction to the stereotypical "pink haired anime protagonist" trope (you know, the meme where every kid in the classroom has straight black hair EXCEPT the protagonist). Artists have swung hard to avoid the old stereotype and inadvertently created a new one. 🙃
Personally I think it's the result of larger, more mainstream companies mass marketing to a larger demographic for profit, while new independent artists try to add spice to fit their or their community's more specific preferences. The everyman trope's been around since the dark ages, if not longer. In 15th century morality plays like "Everyman", it was used to enable the common people see how the story fits with their life. Meanwhile younger people like kids tend to have more whimsical (self-insert) fantasies which, while interesting to themselves, might not be very entertaining for others to watch. Those artists eventually learn how to make it more appealing to others, but generally stick to a certain niche instead of marketing to society as a whole, preventing their art from going bland. Basically, capitalism
I love the kirito redesign. It would have also worked as a visual metaphor if, as he became happier, he literally brightened up or included pops of silver.
At the beginning, when you showed them all beside each other, I literally thought they were all one person. It took me a second to realize that they were all from different animes
Would've made the lightning scars on the guy more skin-keloid like instead of red. Other than that golly 10/10 would join their harem if I was a collectable anime girl with nothing better going on for me plot wise 💅💅
I'd never heard of Smartphone, but I love your take on the Toya character! The scaring looks so unique, and the two-tone hair and eyes add a greater aesthetic that the OG just didn't have. Very well-made on all of them, sweetie! ❤❤
![the edgy-fication of kids shows [winx club, sabrina, + riverdale]](/img/n.gif)
I love how the added lightning strike motifs and scars on the first protagonist make him look sort of spooky and undead and initially a little scary, but he’s just a relentlessly nice chill dude. It adds a dimension to his character that would be a pretty solid gimmick in a comedy anime where people are initially freaked out by him even though he’s the most comedically inoffensive nice wife guy in the world.
…I like this idea. It’s like Benny in Fates.
Edit: I made this comment before I realized I have an OC very similar to this lmao, he’s like a cross between Tae Takemi and this concept.
His redesign was my fave, he's got drip AND he's recognizable!
I agree with you
"wife guy" I- 😭💀
I totally agree!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE CONTINUE THIS AS A SERIES!
Another flavour would be the countless, and i mean COUNTLESS blonde tsunderes from harems!
Yesss she needs too I love this!!
the AMERICAN anime harem character. U know the one: Blond hair, twintails, SOONDEHRAY, 99.9% named Alice
Mary saotome from kakegurui is pretty cool, but she definitely fits this trope 😂
Yes, yes, yes
I see red hair pigtails tsundere more than blondes
yo man the bland protagonist is just a popular actor that's why you see him everywhere
Lmao- underrated comment
LMAO 💀
So all these anime’s are connected??? 😱
@@weevilwiki i had a story idea where it was just one guy trapped in the hellish existence of being forced to be in every harem and isekai anime
Stop I’m dead
When designing a character, I like to imagine someone cosplaying them and think “Would people know who it is?” If not, I add some features to make them more iconic
the real characters are the clothes, accessories and weapons anyway, you'd recognize that (or so the artist hopes)
Wow this is actually a really good tip!
omg ive never thought abt this! im totally using it!
Ayo, smart idea!
@@kirtil5177 Not always like I have a habit of making characters stand out for being what they are and who they are. Like I just made my most generic what they are character and he will still stand out in the setting he is from.
I love how they all went from: “literally just some guys” to “a guy making the best of his situation with a cool scar”, “stupid pathetic gamer boy who needs a nap”, and “middle aged weirdo with a cool hat”
Are they not interesting looking now?
The he/him, they/them, and the cool hat
the happy kid, the sad kid, and the dad
@@Sunnfloweropposum Ah yes the three genders: boy, non-binary and HAT.
It's the charisma hat
Fr the “black haired boy protagonist” is like the equivalent of like a lego base design.
fr its so annoying like cant they make a creative protag for once 😭
Omg it is this is too perfect 😂
Amen bro
@@spunchflopbadpants My main character is a black hair protag...
@@observantphantom I'm sure you will be fine, as long they aren't the same as almost all of the black hair characters look so alike.
Absolutely obsessed with the idea of an isekai protag thats like 35-40 years old and trying to survive but he's surrounded by very stereotypical isekai side characters and has to navigate explaining to the kawaii desu desu 300yr old vampire thats modeled like a 9yr old why he will not date her
I fucking love this idea. I’m so starved for a SPECIFIC kind of isekai and its exactly what you described, with the added flavor that this pathetic tired old man will instead adopt these side characters. Is it too much to ask for a found family isekai???
I could've sworn there have been similar series like that. Isn't there that uncle from another world one
Its not a isekai but check out "I got Rejected So I shaved and took in a high school girl" girl got used to selling her body and is shocked office worker isn't a pedo and he even lectures her about how he's doing the bare minimum, she keeps offering to have sex with him bc trauma and he say "I am literally twice your age sit back down" there are sex scenes but its the girls flashback. He eventually starts treating her kind of like a sister
I'm only on ep4 so I can't really warn you about anything else and that all of the info I can think of
Sorry for my grammar its 3am
@@athenasimp9928 Ooooh that DOES sound interesting, I mean, awful for the girl, but I just cant believe base decency like that is so rare in anime it actually feels like a treat. Thanks, I’ll check it out.
when it comes to isekai, let's not forget the all time classic: Alice in Wonderland. Alice makes a great isekai protagonist. She's down for whatever and she'll sass anyone she comes into contact with.
She and Dorothy Gale were the blueprints.
This comment is gold! XD I can't believe almost all of us forgot Alice when it came to isekai
It also helps that the world and people in _Alice in Wonderland_ are very unique, lively and interesting compared to "Generic Medieval Fantasy Town #27".
@@atanvardecunambiel8917 YES
Alice, and Dorthy would get along nicely with Kagome form Inuyasha. She sent herself to ancient fantasy japan by falling down her family's well
A fun fact is that in the light novel it’s mentioned that Kirito has very feminine facial features, to the point where some clothing store employees direct him to the ladies section when he’s shopping lol
WAIT REALLY? 😭
LMAO
@@lilredstrawberriez lol yeah, and it happens the most when he’s shopping with his sister
Hahaha femboy Kirito
@@screech9416 *stepsister*
Also for kirito’s long hair and sickly looking vibe: consider that the characters’ in game appearances are supposed to reflect their real appearances. Maybe people were too scared to cut their loved ones’ hair because they didn’t want to do ANYTHING that could be misinterpreted as trying to take the nerve gear off. Also wouldn’t it have been cool if the characters started looking like they were wasting away because their irl bodies hadn’t moved for months? Keep the escape from reality vibe of the show but also keep that underlying tension for their situation
that's a sick idea and they're cowards for not doing it
That would honestly be really cool like it would help convey the stakes that they're facing and while it probably wouldn't work in the actual SAO it would do so well as it's own story mechanic to drive the plot forward and tie the characters back to the real world.
Sorry, it's just such a good idea that would make for some great and maybe horrifying imagery and I need to convey that
@@helloitsaperson6447 Oh you just reminded me of something most of the players if not all would have after being stuck unable to move in bed for months on end: pressure ulcers. It happens to immobile bed-bound people: their bones press against the blood vessels beneath them, just due to gravity, which cuts off circulation there and eventually the tissues there rot and die. They can get very bad, I wouldn't recommend looking up pictures. That's one thing I wouldn't want to see on the show lol
@@andynonymous6769 EXACTLY, that's what I meant by maybe horrifying as u can get really messed up from laying in a bed for so long, plus the fact that they maybe wouldn't be able to feel any of the effects of it but always see the effects of how long they've been trapped in the game would make for good psychological horror if anything
@@helloitsaperson6447 that would certainly be psychologically horrifying
I wonder if the nerve gear would consider maggots as part of the character's appearance?
NOT THE MENTAL IMAGE OF HALEY THROWING THESE PUNKS INTO A BLENDER WITH FLAVOR BLAST GOLDFISH GOODBYE 💀
IM SORRY- WHAT
HUH??? 💀💀
This is the SECOND TIME this week I’ve heard someone refer to goldfish AS A FOOD, WHAT THE FUCK IS IT
@@salem-01 Goldfish crackers
@@salem-01 look up goldfish crackers
This character trope of the basic average guy is like the vanilla in character variety, with the difference being that at least vanilla icecream tastes good 💀
yeah
I'm losing it this comment is so funny and I don't know why
@@ActuallyYoda69 it's funny because it's true!
Oh..l I thought you meant these guys taste good….
bros are literally just milk....
"Is he saving them or is he just participating in slavery?" Is not a question that you should have to ask when watching an anime. You are so brave for doing this.
That really bothered me about RoTSH. He claims to be against slavery, and yet contributes to it. The slave master himself said that it's only thanks to him, slaves are still on the market
The even more mindbending thing is that that wasn't the FIRST isekai where that exact thing was a plot point.
stunning and brave
@@LaCabraAsada He doesn't claim that, actually. The guy at one point not only verbally defends the institution of slavery & his participation in it, but challenges a guy who rightfully calls him out on it to a fight. Said argument being "Well if you don't like subjugating other living beings, then that's just your opinion bro".
...Fucking hell, that anime is bullshit.
Lavadertowne is coming after naofumi next
Enslaved girl: You saved me!
Sato: Think of it more as under new management.
"Thank you, thank you! Titan has freed us!"
"Oh, I wouldn't say freed. More like, under new management."
This overflow of personality just completely rewritten my image of sato to a stocks geek
Well, he saved the beastgirl trio because their previous owner was kind of horrible, even by slave-owner standards.
And he bought the two princesses because one of them is a mind-controller who wanted a hot teenage boy for an owner.
Terrible, let’s laugh.
@@kotarouinugami1745 fair point but... he still bought them and participated in slavery.
9:26
Slave child: You saved us!
Guy: More like… under new management
The “bland main character” is my (second) least favorite trope. Really cool that you did this!
Agree
whats your least favourite trope?
@@lupvium probably lolis. i wouldn't blame them. lolis are on paper a creepy idea, and in action the most terribly written and annoying charactars fathomable.
@@lupvium I despise the 700 year old loli but those two basically are equal in hatred
@@lupvium just gonna guess big chested loli's because that stuff is a-trop-cious.
With the last one I actually like the idea of 30 something years old dude (both in looks and mentality) getting isekaied into another world. Since most of the people he interacts with are probably 12-15 year olds he could become like a weird, washed up and tired of life, but still good at heart uncle to them. Like "This world is crazy and these kids are just running around with knives without supervision holy crap" and he doesn't really want to get involved but at the same time "ok well SOMEONE'S gotta look after these kids" and just takes up the role of temprorary caregiver himself
And by the end of the series instead of having a harem of 9 girls he adopts these 9 kids that tagged along the journey
This is the best version 10000% we all need a show like this in our lives.
WRITE THAT DOWN, WRITE THAT DOWN!!!
To anyone who makes this, past, present, or future, please tell me, I want your product! 💶
That’s kinda similar to “Leadale no Daichi nite” where it’s about a isekai’d girl and her “adopted” kids who had become pretty powerful in their own right.
Also currently airing “Uncle from another World” also subverts common tropes somewhat
maybe Persona 5 strikers? the uncle character is awesome imo!! (it’s a game tho)
The long hair for kirito also makes sense because he LITERALLY HAD LONG HAIR WHEN HE WOKE UP FROM THE GAME
I was so mad that they didn't keep his hair long 😭 he looked so much better
He also was supposed to have longer hair in the first arc than later, in the light novel. I think the anime kinda skips that.
You know a design is bad when the character looks better waking up from a fucking 2 year long coma than when he’s first introduced XD
@@pyro-millie5533 what
people thought he was a girl because of his long hair ofc he cut it tf??? 💀💀💀
@@ikkaku699 Still looked better
i always thought that Kirito’s dumb face does not at all fit his personality. like he looks too gentle to be as he is, this works so much better
All you guys whining about Kirito never saw the actual anime, only the Abridged, and it shows 😂
@@darklordsatan4383 i read the manga, wdym?
@@squitwart.tetanusbowls But did you read the source material?
@@Andysomethingisfoolish wouldn’t the manga be the source material???
@@squitwart.tetanusbowls No, SAO is adapted from a light novel series. It has a manga, but that is just an adaptation of the anime, not the source material
I love the Kirito redesign. It really fits the idea of a guy whose approach to MMOs is to solo everything (aka weirdly antisocial for one of the most social types of games) and because of how much of a power fantasy SAO actually is for him. He also feels suitably cynical to the premise of the show.
Wow, you really made the impossible: make this 3 clones actually tasteful and interesting looking. You're amazing!
Turned those clones into echo fighters :D
@@Densoro AYYYYYY
I love your redesigns! Personally I'd have liked a more "medieval" look for Kirito as his leather jacket always looked jarringly modern to me alongside the knights in armour. However, I can absolutely buy the hoodie and jeans look for his life IRL, and you hit the nail on the head about him being depressed at the start of the series. 👌❤️
He looks awesome and actually looks like a black knight in a way
Agreed! Kirito’s outfit still being even more modern was literally the only thing I disagreed with about LavenderTowne’s changes. Everything else- perfect
Omg I would love a more medieval vibe since the world of SAO already sort of has that vibe in its environment
I liked his first jacket in the anime better than his later all black one, but yes the redesign looks is amazing
Consider: people who buy a one-off sponsored skin for a game that looks jarringly out of place but people like it because it's seen as a status symbol / only the tryhards have that skin
Reminds me of the lego movie, "His face is so generic that it matches every other face in our database."
🤣🤣🤣
😂😂😂
UKULELE PICHU, I WAS J U S T PLAYING THAT GAME
Unfortunately, “participates in slavery” is a pretty common trope for isekai protags
🤢
How so?
@@mavericktjo4548Well, on novelupdates, there is a tag "slave harem", because there are so many works where MC's entourage is mostly his pretty girl slaves.
Most of the protagonists from this tag are crazy paranoid and make all three protagonists above look like reasonable and upstanding people.
wow old comment, you may have found out later. eh who cares i can answer too.
as someone who has unfortunately seen clips of a few, erm, maybe less good animes, theres an unfortunate trope in a lot of them where... hold on, lemme get my v*mit bucket.
so, theres an unfortunate trope in a lot of them where the human male protag just. buys. a female nonhuman slave?
like, almost always points are made that like the enslaved person isnt TECHNICALLY a slave bc the protag treats them well/as a person, takes care of them, lets them have money/their life/choices etc, sometimes they even use language to ensinuate the protag FREED them, but, uh, they still fund the slavery in their fantasy worlds through their purchase? so.
(i said "person" and used unisex language even tho its always a woman. or rather a female child. i wonder why its always a female child in these stories.
anyway, dont mind me, i just have to lean over this bucket for a second, no reason.) @@mavericktjo4548
@@mavericktjo4548y'all ever heard of a little show called Rising of the Shield Hero
Holy cow you actually made Kirito actually look like a real character with an actual story attached to it ! Incredible work because his original design is the pinnacle of NOT conveying the story of a character by their design.
I REALLY love your design for the first guy, Toya. Cool scars, singes, and heterochromia? Heck yes. Might have to watch that anime now haha. Couldn't get into Sword Art Online even though I tried to, my sibling and I lost interest around episode 3.
Watch sao Abridge , It's comedy gold
Sao abridged is king
The first one looks too edgy for me, edgy yet happy, idk
She really sold us on the first anime, huh? I'm worried the anime itself is quite boring
@@TrashyWaffle past all the layers of cringey animetropes ....it's mid
Aa I love the redesigns, honestly a lot of tropes in isekai rub me the wrong way, especially all the women being infatuated with the mc for some reason? Like miss gurl chill, he is the default character there is no need to love him so much
Fr. I dropped in another world w/ my smartphone bc of it. I generally don’t like harem romances lmao
It’s mainly so that the person watching can self insert into the character, but it ends up just feeling unnatural and forced.
@@confused_shark2537 who even can relate to such boring presets? lol
@@isabelbelem9062the main demographic of harem animes.
Every time a romantic interest appears, I secretly hope they’ll just become friends in the end, and unship them into a large group of friends
I really like the rattier look for your kirito redesign. a thing that happens early on in the show is that the developer who traps all the gamers in his game turns everyone's avatars into their actual real life appearances, but kirito still ends up looking like your typical handsome anime dude- which is a missed opportunity since you could have him start off looking like that, but when the change happens he visibly looks less attractive and more like your average shut in gamer nerd.
"...but when the change happens he visibly looks less attractive and more like your average shut in gamer nerd" Uhm, he is?
@@Kirito_2016 he goes from pretty anime boy to pretty anime boy lol
@@tman442 Believe me, in SAO world other than Kirito, any male characters are either ugly or old man
Yes!
@@tman442 Y'all thinking Kirito is pretty? O-o XD Dude looks like his bedtime is 9pm. 🤣
GOD i love kirito it's so fitting that he's just this depressed gamer in the most casual outfit even though he's basically god in the game. we need more cringeboy representation
YESSSS!!
when she started drawing him, i was like THIS MF GREASY
That's basically just abridged Kirito if "Something Witty Entertainment" could redesign him.
Yeah, I can see this Kirito mourning the lost of his sandwich.
i can see him being offended at someone saying he will never be batman
@@aaa_66
“Kirito are you..”
“SHHHH…i must grieve.”
You mean seven himself??? With his hair down??
@@bigbruh5494 god damn it. You're right. Just like Cantonese Seven, the dark circles and all that
I agree that kirito should look way more like a sopping wet pathetic stray cat
The description is perfect✨
anime protagonist but Battinson vibes
I am SCREAMING at this description
This is wonderful, that you for this imagery (and thank you Lavendertowne for letting us veiw it)
Asuna only talking to him originally BECAUSE he looks like a sopping wet alley cat is a mental image I now cannot get out of my head
" it's also nice that he has a personality"
😂😂😂
The bar is low when there's stacks upon stack of the human equivalents of stale saltine crackers ✋😂
Are standards are that low aren't they?
The bar is in the floor, and yet there they are, limbo dancing with the devil
BARE MINIMUM ACHEIVED
Wait, I had no idea the first guy was killed by LIGHTNING?? The writers struck GOLD with that, why the hell was that not incorporated in the design!?
Thank you Lavendertowne for the logical act of putting that in the design ☺️
Why wasn't that incorporated into the story? He could've had an arc like Ai Mizuno from Zombieland Saga where, because he was killed by lighning, now he's scared of it.
Because then he wouldn't be generically pretty and relatable to Japanese men
The first guy became SO iconic, i love his white streak, the eyes and everything you make with his design OMG
What's interesting is that you've actually nailed Kirito's personality for how he is early on in (the better remake version of the first arc.)
Progressive and the chapter "the first day" version of Kirito is much better than the first LN and the anime.
What is "Progressive" in the context of SAO? Is it a remake of some kind?
@@syweb2 i believe it's SAO told from the perspective of Asuna + takes you through the floors at a slower pace
@@syweb2Basically, yes. "SAO Progressive" writes the story of SAO from the very beginning and does it without much timeskips. As a result, they were on floor 2 the last time I saw them. While original story of SAO stopped on floor 75.
Anime episodes 1 and 2 are adaptations of SAO Progressive, then it goes to side stories, and finally finishes the first arc with the volume 1 of SAO.
Which is why anime is such a lovable mess.
The “bland protagonist” is really only there to make the viewer be able to place themselves in the protagonists’ shoes, but tbh I feel like a lot of them already have some sort of personality that they should just make them their own unique character. Don’t make them look so generic just for the sake of allowing viewers to imagine themselves in the forbidden written chapter of SAO with Asuna.
* war flashbacks * oh yeah that chapter
It's kinda weird that they'd do that too. I could see it with a videogame, where the actions of the characters are to an extent determined by the player's choices. But an anime? The character isn't going to act how I would act, so what's the point of stripping away personality to make me "project into them"?
I mean, I'm even a socially awkward nerd, I should be the target audience for this drivel, but... I don't get it.
by 'the viewer' u mean the cishet white or east asian skinny able bodied man
@@fakeemail6665 That's the only people the creators of this shit assume will ever watch it, so...
@@antonioscendrategattico2302 i mean, yeah, obviously, but that doesn't really make it any better lmao
I'd honestly like an isekai where the protagonist is trapped in this alternate world that's like a puzzle and they have to put the two and two together in order to escape. No harem, no love interests, no nine wives. Just plain ol' mind games.
Or at least some more interesting premise like just having a really messed up interdimensional deity of some sort just grabbing random people and tossing them into magical/demon dimensions convincing them they're a savior only to have like 9 out of 10 die revealing that they're just messing with them and bored. Then having the main character realize this and staying alive out of sheer pettiness by like working as like a janitor at the evil King's Castle or at demon Starbucks
Just completely hard turns into buddy comedy of an international deity trying to get the person to be entertaining and then the person being like nope I'm just going to sweep these floors while amazing magical sh*t happens in the background
No magical destiny or harems just pettiness
That's how most isekai used to be before the rise of the lowest common denominator otaku pandering in the industry. Think Magic Knight Rayearth for an example, it is by all accounts an isekai... yet it's very different from the garbage we're seeing nowadays. There isn't a single protagonist but three, they're all girls and the focus is on the quest. There's romance but it's either part of the plot and happening to secondary characters or a smaller aside. And it's actual, y'know, romance, not just ticking a box on a list of "otaku fantasies fulfilled".
I recommend World Trigger
Alice in borderland
@@kuddlecat yeah, sort of.
Re-designed Sato gives off the same vibes as a dad dressing up for his kid’s birthday party
It would be cool if the anime he's in is just him being the Father figure of the girls. Instead of buying them and making them do stuff for him, he instead steals them and let's them decide if they want to stay with himp or leave. Some of them leaves, some of them stays, the ones who stay are the young ones, the ones who doesn't know how and can't provide for themselves. He raises them and yada yada. Basically the whole thing is gonna be about him being a good father figure.
@@althea5934 Yessssss absolutely!! I would watch the hell out of that
@@althea5934 I want to watch this now
Omg you’re right and I love that so much XD
I agree. Instead of making him 15 to be less creepy when shipped with the kids, I think it will pop off more with that plot. Never seen father figure isekai plots.
With the lightning scar, the gradient, and the nine rings, I think your design for phone boy would be incredibly difficult to animate.
We can simplify the gradient so that's fine, scars aren't _too_ bug of an issue, and the nine rings are 100% worth it.
Yeah, the big thing with popularity of isekai among producers is that... They are very cheap to make, very rarely they have an impressive animation.
I agree it is pretty complex.
Also, the jacket looking like he was struck by lighting doesn't make sense because he bought it after he was reincarnated. (It halves all magics the user can use and takes double damage from magics they can't use. Since he can use all magics, it's just a double magic defense. So clearly not a jacket from earth.)
I say the tattoo would have been enough, but maybe not that bright red.
Also, the whole reason he is reincarnated is because their God felt bad for accidentally killing him, so I don't think the God would leave that mark on the guy anyway. That god is really chill and likes to watch everything. (Maybe the selfish superficial goddess from the moonlight isekia would do this to the mc)
The rings are a great touch, but clearly wouldn't come in until later in the series, like the golden eyes.
I would suggest, if they were to get the lightning marks, maybe put it on his hand that he uses the phone with, maybe when he uses he magic the marks glow gold to hint towards him being blessed and the fact his eyes will glow too when he gets more powerful.
Maybe even add a golden ring around his irises when he got reincarnated, like a sign he has seen the divine. They won't turn fully gold until he unlocks his full abilities.
It would also be sort of funny if they made the hair look more like he got struck by lighting.
Like he was born with flat hair but now his hair sticks up more and it becomes a little gag that he tries to flatten it it just bounces back up, or if people try to touch his head they always get a little zap.
I don't know anything about any of these series', but I feel like anime has the ability to animate really complex and detailed art, so a lot of that wouldn't be a big deal
It's not like she said anything about animating them she just flavor blasted them
"I'm one of those people who like scars on people."
My Ocs: DON'T GIVE HER IDEAS
me rubbing my hands together, snickering
My ocs: "NOT AGAIN PLEASE GET ME OUT OF THIS HELL"
Touya is definitely my favorite of the three redesigns, I absolutely love the electricity theme you gave him!
Maybe him dying by a lightning strike gave him a natural affinity for lightning magic (which whould also help him charge his phone)
He might also be insecure about his lightning scar, but his friends reasure him it doesn't matter what he looks like because he's truly kind
Oh my gosh, that’s brilliant! And would explain how his phone is consistently charged!
It would also be nice to see one of these MCs with what would feel like a very real insecurity. His lightning scar could freak some people out, so it makes sense he’d feel sensitive about it.
I like to think that your redesign from Kirito's a good touch. Especially with his expression being so tired and exasperated, having to keep it together when he just wants to go home. Which probably should have been his character arc from the get go. As he's learning and maturing, he's tired of having to constantly be there, fighting for his life when he should be in society, growing up and getting experiences as he should as a teenager. But nope, he has to be a soldier and act like an adult when he's a teen.
OK but like we have to get the same for brunette clumsy shoujo protagonists. This was soo fun!
Yes yes
Oh yeah....
Oh god pls
For real 😫
Real
It reminds me of one of my favorite isekai tropes: The most abhorrently generic fantasy world you can think of, except the person isekaid is somehow way different than the typical trope protagonist. Just imagine if the plot is that a war is brewing in the fantasy world, so they call on the most powerful warrior of another dimension to come to their aid, and they basically get a SEAL team 6 operative in full combat gear. They implore him for help, but upon learning that they use slaves for a majority of their labor, he fights his way through the castle and works to improve the world in his own special way by not fighting for either side but instead creating is own faction instead, acting as a father figure to wayward individuals as apposed to building a harem like we see in so many other places. Or if there was a similar concept of hopelessly generic fantasy world, except the isekaid individual in question is a paraplegic girl in a wheelchair who can't directly fight but instead outsmarts those who try to wrong her in wonderfully creative ways worthy of MacGyver or Artemis Fowl, all while trying to figure out how to get back to her own world.
The other thing that fascinates me is the idea of a reverse isekai. Just imagine a fantasy world that's hopelessly screwed over, where a dark magic army is waging a viscous war of attrition against a corrupt human empire, and a lowly grunt of the dark magic army is volunteered for an experiment. She's a cold, combat hardened young girl who's cynical and smelled blood hundreds of times, killed men and monsters with her bare hands, and knows nothing but war... Until she wakes up after the experiment in midwestern America, where the most action residents see is a cow blocking the road, high school bullies, and biker gangs in diners, with the entire story being about her culture shock and relationship with the boy who finds her.
There is so much you can do with such a simple concept, I'm legitimately surprised protagonist copy-paste syndrome is such a prevalent issue.
I am in utter pain knowing that these ideas do not exist outside of being a concept
@@yeemchawson8122 Funny thing is, I came up with all but the last one as I was writing the comment. The last idea I've ruminated on for a while.
Really man, it's not hard, make a good character or a strong character concept and plop them into your fantasy world and have them react how they would, it's that simple.
Devil is a Part Timer is a reverse isekai!
So... Basically she gets Isekaied into a Hallmark Christmas movie?
Or Tadano Hirohito, he’s so ordinary but he has so much personality, and he’s so distinct. He’s genuinely a very kind and open hearted person. Very empathetic to the point he was in the parent teacher meetings talking about the positives of every student in his class. There skills and how talented they are. He is also able to understand Komi and push her to talk to others in a gentle way. He is also Just a normal teenage boy, also one of the love interests ((kinda)) was a boy. So it shows his personality can attract anyone beyond gender.
He has really cute hair, I like the little hairpiece because it looks like a flower
All these “Kiritos” resemble the stereotype typical Japanese young man - black hair, dark eyes, light skin tone and a modest body frame-a sort of Japanese John Everyman, a blank slate that any down-and-out 20 something can project himself onto. But, with these looks comes a certain attitude, a certain character type. Indeed, beyond just looking like their target audience, isekai heroes are meant to be like them as well, typically meaning they take on NEET and otaku sorts of personalities
Pandering to the lowest common denominator.
I personally despise it.
So, ur average takeshi
@@lol-iy7wv Takeshi?
You mean the guy who shouts "seeeeex" while running on the streets?
That's anything but average
The Japanese equivalent to John Everyman is a woman named Hanako Yamada, and IIRC there's a male counterpart to Hanako called Taro Yamada but all that comes up when I look up that name is a video game character with that name.
@@ashketchum6222 Taro Yamada is the love interest in a game and Habakkuk is his younger sister. And as far as I’m aware, the game only takes place in Japan and the creator YandereDev is American
Since Sao is the only one of the three I watched, I can only "judge" the Kirito re-design.
And while I find it charming, and fitting for his beginning character (he keeps his anxiety and poor social skills in the real world, but he is actually compareably confident and relaxed in the game world), the clothe style of the hoody jacket doesn't really fit Sao's setting. It's more of a high fantasy midevil kind of setting.
The design would have totaly worked for the setting in Gun Gale online though ( the official season 2)
Ehh as someone who's also seen Sao I don't really think you can call what they wear medieval lmao yeah there's motifs of knight and rogue aesthetic but I mean Kirito's outfit he wears the entirety of the first season that she used as reference is far from medieval, it leans more into the futuristic tech wear vibes that she leaned into, which I think makes sense bc most of the show these characters are tapping away on hologram screens and keyboards that float in front of them, as well as digitize and break into fractals when hurt lmao so I don't really think it's that off, he and Asuna straight up wear normal modern clothes during their "honeymoon" thing so lmao I think her design works way more for the idea that when his character fades away and reveals what he actually looks like, his clothes go with him
@@ariannebrodeur Sao's setting is a mix of medieval and high fantasy, so obviously the clothes aren't acurate to "actual" medieval clothes. But it is obviously medieval inspired, with lots of armor and knight like designs. Just typical medieval high fantasy like you see it in every mmorpg.
The clothes the players wear in game also do not change with their apearance, that is verry clearly shown in the beginning. So his outfit wouldn't change to resemble what he is wearing in real live.
As for the modern clothes during their honeymoon time, that's in a way higher level area, that's also outside of the "main story route", if you so will. It's literally the only place in Aincrad where we see these more modern casual clothes (they probably have super low defense stats, which would explain why no one outside of that place is wearing them), and Kirito wouldn't even have been able to aquire those clothes in the beginning unless he truly cheated. The only other character who wears something that could be considered "modern every day clothes" is Yui, who we also mainly see in that chill-live area. And that's just...a simple white dress xD
This hoody-pullover-jacket design (I don't know what to call it, shut up xD), even if cool, doesn't fit with literally any other character design in Sao, outside of that casual monster-free hang out area. Not even in the citys, where the only way to die is through pvp, does anyone wear modern-esc casual wear. (Unless I'm blanking on any characters xD)
So for this new Kirito design to work in Sao, we would have to change the entire character design set up for the show and make casual wear way more comon in at least the suporting cast. (Hell, Klein would probably be the first one to jump on cool modern-esc casual wear if it where an item with both good looks and good stats xD)
Also, sorry for the long comment. I just suck at keeping things short >.
Yeah I agree, the outfit doesn’t really fit Sao.
this is exactly what I was thinking while watching- both the "incredibly depressed" and "super simple modern outfit" she chose to revamp him with didn't really match his character past the first episode- plus his avatar was based on an RPG character he designed himself! Wish he looked more like an RPG character and less like a depressed gamer, since that kind of detracts from the "wouldn't you rather be something you're not? something cooler/more fantasy etc" theme the first season tells
to be fair, she did say she only watch 2 episodes total (well, excluding the last one) so she wouldn't have really known too much of kirito's personality in the game world. it does feel that she accurately redesigned kirito accordingly with the real world personality. although i would've been curious to see how the redesign wouldve gone if she accounted for his confidence seen in later episodes tbh, but i feel like it might've just been something a lil more modern lmao
I really like what you did with the smartphone protag in particular, the contrast between his happy expression and the severe scarring makes for such an interesting dichotomy and way more creative than the original.
Kirito looks like he's looking disrespectfully at the viewer lmao.
Fun fact, this style of "bland" characters is Japan's way to try to get people to connect with them more because they look more like a stereotypical japanese person. The bland personality is an attempt to have the person watching it enter their own personality. (Learned this from someone analyzing monster musume mc, if this isn't correct please let me know so I can fix it)
This is correct
Yeah, it's like Twilight or Star Wars, the protagonist is purposely written so the audience can project.
This is true, but it nonetheless isn’t very interesting
I also think it works in an isekai anime to convey that they’re not from that world because the other characters have interesting designs it works as long as their looks change to be more interesting in later seasons
I looked at the lineup of characters you’d chosen and my first thought was “Oh that is not just the same guy in different outfits?”
🤣🤣🤣
Lavendertowne is amazing! I hate the “bland protagonist” thanks for adding some much needed flavor.
I dunno how to feel about a show on a 30yo dude (or anyone for that matter) essentially thrifting pre-teen girls and letting them call him “Master” 😬😬😬
discord mod vibes
I know exactly how I feel about that 😡🤮💀
@@mirjanbouma same. Yikes. Send him to the shadow realm please
Feels like its all just an excuse for p3dop*les iswtg
Yeah, I feel like it would work if the anime portrayed him as the villian, and maybe it could be about the girls rebelling against him or something
Fun fact
These sort of characters are called “Gary Stu’s” which is just the opposite of a Mary Sue.
Generally they can be found in anime (more specifically fantasy isekai) as the main protagonists all have similar traits, abilities, and appearance’s
(I have watched all the animes that the 3 characters shown are from. Touya, kirito, and also satou
They are also usually always overpowered and popular, despite looking like someone just took a random teenage Japanese boy off the street and used an anime filter on him
I watch a lot of fantasy isekai anime 💀😭
That's not the opposite at all, it's literally just different gender. The word Mary Sue itself is the name of a trope, it can be applied to any character that fits the trope, whatever gender they are, there's no reason to separate them when the only difference is just freaking gender.
@@slimetank394 ...
Ok...
No need to get pressed over a comment I made a year ago bud 💀
I am absolutely in love with how you redesigned Touya, the lightning scars especially give him som much more depth and just makes him a much more interesting character
I love the unintentional worsening of characters from left to right
First one’s fine, just with a bland design
Second one’s boring and weird and with no redeeming qualities, even if he’s not the worst
The third is literally a sl4ve owner who hangs out with/BUYS kids
Slave owner thing reminded me of Naofumi from Rising of the Shield Hero. Idk if other shows do it but it sure seems like a weird power fantasy of "Yeah sure I"m against slavery, but I sure would like to simply *own* a girl and make her completely dependent on me. I'll be nice about it though," dude that's gross.
@@celtickawaii57 True, the trope is gross, but you gotta give Rising of the Shield Hero a little credit for having it as a character flaw of a coldhearted, world weary MC rather than a glorified “I saved them as a virtuous hero and now they’re mine” BS.
Still messed up that even the take of having it as a character flaw showing the MC’s bad side is rare, with the “glorifying enslaving girls” thing being more common… 💀
@@dragonblade4125 I mean, the only reason they're able to make Naofumi even remotely sympathetic is by making everyone who isn't in his immediate social circle a Saturday-morning cartoon villain.
@@Hawkatana apparently they are based on the people they know in real life, so maybe they are just unlucky enough to be surrounded by people like that.
@@dragonblade4125 Would also like to mention that the only reason he was "world weary" was because they used the sexist trope of 'women make false rape aligation to ruin a mans life because of uh #metoo or whatever' so you know its still really not that redeemable tbh lmao. Also my guy raised his fucking love intrest as a child then decided to date her cuz she "is a different race so shes matured earlier and legal now" so uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh (U*YT^RF&(UYT^%D^&Y**YT&R^&Y*(. There are some interesting parts of shield hero but most of it not only gets worse as time goes on but it also gets massively overshadowed by the every single problem it makes for ITSELF.
Sorry for the rant but im very passionate about this anime and how theres so much wrong it manages to fit inside it while being deliberately put there (Possibly to get outrage attention but thats just a theory, game theory)
I have never met an anime fan who agrees with the rampant sexualization of young girls. At this point, why even do it? It feels more like producer service than fan service.
You’ve never met one because they don’t say it out loud. People aren’t going to shoot themselves in the face by talking about their looked down upon fetishes.
@@ademarsilva5191 It’s more disturbing to realize that there tons of animators professionally animating this kind of shit when it’s rampant in anime.
It's Japan, they have huge issues with the porno industry and very often that is one of their main concerns when making laws
It's Japan, they have huge issues with the porno industry and very often that is one of their main concerns when making laws
@@xxJing i was thinking the same thing because if they were not making money off of those themes, they wouldn't keep making them. there definitely are people out there who enjoy it. they just don't admit it to friends... which is really disturbing
"If they swapped clothes, you would not be able to tell them apart"
Ah, that's where you're wrong! You see, while they all have the same generic face, protagonist #1's hair is #36454F, while #2's is #343434, and #3's is #301934. But I dont blame you. Only a TRUE FAN with an IQ of +215 would know the difference.
Broski I-
@@themasterprocrastinator4933 let him be, he's high right now.
Blink once if you need help
HAHAHAHA
are you okay?
In my opinion, I think Kirito’s redesign is really good. He’s a lot less bland, although I think it would’ve worked more if the clothes had a more armor look since sao is a fantasy game. It’s still a good redesign for all the characters.
I liked how shield hero did the slavery thing. 'Guy pushed to the edge is in desperate need of allies, and has to resort to buying one, but treats them better than all the non-slaves around him'
But now there have been so many damn shows copying this plot-point, and none of them have a shred of nuance to it.
As an aspiring manga artist, I could never understand how writers could bear writing such bland character design... It's so easy to use basic techniques to make character designs that leave lasting impressions. A perfect example is the character design for Naruto. Just one of many.
They’re just repeating tropes that they’ve seen get consistent success and trying to make a buck
Shounen Writers did a good job when making character with unique design, they shows more creativity and embracing wacky ideas when designing character l, makes them more memorable than isekai /harem writer's who use same bland ,unimaginative template over and over again with some slight changes...
@@XTRAJOSS98 ye ye
@@XTRAJOSS98 Shounen mangakas are indeed great with design but they pretty much suck at writing female characters (except a few) or really horrendous at adding romance. Harem mangakas are just notoriously horrendous at design and plot though. Isekai mangakas are a hit or miss especially in mangas/light novels. I prefer the slow life ones though since the overpowered and adventure one's are just so saturated and repetitive
@@unknownperson8527 absolutely, I aim to change that. My female designs are great. "Full of life, not full of fanservice" is what I say
She actually managed to make Kirito better! Ngl would low key consider rewatching SAO if he was the mc instead. Keep it up, Blaire! ✨✨✨💛
Edit: sorry but 450 likes? Lmao never would have expected that
PS: yes i know now her name is Haley ✨
Blaire???
U mean Haley?
don’t ever bother watching SAO, watch the abridged version!!! it’s such a better story and extremely well written, and much better voice acting
@@katguthrie7656 Dang, took the words straight outta my mouth (or I guess fingers?)
Edit: Also, Abridged can be watched for the low low price of free!
Or you could just... read the light novel.
I personally think Kirito is a fantastic character, but the anime kinda... blends him into mush and forgets half the ingredients of the recipe, so to say.
Oh my god, can this become a series?? I LOVE this, and you’ve not only come up with a great system for quickly getting an understanding of these anime and their worlds, but you will also never run out of material for this, like, *ever.*
Placing one of Kirito's straps/scabbards on the inside of his jacket might have been a nice touch. It is implied that he wants to keep his dual wielding ability a secret until he needs it the most.
The isekai anime protagonists are so similar that it looks like they're like a multiverse. The Isekaiverse.
Lavender town makes such good videos she really is skilled and amazing I definitely think that these characters looked a lot better after she gave them a glow up
Me too
people always say that these types of characters are for you to relate to them because they are so normal but that's stupid, these characters are an excuse so that writers don't have to write a good protagonist with motivation and dreams , they are simply to comfort the niche of people who like self-insertion fanfics
As someone who likes self-insertion fics (specifically x reader stuff), I can 100% tell you, them being relatable is still just as bullshit from a perspective of someone who consumes that kind of content, these bland and copy paste designs definitely have to be just so the author can draw themselves with anime gals,
Kirito's redesign is hilarious xD "More of a depressed look" yep, even if he wasn't depressed before SAO, being stuck in a death game for more than a year definitely does the trick. Though, I think a bit more of a fantasy vibe would have been good, since SAO is extremely focused on it. But since this was done only knowing the first and last episode, I feel that it is fine. It's definitely an improvement from the ultimate generic appearance Kirito we know (because while I like Kirito, this is still the truth).
(Unrelated to the matter at hand, but this Kirito kind of gives me extreme Nico di Angelo vibes. For those who don't know him, he's a son of Hades from the Percy Jackson Series)
holy shit you’re right
I feel like while yeah kirito has suffered a lot of trauma (along with half the other characters in the show), he’s always been really funny and brought a light hearted atmosphere with him. Dude is a total Mary Sue in some aspects, but I feel like he is a very bright and likeable character, so for him to be portrayed as a greasy hermit was kinda a kick in the gut because his personality really shines through early on, showing that he was just a kid at heart- i think the look that Lavander towne was going for had potential but not to the extent portrayed and not with the outfit choice because he does always look somewhat snazzy.
@@flopplush counterpoint: with Lavender’s design and a few slight tweaks, Kirito being generally kind and friendly could be played as yeah he’s depressed and typically travels alone due to a low social battery, but he doesn’t want to be rude to anyone or get people worried about him (because depression often convinces one that one is not worth other people’s time). Plus it could be funny for contrast. Like you’re about to be murdered by high-level gorilla monsters, and this guy steps in and saves you effortlessly with ruthless murderous efficiency. He looks like a drowned rat and he’s kind of gaunt and haunting to look at, but then he puts on the widest friendliest smile and completely undercuts the initial impression you had of him.
@@ahappyjackolantern That’s a good point, I feel like he maybe he thinks of himself as an outcast and goes into the game wanting to escape reality, however he becomes a bit of a hero as his true personality shines through and his desire to help becomes more apparent, though I personally don’t think that someone with depression always has to look the part so drastically to the level that was portrayed in the video- but also I think the design takes away from the fantasy element the game has. I think Kirito is a very complex character. He’s troubled and scared like anyone else, but his determination to help others (and maybe an unhealthy VR addiction) allows him to grow stronger and develop into someone who starts to realize the beauty of real life. Perhaps the design would work in season one and merge into more of a healthier Kirito later on- but even without having a written out reason to justify- I’ve always loved him and the show and just wished for him to look a little snazzier and not so sickly haha
Her Kirito is just DONE. I love it.
Your design of Toya's is literally one of the coolest male protagonist designs I've seen. Why do we get generic guys instead of these?
Instantly, they all have more personality to their designs than ever before. I especially love how you transformed Kirito to accurately depict his character traits. NOW he looks like a loner gamer-boy. The other MC retaining the lightning scars is an AWESOME touch too!
"Aaaaaaaaaaaactually, this particular design is so prevalant because it's supoooooosed to be generic so that the viewer can relate to them and project onto them so that-" Yeah, well, firstly. Not everyone can relate to a pale-ish black haired boy. I know the main demographic is Japan, but anime creator know how popular anime is in the west. Second of all, I don't need to see myself in my characters, I want to like them, and I don't like bland people.
exactly. If i wanted to watch a story about me I’d go out and live my life lol. I want variety and surprises!
I do think that Kirito in particular is meant to look generic, but not for the reason you said ( though i'm sure it did play a part, and it's connected ). He's not just supposed to look like any japanese teenager, he IS that. As poetic or whatever as it sounds, I think he's supposed to represent the complexity of everyday people. Because he may look bland, but his personality really isn't, actually. He's a very colorful soul underneath his cool and confident-looking front, one that's actually not that confident at all really. He's socially awkward, standoffish, a real dork, a little bit of a tease, and ridden with guilt, trauma and major self worth issues he needs to work through... Really a guy you could find in the streets of Japan and not look at twice, and yet everyone is more complex than at first glance, so he is.
And I would like to add regarding your point... Japan is a very homogenous society. In fact, not standing out is an encouraged and praised trait to have there. Being different is even less accepted there than it might be in other places. You'd be surprised just how many people there would be able to see themselves in this kind of design.
Plus, the "They're suppose to be a stand in for the viewer" thing is actually just an excuse to be lazy and not try with the main character.
Last sentence 👏 yes 👏
@@corruptedteka I mean she did make him look like a normal person anyways just introverted.
You kind of blew my mind with Kirito's redesign. It was only when you were doing it that I realised how much a simple looking character with a recognisable face and hairstyle in a crowd of VR Chat waifus would actually stick out pretty well.
Also, the idea that he perhaps never edits his avatar and some sci-fi logic just makes his avatar look like himself could add to that.
The desire to see you redesign every dark haired male protagonist is strong. I love these redesigns so much, it adds so much more character and individuality to the designs, they look so much better.
I want to argue with you because sometimes you just have dark-haired characters who happen to look alike, like Kageyama from Haikyuu and some of the other black-haired sports anime characters (especially since so many sports anime don't go supernatural, so they are limited in hair colors) but also I kind of want to see how Kageyama would get manhandled by Haley...
@@SpringStarFangirl i mean in kageyama's defense he literally is just a normal teenager,. aside from hair color most of karasuno character's hairstyles stick fairly close to reality (once they ran out of normal hairstyles they went apeshit tho, who even knows what bokuto is doing). Plus, he's so fixated on volleyball that he wouldn't care about anything like hair or fashion, so it's even in character lol,,
@@SpringStarFangirl Kageyama's appearance is 100% in character for him, as a teenage boy with no interests outside of volleyball XDDD
When it comes to fantasy stories like those in the isekai genre tho? They're that simple because of lazy design and underpaid/overworked animators. I don't blame the animators tho, I'm not an actual monster XD
@@chaospuppy6730 yeah that's a mood. I love how it fits him.
I really like these designs. I think clinically Depressed Kirito is my favorite because it really captures his attitude after losing Saki at the midway point of the Aincrad arc (from what I understand the novels gave that more time and emotional space than the show did)
“He has nine wives.”
Bro is from Hindu mythology.
As someone who has watched all three of these anime multiple times - damn good job you've done. The only one I'm not super on-board with is Kirito, but that's mostly because you made him look post-apocalyptic instead of world-of-swords/magic. SAO - and subsequently the Alfheim arc - is a fantasy game at its core, and removing all the fantasy elements from he design would make him mismatch with his series. (It works splendidly with his more nonbinary/feminine design in GGO tho, will give you that.)
I'm *especially* thrilled with Touya's upgrade. I hated a lot about Isekai Smartphone, but the design you gave him is choice.
I think it would be better to put this redesign as hir real life self, whike in the game world he looked bright, thatd be cool
I love how Kirito is radiating the greasy oily sleep deprived hasnt-drank-water-in-a-week kinda vibe
Its crazy how these characters are so different but when you look them up they look so bland like one got struck by lightning but still looks so ordinary
Omg I genuinely didn't realize the three characters in the thumbnail were all different people until I heard your introduction, thank you for your service.
7:08 This Kirito could have been less hated by the whole anime community and could have been called as "Guts' little brother" because of his black swordsman archetype
i'm honestly *really* digging the kirito design you've got going on, but oh no those eye bags- it adds so much to him, but as someone with both insomnia and iron deficient anemia, it really makes me worry if the poor boy is taking his iron supplements, lol
This was a kindness undeserving of the character design trope.
You are a saint!
Sometimes I really like basic characters but when you think they all look like twins it's makes everything kinda boring
?
5:31 KILLED ME, oh my gosh I laughed so much at how you described him, I love SAO but you’re too right
I Just love all your character designs. Your style tends toward more cutesy but you can really make some good, angular characters too.
THANK YOU FOR ADDING SOME DAMN FLAVOR TO THESE CHARACTERS
I think these characters are made this way so that their stories are easy for the target audience (teenage japanese boys, likely lonely) to self insert and live out power/sex fantasies.
Yeah but still there’s no excuse why they’re so identical
No shit. That’s the barely disguised point of an overwhelming majority of isekai.
Agreed p they shouuld rlly know theres also a wide variety of fans and people in the world not just weeb 13 year old boys going through puberty
Wasn't aware teenage japanese boys come straight out of a factory
That's exactly it.
Her designs are rlly nice!! It does give them so much more visual difference fr
Toya’s new design is def my favorite, Kirito looks so done with his life (depression achieved) and Sato looks the most different from his original design and I love how he got aged up
This needs to be a series because there is a PLETHORA of characters that needs a little spice
I always wondered why Kirito had a harem, if your designs were the cannon ones it would make more sense. because in sword art Kirito and his personality are just so plain
As an aside, I have to wonder if the bland protagonist trope is a direct reaction to the stereotypical "pink haired anime protagonist" trope (you know, the meme where every kid in the classroom has straight black hair EXCEPT the protagonist). Artists have swung hard to avoid the old stereotype and inadvertently created a new one. 🙃
Personally I think it's the result of larger, more mainstream companies mass marketing to a larger demographic for profit, while new independent artists try to add spice to fit their or their community's more specific preferences.
The everyman trope's been around since the dark ages, if not longer. In 15th century morality plays like "Everyman", it was used to enable the common people see how the story fits with their life. Meanwhile younger people like kids tend to have more whimsical (self-insert) fantasies which, while interesting to themselves, might not be very entertaining for others to watch.
Those artists eventually learn how to make it more appealing to others, but generally stick to a certain niche instead of marketing to society as a whole, preventing their art from going bland.
Basically, capitalism
I love the kirito redesign. It would have also worked as a visual metaphor if, as he became happier, he literally brightened up or included pops of silver.
At the beginning, when you showed them all beside each other, I literally thought they were all one person. It took me a second to realize that they were all from different animes
Kirito's redesign reminds me a lot of nico di angelo from pjo 😂😂.
Anyway, all the redesigns look pretty unique and flavor-blasted. Great job.
YOU MADE KIRITO A HOT EMO BOY???? They all turned out amazing you literally did the impossible possible lol Lavender Towne never misses😌💅
I’ve never watched sao, but I HAVE watched sao abridged and its funny how much lavendertowne’s character design still fits
Would've made the lightning scars on the guy more skin-keloid like instead of red. Other than that golly 10/10 would join their harem if I was a collectable anime girl with nothing better going on for me plot wise 💅💅
I'd never heard of Smartphone, but I love your take on the Toya character! The scaring looks so unique, and the two-tone hair and eyes add a greater aesthetic that the OG just didn't have. Very well-made on all of them, sweetie! ❤❤
I absolutely love what you did with Kirito! He looks like such an interesting character. I would 100%watch that anime