Ask John: Is All Anime Based on Fiction?

Question:
I have watched many anime series (Child’s Toy, Sailor Moon, Ranma 1/2, Dragonball Z, etc.), and I realize all anime series out there portray fictional characters with a fictional plot. Is there a rule out there that says all anime has to be fictional?

Answer:
There’s no rule or reason at all that mandates that all anime must be fiction. Anime fans in Japan and all around the world obsessively consider anime a form of contemporary art, but we too often forget that anime is also a commercial product like Hollywood movies, automobiles or even cat food. Generally speaking, anime has to make a profit to survive. As a commercial product, anime is a form of entertainment. It provides escapism and fantasy. To make anime accessible and entertaining to watch, creators commonly create fantastic worlds and characters to catch viewers’ attention. Not all anime, though, is fiction, and not all anime needs to be fiction to be entertaining. Here’s just a few examples:

Otaku no Video is a fictionalized account of the actual history of Gainax Studio.

Like a Cloud, Like the Wind and Romance of the Three Kingdoms are both based on Chinese history, and all of the characters and events in both movies are generally historically accurate.

Graveyard of Fireflies and Rail of the Star both feature fictional characters that represent a population of real people that went through similar trials during the time periods presented in the films.

Rurouni Kenshin is a fictional account, but the general events of the time presented are accurate, and many of the characters in the series are loosely based on real historical figures.