The Relationship Between Personalities and Faces of Manga Characters

Abstract

Mangaka (manga artists) are limited to portraying the personalities of characters through static images and limited changes in facial expression. It is imperative that the personality and appearance of a character complement each other. In this study, we found that participants rely heavily on facial features to identify the personalities of characters. However, we also found that their first impressions are inclined towards two out of a total of sixteen specific personality types. This preference for specific personality types may be a unique feature of manga. Perhaps because readers are entirely reliant on the visual presentation of manga, facial features provide a relatively rich source of information when determining the personality of a character. The physical appearance of characters is somewhat limited by the stylization typical of manga. Possibly the facial features of characters have become restricted to a few select types, enforcing stereotypical images in the minds of readers. This encapsulation of personalities is important to the development of manga. Simplifying personality types helps readers to identify with characters and understand the plot. However, over-simplification can make characters dull or indistinguishable from each other

Keywords

• Manga
• personality
• facial feature
• primacy effect
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)