Anime Religious content in Anime?

[TheShinje]

[size=1][color=darkblue] I have bnoticed throughout the last 2 years of being an anime fan, that religious allegories are popping up in anime. Pleas tell me what you think without telling me I'm psycho. I don't take it to heart, or think they're evil, It jus fascinates me to delve into deeper meanings. Also, no Religion bashing, this is not what I want. Mos of mine deal with christian Allegories and ideas, I would like to see some Muslim, Wicca. Jew ect. Ideas too.


[b] Dragonball Z[/b]

This is the easiest one to find stuff in. I have noticed many religious overtones in DBZ.

1) most characters in Dragonball Z refer to the "Eternal dragon" who lives at the center of the earth, a.k.a hell, for wishes, essentially praying to him. The dragon represents Satan. He has the power and great authority to grant answer peoples "prayers" It is usually for ambitions such as eternal life, and wishing back the dead. Big things for the last days recorded in revelation.

In this sense. Goku would represent the [b]Antichrist.[/b] He is fatally wounded many times throughout the series, but healed by the might of the Dragon. Using the seven dragonballs, essentially the seven heads of the dragon.

Int he end of DBGT, Goku merges with the Dragon, yet again, we see the relationship.

Master Roshi has "eternal life" supposedly.
King Yama's fruit - Fruit of the tree of Knowledge.
King Yama - St Peter at the pearly gates.
Arliya = Babylon, destroyed for it's great wickedness. The emperor of Arliya was a vicious tyrant.
Amiga (DBGT) - Kingdom of the Antichrist. Money orientated, with a global governtemt and one head figure. All worship him (give him money) or die (lack of shekter, food)


-antoher idea---


Raditz - Dragon Head 1
-Vegeta and Nappa - Dragon Head 2
Ginyu Force - dragon Head 3
Frieza - Dragon Head 4
Garlick Jr - Dragon head 5
Cell - Dragon head 6
- Buu - Dragon Head 7.

Mr. satan - False Prophet.


In this sense, Goku represents Jesus. He dies for the world, wounding Cell beyond recovery, the only villain who appeared to be truly "gone".
-----

The next series I get religious overtones from is

[b] Neon Genesis evangelion.[/b]

- NERV is the Antichrist - It' fights angels. Although Shinji, Asuka, and Rei don't know this. It looks like NERV has decieved the world into fighting the angels. "is there any one as great as NERV (the beast)? Who can fight aganst it?"

OR

The Angels are Satan's, "for even satan transforms himself into an angel of light"

A catholic doctrine is that jesus is to be sacrificed over and over for our antonement. this religious idea is seen in the way nERV treat the angel "Lilith"

Adam - first Angel, frist man

- the obvious Genesis quotes on the VHS covers.

So, what religious stuff have you seen in Anime? [/size][/color]

[MillieFan]

I've seen a lot. As a Christian, I really don't see it as offensive as much as I see it as "blah, these writers didn't bother to do their homework to even learn what they're saying." I mean, so much of it is so mangled that it really represents no actual religion beyond illustrating what a syncretic society Japan is religiously.

IMHO, I don't care really. I know what I believe, and I'm not going to trade it in for something else.

[Shinkoru]

A lot of anime's Ive seen also have Wiccan content, aka the use of pentgrams for many animes involveing spells, aka Ah MY Goddess, Ive seen plenty of Christian religous symbols as well, Lik in many vampire animes, the use of crosses ect. But Don't they know Crosses don't work on vampires unless the weilder of it has true faith to back it up? lol. But as well, I'm me and I know what I belive, just because an anime or cartoon promotes or invloves somethign dosen't mean I'm gonna go out and do that. :)

[vegeta rocker]

That makes me think. hmmmm Gokou is the antichrist, thought his nose was too clean.

[Kwai]

Also... remember that the Evangelions (00, 01, 02, 03) all have charactersitics similar to the 4 'barons of hell'. 01 for its gnashing teeth and its single horn, 02 for its blood red color, 4 eyes, 2 jaws, 00 for its featureless face except for one eye, and 03 for its wicked teeth and exceptionally long arms.
I don't think the angels are from Satan due to the Evas being similar to the barons of hell. I think its more plausible to think of humans relying on the powers of hell to survive the judgement of heaven(angels).

Also, take a look at Trigun :)
Knives/Vash's Angel arm, Chapel, Wolfwood, etc. etc. I didn't finish the whole series yet, but soooo many religious implications in there.

[eleanor]

Well, Evangelion is just screaming with religious content, methinks. Oh, and Milliefan,Japanese religion is pretty complicated, so unless you really know what these kind of religions are like, I don't think you have the right to blame creators for mangling religions. Or maybe they are. Eh..I'm in a bad mood, sorry if I offended you.

[MillieFan]

They are. Trust me, hehehehe. I've researched it for a while, and the thing is, most people there are like a strange admixture of Buddhist, Shinto, atheist, and agnostic.

Nevertheless, they believe that they can incorporate all symbolism into anything. Like "Christmas" (which in Japan is a sort of Valentine's Day-totally sickening since Christianity sees Christmas as the day our hope of salvation was born into the world-not the day to celebrate by sinning all the more with an insignificant other)

[eleanor]

^_^ Okay, yes, my fault! But don't call other religions sickening or what they do sickening, because it's just plain mean.

[Rokuki]

Well, i'm a christian myself andf i've seen this one anime that has alot of religion from different nations. Most of you may have heard of "Shaman King" , the show is really cool. Its about a boy named You Asakura and his ghost friend named Amidamaru. You is a shaman(someone with the abilities to see ghosts and use their skills) and he uses the 'Hyoi Gattai' (this is when he fuses with Amidamaru) and uses Amidamaru's samurai skills to help his friends and others. Well I won't tell you everything about it ,but you have to look it up yourself to find out more about it.

[Kwai]

Shaman King... I see them in the bookstores but I'm kinda wavering between buying them or not... do you recommend it? A numerical rating out of 10 will be appreciated. And hey! Christmas is a time of giving in Japan!(For the men... for the women... its a time of getting...) Don't insult us! :p

[Hot Ice Hunter]

Trigun has a TON of religious content in it.
Mostly in the form of Wolfwood and how he has that cross, does connfessions for people, is a priest, stuff like that. Also how Vash has an anti killing personality and quoted "thou shalt not kill" in one of the episodes.

[MillieFan]

Yeah, but almost all the religious content is really "strange," lol. One minute it hints at Christianity, another at Buddhism, another at Shinto, and so on.

(BTW while Wolfwood is a "priest," and has some trappings of "Christianity," he's not *meant* to be depicted as an expressly "Christian" character. I'm sure you all know that, but I just wanted to throw that in for anyone who sees that as a correct depiction of Christianity. If you do, you have a lot to learn about us hehehe. . .~.^)

It's IMHO just thrown together into a completely clashing mixture which doesn't take much away from the series and is actually quite interesting in its setting. Most of that due to its being a very creative way of establishing the conflict in Wolfwood's personality between being "good" and being "evil."

Nevertheless, I just wanted to post a general warning to anyone who thinks it's a clear representation of [i]any[/i] faith: it's not.

By the way: I want to apologize to anyone I've offended by demeaning Japanese culture. As a Christian, I try to keep balanced in my outreach to others (by not demeaning their beliefs) and yet maintaining the purity and realities of the Christian faith in contrast to what some people think it is. Sometimes I sway a little too far over on either side, and I'm sorry about that.