The Yaoi Hero - The Hero's Journey

My curiosity about the validity of the Hero's Journey when placed in another culture's setting prompted me to apply it to a tightly focused sub-genre that is mainly written by Japanese women for women.

How does Joseph Campbell’s the Hero’s Journey, a story structure supposedly inherent to all cultures around the world, apply to the yaoi/shonen-ai genre?

As a test I've taken Wild Rock, a yaoi/shonen-ai manga, and applied the structure of the Hero's Journey to it. My results surprise me.

*** There are spoilers ahead for the Manga Wild Rock.****

1. Ordinary World. Before the story begins.

a. In general, this period of time shows the normal state of things. The two heroes are going on about their every day lives. They are blissfully unaware of the drama and romance to come.

b. Wild Rock doesn’t waste too much time in the Ordinary World. The Seme, Emba and Uke, Yuuen meet on the second page. Emba saves Yuuen’s life while Yueen is on a hunt for their tribe. Presumably, Yuuen and Emba before that point are carrying out the ordinary, day to day duties of their life.

2. Call to Adventure. Our heroes, the Seme and Uke meet.

a. This is the Catalyst or Call to Adventure, signaling the change to come. Without this event, this particular story would not have been told.

b. On the second page, Emba saves Yuuen’s life from a Sabre Tooth Tiger. Emba is from the Lake Side Clan which is always successful in their hunts. This takes prey from the Eastern Forest Clan. The Chief of the Eastern Forest Clan decides to send a mediator to ease the strife between the Lake and Forest clan. He chooses his son, Yuuen.

3. Refusal of the Call. Hesitation

a. A true adventure is full of perils and change. For our Bishonen to just jump into it without hesitation, doubt, or obstruction is suspicious.

b. Yuuen tries to refuse to be the mediator between the Lake and Forest Clan because of what he’d be required to do…or wear. His objections are brushed aside by his father and not even acknowledged.

4. Meeting with the Mentor. A person that encourages the Bishonen past initial fears.

a. The mentor comes bearing gifts. Whether it is advice, a map, or a dress. The mentor gives the reluctant Bishonen Hero a push towards the first step in the Journey.

b. The Mentor is Yuuen’s father, Chief of the Eastern Forest Clan. Yuuen’s father’s plan to ease the strife between the two Clans is to make Yuuen wear a dress. He states blandly that men are weak to women and he can think of no other way to ‘persuade’ Emba to help their Clan than to make Yuuen wear a dress and go do some persuading.

5. Threshold. The commitment

a. Crossing the threshold is a commitment from which there is no turning back…if there’s to be any story.

b. After accepting the task that was forced on him, Yuuen meets Emba several times at the lakeside dressed as a girl. Yuuen falls in love with Emba. Yuuen becomes saddened by his trickery of Emba, especially when Emba gives him a huge fish to take to his clan.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies.

a. The way forward is barred by friends, foes, and personal demons.

b. Yuuen’s bother expresses his dislike of Emba and is sure Emba is saying something to make Yuen sad. And from the animal kingdom, a giant crocodile is determined to have the unwary Yueen for lunch. Emba saves Yuuen from the crocodile and in the aftermath Emba kisses Yuuen tenderly. Yuuen doubts that it’s him Emba really loves as Emba thinks he’s a girl. Yuuen rejects Emba’s advances and runs away from him.

7. Approach to the Innmost Cave

a. The Bishonen Hero prepares for and approaches a battle.

b. And armed Emba goes after Yuuen, straight into the Eastern Forest Clan’s territory. He meets Yuuen and tires to steal him away only to be stopped by Yuuen’s protective father.

8. Supreme Ordeal. The final battle

a. The Bishonen Hero faces his greatest fear and faces death.

b. Emba faces down Yueen’s father in an Ordeal. Yuuen’s father points his weapon at Emba and demands with a parent’s voice, “Can you really protect my child?” Emba knows that if he doesn’t past this test, then he’ll never see Yuuen again and so he simply answers, “I will give up everything for that purpose.”

9. Reward.

a. The Hero passes the test and gets his reward.

b. Yuuen’s father is defeated by Emba’s simple answer. He tells Emba to take Yuuen and leave. Emba seizes his reward, Yuen, and leaves the Forest Clan behind.

10. The Road Back.

a. The Hero finishes his adventure and leaves, back to the Ordinary World.

b. With Yuuen walking by his side, Emba takes leaves the Forest Clan’s territory.

11. Resurrection

a. The resurrection is the climax of the story.

b. Yuuen and Emba consummate their love in the night and are reborn into a new world filled with possibilities.

12. Return with the Elixir.

a. As a result of their adventure, the Bishonen Heroes come home and shares what has been gained.

b. The next day, Emba and Yuuen join the Clan of the Eastern Forest and the Lake Side Clan in a ceremony. They’ve brought back the elixir of love that will join and heal both communities of a long strife.

Wild Rock does indeed follow the classic structure of the Hero's Journey. This is proof that even in a niche genre like Yaoi and Shonen-ai, the Hero's Journey is an eternal story in new clothing that has sparked the interest of women everywhere.

Anime Archetypes

Ever wonder why you see the same anime characters popping up over and over again? No…it’s not stealing. They are just archetypal characters: generic personalities that pop up in every culture.

Dowload the pdf for write-ups of 19 male and female archetypes like the Sullen Bishonen, Perverted Old Man, the Female Prince and others.

Character themes in Naruto and why I care

I’ve been wondering why manga moves me. I’ve always wondered why I feel indifferent in a typical North American film when the hero goes through his trials, suffers a lot, his whole family dies and I feel absolutely nothing. Yet in manga like Naruto or Fruits Baskets, villains at their most vicious make me weep in empathy.

It’s been a missing link that I’ve been trying to figure out. Why do I care?

I’ve realised that no matter how crazy a premise, or how grand a story, if can identify with a character’s personal theme all else is icing on the cake. I’ll be taking the characters in Naruto and revealing the themes that motivate them towards their goals…and why I care.

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When I first met the characters of Naruto, they appeared to be the same stereotypes that I met before. If I hadn’t had my 10 episode rule firmly in place, by the time I got around to watching the anime, I’d have missed out on experiencing one of the most moving stories of my life. I am not going to touch on every character, just the ones that I identified with so strongly that for those moments they were on screen, I lived within them.

Warning: There will be spoilers. This article covers Volume 1 – 19 of the manga and Episodes 1 – 96 of the anime. The characters I will touch on are Naruto, Haku, Roc Lee, Hinata, Neji, Gaara & Sasuke.


Naruto.

Theme: To be acknowledged
Goal: To become Hokage of the Leaf.
Character Intro: Vol 1, Ch1, Pg 3

On the surface is a one dimensional character with the stated purpose, “to become the Hokage of the Leaf.” His personality is brash, bold, daring, loud, and dumb which I don’t care for at all BUT his whole character is driven by the personal theme, to be acknowledged.

Anyone who feels lonely and left out and who is striving to get the attention of their peers or recognition in anything can identify with that character theme. That is why I eventually warmed up to this character because at his core, Naruto is a lonely orphan who has been shunned by his village because a fox-demon was sealed within him at his birth.

Naruto wants to be seen by his village as someone who is valuable to the community and the person who is the most valued is the leader, the Hokage. As Naruto has no family, last in his class, and an outcast, to been seen he’s had to be the loudest one there is. The only thing that sets Naruto apart from the geniuses that surround him (apart from the Fox Demon within him) is that he never gives up.

Ch 166 18 & 19 – Jiraiya acknowledges Naruto as a “spirit that never gives up.”

Ch 98 11 – I may appear strong to you but that’s because I act though because I’m so frustrated of always failing. – Naruto to Hinata

Haku.

Theme: To be needed/valued for his skills..to be wanted.
Goal: To be an emotionless tool that makes Zabazu’s dreams come true
Character Intro: Vol 2, Ch15, Pg 16

Haku’s surface is that of blind loyalty to Zabazu who uses him like a tool because of his advanced bloodline. His personality is gentle, kind and pure and he is driven by his goal which is to “to be an emotionless tool that makes Zabazu’s dreams come true.” (Vol 3, chp 25).

Haku’s goal comes from the simple fact that in his world, he was a person who was unwanted. His advanced bloodline is an ability that got his mother killed by his father. Haku became as street orphan when he killed his father. He was living on the streets, without a dream, not needed by anyone when Zabazu found him. For Haku, to be needed by Zabazu is the reason he is alive. He is fully aware that Zabazu only wants him for his special abilities and that makes Haku happy. (Vol 4, chp 29 12) For Zabazu he can kill his kind heart and become a true emotionless shinobi.

Haku’s theme hit me on a personal level. There was a point in my life where I was asking the deep questions…what is the meaning of my life?…what thing do I have to contribute to society? To be without purpose in life, and feeling that I had no skill that was needed by society made me feel worthless. Haku summed up that period of my life exactly.

Vol 04, chp 29, 06 - Can you understand…not having a dream, not being needed by anyone, the pain of simply living – Haku

Vol 04, chp 29, 12 – If someone who acknowledge you from the bottom of their heart appeared, wouldn’t that person become the most important to you? – Haku to Naruto

Roc Lee.

Theme: Hard work surpasses genius…
Goal: To prove that it’s possible to become a great ninja without ninjutsu or genjutsu
Character Intro: Vol 4, Ch36, Pg 01

A very uncool looking character, Roc Lee has confidence based on his theme, “Hard work surpasses genius.” Unlike other ninjas who have special abilities, Roc Lee can only use Taijututsu which is simple hand to hand combat. His back story is that of a Spirited Loser who was always beaten down as a kid because he couldn’t match up against the other ninja kids. (Vol 10, Chp 84)

Determined to overcome this handicap, Roc Lee has trained to become a great ninja of the Leaf . His body bears the marks of his training, and his hands are bruised so much that he wraps them in bandages.

When Lee first meets Sasuke who is “of a genius bloodline,” Lee kicks his ass. Lee proved that even if Sasuke’s Sharingan can see & record his moves, Sasuke doesn’t have the ability to counter it because his body simply isn’t fast enough. Naruto acutely observes to a beaten and pissed of Sasuke, “he trained more than you, that’s all”. (Vol 4, Chp 38, Pg 16)

Lee’s goal is to prove that he can become a great ninja without the use ninjutsu (hand seals) or genjutsu (illusion techniques). His teacher, Gai, notes in the battle against Gaara that Lee may not be a genius with the ability to use special abilities, but he is a genius of hard work. (Vol 10, chp 84 pg 13) Ultimately, Lee’s battle with Gaara was lost, but he proved to everyone watching that he is a great ninja.

Roc Lee is the hero of everyone in the world to which nothing comes easily, especially the things you really want. I have the fear that no matter how hard I work in art or writing, I’ll never be able to compete with the geniuses of the world. (vol 10, chp 84 pg 14). I rooted for Roc Lee with intensity because he is me.

Vol 05, 37, 19 - Do you know this? Among strong people exists genius types and hardworking types. If your sharingan is a genius type from the Uchiha blood, I’m simply a hardworking type who has mastered only Taijutsu. – Roc Lee to Sasuke

Hinata.

Theme: To Change Herself
Goal: To not run away
Character Intro: Vol 05, Chp 39, Pg 07

A shy girl, Hinata is so quiet that when she tried to help Nartuo cheat in the first test of the Chuunin exam, no one notices. She likes Naruto and she entered the Chuunin exam not for her team mates sakes, but to change herself.

Hinata is the child of the main house of an old Leaf clan. In her family, she’s considered a loser: lesser in ability than her younger brother and cousin. Hinata is full of doubt, even though she has and advanced blood line ability called the Byakuzan.

In the 3^rd test of the Chuunin Exam, Hinata is matched up with Neji, her cousin in the lesser house of the Hyuga clan. Neji hates her guts and she nearly looses a mental game with him when he suggests with scorn that she should quit. Hinata is terrified and doubtful. She knows Neji could kill her, but Naruto’s encouragement spurs her to fight with all her skill.

Hinata is defeated and nearly killed by Neji at the end of the battle. But Hinata showed herself and all that were watching that she has the ability to stand her ground and fight. She surpassed the limit she had placed on herself.

There were many situations in life when I knew I couldn’t win. Hinata gets across the point that I eventually realised: the only losers are the ones that don’t try. Did anyone really think after that battle that Hinata wasn’t a winner?

Vol 09. Chp 80, Pg 14 - From the time of your birth, the responsibility of the Hyuga main house has been forced on you. You have always hated yourself for your own weaknesses. There’s no need to suffer, let it go. - Neji

Neji.

Theme: People cannot change themselves
Goal: N/A
Character Intro: Vol 04, Chp 36, Pg 02

Neji believes that people can’t change themselves or their stations in life. Neji’s destiny was decided the day he was born. His father, even though he was a twin, was a second son. They so became a branch family within the Hyuga Clan. Branch families can never inherit and are bonded to the main family line by use of a curse seal called the bird in the cage.

The seal is a mark of control and bondage. It makes sure that secondary bearers of a Hyuga clan advanced bloodline can never turn against the main family. The curse seal allows a member of the main branch family to kill the mind of those who bear it…”the absolute fear of death.”

The curse seal was carved into Neji’s forehead on Hinata’s (daughter of the main branch family) 3^rd birthday. Neji has become bitter at his inability to be free of his fate and has decided that destiny, especially his, can’t be changed. The only thing Neji can do is hate the Huyga Clan for caging him and murdering his father. Neji has no goal but what is decided for him by the Huyga clan which is to protect the main branch family members.

Neji is interesting in that while I can’t identify with him in a way that is related to a past experience, I can empathize with him easily. I can understand that if I was in that situation, I’d very likely turn out to be just like him. I would lash out at people as a substitute for the ones I can’t touch.

Vol 12, Chp 100, Pg 10 - Talent is decided from birth, you can say that everything is decided when a person is born. - Neji

Vol 09, Ch 80, pg 15 – That’s not true. The person lost and suffering within the destiny of the main branch houses is you. – Hinata

Vol 12, ch 103, pg 05 - You could never understand what it’s like to be burdened with a symbol that you can never rid yourself of! – Neji to Naruto

Gaara.

Theme: Love only myself. Fight only for my sake.
Goal: To kill everyone but himself
Character Intro: Vol 04, chp 35, pg 12

“Those who meet my eyes.. all must die.” These are Gaara’s words. (chp 58, pg 14) Gaara of the Sand had the incarnation of sand bound within him at birth. Born a monster, he has an ultimate sand defence that allows none to harm him. He was to become the ultimate weapon of the sand kingdom. However, Gaara became too strong and his father, the Kaze Kage of the Sand tried to have him assassinated.

This resulted in Gaara becoming without focus. What was his purpose? Why was he here? Gaara needed a reason to exist and came up with a life purpose that terrorized all who met him. “I exist to kill everyone besides myself.” This is what filled his life with purpose and joy. (Vol 11, chp 97, pg15)

Gaara’s birth killed his mother. His father wants him dead, his mother’s sister volunteered to assassinate him and failed, and his siblings are terrified of him. When he was young, because his armour of sand protected him, Gaara never got injured. When the concept of pain is explained to him, he points to his heart and says, “I always feel pain.”

“Love is the only things that can stop such a heart ache,” his caretaker says before trying to kill him. When the caretaker reveals that his mother never loved him and never wished to give birth to him, Gaara goes insane. I’m not really clear on this but it looks like Gaara, in his insanity, chooses to believe an older version of a story about his mother. He decides to believe that armour of sand that protects him is a symbol of his mother’s love for him. The Kanji for love (愛) becomes seared into his forehead…and mother and son wreak their vengeance on the world.

Gaara’s character is so insane that he makes sense. He’s a badass character that I wanted to see go down. It was seeing Gaara through Naruto’s eyes that made me finally understand. Gaara like Naruto was shunned. But unlike Naruto who reached out and finally received acknowledgement in the form of friends, everyone Gaara reached out to tried to kill him. Hence his reaction: kill them first. Like Neji, I may not have a related experience but I can understand.

Vol 22, chp 97, pg 24 - Why do I exist? Why I’m I alive? As you live, you need as reason, otherwise it’s the same as being dead.”– Gaara

Vol 15, Chp 129, Pg 19 - What is pain? - Gaara

Sasuke.

Theme: I must survive in other to kill my brother
Goal: To get powerful enough to kill his brother and the resurrection of his clan
Character Intro: Vol 1, chp 3, pg 05

When I first met Sasuke, the words out of his mouth, “I want to kill a certain man,” was downright laughable. (Vol 1, chp 4, pg 07) He was cool, clam, perfect in everything he did and that’s why I did not relate to him until his back story was revealed.

Sasuke is focused. He is driven to excellence in his studies and training because of his goal. While in training to be a Genin & in the Chunnin Exam, Sasuke became more interesting in that despite his theme, he was willing to sacrifice life & goals for his friends. In the 2^nd test of the Chuunin Exam, Sasuke is given a curse seal by Oorochimaru. “Sasuke will seek me to seek power.” Oorochimaru says knowingly when he bites Sasuke.

When Sasuke meets his brother for the first time after his parents were killed, Sasuke gets put in the hospital by Itachi. Sasuke realised that he couldn’t even get his brothers attention as a serious threat and that his brother only came back for Naruto. Sasuke begins to change and live out his theme and goal seriously. So much so that when the time comes, he cuts his ties to the Leaf clan and leaves his friends behind.

The full story with his brother Itachi is revealed after Vol 19 & Episode 96. But what it comes down to is that Sasuke loved his brother and was deeply betrayed by him. The day of his parent’s death is the day earth shifted under Sasuke. His beloved brother changed from the person Sasuke thought he knew into a complete stranger.

Vol 07, chp 56, pg 03 - I finally understand it, I’m an avenger, even if I eat the devil’s fruit, I’m on the path where I must gain power. – Sasuke

Vol 17 Chp 148, pg 01 - Not enough hate... Why are you so weak? – Itachi to Sasuke

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It is not enough for characters to have goals. Characters must have themes that I can identify or empathize with to make a truly enriching experience. The characters past, the events that have shaped them into their themes are only revealed during times of conflict.

The wonderful part about a theme is that it triggers a uniquely tailored memory within the audience that can be applied to a story. While being immersed in the story, you will be simultaneously re-living your life again with greater understanding and compassion.

Shinigami - The death gods

If you’ve watched Bleach, read Death Note, seen Yami no Matsui it’s hard to avoid this word. Who are the shinigami? You wonder, and why are they such a popular part of Japanese pop culture?

死神 – shini-gami – The death god is the god your soul meets when you die. This god is a guide that helps you move on to where you’re supposed to be in the next life. Be it heaven, hell or some other realm.

There are only two articles that I can find on the Japanese version of this popular mythological character. What I’ve read boils down to this: Shinigami are not native to Japan but imported by the Western and Chinese versions of death gods. It seems like the Japanese got the visual image of the shinigami from the West and the bureaucratic nature of the job from the East. Below are the referenced articles.

Manga News
Wiki Shinigami

One of the most unique takes I’ve seen is from the Japanese movie After Life or Wonderful life.

After Life’s premise is that when you die, you get taken to a waiting area and assigned as a case to the workers there (shinigami). Your task is to choose a moment that you can spend eternity in. Basically, you’re choosing your idea of heaven. You’ve got seven days to complete this task. But of course, it’s more difficult than it seems.

The Kami

The Kami are the spirits of Japan. They are the spirits of animals, lakes, houses, storms, family, emotions…anything that has meaning to a person or society. Tales of Kami populate the folk lore and mythology of Japan and bring a rich diversity to the stories coming out of Japan. While the direct translation of kami (神) is god, the term kami is more related to spirits, like the fairies of the British Isles. The Kami are still widely worshipped in a religion unique to Japan, Shinto.

I was raised on the classic myths and folktales from different cultures around the world. Particularly those of European lineage: the Norse, Greek and Roman, and the tales that came from the British Isles from which came the rich folk lore of fairies, elves, orges and dragons. My favourite epic stories like the Lord of the Rings, Final Fantasy, Harry Potter, Xena, the Dark is Rising, Buffy and many others drew from these sources and filled their pages with a vast array of creatures and old legends that I recognized.

As I was unfamiliar with the folk lore of Japan, I was floored by the strange new creatures and tales that were packed into their pages when I began to read manga and watch anime. The idea of Yokkai (supernatural creatures) , Tanuk (Raccon Dogs) , Kappa (frog monkeys) , Bakeneko and Okami ((supernatural cats and wolves) or Kitsune (Spirit foxes) resparked my interest and enthusiasm in folklore as they each had distinct personalities and abilities that enriched a story.

The works of Rumiko Takahashi (mangaka of Inuyasha and Ranman ½) abounds with an army of creatures drawn from Japanese folklore. And most anime fans will recognise the mythological creatures of Japanese folklore of the Kitsune in Naruto, the Yokkai in Saiyuki, The Tanuki in Inuyasha, the Bakeneko in My Neighbour Totoro and The Cat Returns, and the Okami in Wolf’s Rain.

I am constantly amazed by the wide variety of unfamiliar characters that can be developed by drawing from the Japanese mythology. The cast of Naruto, Fushigi Yuugi, Inuyasha, One Piece and several other mangas makes me green with envy as I struggle with creating a cast with supernatural abilities for my stories.

Building a Hero

"The hero builds his own reality and bends the ordinary world to his will. This reality is tested with many trials, but is anchored with the hero’s personal convictions and utter confidence in his personal goals.

While on his quest, the hero’s ability to inspire, break convention, and substitute his own vision in the vacuum left behind, refreshes and gives new life to the characters. The hero offers us a new path through life. We are transformed when we walk our paths and garner the courage to become the heroes of our own lives." - Akemi

This definition of a hero is the closest I can get as to why I adore the Shonen genre in manga and anime. Think Naruto, Prince of Tennis, Slam Dunk, Full Metal Alchemist, Great Teacher Onizuka, Tenjou Tenge, Berserk, X, Gankutusou …. the list goes on and on. These heroes aren’t perfect, in fact, the one thing they have is imperfections in spades. The element these heroes do have in common is their ability to bend the ordinary world to their will and to create their vision of the world.

My name is Akemi, within these pages I’ll be comparing the myths of Japan that come to us in the form of manga and anime, and comparing them to Joseph Campbell’s works on myth.