I want to see an anime/manga/fanfiction that plays on the troupe that in these fictional anime/manga universes, whole cities are often destroyed and civilians are constantly under threat. The story focuses on the perspectives of the main characters, and the only attention civilians are paid is when they are fleeing collapsing buildings.
For example, in Dragonball Z, between Vegeta, the Androids, Cell, Buu, and many others if you include the non-cannon films, cities are constantly being destroyed.
Here’s Buu destroying a city
Here’s Cell killing a bunch of people:
Here are androids destroying another city
Attack on Titan
Naruto: the destruction of the Village Hidden in the Leaf
You get the point.
My Hero Academia
What would a story that focused on the “civilians” look like?
Some possible questions:
- How do they feel about their heroes?
- How do they feel about their government?
- Do they want more government oversight?
- Are there refugees from these cataclysmic events? How are they treated?
- What is the rebuild like?
- Do they want more heroes?
- What do they think their future is?
- What are their hopes and dreams?
- How is this world balancing the overall future of the world with their own lives?
- In Attack on Titan for example, everyone is keenly aware that they are constantly under threat. There’s an understanding that outside the walls is dangerous and that they need to pull together to survive. AoT also has an interesting religion based on the walls. It seems that the only people who really have big dreams are the people who want to leave the walls.
- In My Hero Academia, the “pro-heroes” and “hero agencies” do consider public opinion and sentiment. In fact, one of the major plot lines was a villain manipulating public opinion of heroes for the worse and the implications for the heroes.
From a writing standpoint, if the story focused on a true “civilian” with no connection to the super human main characters, it would be more like a “slice of life” story.
I’m a bit more curious about the lives of supporting characters who’s lives occasionally overlap with super humans, but they are for the most part relatively powerless. I’m quite curious about Naomasa Tsukauchi from My Hero Academia. What is his life like as “only” a detective in a super hero centered world?