Many characters in manga and graphic novels are drawn to be beautiful. When the term beautiful is used, it is meant to encompass not only how the characters are drawn when compared to the current expectations of the status quo, but also how they act and react to things. Perhaps beautiful also encompasses the idea of how such characters get out of problems and scrapes. But most of all, the concept of beautiful characters in our favorite graphic novels, comics, web comics, and manga should include the fact that they are written so that we love them to the point of the term “fan girl” or “fan boy”. That kind of inspiration and power can only be considered beautiful.

But what makes these characters beautiful? Aside from the physical appearance of a character, it can be hard to determine what makes a character, hero or villain, beautiful to anyone else. Maybe it is the way a heroine looks at the villain with pity instead of hatred in her eyes, or how the villain smiles with pleasure when he gets his way instead of being thwarted. Beauty can also be seen in how expertly a fighter wins a tournament, or how intelligent a detective is, no matter how unattractive he or she is compared to normal standards of beauty. If it is subtle nuances and delicate attentions that make characters beautiful, then indeed, there are many different ways a character can be considered beautiful.

Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. And eyes will see many different things to love in beautiful characters. But why are there so many beautiful characters in manga and graphic novels? There are several authors and artists that admit they simply like attractive characters better than any other type, but there must be something more to these decisions. Popularity may have something to do with it. If you ask many manga and graphic novel fans who his or her favorite manga or graphic novel character is, more often than not, it will be someone who is known for being gorgeous in some way. Batman is brilliant in and out of his suit. Wonder Woman is exotic and beautiful outside, and strong inside. Sailor Moon is silly and food-loving, but still beautiful in her desire to save the world.

Finding beauty in manga and graphic novels isn’t hard. More often than not, the first characters introduced will be the most beautiful in the entire strip or series, as the case may be. But it is the characters that have hidden beauty that make some series so enduring. It is the flaws in characters that we love, as much as their beautiful qualities. Yet, the only person who can decide what is truly beautiful in a comic or a manga is the reader, so enjoy yourself, and remember to look for the hidden beauty in characters as well as the more obvious points.