It's interesting to consider the contrast between Japan's approach to superheroes and the United States' approach.
In Japan, in multiple different anime and manga series, superheroes are all registered with the government, and formally categorized as an officially sanctioned body. They're essentially government employees. The exception to this are the vigilantes that show up in things like MHA, and these are treated as very bad things by much of the population.
Meanwhile, in the US, in Marvel, DC, Image, and elsewhere, almost ALL superheroes are vigilantes. None of them are registered with any kind of government or system. All of them are, effectively, criminals, and when they save people they're technically breaking the law. Even the really good guys like Superman or Spider-Man. Yet this is not treated as some huge obstacle or problem. In fact, in Marvel's Civil War event, it was precisely the attempt to register heroes with the goverment that DID cause the problem, and all of the more morally upright heroes, like Captain America, treated it as a bad thing.
The radically different approach to the idea of costumed crimefighters between countries really intrigues me. I wonder what the attitude towards superheroes is in other countries, places like France, or China, or Germany, or Australia?
Actually don't the fantastic four work for the government as scientists? They receive actual funding.
Mason Miller
>different cultures have different views Wow what a discovery
Christopher Edwards
I've often wondered this myself, and I'm pretty sure I've seen a manga page bringing attention to it with some kind of Iron Man knock off character, wish I knew where to find it. I think to really get an answer to your question though I think you'd have to go back to the past and ask it. I think the civilizations of the world have become too globalized to have drastically different opinions on things like superheroes, you'd have to go back many decades to when we were all a bit more insular.
Charles Brooks
It stems from the fact that Japan and The US have entirely different views on Government.
Japan from memorium has been a culture about showing honor and devotion to the heads of states whether they be the shogunate, emperor, or current governmental body. So it makes sense that superheroes as portrayed by Japan would be government stooges that require government backing and registration.
The US on the otherhad has always had a culture surrounding freedom and self autonomy seperate from the government. As a result superheroes work outside the government in the American portrayals.
It's not that surprising.
Connor Cooper
DC's The Great Ten are official employees of the Chinese government, China having a very strict hold on them, and it's probably the main reason why they've crossed swords with DC's American heroes so often: not because they're "evil", but because of international politics and laws.
The original American super hero was designed for comics and radio. Their purpouse was to show citizens that even in times of trouble they could do great things with the right attitude.
Compare that to original Japanese hero's of the 1930's. Ogon Bat was one of the worlds first superhero's yet he never really worked for the government either. The core message was similar, one must fight to protect the world from 'crime syndicates' which were easy stand ins for gangs.
Americans mock the idea of it because to them, every instance of following orders is a nazi thing. (And yet, they somehow think the freedom to be a nazi is sacred).
In Brazil, superheroes fight AGAINST the government. And I must believe plently of other latinamerican heroes do the same.
There's that, but then there's also the ranking that happens a lot in manga. And the underlying matter of it just being a job or pay raise and or publicity opportunity. There are exceptions, but it seems to be a pretty common motivating factor for the majority of "heroes". And I put heroes in quotations because when there motivating factor is wealth or fame or they're just doing enough to stay on payroll are they really heroes?
It used to be or at one time the story was that any handful of Reed's inventions would bring capitalism crumbling down and destroy world economies by providing shit like infinite power, quick easy and affordable travel, solving world hunger. So governments pay him to not actually build any of his world changing patents.
Landon Jackson
>would be government stooges This faggot thinks government is le bad
Ryder Cooper
So wouldn't there be better for the planet if Reed destroyed the flawed world economies and capitalism by replacing it with something better? He has the fuckin technology but he still wants the :LE FREEDOM BO BUY WHATEVER I WANT status quo...
Kevin Johnson
The American Government? Definitely.
Austin Roberts
> The original American super hero was designed for comics and radio No. Popeye was designed to be a side character and became popular.
Bentley White
you faggot don't deserve your government, and right to have weapons
Adrian Jackson
It takes a while to follow all of the cultural leaps, but the answer comes down to cowboys. American superheroes are an evolution of the lone gunman cowboy myth, the vigilante hero with a mask and a six shooter who saves the day where the law does not reach or cannot be trusted. There is a reason why the Green Hornet (who was in every way a cape comic character, just without explicit superpowers) was the grandson of the Lone Ranger. They knew what their audience was.
While it has absolutely zero basis in historical fact, the wild west genre of fiction was immensely popular for a long time. The tropes associated with it became deeply ingrained in american culture and spread to adjacent genres. You don't get vigilant superheroes without vigilante cowboys first making the idea of some random guy taking the law into his own hands culturally acceptable genre fiction.
Japan, obviously, does not have the same cowboy mythology and as such does not worship at its altar. Their heroes are expected to be held accountable for the actions, like any other public service worker. Because, really, the idea that they wouldn't be is ludicrous. If Powerdude punches a monster through a skyscraper and 50 people die, in what sane world do you expect people to just *forget that happened* and treat Powerdude the same as ever?
Blake Robinson
Marvel superscience could have fixed everything over 50 years ago, but the company insists it keeps everything at a "relatable" level for readers, so the general tech level is always around what we currently have, with the more advanced shit only going to hero and villain organizations.
Thomas Diaz
I'm not american, thank god.
Their gun laws and "free speech" is cool, but holy fuck their government is a psychological nightmare
Leo Ward
Naah. I'm european and would trade our limp dicked faggots for some corrupted hardass cowboys in a second. Only how they count their votes is fucked up, some high end math bullshit
Adam Torres
That part of HeroAca bugged me so much. Remember when the kids had to get a fucking loicense to use their superpowers to defend themselves?
Jackson Brooks
>You don't get vigilant superheroes without vigilante cowboys first making the idea of some random guy taking the law into his own hands culturally acceptable genre fiction. Thank Cthulhu this shit is dying our with Frank Miller
Ethan Robinson
>Naah. I'm european and would trade our limp dicked faggots for some corrupted hardass cowboys in a second. There ain't no more cowboys, and at this point, not even men with violent hearts, just Lawyers, Greed and Hedonism.
And if by voting system you mean the electoral college, then you are an idiot. It is literally the entire point of the college to make sure that a single city doesn't decide the politics for the entire country.
Aiden Brown
That was always retarded. Their world isn't relatable to ours at all
