CATDOLL: Japanese media survey: Do you prefer anime protagonists who cheat or fight hard to level up?

In Japanese hot-blooded anime, the growth experience of the protagonist is often a very important plot. In this type of work, the protagonist will usually face one strong opponent after another and fall into a hard battle. Only by defeating these opponents can he continue to upgrade and move forward. But now there are also some works where the protagonist directly uses cheats to kill everything in seconds. So what kind of growth model do you like? For this reason, a Japanese media recently conducted a survey among college students: Do you like to watch anime characters fight hard or use cheats directly? The result is that more people choose normal upgrades.

Do you want to see characters in anime using cheats directly or level up through hard work?

I hope to see the cheating...35.0%

Hope to see a tough fight...64.6%

From the results, more than 60% of people chose to hope for a tough battle. It seems that everyone cares more about the growth process of the protagonist. From the plot, if it unfolds completely according to our imagination, it may be boring. It is the kind of plot that makes us unpredictable that makes us nervous and addicted.

I hope to see the protagonist cheat

Reason 1: It’s cool

“It’s refreshing to kill the enemy instantly with a cheat.” (Male, 20 years old)

“Long Aotian helps us relieve stress and feel relaxed physically and mentally.” (Female, 20 years old)

“It’s a great feeling to get a quick sale.” (Female/21 years old)

Reason 2: You can watch it with confidence

“I don’t have to worry about being killed by the enemy when watching an invincible character, so I feel more at ease when watching it.” (Female, 21 years old)

"The protagonist is very strong, and I feel relieved just looking at him." (Female, 18 years old)

"If it's a tough fight, it's hard to calm down." (Male, 23 years old)

Hope to see a tough fight

Reason 1: I want to see the character grow

"It's interesting to see the character grow up slowly." (Female/18 years old)

“I want to see the character become stronger.” (Male/22 years old)

“It’s easy for people to resonate with that kind of performance of overcoming difficulties.” (Female, 21 years old)

Reason 2: It’s fun

"The plot is more interesting when you are stuck in a tough battle." (Female, 19 years old)

“If everything goes smoothly, it will be boring.” (Female/22 years old)

“Growing up through pain is interesting. I like this kind of heartbeat.” (Female/21 years old)

In terms of the plot, if it unfolds exactly as we imagine, it might be boring. It is the kind of plot that makes us unpredictable that makes us nervous and addicted.

It is true that when the protagonist cheats, it is refreshing to watch. On the contrary, when the protagonist is in a difficult battle, on the one hand, it is tense, and on the other hand, you can see the growth of the protagonist after overcoming the problem. But actually, think about it, there are not many anime works where the protagonist cheats directly. Even in "One Punch Man", it takes hard training to defeat the enemy with one punch, but there is no difficult battle. In fact, both have their merits, so which one do you like?