One of the
most common complaints among anime fans, especially in the
romance, fantasy, and comedy genres, is the repetitive design of its male
protagonists. Often, the main character is a boy with an ordinary appearance,
black hair and a simple hairstyle that borders on the generic. To respond to
this eternal concern of the community, Hiro Kanzaki, the acclaimed
character designer of My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute (Ore
no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai) and Eromanga Sensei,
has revealed the logic behind this artistic decision.
こういうジャンルでは女性キャラクターのヒロインを一番魅力的に描きたい場合が多いので(作品のセールスポイントとして)、そういったキャラクターを際立たせるために設計されます… https://t.co/O2hfFG5HeE pic.twitter.com/9FzfJtZdG6
— かんざきひろ (@kanzakihiro) April 20, 2026
Making
heroines shine and making it easy to immerse themselves
Kanzaki
addressed the issue directly and explained that, in this type of story, the
main goal is to make the female heroines as attractive and eye-catching as
possible, as they are the real selling point of the work. Therefore, the male
lead is intentionally designed to stand out less, allowing the girls to shine
even brighter on screen.
In addition
to aesthetics, there is a psychological and practical reason: the fewer unusual
or striking features the protagonist has, the easier it will be for the
audience to identify with him and imagine himself in his place. However, the
artist clarified that, despite keeping designs simple, he personally makes a
lot of effort to give the male protagonist a real charm of his own, preventing
him from being a simple empty shell.
The
"Character Perspective" and the Japanese Audience
The
designer also confessed to having been influenced by an idea of veteran
creator Akiman, known as the "character perspective".
This approach serves as a guide for you in designing, helping to balance how
close or far the viewer feels from each individual in the story and directing
the eye so that key figures receive the most visual attention.
Finally,
Kanzaki pointed out that while this basic design of the dark-haired boy may
seem unimaginative or unusual to Western viewers, these series were originally
created for audiences in Japan, where such an appearance feels natural,
familiar, and relatable. Kanzaki's statements have generated understanding in
the otaku community, reminding us that behind each "generic
protagonist" there is a carefully calculated commercial and narrative decision
to make the final product a bestseller.
