Ask John: Why Are Characters Wearing Glasses Sometimes Evil?

Question:
Why is it that in anime that have characters with glasses, the characters are sometimes evil?

Answer:
Since I’ve never heard or seen a formal discussion of the meaning behind anime characters that wear glasses I’ll have to provide my own speculative answer. As your question implies, not all anime characters who wear glasses are evil or devious. Evil anime characters come in all shapes, sizes, sexes, and appearances, so it’s only natural that sometimes some of them wear spectacles.

I understand, though, that concluding with such a broad response doesn’t address the intent of the question. I get the impression that the question suggests that there’s a noticeable trend of depicting evil characters as wearing glasses. I think there’s a relatively simple explanation for that trend. Despite the fact that wearing eyeglasses symbolizes nothing more than eyesight problems in real life, in the world of anime glasses represent intelligent, studious, introverted, and logical characters. To provide some examples of this association, consider that Love Hina’s Naru Narusegawa puts on glasses to study, and when doing so her violent, short-tempered personality evaporates. Similarly, the bookish Mina Satsuki of Getsumen Toheiki Mina and Mahou Sensei Negima’s Chisame Hasegawa normally wear glasses, but in their outgoing, sexy and aggressive alter-egos, they don’t wear glasses.

Since eyeglasses, as they’re depicted in anime, often denote intelligence, wisdom, and intensive thought, it shouldn’t be surprising to see eyeglasses sometimes associated with scheming, nefarious villains. Eyeglasses imply that the wearer is calculating and rational, always examining the most efficient way to achieve a goal. Furthermore, glasses cover and hide the eyes. Sometimes glasses with swirl lenses are used as a visual signifier to reveal that the character doesn’t see the world clearly. Reflections on glasses that hide the eyes prevent others from clearly seeing the character’s expression and reading the person’s objectives. Gendo Ikari, for example, isn’t a conventionally evil person, but he hides his motivations and goals, using his glasses to prevent anyone from seeing the expression behind his eyes.