#wanli changcheng

[sullenswordsart-blog]

Sullen Speaks: Body Type Headcanons and Fat Characters in Inazuma Eleven

Or “Why Wanli/Amagi is Great and Why Some Fans Make Pretty Boys Fat”

EDIT: Added concluding paragraph, plus an image of Amagi.

NOTE: Before I get started, be aware that these are just my thoughts and mine alone. If you agree with what's written here, more power to you. If you disagree, you can always hit the back button and pretend this doesn't exist. As an additional note, just because I’m discussing issues within a fandom does not mean that I believe “ALL fans” think or act the same; my discussion is limited to a notable portion of the fan population, but as with everything else, there are exceptions.

Finally, if you manage to read through this and are curious about my headcanons, you’re more than welcome to drop into my inbox, or ask me on Instagram or Twitter.

So LEVEL-5 has revealed some of the new characters for the new Inazuma Eleven entry. Among these is a pudgy, spiky-haired boy with sharp eyes. While not exactly my “type”, per se (I'm not into super-spiky hair), I still like his design overall, and I don't doubt that he would have plenty of fans' attention… if he wasn't overweight.

New character revealed at L5′s 6/24 live video event.

While this can happen with any series or media franchise with character designs that venture past “tall, thin, and pretty”, Inazuma Eleven has been praised by fans and non-fans alike for its diverse and colorful cast. However, despite the acclaim, a lot of these characters get ignored or even looked down upon simply because they don't match up to the usual definition of attractiveness.

Now, I won't deny that I have my own standards and preferences, but I do find it a bit odd how a fandom who, when given the body diversity they've been begging for since, well, forever, choose to toss all that out and gush over the types of characters who wouldn't look out of place in a typical anime. Maybe I'm just being passive-aggressive because several of my own favorite characters almost never get fan attention, to the point where even my own sister felt the need to tell me they're “not pretty enough” to my face. But if you're in a similar situation as I am, you might understand where I'm coming from with this topic.

Going back to my earlier statement, it cannot be denied that overweight characters often get the brunt of this, in all fictional media. In the case of IE, these types of characters do get better treatment than most other series, serving competent roles in a sports anime/game series, and having varying levels of character depth. Yet, despite this, it also contains some of the same reasons why most people would ignore or dislike them. For every positively-portrayed fat character, there's another or several others who are either unflattering stereotypes, too minor to matter, or likewise unappealing (aesthetically or otherwise). In fact, only one character in the series comes to mind when it comes to trumping these common portrayals: Daichi Amagi.

Daichi Amagi, known as Wanli Changcheng in Western localizations, is a stone wall-type defender for IEGo's Raimon Eleven. While he does love his food and eat a lot, these traits don't define his entire character, and this is only known if one reads the game's supplemental text (iNattr, Inalink, etc.) or catches him in the rare blink-and-you'll-miss-it scene where it does occur. And unlike his spiritual predecessor, Heigorou Kabeyama [Jack Wallside], he isn't an outright coward who pisses his pants at the slightest hint of danger. Rather, he's actually quite brave in comparison, even a bit aggressive. While he looks rough around the edges, he has a strong sense of justice and a sensitive nature—both of which come into play during his character arc in the first season of Go. Outside of exceptions in which the entire team gets trumped by the opponent, not once does he hinder the team in a significant way, and when he did falter, he eventually came back stronger. He's on good terms with all his teammates, and his weight never comes up. Overall, he's an overweight character who defies the tired stereotypes and stands out as his own person.

Unfortunately, one of the biggest flaws of Go is its habit of neglecting a majority of its supporting cast in favor of a select few, and because of this, Amagi/Wanli is sadly shoved into the background as soon as his character arc ends. Granted, he is far from the only character this happens to, but this is notable as he's one of the best portrayals of a fat character in anime. On top of all this is IE's gradual “prettyfication” of the main team, with just about everyone being a cute girl or cool/pretty boy and no overweight or cartoonish-looking characters in sight. It's likely because of these reasons that some fans—myself included—have taken matters into their own hands.

There are lots of reasons why fans would re-interpret characters in different body types—for some, it's a fetish, for others, it's a fun, refreshing take—but the conclusion is the same: through art, writing, or other means, they are willing to risk alienation from other members of the community to bring their vision to life. Because so many of IE's more well-liked characters happen to be conventionally attractive, it's inevitable that a number of fans would want to mess around with at least one of them. Whether it's taking a less popular character and making them more appealing or—to go with the running theme of this topic—altering their body types, making them plumper, lankier, or more muscular than their canon counterparts. While this sort of artistic license may confuse or even infuriate fans familiar and comfortable with canon, in the end, these are the interpretations of individuals who are just as dedicated to the series and characters in question, and should be respected like any other fan.

Summing it all up, fat characters often get the short end of the stick, both within canon and the fan community. Whenever they're present, they're often represented negatively, or pushed to the background, and even when a positive representative shows up, they're eventually ignored in favor of more attractive or marketable characters. As a result, some fans resort to re-interpreting attractive personal favorites, which helps to compensate for poor representation, but also alienates them from other fans. Whether one likes fat characters or body type headcanons or not, what I think is important is for fandom to be aware of them and how they're portrayed, and to respect the fans that do appreciate them. With all that said, I'm looking forward to the new Inazuma Eleven game, and that all the characters—including the one mentioned above—are just as likable and unique as their predecessors.