#jigokuraku headcanon

[libertastandem]

Sagiri kissed Yuzuriha first.

[nevermeyers]

: ̗̀➛ Jigokuraku relationship hcs 𐇵

» featuring: tenza, shion, fuchi, gabimaru

» neutral reader ; no nsfw

➛ Yamada Asaemon Tenza

» This boy is a sunshine. He'll probably always try to make the first move in the relationship and be the first to propose a date. He's the type of man who would pay for you and give you flowers. He's careful with those he loves, not just with you, so that includes the rest of the people in his life as well.

» He's pretty affectionate. Tenza doesn't mind public displays of affection, and neither does pet names. In fact, he probably has one reserved just for you.

» Tenza is the type of man who remembers everything that's important to you. From things you said you would like to do or try one day, to dates and places. He'll probably be the first to congratulate you on your birthday and he'll take you to that place you have been wanting to visit for so long. He's a good planner and all his plans are a guaranteed success!

» In domestic life, Tenza is concerned and attentive. He doesn't know how to cook or do laundry, but he won't wait for you to do it for him. He will be happy to learn from you and you'll have a great time considering he's afraid of setting fire to the kitchen.

» Definitely his favorite time of the day is at night, after you cook dinner together, when you're lying on the couch or in bed. He'll be under you, gently stroking your hair. His body is the best place to rest after a long day, you can hide your head in his chest and cling to him while listening to his heartbeat.

» He likes quick kisses. Holds your face carefully and place one kiss after another on your mouth until he feels you smile because he has touched your belly to tickle you.

➛ Yamada Asaemon Shion

» Definitely husband material, no one can say otherwise. Shion is a determined and passionate lover under a calm facade. He's quite overprotective of you, he's the kind of man who would get behind you on the escalator when you're wearing a skirt, the kind of man who walks along the side of the road on a narrow sidewalk, the kind of man who asks you how you got home although he was the one who brought you in first place.

» He's mature and stable, and aware that everyone needs their own space. He'll respect your limits just as you must respect his. He's pretty concerned, if there's a problem in the relationship, he won't mind talking about it calmly.

» He will find a lot of comfort in someone who will laugh at his bad jokes and even go along with it when he tells one.

» Displays of affection don't bother him. He likes to take you by the hand and turn you around to draw you towards him and encircle your waist as you reach his lips. He's affectionate in private, he'll sleep better if he is hugging you, hiding his face in your neck; likes to share a blanket and do house chores together. He can be quite passionate about kissing. He has those that take your breath away and leave you with red cheeks and moist lips; those quick and small, of greeting or farewell; he has kisses for all occasions, light touches on your face, holding your jaw, caressing your neck to press you closer to him, going deeper.

» Shion is like another friend. You can count on him if you have any problems or dilemmas, and he won't tell your secrets to anyone. He's not the type to talk about you to his friends if they haven't asked first. They probably didn't even know he had a partner. He's quite reserved, but he loves it when you gossip about things you hear about and end his critique by saying "but who am I to judge?"

➛ Yamada Asaemon Fuchi

» Fuchi is a rational thinker by nature. He needs to find a logical meaning to all his decisions, including those that involve a relationship. Perhaps that's why he finds it difficult to find the romantic meaning of many things. He's not the type of man who notices when someone has feelings for him and probably needs to be told.

» His love language is quality time, definitely. There's nothing he loves more than having a good conversation with his significant other about anatomy, or biology. After years in which he was considered an odd person, he finds great comfort in having someone listen to him and all his theories about how the human body works. He's attracted to intelligent people and would love to ask you to do dissections together, but deep down he's still afraid you'll think he's a weirdo.

» In domestic life, Fuchi is quite busy. He likes to amuse himself by cleaning and ordering his library, where he keeps hundreds of books and manuscripts on medicine and other sciences. He's good at cooking and making desserts. He won't say it, but he loves to see your smile when you taste the result of his new recipe.

» His activities as an executioner don't make him insensitive. Fuchi has a very big heart and loves to help you with things that are difficult or bother you. He's also quite a direct person with what he thinks, so he won't hesitate to advise you when you need a second opinion. Your happiness is his happiness after all.

» He doesn't like public displays of affection. He prefers to reserve those moments for when you are alone at home. Kissing while he rests when he's writing a new manuscript is a small pleasure in life. He will take your hand before you leave, when you have left him a cup of tea, and he will look at you without saying anything, silently waiting for you to understand what he means and if you want it too then it's yours. He will gently grab your shoulder, crinkling the fabric of your clothing, and hold your jaw to place a kiss on your lips.

➛ Gabimaru

» Touch starved, but won't tell. He loves displays of affection and cuddles, and you can always see a cute blush on his face even from a simple kiss. Gabimaru is quite clumsy and sweet when it comes to relationships.

» He'd like to help you with the housework, but he's a mess. He'll probably burn down the kitchen and mix the coloreds with the whites in the wash; his ninja abilities are apparently not useful for everyday things like that, and you don't mind doing them yourself. Though he silently feels guilty for not helping.

» Gabimaru is not the jealous type, but he's quite insecure with the guys who approach you. He has seen the worst of society and of the human being and, therefore, his greatest fear is that something bad will happen to you, or that someone will hurt you. For that reason, he often gets defensive when someone gives him bad vibes.

» When he's had a good day, he sleeps a lot. He can spend twelve hours straight in bed, snoring loudly. His spirit animal is a cat, definitely. He will sometimes cling to you in his sleep, probably hiding in your chest or gently resting his cheek on your shoulder, because he feels safe that way. He doesn't wake up easily, but the first thing he'll do when he wakes up is look for you. If you're not there, he'll most likely jump up and call to make sure you're around.

» He's the type of guy who asks you for a goodbye kiss, only to spend five or ten minutes in your arms, kissing you gently, alternating with small kisses on the forehead while he holds you by the waist. Gabimaru is quite respectful when it comes to touching and will only touch to get closer when you two kiss. He respects holding your hand and is embarrassed by displays of affection in public

©nevermeyers, do not translate, use or steal

[myreygn]

Hell's Paradise brainrot is strong and there are no tickle headcanons for the Yamada Asaemon so tadaa

disclaimer: anime only here, so this won't include Jikka, Shugen, Gagaimo or Tsumutsumu

forgive my audacity @giggly-squiggily but you're my hell's paradise friendo so i'm tagging you

¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸

Yamada Asaemon Eizen

Eizen mein löwe mein bär

doesn't often get involved in tickle shenanigans because he's above that childish nonsense

except when he's not

mostly a ler simply because no one dares to go after him, especially the younger Asaemon are terrified that he just. would not react.

when Eizen steps in it usually means an end to the tickle fight, he'll just grab the culprits and dig into their spots like "Are you gonna behave now?"

not much of a teaser, he'll just straight up go for the kill to 'get it over with'

might give some light cheer up tickles to his favorite students if they really really need it, Sagiri and Senta frequently fell victim to this when they were younger

Shion is the only one who tickles him in private to comfort him or calm him down, it's a rare occasion tho and happens less and less as time passes

he's not that ticklish overall but his ribs and armpits will definitely get a few good cackles out of him and rumor has it Shion even got him to snort once

Yamada Asaemon Shion

the man the myth the legend

you'd think he'd be just as reserved as Eizen but no. oh no.

an absolute tickle monster and a force to be reckoned with

he loves messing with the younger Asaemon by squeezing their sides as he walks by and then pretend like nothing happened and it never fails to make them lose it because it's always out of nowhere

definitely the type to give his students cheer up tickles when they're feeling down

also switches from "try landing a hit on me" to "try tickling me" when they're getting too frustrated about not landing a hit

they also never manage to tickle him but they don't get a chance to be frustrated about that because Shion gets them every time

literally impossible to sneak up on

he's always prepared when someone attacks him and thus everyone has yet to find out that his neck is rather sensitive

Tenza has made it his life's mission to successfully tickle Shion and Shion is thoroughly entertained by the increasingly ridiculous schemes Tenza comes up with to catch him off guard

Yamada Asaemon Senta

on his own Senta is fairly harmless and rather easy to take down compared to his comrades

he's ticklish pretty much anywhere on his upper body, his shoulder blades being his worst spot

the others like to drag him into tickle fights when they think he's distancing himself too much, they sneak up on him when he's spending his break sitting alone and reading instead of eating with them

Sagiri and Tenza are usually the instigators of this and sometimes Kisho joins in to 'show them how it's done'

Senta always squeaks and protests but he doesn't really mind the playful tickles and enjoys goofing off with the others like this

in a group tho? when he's not the one being ganged up on? run.

he's knows everyone's spots and he's keeping NOTES

even the people he's never seen get tickled before, he just straight up deduced their spots from simply observing them

willing to rat out absolutely everyone for a rice ball, this man has zero fucks to give

Eizen actively pays him in calligraphy utensils so Senta won't tell Genji about that awful spot on his lowest rib

Yamada Asaemon Genji

tries to act all stern and serious when a tickle fight breaks out but then someone dares to poke his side and bro is locked in

within the blink of an eye he turns into a pro tickle monster, he has these long arms that are perfect to grab those who are trying to run away

he easily pins down like three people at once and he knows absolutely no mercy, none

just like everything else he takes tickling way too seriously but he has a good sense for when it's enough and always makes sure he doesn't cross any lines

he completely abandons his stoic facade too while wrecking someone and when he's called out on it, he claims it was just to teach his victim a lesson and to strengthen their stamina

no matter how much fun he's having, he won't ever admit it

except when everybody gangs up on him the next day to get him back, then he might be convinced to give in

that's gonna take a lot of effort, despite being pretty ticklish, mainly on his stomach and hips, he can take a lot

also recovers within like three seconds, so whoever dares to tickle him doesn't get much of a headstart, which is why they only do it in a group - if they do, he'll usually go after Fuchi or Tenza and everyone else is safe for now

Yamada Asaemon Fuchi

an absolute menace

"Did you know that this spot tends to be especially sensitive since a lot of nerve endings run together there? Here, let me show you..."

used to have a purely scientific interest in tickle fights, he'd observe everyone's reactions and take notes, doing whole studies on what exactly causes the body to react to the sensation the way it does

after a while he decides he wants to test his own theories and the next time a tickle fight breaks out between Tenza, Sagiri and Genji, he just jumps in and voilà, all of his theories prove to be correct

with the surprise effect on his side and his surperior and super unfair knowledge of the human body, he's surprisingly dangerous despite his height disadvantage

also he's quick, he always wriggles out of grips and dodges all kinds of attacks

the worst part is that he came to find that on top of being very interesting, tickle fights are also fun and he'll just start them out of nowhere if he's bored

people are NOT save, however if they do actually manage to catch him he can easily be brought down by going for his feet

Genji likes holding him up by the ankle to tickle him there and sometimes Fuchi will even willingly surrender to test his theories on himself

Yamada Asaemon Tenza

if Fuchi is a menace, this guy is a nightmare

80% of tickle fights are started by Tenza and 95% of tickle fights are also lost by Tenza

which ofc does not stop Tenza from starting more tickle fights

they're just so much fun and whenever they take a break during training, he's so pumped up from all the adrenaline that he just has to put his energy somewhere

Sagiri is usually the first one he goes for and then it completely escalates as more and more people get involved

he also frequently goes after Genji when he thinks he's being too serious, or Senta and Fuchi when he thinks they're too wrapped up in their books

his favorite victim is Kisho tho, he likes 'turning that frown upside down' and Kisho can't even begin to describe how much he hates that phrase

the downside of all of this is that Tenza is probably the most ticklish out of all the Asaemon and to his great dismay everyone knows exactly where his weakest spots are (his knees kill him)

he always has to keep up his guard around Shion (not that it does anything at the end of the day) and he's a frequent victim of getting ganged up on because people want to take revenge on him

Eizen tickled him once to get him to back off and it spooked him so much that he stopped attacking people for a whole month

Yamada Asaemon Kisho

a shit stirrer, first and foremost

pretends to be annoyed and look down on his comrade's 'silly antics' but really he is probably the worst of them all

the guy to watch someone get tickled and then walk up to them like "Are you really gonna let them do that to you? Don't you wanna get revenge?"

he just loves to add fuel to the fire, he's always lurking around and whispering into people's ears like the little devil on their shoulder

however, he'll 100% get involved if anyone challenges him or claims that his tickling technique is uneffective

spoiler alert, it's extremely effective

unfortunately he's not as sneaky as he thinks he's being and when they're finally done with his bullshit, Senta rats out all of his spots for free

he's very susceptible to the "Don't!" - "Don't what?" and he hates how it really works every bloody time

Tenza tickles him the most and as soon as he's done, Kisho will walk up to Genji and tell him that Tenza made fun of him or smth and then watch from a dark corner how Tenza gets wrecked

don't be fooled by his high horse tho, one squeeze to his hips and he's toast

Yamada Asaemon Sagiri

Sagiri my sun and stars

really needs the tickle fights to loosen up every now and then, it especially helps her to calm down when she's overthinking

is secretly a little grateful to be included whenever Tenza randomly attacks her, she'd never admit that to him tho

used to be really shy about getting tickled in front of the older Asaemon but she learned to have fun no matter who's watching

that being said, she always apologizes for goofing around too much during the breaks in between practice

always gets irritated when the guys go easy on her, Genji especially will sometimes stop wrecking her because he 'can't treat a lady like this' and whenever that happens she strikes back immediately until the tickle fight continues properly

wishes Eizen would still tickle her because it was always just a nice moment between them but she's also too anxious to try and instigate it

likes tickling Senta the most because it's always fun and chill

her sides are her worst spot and Tenza always sneaks up behind her and squeezes which always makes her shriek

during tickle fights is probably the loudest she ever gets

always checks up on people while tickling them so she doesn't overstep any boundaries

[lovelyangelxxx]

kalon | various hells paradise characters x reader

kalon; (adj.) possessing a beauty that is more than skin deep

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

→ when you make a comment about their scars

→ fluff? g/n reader

→ yamada asaemon shion, aza chobe, aza toma (after chapter 56)

yamada asaemon shion ♡

~shion was taken aback when you stated that his scars were beautiful. you state that they are simple reminders that he has survived and endured so much pain. you kiss his scars and flash him your signature precious smile. he believes that intimate moments like these are ethereal. he wishes he could love and protect you forever, to protect someone who gazed at him with such affection and tenderness, no matter his past or appearance. to protect someone who held him with such delicacy and sincerity despite his horrid scars. and to be with someone who loves him just as much as he does is pure bliss.

“you’re absolutely divine my love, scars and all.”

aza chobe ♡

~when you touched the scars on his face, chobe backed away from your hand. however, you said that you love his scars, that it makes him even more beautiful in your eyes. you believed that there is more to him than his somewhat ghastly appearance, and that he should cherish himself just as much as you do. you mouthed words of reassurance and love, constantly reminding him that he’s the only person in your heart, no matter what he looks like. you kissed his scars and held him close while he gazed at you as if you were the most angelic and heavenly being on earth.

“i appreciate your beauty, whether it be your appearance or your heart.”

aza toma ♡

~you ran your finger across the scar along his nose and smiled at him. you remind him that he’s strong and that you’re proud of everything he’s ever accomplished. you whisper words of praise and encouragement, telling him you will always be with him each step along the way. toma has always felt a bit inferior to his brother whom he sees as an idol, however he genuinely appreciates the love and comfort you give him. 

“you’re always enough and you’re always shining in my eyes.”

[summercreolefanfictioner]

jigokuraku memes (may contain spoilers)

(bcos I love sagiri)

click here for pt 2

BONUS:

(made by @megane-sama )

[aretheyqueer]

Is she bi?

disclaimer: this is a hc, not speculating on what the writers intentions were.

reason: Sagiri apparently had a crush on a male samurai when they were young teens and training together, though she neither confirms nor denies the rumour when Shion teases her about it. There's also her dynamic with Yuzuriha, a female ninja who flirts with her and teases her- Sagiri is quite stoic and doesn't react much but doesn't seem annoyed by the flirting either, just annoyed that Yuzuriha wants her protection more than her genuine affection (at least at first). While nothing about their relationship status is confirmed, Sagiri and Yuzuriha do become close friends (or more?) and decide to go travelling together post-canon. Basically, she's ambigiously bi both ways. You can't definitely say she's into men or into women but there are hints at both.

[chrollosnenfish]

Do you see this???

I’m sorry… WHAT. Do you see these casual ways that they’re holding each other??? I already shipped them but looking back at these, it’s literally like they were meant to be.

they are girlfriends

[sneaky-story]

I finished reading hell's paradise, it's not a masterpiece but I can NOT stop thinking about a trans girl Gabimaru. It's taken over my every thought. It fits so well with the themes of the story, the ending, everything relating to her name. I haven't seen a single person talk about this I'm in pain. This is a story about two lesbians discovering what it's like to join a queer found family. Can anyone hear me

edit : ALSO the flower imagery. how they grow on her from the inside as a traditionally feminine symbol. she literally takes the product that turns her into a flower, learns to be "weak" to be truly strong. idk how to be coherent

[actual-haise]

[smokeygrayrabbits]

gabimarus hatred of baths is so wonderful? like, first off theres the cat joke in there about him hating water, but also the whole 'it dulls my edge thing'? his fear of weakness and vulnerability can be seen so clearly through the bath aversion. hates the idea of being unclothed , unarmed, and exploded like that? 'hot water dulls my edge' he definitely falls asleep in baths and avoids them like the plague because of it. which is adorable and tragic and I love him so much UGHHH

[headvampd]

A face that could make a baby cry (real)

How to Console Your Mei: A Comprehensive Guide.

You can honestly just tell none of them have had to deal with a child in their entire life.

[libertastandem]

I can't believe I'm doing this but boredom has gotten the better of me...

Send requests for Hell's Paradise headcanons/imagines.

Please note that I've never done this before so I'm sorry in advance if they're shitty!

[nevermeyers]

Your jigokuraku headcanons were sooo sweet and cute. I love your writing so much! 🥺😭 would you consider writing more headcanons specifically for Fuchi??

Hii! 🌸 I'll definitely write about Fuchi. He's my favorite character!

[summercreolefanfictioner]

jigokuraku drunk headcanons (modern au version)

ps. let's just say I wanna know what they do in the wild times (refer to my modern au fic on ao3 for more details) I also didn't include nurugai and mei cause they're kids huhu

gabimaru

does not get drunk

like zilch nada

it's sad cause he drank alcohol at the age of 8 or 9 as part of his training

and bcos his tastebuds are so numb, he actually has no idea if someone poisoned his drink or if he is drinking alcohol at all

might also be the designated driver lol

yui

you know takagi-san from "the teasing master takagi-san"?

the girl who teases her crush in a smooth way and the guy has no chance to get his revenge?

yep that's yui when she's drunk

makes gabimaru blush 24/7 by teasing him in her own innocent way

knows no boundaries bcos she is never ashamed to get close to him (he secretly likes it tho but it's better if they get a room 🫣)

even asked him to kiss her one time in front of their friends (they did but gabimaru held out a hand to cover their lips bcos yuzuriha wanted to take a picture)

does not get hangover

remembers what she did and is surprisingly happy about it

well as long as she's happy then gabi thinks all is well in the world

sagiri

the crying drunk

as someone who follows rules 24/7 and is never one to break down her strong facade, sagiri lets out her cool when under the influence of alcohol

would get soft and mushy abt every single thing

"gabimaru, your love for yui is such an admirable thing!"

😭😭😭

"I am glad I met a person like you, yuzuriha!"

would also mention names of couples from dramas she binge-watched (fyi sagiri is a major fangirl of theatres and dramas as per canon)

gets hangovers

ends up sleeping while crying

gets embarrassed abt what she did the next day

yuzuriha

the laughing drunk

anything can be filled with humor and she makes fun of anything

AND ANYONE (especially toma much to his own dismay)

would even console sagiri while she's crying bcos she loves her like that

even encourages yui to flirt with gabimaru openly just for the sake of getting a blushing pic of him as blackmail

is the main source of all drunk pics and vids

lowkey scared of senta when he's drunk bcos she is suddenly reminded of senta when he's in his study mode

everyone is suddenly friendly to her after drinking parties (some would still not hesitate to threaten her just kidding)

senta

strict scary drunk

the one who commands the rowdy crowd bcos he can and he will

yuzuriha thought senta will just be that one quiet drunk in the corner

until she remembered senta as a focused individual who lectures her bcos of her poor grades

even sagiri and tenza got mad respect towards him

he is clueless abt this alternate personality

and yes no one tells him abt it

toma

the angry drunk

I swear he is angry at anything and anyone

would even pick fights bcos he believes he is righteous like that

it's like shugen has another brother from the criminal side of things 👀

would still go boasting abt how his older bro is the coolest guy he's ever met

but will also fight him bcos he is drunk and his vision is blurry so he doesn't recognize he is speaking to him

would challenge everyone to a drinking game, especially fuchi and gantetsusai

he loses tho

barfs everywhere (might've slept on them too)

is the one who threatens yuzuriha the next day despite hangover

chobe

the buddha drunk

yeah chobe is wild and brash and has that typical yankee attitude but when he drinks, he suddenly turns into the wisest man alive

preaches good things abt life much to toma's chagrin

even tells gabimaru not to resist yui's flirting attempts bcos she is showing her love like that

tells stories abt how he saw toma as a baby and how it turned his life for the better

"I don't mind doing everything for my brother"

he says that with a gentle smile on his face (creepiest thing ever)

would also cry with sagiri abt soft and mushy things

he's not bothered by his drunk antics tho (but toma is hence why he is on his way to strangle yuzuriha)

tenza

delirious drunk

like he sees things no one sees and laughs about it

acts like he's best buds with everyone

has the habit of taking his clothes off bcos it's so warm and he's feeling hot (does not even care if there are people around)

would even defend this habit by saying "being naked should be normalized! people don't wear clothes centuries ago!"

does not remember everything until nurugai tells him abt it

apologizes to everyone the next day

shion

another delirious one

tbh he can handle alcohol so well but for a blind man, he "sees" things (based on his pov lol)

he tells everyone how tenza looks like a slug of meatball

also walks in a zigzag manner but still thinks he's walking on a straight path

in fear that he might be involved in further accidents, fuchi decides to throw the liquid out of his cup out the window

lectures everyone the next day abt how excessive drinking can ruin their lives (um excuse me????)

shugen

another crying one

tbh no one really invited him (except for sagiri)

is actually a combination of sagiri and toma tho

would fight everyone but would also cry when the other person fights back

"why are you fighting me? didn't you know that war is bad?"

lectures gabimaru abt not flirting back with yui

"you should be grateful your lady is showing adoration for you and your manliness"

mans up the next day and takes responsibility for his shameful actions

jikka

the drunk who acts like they're soooooo drunk

I won't elaborate any further cause jikka is always drinking in the manga

yes he also has blackmail pics and videos like yuzuriha

beware of him at all costs

fuchi and gantetsusai

designated drivers

I joined these two bcos they both observe the people at the party

and they could really hold their alcohol pretty well

at par with gabimaru ngl

would always look out for shion in case he destroys things

also calms senta down when he's angry

tbh gabimaru was their designated driver lol

but bcos gabimaru is ummm "busy" with his wife, they're the ones tasked with taking care of everyone

teases the shit out of everyone bcos no one fights against them

[mia-does-nonsense]

🌸 Hi, I'm Mia! 🌸

Minors do not interact. Just because my blog might seem SFW for now doesn't mean it will stay that way. I will be writing/reblogging NSFW stuff in the near future.

I'm open to writing requests as long they're:

SFW (For now - I will accept suggestive content, but please nothing explicit. I like NSFW, I just currently have no experience writing it.)

Drabbles and/or headcanons

Currently writing for: Jujutsu Kaisen and Mashle. Might write for Chainsaw Man too, depending on the request.

AO3: mia_does_stuff

Masterlist:

Current fics:

The Curse of Despair; A Jujutsu Kaisen / Danganronpa AU (No knowledge of Danganronpa necessary) --- Ch: 2 / ?

The Fear That Keeps Us Alive; A Jujutsu Kaisen / All of Us Are Dead AU (A no curses / zombie AU for those who haven't watched aouad) --- Ch: 1 / ?

~

Memes and shitposts:

Mashle:

1, 2, 3, 4

JJK:

Gojo's Sloppy Nut Treat, Poisonous vs Venomous

Currently watching:

Currently reading: Jigokuraku/Hell's Paradise, CSM, Gokurakugai

Tags: #mia writes stuff (writing tag), #mia makes memes (memes and shitposts), #mia answers stuff (asks)

Dividers by @/mikeykuns

[russenoire]

i think this is primarily an american thing, or at the very least an anglosphere (british commonwealth and former territories) thing.

speaking as an american: i am a member of a minority group here. people of african ancestry number ~13% of the population, and this country has done its utmost for centuries to make us feel like shit for existing, to varying degrees.

i have lost count of the americans in general i've encountered who see anime characters as white unless explicitly stated, because 'white' is still considered 'default' in the US even though this hasn't been true from a purely demographic perspective for some time. i'm not even going to get into the wall street journal regularly freaking out about this, or much of the anti-abortion fervor here being driven by this specific fear. the people who draw characters as black just want to see themselves included in the media they enjoy, period. or represented in a positive light for once. my guess as to why we rarely see other racebends is because other PoC maybe don't feel as left out with respect to skin tone representation?

outside the US, this center doesn't hold; this just reads like PoC erasing representations of other PoC. asians are also PoC; their cultures are important as well.

whenever i see serizawa from mob psycho 100 drawn as black because he has extremely curly, pouffy hair...

or hear about people who claim nurugai (indigenous sanka) from jigokuraku,

or mugen from samurai champloo (indigenous ryukyuan),

or anthy from revolutionary girl utena as black,

i wonder. are y'all also reading the characters like this because you don't know that not all asians are pale-skinned with bone-straight hair? anthy actually wears a bindi.

like, how much of this is lack of awareness and how much is desire for honest representation?

in the case of nurugai, american fans took to twitter to complain for days that she didn't 'sound black' in the english dub. this whole line of protest was so unintentionally racist in so many directions that it looped in on itself: nurugai's VA, cassie ewulu, is actually black.

WTF does it mean to 'sound black'?? why savage the casting of an actual black person, who did an awesome job voicing her character, for not 'sounding black'? need i mention again that nurugai is an indigenous japanese girl that people chose to read as black because of her dark skin and pouffy hair? a real-life case of fans imposing their character headcanons on the actors who play them.

the casting of witch from mercury's suletta in english saw similar fuckery; suletta looks like she could be west asian if you squint hard enough, and fans demanded she be voiced by someone with middle eastern ancestry (it didn't happen, and her dub VA jill harris also did a fantastic job despite the initial hate). make it make sense...

white americans who lighten the skin of darker characters emphatically do not have the same aims. they already claim the bulk of media representation in the US; so often when they do this, it's about 'correcting' a supposed imbalance brought on by the presence of PoC where they 'shouldn't' be (as an example, the sheer amount of white folks in the US who are unaware of the historical presence of PoC in medieval europe is, um, distressingly large), or pushing back against calls for more racial diversity on a larger social scale ('keep your "woke politics" out of my entertainment'), or an only slightly more innocent and defensible preference for lighter-skinned characters in general. this kind of shit gets called 'whitewashing' by PoC for a reason; i refuse to call it racebending.

other races? they've been sidelined for so long in the US that they may as well not register in some parts around here. the USA touts itself as a very diverse place, but that diversity is NOT evenly distributed. there are swaths of the country, mostly rural and suburban, where the only place you'll find real live PoC is on TV. or working as unseen domestic/agricultural labor.

outside the US? it gets simultaneously more and less complicated, and can look just as problematic as black racebending in fan art for non-american audiences... especially with respect to anime characters. almost half the world's population is asian and it's just a different kind of erasure.

i would love to see more black characters in anime! but we're even more rare in japan than we are in the anglosphere, and racist anti-black/dark-skin caricatures are not uncommon (terraFORMARS, anyone? superalloy darkshine from one punch man?).

though i'm grateful for whatever decent actual representation black folks get, i would rather see none at all than... whatever ethnicity the otherwise forgettable takeuchi from mob psycho 100 is supposed to be:

i don't read him as black, for what it's worth, but his coloration and little black sambo-redolent character design are fucked. up. what were y'all thinking, studio bones??

this is takeuchi in the manga, btw:

i must add: on this website where saying something at all is frequently equated to silencing others...

my voicing my opinions does not take away anyone's rights to their headcanons. i have reblogged some racebent art! i appreciate the skill of the artist and genuinely like the art, outside of my own complicated feelings about racebending. nuance exists and contradictory thoughts can coexist in one person. so please, do whatever the fuck you want. if anyone harasses you and i see it, i will speak up for you. if i don't love your art, i won't reblog and i will keep scrolling. it's that simple.

this does not apply to cosplay. black anime fans should be able to cosplay any character they want without harassment or death threats... cosplaying someone of an ethnicity different from one's own is not racebending, and it's usually the only option black cosplayers have.

</end rant>

The automatic assumption of so many people in fandoms that every character with a darker skin color = black and every character with a lighter skin color = white. And the absolute outrage that ensues for some reason when artists draw dark-skinned Asian characters as Asian instead of black. More races than just black and white exist, people.