Animethrives on that which is familiar. Shounen story beats are often the same; even character designs sometimes evoke each other. But nothing in anime gets the old Pavlovian reflex going quite like an iconic pose. It’s an easy way to pay tribute to aclassic seriesand get into fans' good graces.
Some of these poses are so well-known, that their origin has become muddled. Instead, they are often referred to by citing the anime that made them famous. So let’s take a look at some of the most iconic anime poses, and find out a little more about where they came from.
8The Yandere Face
Popularized By Future Diary
This is one of the most well-known anime poses, and gets paid tribute to by fan art all the time. The yandere face signifies that a character is so obsessed, so adrenaline-filled and so caught up in their feelings for their crush that all they can do is clutch at their face.
This pose, often called the Yuno Face, was popularized by Mirai Nikki. At the end of the first episode, Yuno Gasai’s obsession with protagonist Yukki gets the better of her, and she grabs her face while promising to protect him. The move caught on in the anime community, with various characters being drawn making the same expression.
7The Naruto Run
Popularized By Naruto
Though it’s named after the most iconic anime to use it, the Naruto Run existed in anime for many years before that. You might have even caught it in Dragon Ball a few times, and Arale from Akira Toriyama’s other manga, Dr. Slump, would run like this, too. Naruto running gained a resurgence in popularity when it was jokingly declared the best method to infiltrate Area 51.
The move came about as manga artists believed that, to conserve energy, a character should keep their arms angled behind them while sprinting instead of pumping them pointlessly. It does make the runner look free as a bird, but it won’t help you move faster than bullets.
6Nico Nico Nii
Popularized By Love Live: School Idol Project
It’s a move representative of kawaii culture: saying the magical words Nico Nico Nii while holding your hands to your head. The move came about from a pose struck byclub memberNico in Love Live: School Idol Project while attempting to act like a cute idol.
The pose ascended into memehood in the mid-2010s when professional wrestler Marcellus Black started using a move dubbed the Nico Nico Knee. A self-declared otaku, Black would emulate the Love Live character before delivering a running knee to his opponent’s face.
5The Peace Sign
A Pose With Real-Life Origins
The V-shaped peace sign is well-known worldwide. In Japan, putting it next to your eye is just a way to add an extra bit of cuteness; it’s often used by idols, musicians, and even regular people while posing for photographs.
The move’s worldwide popularity came about from how many cutesy anime characters tend to use it. Generally, it’s female characters who use it, with male characters making the standard peace sign away from their face.
4The Gainax Pose
Popularized By Gunbuster
An anime studio can’t hope to be much more iconic than having an entire trope named after itself. Gainax has done it multiple times, and their anime shows are famous for their ‘Gainax endings’, which are abrupt cliffhangers withno resolution. The studio tended to go heavy on the fanservice too, with jiggle physics in anime being called Gainaxing. And then there’s the Gainax pose.
Popularized by the ’80s mecha OVA Gunbuster, this pose shows a character standing with their feet placed apart and their arms crossed. The power stance captured the imaginations of anime fans worldwide. Pay close attention to the right hand if you’re trying to emulate the pose: it’s always tucked under the elbow.
3Fusion Dance
Popularized By Dragon Ball Z
Wherever anime fans congregate, the fusion dance will be there. This iconic pose, showing two characters leaning together with their fingertips touching, is one of Dragon Ball Z’s many lasting contributions to the anime industry.
First used by Goten and Trunks to consolidate their power, the Fusion Dance represents unity between two fighters. It’s shown up in all sorts of entertainment, ranging from Western animation - where Avatar: The Last Airbender gets in on the act - to professional wrestling.
2The Gendo Pose
Popularized By Neon Genesis Evangelion
The Gendo pose has origins far older than its name: its first known sighting is in All-Star Combattler V. The pose is simple: a villainous character sits with their elbows resting on a surface, and their fingers intertwined near their mouth.
When Gendo Ikari caught the imagination of anime fans in the ’90s, the pose’s nickname was set in stone. Gendo Ikari’s iconic pose represents cunning, scheming, and cold, calculated detachment.
1Akira Slide
Popularized By Akira
In the late ’80s, the anime industry was struggling. Shows weren’t turning a profit, and studios were being shuttered. The medium hadn’t yet broken through in the West, and the industry was at a loss as to how it would regain its financial viability. The answer came in Akira.
Though it’s an incredible quasi-horror film with a dystopian setting in the near future, Akira as a whole is overshadowed by its opening minutes. The incredible animation on display solidified anime’s place in the world of animation. When Akira slid his bike to a halt, it was the start of a revolution. The pose that started it all has beenreferenced numerous timesacross all media.
