Finding Christ Characters in Anime

[starstoryteller]

O.K. Fist and foremost this asking who you *think* could be an example of a Christ character (and perales in his life) not whether or not that was the intention of the creator.
(You'll see what I mean when put up my example)

If you have unsaved friends or saved friends and family it makes a good conversation.

Mine is Nausicaa.

-She is born in a small insignificant valley.
-She puts her life on the line for others and even those who don’t deserve it.
-She also is the last person anyone would have guessed to be the savior of the world.

[eva-boy7985]

I mentioned this in another thread, but I see Kenshin Himura as a very Christl-like character. He is a man of few words, perhaps it could even be said he is a "man of sorrows". His entire life and being he devotes to the serving and protecting of others, oftentimes even those who would be his enemies as the TV series shows, granting them mercy when they are in now way deserving of it. I see his character and his actions as a perfect example fo the Agape love that Christ shows for every person in the world no matter who they are.

[Alice]

I think the main character in Fruits Basket is a good example of the love of Christ, and wanting to help people. Um, it' so late that I can't remember her name. >.>;;

[Crosspunisher]

vash from trigun he would not kill was rejected by men and saved peoples lives no matter the cost to himself he helped.

also wolfwood from trigun he was almost the same as vash but he was accepted by men.

[Myoti]

I suppose Roronoa Zoro could be. He killed these dogs belonging to Helmeppo, a general's son, so Helmeppo threatened to kill everyone in the area unless Zoro was willing to go without food for 30 days. Zoro agreed and was tied to a wooden stake in the shape of a cross, though Helmeppo actually planned to kill him anyways...

[uc pseudonym]

Thank you for introducing this properly; we have had plenty of threads that have gone down a rather pointless path on the subject.

Personally, I tend not to draw parallels. For me, in my situation at least, I do not find it terribly helpful on any account.

[Yokuo]

Usagi, from Sailor Moon

- She is an unlikely hero
- She believes that no one should be sacrificed, and tries to save everyone (Including her enemies), no matter what any of her friends say.

[Radical Dreamer]

[quote="Alice"]I think the main character in Fruits Basket is a good example of the love of Christ, and wanting to help people. Um, it' so late that I can't remember her name. >.>]


o.o Honda Tohru...Alli-chan, I'm dissapointed in you! XD

[Alice]

G-gomen nasai. ^^;;;

[Joshua Christopher]

Jesus Christ in the manga Jesus.

[termyt]

Messiah characters are quite frequent in anime - Nausicaä and Vash are two of my favorites.

Be careful when using them as parallels to Christ, though. None of them is perfect and all of them also have characteristics that are not Christ-like (for example, Vash was a womanizer with a penchant for getting drunk). Be careful not to make too close a comparison between them and Christ. They can be good examples of Christ-like behavior, but they are not parallels of Christ.

[mitsuki lover]

Kiba from Wolf's Rain is one of the most obvious ones.
Vash from Trigun of course.

[freerock1]

Be careful when using them as parallels to Christ, though. None of them is perfect and all of them also have characteristics that are not Christ-like (for example, Vash was a womanizer with a penchant for getting drunk). Be careful not to make too close a comparison between them and Christ.

I would agree with this statement. For instance, as you mentioned, Vash was a womanizer and at times put away too much booze. Perhaps an even stronger example is toward the end of the series, where
[spoiler]Vash retracts on his no-killing policy to do away with Legato. Shortly thereafter, he even says, "I'm a sinner too."[/spoiler]
That said, though, perhaps more than making Vash a parallel character to Christ, we can compare his journey to that of a spiritual walk of a believer. He made a mistake in his past that is no longer representative of who he is as a person. His role is to save others. After his "sin," he struggles with the guilt it carries (as many of us do--even though we know Jesus forgives, sometimes it's hard for us to completely let go of the guilt). But Vash overcomes it and is able to do what he was placed on earth to do...
[spoiler]i.e., "take care of Knives."[/spoiler]
Again, we would want to be careful about drawing too many conclusions; there is still the issue of the womanizing and occasional drunkenness. Though it should be noted that as the story progresses, the instances of these behaviors in Vash become fewer and further between until they're pretty much gone, showing something of a maturing process in Vash. Similarly, as Christians we may still stumble occasionally, but as we grow in Christ our character should become more like that of Christ.

Anyway that's my take...

[termyt]

Well said, freerock1. Comparing Vash to Christians and using his example to help and teach others is better than comparing him directly to Christ.

I think that is a good illistration on how to use anime's many messiah figures as object lessons and illistrations.

[Jeikobu]

The first two that come to mind:
-Nausicaa (Kaze no Tani no Naushika): [SPOILER]She dies to save her people and is brought back to life. Also, she has a very loving heart.[/SPOILER]
-Satoshi (Pocket Monsters: Mewtwo Strikes Back): [SPOILER]He dies to stop the war between the Pokemon and is brought back to life. He loved them and cared about them enough to give his own life to make them realize what they were doing.[/SPOILER]

[JezusBoy]

Jesus Christ in the manga Jesus.

Thats cool! Where can I buy, get pictures of and more info about this Jesus Manga?

[Myoti]

Jesus Christ in the manga Jesus.

That's pretty interesting. Do you have more info on it?

[Rocketshipper]

Kamui Shirou from X

[spoiler]One meaning of his name is "One who does God's will" and he's prophesied by Hinoto to be the one who will decide the fate of the world. During the final battle he gives up his life rather than fight his best friend to the death, and this action activates his "Spirit Shield" which saves the world and brings his best friend back to the good side[/spoiler]

[uc pseudonym]

That's pretty interesting. Do you have more info on it?

There was a thread here on CAA, at one time. Here is what a simple search turned up:
http://www.christiananime.net/showthread.php?t=16397&highlight=jesus+manga
http://www.christiananime.net/showthread.php?t=2408&highlight=jesus+manga

[starstoryteller]

I've heard of it but can anyone get more info on it? like a pic or something?

[uc pseudonym]

It once had its own website, but that is currently down, possibly for good. The following link has a picture of the cover and some other information:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=4766
That's the best I can do for the moment.