They came, they draw, they conquered.
Japanese animation, today known as anime (McKevitt, 2010), continues captivating people around the globe. This is evidenced by the anime industry’s $19.8 billion earned in 2017, driven largely by demand from overseas. Much of the appeal for this animation style comes from its ability to weave together imagery from Japanese culture, from differing cultures, of fantasy, and of concerns expressed by the globalizing world (Fennell et al., 2013). Despite its unique feel and wide appeal, however, some believe anime falls victim to certain problematic tropes seen in both Eurocentric and Western societies. Notably, several human anime characters are seemingly portrayed as White individuals though Japan is a homogenous society, where Japanese individuals are the majority. Moreover, Japanese animation has at times been accused of depicting racial groups other than White in a discriminatory manner. Given this understanding, one must ask if anime falls victim to White supremacy?
Whites and wrongs
By the turn of the 21st century anime became a medium for spreading more ambiguous images of Japaneseness to fans and onlookers around the globe (McKevitt, 2010). Thus, anime characters lack features that non-Japanese individuals might consider ethnically Japanese. Some scholars use the term mukokuseki…
