Battle anime have been pretty disrespected over the last few years, so I just wanted to say my piece on why an anime having good fights DOES matter, and why that’s critical to the plot and a component of good storytelling. [Part of a larger discussion on what I think truly makes a fight good.](https://youtu.be/K0sQYAOYsR4)
Text transcript of video:
A vital component to every story that helps engage the audience in the journey of the characters is: conflict. Whether it takes the form of a battle between artists or intellects, battle against nature, battle against society, or battle between forces, obstacles that try to prevent the characters of a story from achieving their goals are essential in making it a worthwhile experience.
These obstacles can take many forms. Rival sports teams, the zombie apocalypse, law enforcement, **prospective mother in law who doesn’t think you’re good enough**, or in today’s case: superhumans. These difficult-to-overcome challenges are what provide tension in a story; they make us wonder whether or not the characters can really achieve their goals, and if so, just how exactly they’ll manage it. That’s the part that makes a story interesting; seeing the deadbeat failed YouTuber blow up and prove to his lady’s family that he can take care of her; seeing the teamwork and skills a bunch of teenagers sacrificed their youth to hone help them win-out against impossible odds and accomplish what no one but they believed they could; seeing the police let your favourite drug dealer slip out of their fingers so his empire can live on… okay, maybe that last one isn’t as wholesome, but that just proves the conflict is what we consume any story for. How will he figure out who killed the lord of the manor? How will they keep their manga from getting cancelled by Shonen Jump? **How will they win this fight?..**
Fights are important because they’re the method of conflict resolution in battle anime, and now that we know their purpose, we can figure out what makes them good.
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Battle anime have been pretty disrespected over the last few years, so I just wanted to say my piece on why an anime having good fights DOES matter, and why that’s critical to the plot and a component of good storytelling. [Part of a larger discussion on what I think truly makes a fight good.](https://youtu.be/K0sQYAOYsR4)
Text transcript of video:
A vital component to every story that helps engage the audience in the journey of the characters is: conflict. Whether it takes the form of a battle between artists or intellects, battle against nature, battle against society, or battle between forces, obstacles that try to prevent the characters of a story from achieving their goals are essential in making it a worthwhile experience.
These obstacles can take many forms. Rival sports teams, the zombie apocalypse, law enforcement, **prospective mother in law who doesn’t think you’re good enough**, or in today’s case: superhumans. These difficult-to-overcome challenges are what provide tension in a story; they make us wonder whether or not the characters can really achieve their goals, and if so, just how exactly they’ll manage it. That’s the part that makes a story interesting; seeing the deadbeat failed YouTuber blow up and prove to his lady’s family that he can take care of her; seeing the teamwork and skills a bunch of teenagers sacrificed their youth to hone help them win-out against impossible odds and accomplish what no one but they believed they could; seeing the police let your favourite drug dealer slip out of their fingers so his empire can live on… okay, maybe that last one isn’t as wholesome, but that just proves the conflict is what we consume any story for. How will he figure out who killed the lord of the manor? How will they keep their manga from getting cancelled by Shonen Jump? **How will they win this fight?..**
Fights are important because they’re the method of conflict resolution in battle anime, and now that we know their purpose, we can figure out what makes them good.