Ask John: Is There A Reason For Characters Having Unusual Eyes?

Question:
What’s with anime characters often having two different colored eyes or having one eye that is different or odd (also known as heterochromia)? I’ve also noticed that a lot of anime characters have eye patches that may cover a peculiar eye that either looks different or imbues some kind of power, such as Ryomou in Ikki Tousen and Sven in Black Cat. Is there a cultural basis or meaning behind heterochromatic eyes, or is this just a design trend and/or another method of visually distinguishing a character? For example, I can see no plot or character reason for the different color eyes of the twins in Rozen Maiden other than them being mirror images of each other, which suggests design aesthetic. But Sven’s eye in Black Cat can see the future, which suggests a cultural or plot-related motive.

Answer:
I’m not aware of any specifically Japanese traditional or superstitious belief associated with the eyes that may explain for the frequency of heterochromatic or otherwise unusual eyes among anime characters. That’s not to say that such a cultural explanation doesn’t exist, though. Without a concrete reason for me to refer to, I can only provide a hypothesis. I agree with your suspicion that design aesthetic is frequently the reason behind distinctive visual traits. Some explanation may also lie in adopted belief common throughout Asia.

With the sheer number of anime characters that exist, naturally artists sometimes choose to give certain characters distinctive visual characteristics that make the character unusual and memorable. Characteristics like unusual eyes can make a character’s visual appearance memorable for viewers. Unusual eyes can also generate or enhance characterization by giving the character a special ability or supernatural power, or simply make the character stand out among his or her peers. For example, the Rozen Maiden twins having alternate green and red pupils signifies that they are similar but not identical. Characters that wear an eyepatch like Captain Harlock and Street Fighter’s Sagat, or Escaflowne’s Valgus, who has only one eye, seem more intimidating because they display the scars of battle.

The Hindu and Buddhist concept of the mystic third eye has been prevalent throughout Asian culture for centuries. While the third eye is a symbol of enlightenment, in popular culture it may also be literally a supernatural third eye. The eye that sees the supernatural is referenced in Chinese pop culture with examples like the 2002 film “My Left Eye Sees Ghosts,” in Thai examples such as the 2002 film “The Eye,” and in Japanese anime examples including Mitsume ga Tooru, 3×3 Eyes, and Dragon Ball’s Tien Shinhan. The concept of supernatural sight or ability contained within a mystic eye also appears in Strike Witches’ Mio Sakamoto and Rental Magica’s Itsuki Iba. Buichi Terasawa’s Midnight Eye Goku puts a modern twist on the concept by granting protagonist Furinji Goku an all-powerful cybernetic eye.

Eyes, it’s said, are the window of the soul, and this is especially true of anime characters, whose large, expressive eyes convey personality and emotion. The aura of mystery created by unusual eyes or an eyepatch serves as a immediately recognizable, ever present distinguishing characteristic. In such a way, unusual eyes are a more effective method of establishing a character’s uniqueness than a condition like Lufy D. Monkey’s “gomu gomu” body or Son Goku’s glowing Saiyajin aura that are only evident in specific circumstances. Distinctive eyes are probably a characteristic that developed as manga began to flourish decades ago and artists sought new ways to diversify characters. The motivation for changing or emphasizing the eyes, in particular, may lie in the religious beliefs that permeate Asia.