Ask John: What’s the Significance of a Scar on the Nose?

Question:
I was wondering if scars on a character’s nose means anything deeper than just a scar on the nose? The first character I can think of is Guts from Berserk, but then I saw Buso Renkin and was constantly wondering if the scar on the female lead’s nose meant anything, but it wasn’t significantly touched on in my opinion. The only other semi-prominent character I can think of is one of the captains from Bleach. It just always makes me wonder because I don’t see why the artist would choose to put a scar on their nose instead of their forehead, cheek, neck, chin, or any other body part.

Answer:
I honestly don’t know if a scar on the bridge of the nose has more figurative or symbolic significance than a similar scar elsewhere on the face, but it might. The obvious explanation for a scar on the nose instead of on the cheek is simply differentiation. Well known characters including Himura Kenshin, Sagara Sousuke, Bardock, and Rai Ryuuga have a cross-shaped scar on their cheek. Captain Harlock’s scar crosses the bridge of his nose but is most obviously on his cheek. Characters including Kakashi Hatake, Jet Black, Akagami no Shanks, and Zoro Roronoa have scars over an eye. Ageha Kuki from Kimi ga Aruji de Shitsuji ga Ore de is one of the few characters to have a prominent scar on the forehead. So placing a scar across the nose can be simply a less conventional position on the face to place a distinguishing scar. Scars on the face are effective character trademarks because they’re always prominent and visible, unlike scars elsewhere on the body that may be often covered up. Moreover, a scar distinctly on the bridge of the nose, or in Ageha Kuki’s case, the center of her forehead, may reveal a straightforward personality. Unlike a diagonal scar on the cheek that could have been rendered by a glancing blow or while the head was turned, a deep cut on the nose is centered, suggesting that the victim was injured while facing peril head-on. After all, characters including Captain Harlock, Buso Renkin’s Tokiko Tsumura, Gutts, and Ageha Kuki have very straightforward, pretenseless personalities while characters with scars on their cheeks, including Himura Kenshin and Sagara Sousuke tend to have bipolar personalities.