No matter how awesome it may look, anime power-ups are extremely overdone and lack a level of writing that makes fight scenes interesting beyond the gut punches and uppercuts.

The trope of a transformation or power-up was immeasurably popularized by “Dragon Ball Z”, with the use of “Super Saiyan” and subsequent evolutions acting as the key to defeating the villains in each season of the show. 

However, this clichè has overstayed its welcome and feels like a lazy way to write a path to victory for the protagonists of many modern anime.

Through flashy changes in appearance and a flaring aura, power-ups are visually appealing and get hearts pumping, but these transformations are often not given much explanation other than blind rage or adrenaline. 

If you want a power-up to truly work, it needs to relate back to the progression of the plot or the development of characters. The reason behind the boost should not come from out of left field rather it should come from a place where viewers have been introduced even if for a brief period. 

One of the best cases of this well-written form of a power-up comes from “Yu Yu Hakusho”, a show where the protagonist, Yusuke Urameshi, comes back to life as a detective solving cases involving demons with the use of spirit energy. 

During the climax of the “Dark Tournament” story arc, Yusuke finds himself outmatched by his opponent, Toguro, in the finals of a martial arts tournament, even after receiving training and donated energy from his mentor. According to his teacher, there is a wall between himself and his emotions that holds the key to unlocking his full potential, which she suggests Toguro exploits by killing one of his best friends. 

To finally fight someone of equal power, he jumps on the opportunity and seemingly kills Yusuke’s lifelong friend, which shatters his barrier of safety from the reality of his situation and allows him to finally stop holding back his power to overcome this battle. This scenario acts as a moment of major character development that has a purpose in the plot besides being a way to defeat the antagonist.

Throughout the series, Yusuke has zero regard for his life or the people who care about him. Watching the death of his best friend led him to the realization that his actions have consequences and he needs to take his life more seriously, which broke a mental barrier that held back his power and led to his power-up. It ties together with his development and furthers his progression into a mature character, adding more substance behind his burst of energy. 

The trope of power-ups and transformations is not an inherently bad way to write fight scenes. But, when the only use for it is for hype without any depth to its meaning, it feels like a way to breeze past conflict without any progression in characters or plot elements. While it worked for one of the grandfathers of Japanese animation, it’s time for the clichè to have a transformation of its own to stay fresh and unique.

Categories: Arts & Entertainment