Alllllllright. There's a couple of reasons for making this section. First of all, in the fics that I write (RP or otherwise), I make use of common anime cliches, but I refer to them by name. The thing is, most people don't know the actual names of some of the cliches. So, this is for people that read my fics so they can look up what things like "lead balloon" and "hand mitten" mean. The other reason for making this is, well, because no one else ever has. I AM THE FIRST!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Plus, once you get done reading, you can take the test afterward to see how well you know your anime cliches. In the meantime, enjoy this section, it was a lot of fun to make, and hopefully you'll have fun during your learning experience.
Airborne -- Any time in which a character is hit, thrown, or otherwise projected into the air, and keeps flying through the air for several minutes, resulting in an altitude of at least 3,000 feet. This is most commonly caused by a strong uppercut or the swinging of a mallet. The airbourne character may or may not spin as they fly through the air, and also may disappear with a sparkle of light rather than actually land.
Animal Features -- Acting like or taking on one or more feature from another species, usually when a character is being cute, innocent, or is embarrassed. Common features adopted are ears, tails, whiskers, paws, and mouths. The most common animal adopted from is the cat.
Arch Eyes -- Any time the shape of the eyes changes to rainbow-like arc. When the eyes are closed, this is usually to signify that a character is happy or content, or in some situations when they are embarrassed. For some characters, the pupils will become arches rather than the eyes themselves. When the eyes are open, there are two arch eye styles. The first is when both the top and the bottom of the eyes are arcs, which usually happens either when a character is gloating or has received unacceptable information. The other style is when the eyes become semi-circles with the flat end on the bottom, typically brought on by surprise, shock, discomfort, or disbelief. Almost any other cliche can be coupled with at least one of the arch eyes styles.
Blue in the Face -- Similar to a blush, except that the cheeks and nose turn blue rather than red. While blushing is triggered by shyness or embarrassment, going blue in the face is triggered by fear or anxiety. In some cases the cheeks will turn purple, implying a combonation of fear and embarrassment (as the mixture of blue and red make purple).
Bug Eyes -- When the size of the actual eyes increases, but the size of the pupils either remains the same or decreases. The eyes usually round out during this process, and sometimes become wider than the character's face. Sometimes when a character is struck or very surprised, the eyes will gain a third demension and actually stretch out some distance from the head. Bug eyes usually happen when a character is shocked, surprised, or alarmed, and is sometimes paired with overall distortion.
Charred -- The result of some kind of electric shock or explosion that leaves a character's body burnt to some degree, except for the eyes. Scientists have discovered that a character's eyes always become bug eyes once the character is charred due to a biological anime reaction to heat. The character is unable to move for several seconds upon becoming charred with the exception of a blink or two, and nearly every line in the character's art is straight. This is occasionally also known as being "burnt" or "sizzled."
Dot Eyes -- When the eyes disappear all together and only the pupils remain. This is usually brought on by shock, disbelief, or discomfort, and in mangas is sometimes accompanied by a lead balloon.
Dot Stare -- Similar to dot eyes, except that the whites of the eyes remain rather than disappear, and it is brought on by irony, stupidity, or incredulity. It is commonly accompanied by a sweatdrop, stress mark, or the character twitching.
Exaggerated Bandage -- An oversized cross-shaped patch of injury tape that is at least five times bigger than the actual wound. Sometimes instead of injury tape, a giant bandaid will be used instead. Exaggerated bandages are almost always only used on superficial wounds.
Exaggerated Flinch -- A large leap backwards from a dead stand still when a character is extremely startled. Usually every limb is bent at a ninety degree angle and the hands are in "I love you" positions. Exaggerated flinches are commonly accompanied by bug eyes.
Eye Blackout -- When any and all facial features from the nose up are replaced by either the color black or another dark color. This is typically triggered when a character is extremely angry, or in some cases when a character is just very upset or in deep thought. Eye blackout is sometimes also known as an "eye shadow".
Eye Sparks -- A line of crackling electricity spanning the distance between the eyes of two characters. This is usually brought on by a sense of severe competition or rivalry, and may or may not cause the characters to gain flat expressions or go SD.
Eyelid Pull -- Pulling down on the skin below one's eyelid (usually the right one) in a show of contempt, commonly coupled with sticking out the tongue. Performing an eyelid pull is considered just a step down from giving the finger.
Face Stretch -- When the molecular composition of a character's face becomes roughly the same as that of silly putty. Characters tend to stretch each other's faces during a heated argument or when mocking one another. It is not generally appreciated, and often times will provoke the stretchee to give the stretcher a good-sized lump. Having one's face stretched usually brings on flat expressions or sweatdrops.
Face Vault -- When a character very suddenly falls to the ground, typically with their feet left in the air afterward. Face vaults are usually brought on by either irony or stupidity, most often in the form of a comment or act by another character. In some rare instances, inanimate objects have also been known to face vault. They commonly follow a sweatdrop, and may be followed themselves by virtually any other cliche. Face vaults are also known as "face faults" and "anime falls."
Flat Expression -- Any time the shape of the eyes changes to that of a semi-circle, with the flat end on top. In most cases it is also coupled with a nose and/or mouth vanish. Flat expressions will occur for a number of reasons, but most commonly for dismay, annoyance, or a character being misunderstood. In some cases, the pupils of the eyes will disappear entirely and the eyes will sit at fourty-five degree angles, accompanied by razor teeth. This sort of flat expression is sometimes referred to as "demon eyes".
Glomp -- Obsessive hugging and in some situations kissing, usually preceeded by a flying leap. The glomper tends to glomp more or less as a greeting, when they are very pleased to see someone. The glompee, on the other hand, usually finds being glomped to be an inconvenience. In some situations a character will glomp another not because they happy to see them, but rather because they are angry with them and wish to gnaw on their head with razor teeth.
Hand Mitten -- When a character's fingers lose all definition and become a single solid mass. Occasionally one (sometimes two) fingers are able to break free of the mitten, or at least gain minor definition, but this is only ever the index or middle finger. This usually happens during bouts of anger or when a character goes SD.
Hankerchief Sneaking -- When a character ties a hankerchief (or some other similar cloth item) around their head in order to avoid being seen while doing something they aren't supposed to be doing. Scientists still aren't sure how the act of wrapping a piece of cloth around one's head and tying it under the nose aids evasion, but agree that it seems to give anyone who does so a +3 of stealth.
Head Inflation -- When the size of a character's head increases by a factor of 5 or more. This is brought on by extreme moments of anger along with a degree of tension, and is often paired with the demon eyes style of a flat expression or razor teeth. In some very extreme cases, a character's head will become so large that the body disappears from view entirely.
Lead Balloon -- More typical in mangas rather than animes, a lead balloon is any word balloon consisting only of periods. Characters usually lead balloon while staring at someone incredulously, commonly brought on by a stupid act or remark. A lead balloon will often accompany a flat expression.
Lower Lip Arch -- When the bottom lip extends up above the top lip while a character is trying not to cry. It is usually accompanied by tear bobblers or tear streams, and is sometimes called a "lower lip stretch."
Lump -- A softball-sized swelling of flesh that appears after a character has been struck on the head, be it by a fist or by a blunt object. In the case of a character getting hit twice in the same spot, there will sometimes be a double lump -- a smaller lump on top of a normal-sized lump. Both the act of being hit and the aftermath of it tend to bring on a number of other cliches, such as bug eyes, tear bobblers, tear waterfalls, flat expressions, and throwing fits.
Malletspace -- Any time a character reaches behind their back and pulls a notably large object seemingly from nowhere. Scientists theorize that every anime character has a small dimensional portal located in the air just behind the lower back in which just about anything can be stored and used at any time. The most common object pulled from malletspace is, of course, the mallet.
Microphone Yelling -- When a character produces a microphone from malletspace and either gives a compelling speech or promotes an idealistic idea. The pinky finger of the hand holding the microphone is usually left sticking up, and speeches are typically accompanied by tear waterfalls. It is sometimes known as a "karaoke speech."
Mouth Vanish -- Widely used but rarely recognized, a mouth vanish is exactly what it sounds like: when the mouth disappears. It is almost always accompanied by a nose vanish, and may also be coupled with a flat expression or arch eyes. When it occurs by itself, it is usually to show that the character is drawing a blank.
Nose Extension -- When a character's nose suddenly triples or more in length in a show of cockiness or arrogance. It is also sometimes known as a "Pinocchio nose."
Nose Vanish -- Another very common yet rarely recognized anime cliche in which, like a mouth vanish, a character's nose simply disappears. This will occansionally happen on its own, but the majority of the time it is paired with one or more other anime cliche, such as a mouth vanish, flat expression, or razor teeth. When the nose disappears without being paired with another cliche, it is usually to signify cuteness.
Nosebleed -- The massive spraying of blood through the nostrils when an anime character has some degree of sexual arousal. This only seems to happen to men, and usually only occurs during an unexpected naughty sighting. For the more extreme perverts, nosebleeds can occur just from having a naughty thought.
Overall Distortion -- When the quality in the art of a character is reduced by a factor of 10. Overall distortion usually takes place in the form of the lines becoming either wavey or jagged, or in the character simply being drawn very poorly (commonly with the body bent in unnatural ways). It is typically triggered by either some kind of information a character simply cannot handle, or when a character is freaking out over some kind of shock. It is commonly paired with bug eyes, and in some cases accompanies an exaggerated flinch.
Panic Bubbles -- A series of small bubbles that will rapidly appear and disappear around a character's head as they yell. It is usually brought on by a character freaking out or being startled, or sometimes when a character is flustered, often accompanied by throwing a fit. They are sometimes also known as "exasperation bubbles."
Razor Teeth -- When the entire lower third of the face becomes the mouth, and the teeth become one of two styles. There's the actual razor style of razor teeth, brought on by anger, and the barred style, typically triggered by frustration. Razor teeth are almost always accompanied by a flat expression, and are sometimes known as "demon teeth."
SD -- Any time a character becomes a fraction of their normal size and their body becomes chubbier to some degree. There are two styles of this. First, there is chibi, which is little more than a character becoming smaller and fatter. Usually the defining characteristics of chibi is the face becoming rounder and the nose disappering, along with the proportions getting thrown off (often the head is too big for the body). The second is true SD (which stands for "super deformed"), in which the character becomes much shorter, much chubbier, and other features become more exaggerated. All other degrees of SD fall somewhere between these two styles. Going SD is usually brought on by some extreme emotion, be it innocence, cuteness, fury, or just about anything else. While SD, characters are five times more likely to perform other anime cliches, most commonly throwing fits.
Sigh Puff -- A heavy sigh accompanied by a small cloud of air exiting the mouth. Sigh puffs are usually brought on by exhaustion or exasperation with another character. They are also commonly known as "sigh balloons" and "sigh bubbles."
Sleep Bubble -- A small bubble protruding from the nose while a character sleeps which grows and shrinks with each breath. When the bubble is popped, the character wakes up.
Stress Mark -- A plus-shaped formation of ninety degree angles appearing somewhere on a character's body, most commonly on the head or the back of a fist. Stress marks are often brought on by anger, extreme frustration, exasperation, or any other stress-causing situation or emotion. In very severe cases, several stress marks may appear on the same character at once. They are commonly accompanied by demon eyes, razor teeth, going SD, or throwing fits.
Sweatdrop -- When a character emits a single but very large sweatdrop at the side of the forehead or the back of the head. It is brought on by irony, stupidity, or discomfort, and usually preceeds a face vault. Sweatdropping is not exclusive to the anime characters, as inanimate objects (such as buildings) have been known to sweatdrop as well in extreme cases.
Swirly Eyes -- When a character's eyes and pupils are replaced by a pair of inward spirals, which may or may not spin in place. They typically happen when a character has been struck in the head, or in some instances when the character is between a rock and a hard place. They are sometimes also used to show that a character is unconscious, or in many cases replace the lenses of glasses. Such a thing is commonly known as "swirly glasses."
Tear Bobblers -- Tears that, upon exiting the eyes, do not actually fall. Small bobblers will simply hang out from the corners of the eyes, while bigger ones will hang down past the cheeks and swing from side to side. In some instances the larger bobblers will bob up and down rather than swing. These sort of tears usually only occur during minor problems or while a character is whining, and may or may not be accompanied by watery eyes.
Tear Streams -- A flood of tears that will quite literally flow down the character's cheeks as a pair of streams. This is usually accompanied by watery eyes and occurs during small to medium-sized problems.
Tear Waterfalls -- A flood of tears that, rather than streaming down the cheeks, will shoot out from the eyes in a pair of waterfalls on either side of the face. This occurs during major problems (or what the character perceives as a major problem) and commonly accompanies throwing a fit. Tear waterfalls are also known as "tear fountains," or also as "tear squirts" when the tears spray from the sides of the eyes but do not form waterfalls.
Throwing a Fit -- Any time a character's limbs flail so quickly that they either blur, or that at least three of each individual limb is visible at once. Fits are usually brought on by the character feeling a very extreme emotion, and is often accompanied by watery eyes, tear waterfalls, panic bubbles, or going SD.
V for Victory -- A gesture identical to a peace sign, but used in a different manner. When flashed at random, the gesture means "peace." When flashed after some notable accomplishment, it means "victory," as the index and middle fingers form a V.
Watery Eyes -- When a character's eyes become approximately 98.9% liquid, causing them to double in size and in some instances ripple. Watery eyes are usually caused by either extreme distress or happiness, and almost always preceed some degree of crying. Tear bobblers, streams, and waterfalls commonly follow. In some cases, characters will take on watery eyes simply to enhance their cuteness, often to help them get what they want. Watery eyes are sometimes referred to as "anime puppy eyes."
There are other cliches used in anime, of course, but these are just the most common ones. Also note that these rules aren't concrete, as there are always exceptions. Some cliches may show up in other situations that weren't described, or may be paired with something other than what was mentioned, or may even be used in an entirely different way all together. This is just the basics and overall use of each cliche, mostly for quick and easy reference in conjunction with the RP fics. If you think you've got it all down cold, test your knowledge by taking the Anime Cliche Test and see how you do!
I hope you found this section helpful, or if nothing else amusing. I may add more cliches to the list as they come up or become more common. Check back now and then to see if there's anything new!
