When exploring different stories, it's very common to find similar character archetypes across separate narratives. This can lead a viewer to find something new to enjoy because it reminds them of their favorite characters. DC Comics and anime are no exceptions, with heroes of various backgrounds and morality showing up across both mediums.
Be they superpowered protectors or sidelined side characters, comic and anime heroes often share characterization commonalities. From the golden era of comics to the more recent anime boom in the West, here are 10 characters from separate mediums who are remarkably similar.
Hawkgirl and Kagome
Hawkgirl has had many names including Shiera Hall, Shayera Hol, and Kendra Saunders. She's traditionally portrayed as constantly reincarnating from an Egyptian princess. Whether she chooses it or not, she often becomes a hero and is usually paired with Hawkman in each life. Kagome from InuYasha is the reincarnation of Kikyo, and she becomes a skilled archer.
Much like her past selves, Hawkgirl is usually a winged hero and a great warrior. Kagome becomes an archer like Kikyo was, as well as a love interest of Inuyasha, must like her prodecessor. Both women find themselves in similar situations in consecutive lives, and, despite not expecting the path they end up on, both choose to fight for good.
Constantine And Howl
John Constantine is a detective who deals with the supernatural, and he's also a sorcerer with numerous magical abilities. Howl Pendragon of Studio Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle is a wizard who fights in a deadly war. Both face problems big and small.
Constantine can be very self-centered, smart-mouthed, and cynical, and yet he still wants to do good deeds. Howl is also self-centered and very focused on his appearance, even throwing a tantrum when Sophie mixes up his hair potions, dying his hair another color. But, Howl is also someone who wants to fight for good.
Martian Manhunter And Piccolo
Getting the obvious out of the way, both of these characters are green-skinned and have capes. J'onn J'onnz is the Martian Manhunter, the last survivor of Mars who finds a new home on Earth as a hero. Piccolo of Dragon Ball Z is from an alien species known as Namekians.
Martian Manhunter can shape-shift into anyone he wants, and Piccolo can create things with Magic Materialization. Martian Manhunter also has telepathic powers, which he can use to read minds or communicate with his fellow Justice League members over long distances. Piccolo has also shown telepathic abilities, as well as telekinesis.
Nightwing And Vash The Stampede
What sets Dick Grayson, A.K.A. Nightwing, apart from Batman is that he has a more light-hearted approach to his job as a hero, but he still has incredible skills to rival his mentor. Having lost his parents, Nightwing adopts Batman's rule of no killing. Vash the Stampede of Trigun is a legendary outlaw who bounces between serious and silly, but he's also a pacifist who refuses to kill.
When Dick Grayson was Robin, he frequently found himself in difficult fights against the villain Two-Face, including a situation where Dick accidentally caused the death of someone else, as seen in Robin #0 and "Robin: Year One." Vash's greatest foe is his brother, Knives, who causes Vash to accidentally destroy a town. Both heroes find themselves growing from these respective mistakes.
Vixen and Nausicaa
Mari McCabe is Vixen, a superhero from Zambesi who can use the spirit of animals. Nausicaa is the heroine of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, who uses her glider and various fighting skills to protect her home and the innocent wildlife in the Toxic Jungle. Both have an incredibly deep connection to nature, in a way no one else does.
Both characters have a strong desire to protect, and both stand their ground on fighting for what they believe is right. Vixen lost her mother at a young age, and she's given her family's totem that allows her to use the abilities of any animal. Nausicaa also lost her mother when she was young, and, as she grows older, she becomes a fighter for both her people and nature. Vixen is an animal rights advocate, and Nausicaa wishes for people and the jungle to co-exist. Nausicaa also particularly defends the Ohmu, who are large bug-like creatures that everyone else vilifies.
Green Arrow And Spike Spiegel
Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, and Spike Spiegel, the main character of Cowboy Bebop, aren't a match that comes to mind at first glance, but there are more than a few similarities between them. Both are good fighters, both can be a bit smart-mouthed, and both have mysterious pasts.
Where Green Arrow and Spike's similarities lie the most is in their morality; both of them fight on the side of good—even if Spike's fight is sometimes to buy the crew's next meal—but they also bend the rules. They won't go out of their way to kill, but, if a bad guy is dangerous enough of a threat, they'll do what needs to be done.
Catwoman And Fujiko Mine
A couple of thieves who are very much alike, Catwoman, Selina Kyle, is a cat burglar in Gotham City, and she often gets away with her stolen goods with no problem. Fujiko Mine of Lupin III is also a burglar and is sometimes an accomplice to the titular thief in the show.
Both women are occasional love interests for the main character—Batman and Lupin, respectively—and both characters have a bit of good and bad to them. They also both con unwitting people in their schemes and are known to double-cross the people they work with.
Wonder Woman And Usagi Tsukino
Diana of Themiscyra is the legendary Wonder Woman, and Usagi Tsukino is the titular character in Sailor Moon. These two women are powerful and extremely heroic. Wonder Woman leaves her island home and chooses to defend humanity, and Usagi is reincarnated from the Princess of the Moon Kingdom, and she too takes Earth as her home to defend it.
The two both carry some fantastic accessories; Wonder Woman has her Lasso of Truth and her bracelets, and Sailor Moon has her magical brooch. They also have allies very similar to them, one being the Amazons of Themiscyra, and the other being the Sailor Soldiers. On a smaller note, they both are also commonly portrayed wearing red boots.
Batman And Roger Smith
Bruce Wayne, A.K.A. Batman, is a billionaire who uses an armored suit to protect his corrupted home of Gotham City, and Roger Smith is a billionaire who uses a mecha suit to protect his corrupted home of Paradigm City. Batman relies on his trusted allies Police Commissioner Jim Gordon and butler/mechanic Alfred Pennyworth. Roger Smith relies on his trusted allies Chief of Police Dan Dastun and butler/mechanic Norman Burg. So, they're just a little bit similar.
Roger Smith is the main character of The Big O. He physically resembles Bruce Wayne, both have an outer playboy image, and both abstain from firearms. Roger also has a tricked-out car called the Griffon, similar to the Batmobile. Batman: The Animated Series was an inspiration for the series, and Toonami advertised The Big O as "One part Bond, one part Bruce Wayne, one part City-Smashing Robot."
Superman And Goku
This is perhaps the most popular "who would win in a fight between [superhero] and [anime character]" of them all, as well it should be since viewers can find a lot in common between the Son of Krypton and the Super Saiyan.
Both characters first find their strength as children before eventually becoming extremely powerful heroes of Earth. Stories have also been told with the characters before their adult years. The two also come from near-extinct peoples; Kryptonians and Super Saiyans. Superman is commonly associated with his wife Lois Lane and their son Jonathan, and the same goes for Goku with his wife Chi-Chi and son Gohan. Both face foes that rival their strength, like Superman's foes Darkseid, Mongul, and Lobo, and Goku's foes Piccolo, Vegeta, and Freeza.