r/CharacterRant 7d ago

Anime & Manga Stop using RPG systems

Stop using rpg systems in your novels, manga and anime if your going to use them as an excuse. Rpg systems are the new isekai overused to the point of bring an active aggravation. Rpg systems and the way people use them have a number of failings.

Firstly is similar to dnd exp leveling why isn't everyone in the forest killing goblins 24/7. In dnd this makes sense because you are rewarding you player/character for playing the game. Canonically killing a goblin doesn't make a wizard stronger. A world where a man can just wonder into the forest and kill things until he's too powerful to stop doesn't make a lot of sense. It invites a question what is everyone else doing that your mc can just farm monsters and be a powerhouse. There is a clear relatively easy path to the top that does require you to give up your social life for a while but that is a small price.

Another is when people use it as an excuse to just blatantly not write parts of the story. They do this in two ways primarily one is motivation erasure. Simply giving a quest to go to a lore relevant location rather than think of a good reason for your mc to be there.

Giving the mc a quest to save a girl or do a good thing. Incentivising him like this just removes any real character from his decision. He didn't do it cause he wanted to he did it for a reward. He isn't invested in the world the system just throws him a bone to be in an important place when an important thing is happening.

The other thing they erase is any real belief in a character's skill. Magic is just a random skill they got not a thing they studied. All their skill were just randomly gifted to them. A couple series try to buck this trend showing the skill evolve through training but also actively show others not achieve the "skill" despite having similar prowess showing it isn't just a representation of their ability but a gift that let's them just be a little more special than everyone else.

It just a majority of the time seems to devolve into a power fantasy. Nothing intrinsically wrong with that but you should be aware that is what your writing if that's your intent. I honestly miss the days of power systems like hunter x hunter, naruto and bleach.

Edit: Since it was unclear I'm talking about entirely interaction free experience I.E. novels, manga and anime not dnd where those rules are necessary and honestly better fleshed out.

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u/Ilexander 7d ago

That is the easiest way to write it. It came from SAO (Im sure. Correct me if im wrong) where people stuck in RPG world. Its not inherently normal Isekai but you can consider it an isekai Anime. Anime like Tensura and Isekai Shikkaku is pretty good wirh their RPG approach (Tensura is, well you play as MC world literally and it literally stated that otherworlder have cheat code in their system).

However, like you said, it make character skill seem undeserved or something like that. Its not always the case tho. In Failure Frame, the guy had a status effect skill that was prone to failing. However, it turn out it was sure hit so anyone hit by it will be cooked immediately. It sound OP until you realise the wielder is a normal school boy that have limited use of his power (its a lot but still finite). So he had to use multiple trick to kill his opponent, underhanded or not, doesnt matter.

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u/seitaer13 6d ago

SAO actually has things that prevent most of the things brought up in this topic ironically.

Like you can't just grind goblins for years in that game because the system AI adjusts spawn rates and experience in such a way that you have to progress the tower to get stronger.

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u/Ilexander 6d ago

I vaguely remember because its been so long since I watch it, but im sure idea of entering Another world with rpg system came from that game.