Ask John: Why is There so Much German Influence in Anime?

Question:
There seems to be a lot of German language and references in anime. Can you explain them? And why is the WWII German Tiger Tank is so popular in Japanese animation? Kazuki in Dual had one in his windowsill. The Aestivalises in Nadesico fought a bunch of them that were controlled by the Jovians. Urd used one against her doubles in Adventures of the Mini-Goddesses. And most recently Rikujo Boueitai Mao-chan employs one. So what’s the fascination with this 60-year-old piece of German armor?

Answer:
The question of why a German influence is so pervasive in anime comes up quite often. In the few minutes of research I attempted, I simply wasn’t able to find any theories on the topic or any speculative reasoning, so I can only provide my own unsubstantiated, unverified theory.

Neo-Nazis are the central villains of Shin Kujako-Oh. Nazi uniforms appear in Cream Lemon OAV 14 and the Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer movie. Asuka Shoryu Langley of Evangelion is part German. The title Weiss Kreuz is German. The country of Gartlant in Saber Marionette J is heavily inspired by Nazi era fascist Germany. The German influence in anime may seem significant or tremendous when considered briefly, but under close scrutiny may be exaggerated. The above examples account for less than a half dozen examples from the past 20 years and thousands and anime titles. Taken in context, German influence in anime is seemingly no more common or significant than examples of American or European culture in anime. In a field as vast and diverse as anime, it’s natural to expect that at least a small percentage of anime include some references to German culture or language.

But there may also be slightly more to the inclusion of German symbolism in anime than is at first guessed. As a matter of simple fact, Nazi era Germany represents a more immediate and recognizable symbol of militarism than any other image of the contemporary era to the entire Western World and at least part of the Eastern World. Not Communist China, nor cold war era Russia, nor twentieth century America evoke the same immediate sense of fear, awe and military aggression that the Nazi SS uniforms and tools of German warfare represent in the minds of most of the world’s industrialized nations. By utilizing that common hereditary knowledge, a German influence in anime can create subtly effective characterization. It could be argued that Asuka Langley’s German background creates a subconscious explanation for her belligerent personality in the minds of viewers. Using a German title for Weiss Kreuz unconsciously prepares viewers for a vicious story about professional assassins. The purely functional and unfriendly square design of the German Tiger tank make it virtually the epitome of threatening military machines. The mere outline of such a tank immediately suggests power and strength and aggression. When the traditional, boxy tank appears in Mini-Goddesses or Nadesico or Evangelion, or Urusei Yatsura, it wordlessly indicates a threat of attack, and establishes a visual wall of defense that doesn’t need explanation. By including this symbol in anime, the anime achieves its ultimate goal of effective purely visual storytelling. Of course, in the same sense, without needing words or explanation, using Nazi helmets as seats in Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer, or placing ultra-cute but stupid and clumsy little girls in nazi uniforms in the Nalice Scramble Cream Lemon episode visually emasculates the traditionally fearful image of soldiers and war, parodying the seriousness of soldiers and war and creating a subtle, unspoken anti-war message. Likewise the inclusion of a large tank in Ground Defense Force Mao-chan, only to reveal that it’s actually just a motorized life-sized model kit, or intelligent tanks in Burn-Up X and Galaxy Angel that act like frightened children, or the tank in Those Who Hunt Elves that’s possessed by the spirit of a cat all undercut the fearsome nature of these battle machines.