Hello anime fans! Today, while scrolling through Instagram Reels out of boredom, I stumbled upon 2 or 3 reels that struck me as illogical. I also couldn’t quite grasp why fellow anime enthusiasts would relate to or enjoy them. The central theme was the idea of characters constantly losing ‘just because they were side characters,’ and I’m sure many of you have encountered similar content on Reels, YouTube Shorts, or TikTok.
Now, I’d like to delve into why I believe this perspective is flawed, drawing examples from Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, and various other anime. But before we proceed, I’m curious to know your initial thoughts – do you think this statement holds true or is it incorrect?
Here is the image what i was taking about
Let’s Start
We will exclude One Piece and Solo Leveling because in those series, there isn’t a clear powerful rival or partner who is consistently overshadowed by the main character in the same way as in our other examples.
Why We Are Not Talking About One Piece: One Piece fans generally acknowledge when characters deserve credit. In recent arcs like Wano and now Egghead, there has been widespread praise for the entire Straw Hat crew and their individual contributions.
Reasons Why We Defend The MCs
Early Constant Training:
While Goku (Dragon Ball), Naruto (Naruto, Naruto Shippuden), and Charizard (Pokémon) trained from their early stages – Goku with his grandpa, Naruto with Kakashi, and Charizard in Charicific Valley – we don’t often see Vegeta, Sasuke, or Blastoise undergoing similarly rigorous training in the manga or anime during those initial periods.
Facing Existential Threats:
From his childhood, Goku has faced life-or-death situations. The same applies to Naruto; even while Sasuke was training with Orochimaru, Naruto repeatedly faced near-fatal dangers on missions. Charizard has also confronted formidable opponents, such as Mewtwo and the legendary Entei, in high-stakes battles.
Transformations As milestones
Everyone knows Goku’s iconic transformations (Kaioken, Super Saiyan 1, 2, 3, etc.). For Naruto, it was the continuous learning and mastering of new jutsu. For Charizard, each powerful enemy it faced pushed it to become stronger than before.
Who Are Supporting Side Characters?
I am also a fan of Vegeta and Sasuke. However, if you’ve watched the anime, you know the immense effort Goku and Naruto have put in, and the same holds true for Charizard. It seems some fans are under the delusion that Vegeta, Sasuke, and Blastoise don’t receive enough recognition.
It’s true they were significant characters in the early parts of their respective anime, but as the stories progressed, they also evolved into crucial figures. You can see this clearly in Dragon Ball Super and Naruto Shippuden, where Vegeta and Sasuke are consistently portrayed as major characters with significant arcs.
Over coming Adversity And prejudice
Goku’s childhood wasn’t easy. He traveled the entire Earth, first to find the four-star Dragon Ball he believed was his grandpa, and later trained alone. In contrast, Vegeta at a similar age already knew how to use energy balls and, due to his overconfidence, didn’t feel the need to train as diligently.
Naruto’s situation was equally difficult; both his parents were dead, and tragically, he didn’t even know their names for a long time. Yet, some fans disproportionately show affection for Sasuke, whose backstory, while tragic (his older brother killing their clan to prevent a war), doesn’t negate Naruto’s own hardships. Charizard has faced incredibly powerful opponents, some with god-like power.
In the anime, we rarely see Blastoise confront such high-caliber enemies. It’s perplexing why some fans create shorts or posts seemingly to generate likes and views by downplaying the main characters’ struggles.
Fans Don’t what to acknoeledgement this
We acknowledge the appreciation and contributions of characters like Vegeta, Blastoise, and Sasuke. However, overlooking the immense effort of Goku, Naruto, and Charizard is also unfair. Without Vegeta pushing him, Goku might not have become as strong. Similarly, Naruto’s rivalry with Sasuke was a crucial factor in his growth.
We also don’t deny that Vegeta, Sasuke, and Blastoise are capable fighters and can stand their ground. We understand that because they weren’t the primary focus in the early stages, they didn’t always receive the same level of development initially. However, after becoming integral parts of the main cast, they have grown significantly.
In certain aspects, Vegeta, Sasuke, and Blastoise might even have an advantage. But we need to consider how they are portrayed in the anime and manga. It shouldn’t simply be a matter of disliking the main character and therefore siding with the supporting characters.
Conclusion
These debates surrounding character acknowledgment will likely continue to simmer, fueled by the passionate connections fans have with their favorites.
While the desire to see beloved characters receive the same level of recognition as the central figures is understandable and often rooted in genuine appreciation for their strength and contribution, a closer examination reveals the fundamental reasons behind the primary spotlight on characters like Goku, Naruto, and their iconic partners
